Lombardy

Como – The capital on Lake Como

Como is the lake's spectacular and beautiful capital. Here you can experience beautiful views, beautiful churches, silk and majestic villas next to Lake Como.

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Como in 20 seconds

Como is the lake’s spectacular and beautiful capital. Here you can experience beautiful views, beautiful churches, silk and majestic villas next to Lake Como.

Como is located on the western part of Lake Como’s two branches, which face south. The inverted Y of Lake Como is with Lecco on the east and Como on the west side.

Como is located in Lombardy

Holiday in Como

How to reach Como

Como is not far from Milan and by car you can get to Como in less than 1 hour. From the Danish/German border, you have less than 13 hours’ drive to Como if you drive directly and without too many stops.

You can either drive across the Brenner Pass or through Switzerland. And although you would think that the trip through Switzerland is the fastest, according to Google Maps, the trip across Brenner is faster.

By plane

You can get from the two airports in Milan, Milano Malepensa and Milano Linate, to Como in less than an hour.

However, the many shuttle buses from the two airports do not go to Lake Como. So you must to go to Milano Centrale and take a train from there to Como.

Visit Como by train

We have a partnership with Trenitalia that makes it simple and easy for you to buy your train ticket online.

All you have to do is buy the ticket, get on the train and present the ticket with the QR code to the train conductor.

The train station in Como is called San Giovanni, and there are good connections to Milano Centrale. That trip doesn’t take much more than 40 minutes.

Thanks to the enormous popularity of Como and the lake, there are several departures from Milano Centrale to Como. If you want to continue around the lake, there are trains to most towns on the lake side.

Booking.com has an amazing variety of stunning hotels in Como

Hotels in Como

We recommend early booking if your aim os to secure a great hotel for your holiday.

Booking.com is our choice when it comes to choosing and booking your stay in Italy. It’s super easy and it comes with some great advantages

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Museums in Como

Museo Archeologico Paolo Giovio

The museum takes you back to the very first traces of Como. From prehistoric times to Roman times, and you can also see historical finds from the Egyptians and Greeks.

You will find the museum at Piazza Medaglie d’Oro 1.

Museo Storico Giuseppe Garibaldi

Risorgimento (Unification of Italy) and contemporary history. The museum houses several relics dedicated to the Risorgimento rebellion of 1848-1849, 1859 and the wars of the 20th century. The museum is in Piazza Olginati.

Pinacoteca Civica

Art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The Pinacoteca preserves the city’s image and sculptural works. You will find it at Via Diaz 84.

Temple of Voltiano

Como’s own son, Alessandro Volta, the world-renowned physicist, is remembered in this place. Tempio Voltiano is located on the shores of Lake Como, at the end of Viale Marconi. The site was inaugurated in 1928, 101 years after Volta’s death.

Churches in Como

Como Cathedral

It took almost 400 years to build the Como Cathedral, which construction was initiated in 1396, and whose facade is extraordinary within the Late Gothic style of Northern Italy. The cathedral is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. Take a close look at beautiful facade, which was built between 1455 and 1486. It shouldn’t be necessary to tell that the cathedral is to be found in Piazza Duomo.

Basilica di Sant’Abbondio

The church is a fine example of Romanesque style in Como. The church was built in 1010, rebuilt in 1095 and consecrated by Pope Urban II. You will find the church at Via Regina Teodolinda 35.

In addition, it is a pleasure and a recommendation to visit the Chiesa di Sant’Agostino and the Basilica di San Fedele.

Brunate

You can take the cable car up to Brunate, a small, wooded town that acts as an excellent terrace above Como.

The town experienced a huge boom in tourism from the 17th to the 19th century. The town’s altitude and small size attracted people from near and far.

Funicular

I recommend that you take the trip up to Brunate. The cable car has connected Como and Brunate since 1894 and still does.

The cable car runs from early morning to late evening. However, there are changes in the schedule depending on whether it is winter or summer, weekday, or weekend.

Villas in Como

Parks and villas can be found in many places along Lake Como, and in the city of Como, where one villa is more beautiful and bigger than the other.

Villa Olmo is probably the largest and best known in town. The villa is an example of neoclassical architecture and is now home to several exhibitions. There is free entry.

Villa Rotonda is also worth a visit. It was built between 1790 and 1793. The villa is called La Rotondo, as it has a round central part on the facade facing the lake. Just for info, Napoleon visited the villa in 1797.

Como Lake

The Como Lake is so beautiful and peaceful. We have a big article about the nice lake in Lombardy.