Grand villas, colourful lakeside villages and mountain views on Italy's most elegant lake. Here's what Lake Como is like, when to go and how long to stay.
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Temperatures are the average daytime high in °C.
May, June and September are the best months, warm and sunny with the villa gardens at their best in spring. July and August are hot and busy, with packed ferries. October brings autumn colours and fewer people. From November to March many hotels close and ferries run less often.
The 'pearl of the lake', with stepped lanes, silk shops and views down all three arms of the lake.
A villa and terraced gardens on a wooded point, seen in Star Wars and Casino Royale.
Grand gardens of azaleas and rhododendrons in Tremezzo, best in April and May.
A pretty village with a lakeside walkway and a castle above it.
A day ferry pass lets you hop between Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Tremezzo.
An easy walking path linking lakeside villages on the western shore.
Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio are the classic central bases, with ferries between them. Como town is cheaper and easy to reach by train.
Yes, at lidos and small beaches in summer. The water is cool, usually around 22 to 24°C at its warmest.
Fly to Milan Malpensa, Linate or Bergamo, then take a train to Como or Varenna.
Three to four days covers the main villages and villas. A week lets you add hikes and a trip to Milan.
Put Lake Como on standby with everyone's other ideas. You each spread your points in secret, get one veto, and the draw picks where you go.