Day trip to Lago di Como

The North of Italy, and more precisely the part of Milan and its surroundings, is often called the “region of lakes”. This is because there are quite a few lakes around here, including the three biggest Italian lakes, that are all close to one another: Lago di Garda, Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como.

I went to visit Lago di Como for one day last semester, in October. I had actually already been there with my family a few years ago. I remember having such a great time there and had such a good memory of it that I really wanted to go back to explore some more cities around this lake.

It only takes about one hour to get to this lake from Milan with the train. The round trip costs around €20. It is nice knowing that there is such a place close to the city, because the sea is quite far away from Milan, on both side of the coast, so having a little of water this close feels fantastic. Moreover, the Como Lake is known to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, so it's like a double benefit to visit it! You get fresh air and visit something that is known worldwide for its beauty. I mean, this can't end up in a bad day, right?

If you come from Milan by train, you will most likely arrive in the village of Brunate. This village has been organized to welcome tourists and help them enjoy their stay as much as possible, therefore there are many restaurants and shops. As there are a lot of visitors going there each year, paths have been made for people to be able to walk around the lake and get different views. There are also boats that you can take to have a tour on the lake.

While walking around the lake you might see many villas: some of them are very well-known, like the Villa Carlotta for example. You can even visit this one from March to October, every year.

To get the full experience of this part of the Como Lake, I would recommend taking the funicular railway and go visit the part of the village that is up in the mountains. It was also organized for tourists: there are monuments to see and paths that will lead you to viewing points. From up there you can get another amazing view of the lake. I think it’s really worth going there if you want to see beautiful landscapes. Even just when we were going up and down with the funicular railway we had a beautiful view over the lake, especially because it was October and the trees were starting to have their fall colors that I really love.

You have to pay to use this funicular railway, but if you buy a round trip ticket directly you pay only €4 instead of €5, so that's not too much. The funicular railway is the only way to go up there, so you actually kind of do not have a choice than to pay these €4 if you want to go to the top.

The Como Lake is really popular and appreciated. It’s great to go there on a day trip to have a day off from the city and enjoy its beautiful landscapes and quietness.

You might have seen the Como Lake in movies and music videos without even knowing it! It was used as a scenery in the music video of John Legend’s “All of me”, and the wedding scene at the end of "Star Wars II – Attack of the clones" was shot there! Pay attention next time you watch them! Many stars also own villas by the lake, like George Clooney for example.

October was a very nice time to visit the lake: there were not too many people and it was still sunny and quite warm. Fall is my favorite season and seeing all these beautiful colors on the trees was also really great!

I did not go there this winter but I saw some pictures from friends who went there, and they seemed to have some really nice Christmas decorations. It seems like any time of the year is a great time to visit the lake.

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