Best Things to Do in Como for First Timers (and Repeat Visitors)

I still remember the afternoon I spent watching a sudden summer storm roll across Lago di Como from the covered arcade along Via Dell'Angolo. The clouds turned the water that famous shade of pewter you see in Renaissance paintings, and within twenty minutes the rain chased every tourist off the promenade while the locals pulled out their umbrellas and kept walking like nothing had happened. That contrast between prepared residents and overwhelmed visitors made me realize how much of this city reveals itself only to those willing to look past the obvious guidebook stops. This Como travel guide comes from years of wandering these same streets, eating at the same counter-service spots my neighbors have used for decades, and learning which waterfront benches catch the best evening light. Whether you are here for your first trip or your fifth, the best things to do in Como require a mix of planning and openness to getting slightly lost.

Strolling the Lungo Lago at Golden Hour

The Lungo Lago, also called Riva Gianfranco Colombo, stretches for roughly two kilometers along the southern shore of Lago di Como and represents the social heartbeat of the city for locals and visitors alike. On weekday mornings before ten, you will share the path with joggers, elderly men feeding the ducks near the small fountain at Piazza Cavour, and the occasional commuter grabbing an espresso to go from Bar Nazionale. I make a point of walking at least a portion of this route every time I return from elsewhere because the view of the Prealps reflected in the water changes hour by hour. The best light comes around six in the evening during summer months when the sun drops behind the hills on the eastern shore, turning the water amber and making the dome of the Tempio Voltiano glow against a shifting sky.

The promenade passes several notable points of interest including the elegant Palazzo Terragni on Piazza Libertà, though many tourists hurry past without noticing the rationalist architecture that makes this building significant in Italian design history. I recommend stopping at the small kiosk near the tourist boat dock around four in the afternoon for a cone of nocciola gelato from Gelateria Cavour, which sources its hazelnuts from the Piedmont region and operates with a seasonal menu that actually rotates. Do not expect to sit here during weekend afternoons when the crowds thin out only after dinner time, and the area near Piazza Cavour becomes so packed withtour groups that walking feels more like navigating a museum than enjoying a lakeside city.

Local Insider Tip: "If you turn left at the small obelisk marking the southern end of the Lungo Lago and follow Via Regno Unito for about three hundred meters, you will reach the public bathing area called Lido di Cernobbio. Locals pay about eight euros for a day pass to use the facilities, and the swim area has a sandy bottom that is genuinely rare along this rocky shore."

Riding the Funicolare to Brunate

The funicolare di Brunate departs from Piazza De Gasperi in the lower city and climbs 220 meters over a distance of about one kilometer in roughly seven minutes, offering panoramic views that make the four euro round-trip fare feel like theft. I have taken this journey dozens of times, and I still press my face against the window during the final approach when the city shrinks below and the entire southern branch of the lake spreads out like a map. The town of Brunate itself sits at the top as a quiet residential village rather than a commercial tourist destination, which is precisely why I find it worth the short trip. You will find a handful of family-run trattorias serving lake fish and polenta, a small church with frescoes from the fifteenth century, and several hiking paths that connect to the Alpe del Viceré and eventually lead down toward Tremezzo on the western shore.

Most visitors treat Brunate as a quick photo stop, spending twenty minutes at the belvedere before retreating back down the hill. This misses the point entirely. The real experience involves walking along the Strada Vecchia per Brunate, a narrow stone-paved path that connects the village center to the hamlet of Alpano, passing old stone farmhouses and chestnut groves that quiet down completely on weekday mornings. I suggest arriving before ten on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the morning fog often clears by midmorning, giving you that famous visibility where you can see the Alps beyond Milan on exceptional days. The funicolare runs every fifteen minutes during peak season but drops to half-hourly service after nine in the evening, so plan your descent accordingly if you plan to stay for dinner at one of the restaurants near the belvedere.

Local Insider Tip: "The little church of San Maurizio in Brunate has a free admission policy and contains a wooden crucifix that scholars date to the thirteenth century. The caretaker, Signora Colombo, often waters the garden around four in the afternoon and will tell you the history of the building in Italian with very little encouragement if you seem genuinely interested."

Visiting the Duomo di Como at Midday

The Duomo di Como dominates Piazza Duomo at the geographic and historical center of the old city, and its construction spanned nearly four centuries, beginning in the fourteenth century and ending with the baroque facade additions around 1730. I walked past this cathedral so often as a teenager that I stopped really seeing it until a visiting cousin asked me to describe the details, and I realized I had been taking one of northern Italy's finest examples of Gothic architecture for granted. The northern facade facing Via Bossi contains the tomb of the Sfondrati family, and the rose window above the main entrance measures over eight meters in diameter, making it one of the largest in Lombardy. Inside, the dome rises to thirty meters and the choir stalls display intricate intarsia woodwork that took craftsmen decades to complete.

Tour groups tend to concentrate here between eleven in the morning and two in the afternoon, making the experience feel commercial despite the genuine spiritual and artistic significance of the space. I prefer visiting on weekday mornings when a small group of locals still attends the eight o'clock mass, and the building feels like what it is, a working church rather than a museum. The cathedral museum adjacent to the entrance costs five euros and displays vestments, silverwork, and architectural fragments removed during various restorations, including a section of the original Romanesque floor that was buried when the Gothic construction began. Allow at least an hour if you want to read the informational panels and examine the tapestries depicting Saint Gobnait that hang in the left nave.

Local Insider Tip: "The best view of the Duomo's ceiling frescoes comes from the second pillar on the left side as you face the altar. Stand about four meters back and look up at an angle that avoids the harsh midday light streaming through the main windows. The afternoon light from two to four creates warm shadows that actually enhance the gilded portions of the Annunciation scene."

Wandering the Historic Centro Storico

The centro storico of Como occupies the raised plateau above the ancient Roman walls, and its street pattern preserves the originalcardo and decumanus layout that Roman surveyors laid out when they founded Novum Comum around 59 BC. Via Maestri Comacini runs north to south through the heart of the old town, passing under the medieval Torri di Porta Santuario and connecting the cathedral area to the quieter districts toward Via Battisti. I find myself coming back to this neighborhood repeatedly not for any single monument but for the accumulated texture of arched walkways, faded fresco facades on apartment buildings, and the small craftspeople who still work in studios visible from the street. You can watch a goldsmith setting stones on Via Alfonso Corti, a bookbinder restoring volumes at a workshop near Piazza Santa Fedele, and a glassblower who maintains a studio on Via Vittorio Emanuele that has operated continuously since 1947.

The morning markets set up along Via Vittorio Emanuele on Tuesdays and Saturdays until one in the afternoon, selling produce, cheese, and cured meats alongside clothing and household goods. I always stop at the stall operated by the Turconi family for their aged goat cheese from their farm in the mountains above Menaggio, about forty minutes north by car. The narrowest street in Como, Via Aurelio Saffi, measures just sixty centimeters at its narrowest point near the intersection with Via Rodari, and locals claim that during medieval times, residents would leave doors open on both sides so servants carrying trays could pass without touching the walls. Shopping here focuses on silk products since Como remains Italy's primary silk manufacturing center, and the outlet stores near the train station sell discontinued patterns at significant discounts compared to Milan boutiques.

Local Insider Tip: "TheMuseo Storico Leone on Via San Francesco d'Assisi is free on the first Sunday of every month and contains a reconstructed medieval pharmacy with original ceramic jars and pharmaceutical equipment from the sixteenth century. The caretaker rotates different sections of the collection monthly, so even repeat visitors discover something new."

Discovering the Tempio Voltiano

The Tempio Voltiano stands on the western shore near Piazza Cavour, built in 1928 to honor Alessandro Volta, the physicist born in Como in 1745 who invented the electric battery. The neoclassical white marble building contains a museum on its upper floor that displays scientific instruments, letters, and recreated laboratory scenes documenting Volta's research and his interactions with Napoleon, who made him a count after witnessing his experiments in Paris. I brought my nephew here during his school vacation, expecting him to find it boring, and he spent forty-five minutes carefully examining the original electroscope and the wax cylinder recording Volta made of his own voice speaking in Latin. The lower floor usually hosts temporary exhibitions that rotate quarterly, and I have seen everything from contemporary photography to historical maps of the lake during these thematic shows.

The terrace outside the temple offers unobstructed views across the small harbor and toward the western hills, making it one of the most photographed spots in the city despite the lack of signage drawing attention to the view. The museum charges six euros for adults and remains open from ten in the morning until six in the evening except Mondays when it closes for maintenance. I recommend visiting in late afternoon when the light slants through the columns and the small garden surrounding the temple glows green against the white stone. Children under twelve enter free, and the museum provides activity booklets in Italian and English that keep younger visitors engaged with puzzles and experiments they can try at the actual exhibits.

Local Insider Tip: "The bronze statue of Volta in the small garden facing the lake shows him holding a conducting rod in his right hand. If you stand directly behind the statue and look through the gap between his arm and his body, you will see the sun set directly into the water on approximately June 15 and December 15 each year, a coincidence that architects built into the original design."

Taking a Boat to Villa del Balbianello

Villa del Balbianello occupies a promontory on the western shore near Lenno, accessible only by boat or a steep hiking trail that climbs through chestnut forest for about forty-five minutes from the nearest road. The villa originally served as a monastery in the eighteenth century before becoming a private residence that has appeared in several Hollywood films including Star Wars Episode II and Casino Royale. I booked my ticket through the Navigazione Lago di Como ferry service, taking the morning hydrofoil from Como's main dock at ten fifteen and arriving at Lenno by eleven twenty, then walking the short path to the landing stage. The grounds include extensive gardens with centuries-old cypress trees, a domed loggia built over the water, and several terraces that showcase different angles of the surrounding mountains and the central stem of the Y-shaped lake.

The tour inside the villa operates on timed entries with a maximum of twenty-five people per group, and I strongly suggest booking online at least three days in advance during summer months when tickets sell out completely. The interior contains original furniture, tapestries, and decorative arts from the Cardinal Durini period when the villa reached its peak of elegance in the late eighteenth century. Photography inside is prohibited, which frankly makes the experience more immersive since visitors stop trying to document everything and actually look at what surrounds them. The gift shop stocks reasonably priced guidebooks and local honey produced in the villa's own apiary, and the small café near the entrance serves excellent limonata made from lemons grown on the property.

Local Insider Tip: "The last boat back to Como departs Lenno at six forty-five in the evening during peak season, but the smaller water taxi service that operates from the Balbianello landing can take you to the village of Tremezzo where you can catch a later ferry. This costs about thirty euros but allows you to linger in the gardens until five thirty without worrying about missing your return transport."

Exploring Villa Carlotta and Its Gardens

Villa Carlotta sits directly on the lakefront in Tremezzo, about twenty minutes by ferry from Como's main dock, and the journey itself showcases the mountainous eastern shore from an angle impossible to appreciate from the shore. The villa was built in the early eighteenth century as a private residence and later became a gift from Austria's Archduke Johann to his bride Sophie of Saxony, giving the property its name. I spent an entire afternoon here during May when the rhododendrons were blooming in every shade from deep burgundy to pale pink, and I understood immediately why the Habsburgs chose this location for their summer residence. The botanical collection includes camellias, azaleas, and rare subtropical species brought back by collectors during the nineteenth century, and the terraced gardens descend in carefully orchestrated stages toward the water.

The museum inside contains a small but impressive collection of Italian sculpture including works by Antonio Canova, and I spent twenty minutes in the room devoted to his preliminary terracotta models before reaching the polished marble versions in the garden. Tickets cost twelve euros for adults and include access to both the villa interior and the gardens, with a reduced combined ticket available if you also plan to visit Villa del Balbianello on the same day. The café in the former stables serves light meals and excellent espresso, and during summer months, the outdoor tables near the water offer views that justify the entire trip to the western shore. Parking in Tremezzo becomes impossible after ten in the morning on weekends, so take the ferry or arrive early on a weekday if you plan to drive.

Local Insider Tip: "The small waterfall on the far eastern edge of the upper garden is called the Rucellai Cascade and was fed by an aqueduct that originally supplied water to the entire complex. It runs dry during September and October for annual maintenance, but in spring and early summer, you can hear bullfrogs in the pool below that have lived there for decades, fed by generations of gardeners."

Walking the Via dei Muri and Ancient Walls

The medieval walls of Como still stand in substantial sections throughout the city, and the path called Via dei Muri Vecchi follows the northern stretch where towers and battlements remain intact for roughly eight hundred meters. I discovered this walk completely by accident while looking for a shortcut between my favorite secondhand bookshop on Via Gerenzone and the Piazza Santa Maria, and now I consider it one of the most atmospheric experiences in Como that no tour operator seems to promote. The walls date to the twelfth century when Como fought Milan in a series of conflicts that left the city fortified against outside control, and several towers contain carved inscriptions commemorating local military victories. Climbing the accessible section near the Torre Gatula gives you a view over the rooftops toward the lake that feels entirely disconnected from the tourist crowds below.

This route connects naturally to the walk along Via Battisti through the quieter residential quarter where university students from the Politecnico campus share apartments with retired professors and young families. I always stop at Panificio Tomea on Via Battisti for their grissini wrapped in rosemary, which the bakery produces fresh each morning using a sourdough starter that the owner claims dates to her grandmother's time. The walk takes about forty-five minutes at a leisurely pace with stops for photographs and exploration of the small alleyways that branch off the main path. Bring water in summer because the shade is sparse along the northern section and the stone radiates heat during afternoon hours in July and August.

Local Insider Tip: "The small door at the base of the Torre di San Massimo near the intersection with Via Diaz opens during the annual heritage day in September when the Associazione Storica Como offers free guided tours of the wall walkways. The tour lasts ninety minutes and includes access to a section usually closed to the public where you can see the original medieval latrine system that emptied into a now-dry moat."

When to Go and What to Know

Spring arrives in Como during April when the gardens bloom and temperatures climb to around eighteen degrees Celsius, making it my preferred time for first visits before the summer crowds arrive. May and June bring warm evenings and the possibility of afternoon thunderstorms that usually clear within an hour, and I always carry a light rain jacket even in June because the weather can shift dramatically when cold air descends from the mountains. July and August see temperatures reaching thirty degrees or higher, and the humidity makes walking uncomfortable during midday hours, so plan outdoor activities for early morning or after six in the evening. September offers warm days with thinner crowds and harvest season produce at the Tuesday market, including white truffles from the nearby mountains that appear briefly at specialty grocers.

The train from Milan Centrale takes exactly one hour and arrives at Como San Giovanni station, which sits about ten minutes walk from the lake, while Milan Malpensa is roughly ninety minutes away by shuttle bus or car. Local bus Line C runs every twenty minutes from the train station to Piazza Cavour and continues to Cernobbio, and a single ticket costs one euro fifty if purchased before boarding from the tabakkiosk near the stop. Ferries depart from the main dock throughout the day with faster hydrofoils serving