Ciao! While spending a full month in Florence, my husband and I traveled from Firenze to Como and decided at the last minute to add a night in Bellagio to the mix. Here's what we did and tips we learned as we moved around.
GETTING TO COMO FROM FLORENCE 🚂
The train from Florence (Santa Maria Novela station) to Como was so easy and relatively inexpensive! We left Florence at 8:30 and made it to Como by 10:30 which was perfect to have the day to settle into our Airbnb, grab a bite to eat, and explore.
TIP *️⃣ If you plan on taking the bus around Como (super easy to do), keep in mind that you can purchase tickets for the bus at the same machines you can purchase public parking at (or some vendors in Tabbacharis)
Keep in mind, our time on Friday was cut short slightly by the need to hop online for EST working hours from about 3-8p local. But here's how the day went:
STAYING IN COMO 🏠
Our Airbnb was right at the main entrance to the city, historically. We were close to everything, including the bus and the Saturday market with ALL KINDS OF SHOPPING.
Day One ☝️
SWIMMING IN COMO 👙
Once we got settled in, we grabbed lunch (a random place, nothing memorable or worth adding here — find your own spot!) packed up some beach bags and took the super user-friendly bus system on a ~20min bus ride and then some easy walking (Como is SUPER walkable) to Lido Village Olmo, a beach club with a bar, rental towels and chairs, and easy access to the water. We were also able to take the bus back to our Airbnb from here making it super easy to get around Como.
TIP *️⃣ The cover for this place was about ~35/for two of us, not including the 5 Euro/towel rental and the drinks. If you make your way here, plan to make the time worth your money, whatever that means to you!
TIP *️⃣ The bar is upstairs near the pools (you need a swim cap to enter the pools). The pools seemed to be more kid-centered when we were there (which is why we opted for the sandy beachfront of the lake) ;)
DINNER IN COMO 🍝
After taking the bus home from the beach and cleaning up a bit, we headed out for a late dinner (8:30/9p) and stumbled across Ristorante da Pietro which was DIVINE. It's right on the square near the Duomo so the views are stunning and it's a bustling area. We highly recommend this as a meal option!
The vibes were chic and modern, the food was fresh and fun (we had a lot of seafood), and the price point was really reasonable for a nice date night spot. A lot of tourist tips say to avoid any restaurant where the staff is outside the front door trying to invite you in but this place wasn't at all dinghy or musty — MUST TRY!
Day Two ✌️
A WALKING TOUR AND FERRY RIDE ⛴️
We started our day with a coffee at a local cafe (there are PLENTY) to choose from! Then, we opted into a GetYourGuide walking tour (organized through the tourism office but you can get tickets via the GetYourGuide app) and enjoyed a 1hr walking tour with a small group to explore some of the areas around Como and it's history. This included the exteriors of:
- The Como Duomo: Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
- Broletto di Como: A smaller former town-hall connected to the Duomo
- Basilica di San Fedele: A church near the main town square & Saturday markets
The tour ended and we were able to spend some time in the markets themselves — think clothes, shoes, handbags, all at a set price but some places may have had room for negotiating on price.
TIP *️⃣ The line for ferry tickets was LONG. Luckily our tickets came with our walking tour but plan ahead and order them online the day before so they don't sell out. I don't wish standing in the July heat in line like that on anyone!
From there, we made our way to the ferry dock to catch the next ride to Cernobbio (on the Torno line). With a couple of stops, we were able to go out on the lake and see some incredible views — this was well worth it!
We exited the ferry (though we could have stayed on it for the full trip and used it as a way to see the lake) in the town on the lake called Cernobbio. This is small but beautiful! Here, we had lunch on the water at Ondo Cernobbio and then made our way to the walk-through of Il Giardino della Valle, a "secret" garden that's definitely a nice way to spend a 30-minute stroll. It was a bit of a walk to get there but we were able to spend time in the garden which was a stunning oasis!
If you're planning on shopping, I would budget 2 hours total in Cernobbio. Then, you can hop on the ferry and see other towns. We opted to head straight back to Como for a chance to see more views of the lake from Brunate... see below.
UP TO BRUNATE 🚡
We took the Funicular up to Brunate for a view of the lake from high above and the views up, down, right, and left were well worth it! Here's the link for Funicular info:
TIP *️⃣ There's a little bar at the entrance of the ticket office for the funicular that serves to-go Aperol Spritzes for the 5minute right up and while you wait in line ;)
Once up there, it was going to be another 15-minute walk to the main part of town so we opted for a small restaurant with an EPIC view from their terrace. See below for the link and the view:
This was so special and while there wasn't much that we explored in Brunate, the ride up and down was so fun for the views and for a chance to eat dinner looking out over Lake Como.
From here, we made our way by foot (did I mention super walkable?!) to our Airbnb and stopped by Gelateria Vertigo on the way. There were several locations of this Gelateria and the quality was 10/10:
Day Three 3️⃣
After we checked out of our Airbnb, we opted to have lunch at a small cafe along the main walkways of Como's picturesque cobblestone streets.
From here, we caught the C30 Bus from Como to Bellagio — the hour-long bus ride did not disappoint with views along the lake. The winding roads were a little rough re: motion sickness but nothing that would make me avoid doing it again... just maybe not while scrolling on my phone at the same time ;)
SETA HOTEL 🏨
We got checked into our hotel which was a last-minute find and it did NOT disappoint. It's a small, boutique spot with only a handful of rooms. It was clean, chic, and comfortable (AC and strong wifi), included breakfast the next morning, and was in a GREAT location. Check this place out FOR SURE:
ANOTHER BEACH CLUB BECAUSE WHY NOT 👙
We felt like heading to the beach again and were dropped off on the bus route right in front of the place we had researched: Lido di Bellagio. This place was another example of making sure you use your time here well since the entry and rental for a chair/umbrella was ~25 euro a person, including the towel charge however. This price did not include the drinks but the bar upstairs was easy to get to for beachside drinks. See here:
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DINNER 🍝
LEAVING BELLAGIO ⛴️🚂
Getting out of this area, we were able to take a ferry from Varenna and then catch a train to Milan from there. Then, Milan to Florence. We had a slight issue with our travel that was more about the weather, not the plans so fingers crossed that you don't have this one-off issue when you head back!
Have the best time! LMK how it goes either here or on Instagram at @marissaarynfreeman
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