10 Things to Do in Lago di Como in Winter

Although winter is not exactly the best time to travel to Lake Como, there are always reasons and plans to make your trip to this beautiful area a very positive experience.

Carlos Bleda

Carlos Bleda

10 min read

10 Things to Do in Lago di Como in Winter

Lake Como | ©Domenico Convertini

Since Lago Di Como is a lake located at the foot of the Italian Alps, winter is quite cold and is not exactly a positive reason to visit the region at that time. However, this doesn't mean that you can't do it and enjoy the charm of the lake. Especially if you have already visited all the attractions in Milan.

In fact winter has some outstanding advantages: it is the time with the lowest prices and the least crowded of the year. These two points make spending a few days at Lago Di Como or taking a day trip from Milan a very interesting option.

1. Take the opportunity to get to know the city of Como

City of Como| ©. Ray in Manila
City of Como| ©. Ray in Manila

With the winter cold, you don't feel like sailing on the lake or spending the whole day outdoors. That is why you can take advantage of your excursion to Lago Di Como to get to know the surrounding cities. The first of these is the town that gives its name to the lake itself. Como is the closest lake town to Milan and from where most of the boats that travel its waters depart. To avoid the cold, the best thing to do is to take shelter in its monuments or take the opportunity to have a hot coffee or a good meal.

The main tourist attraction of the city is its Duomo square where the cathedral is located. The temple is one of the largest in northern Italy, whose construction began in 1396 and ended in 1740, so it brings together several architectural styles.

In the same center you can also visit the Tower of Porta Vittoria, the Basilica of San Fedele and already close to the shores of the lake the Voltiano Temple in honor of Alexander Volta, inventor of the battery and who was born and lived in Como. In this link you will find the best options to go from Milan to Como.

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2. Enjoy the snowy Alps

Lake Como and Snowy Alps| ©Giuliana
Lake Como and Snowy Alps| ©Giuliana

Apart from its beautiful villages, the main attraction of Lake Como is its landscape. Being located in the Italian Alps, the lake is surrounded by impressive mountains and the postcard that offers the blue waters of the lake with these mountains in the background is impressive. Moreover, in winter, with its snow-capped peaks, it is even more so. It is well worth visiting some of the villages further into the lake just for the views.

My recommendation for your excursion to Lago Di Como is to visit Bellagio. This town is located right in the center of the lake and has the best and most varied views. If the sky is clear you will have pictures that you will remember forever.

And for mountaineering lovers there are also many routes to enjoy the mountains. Some of the best start from Lenno to the top of Mount Crocione. But if you decide to go into the mountain trails be sure to do it with the necessary equipment and precautions, especially if it is snowy days.

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3. Celebrate Christmas at Lake Como

Christmas at Lado Di Como| ©Maria Grazia Schiapparelli
Christmas at Lado Di Como| ©Maria Grazia Schiapparelli

Christmas is the high point of winter. And it shows in the small spike in tourism that the lake has at that time. This is because the towns along the lake are decked out to celebrate these dates and the hotels in the area prepare to offer travelers a unique experience.

Como towns set up Christmas markets in their main squares as well as beautiful Christmas decorations that you can enjoy with your excursion to Lago Di Como.

Villages further inland, such as Bellagio or Varenna, also sport special decorations and a very attractive Christmas atmosphere. But visiting these towns at Christmas time is less advisable, as there is some risk due to the weather. Access to these towns is more complicated if the weather conditions are bad, but you can always stay in Como and, if the weather is good, you can easily get there by boat. In any case, the Christmas atmosphere of Lago Di Como is always something special.

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4. Take a gastronomic tour to beat the cold weather

Dining at Lado di Como| ©hotelcomo hotelcomo
Dining at Lado di Como| ©hotelcomo hotelcomo

In winter you want to stay indoors and fight the cold with a good plate of food. Gastronomy plays a very important role in the Lake Como region. In fact, the towns and villages in the area have their own gastronomy known as Lariana, which is based on local products such as cheeses from the mountains, fish from the lake or cereals, fruits, vegetables and greens grown in the area.

Some of the most famous dishes of Lago Di Como are polenta al toc, a kind of porridge similar to a puree; Riso e filetto di pesce, which is basically rice and fish from the lake; a lamb dish known as Agnello alla valsassinese, and being Italian you can't miss pasta, gnoquis or risotto.

In any of the restaurants and hotels in the towns and cities of the area serve these dishes, but in Bellagio, as there is the greatest variety, combat the winter cold through gastronomy is always a success.

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5. Go up to the village of Brunate with the Funicular from Como

Funicular| ©Oscar Diaz
Funicular| ©Oscar Diaz

The views of the snow-capped mountains is one of the main attractions you can enjoy on the excursion to Lago Di Como in winter. But if it has snowed too much and it is not possible to go deep into the lake, enjoying the views is somewhat more complicated.

Except from Como, where you have the opportunity to take a funicular to the village of Brunate at the top of the mountain next to Como. This funicular is taken from Piazza de Gasperi on the shores of Lake Como and covers a drop of almost 700 meters over a distance of 1 kilometer.

The views of the lake from the village of Brunatte are spectacular and you don't need to go any further into the lake to enjoy the snow-capped peaks in the background. The funicular runs from 6 am to 10 pm in winter with a frequency of about 15 minutes and the price is only 2.90 euros per trip or 5.25 euros if you want round trip.

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6. Good time to visit Lecco

Lecco| ©Marco Varisco
Lecco| ©Marco Varisco

Winter is the best time to get to know the towns and villages on your excursion to Lago Di Como for two reasons. First because it is easier to take shelter from the cold and second because the influx of people is much smaller and it is more comfortable to see its monuments.

In this context, and since getting into the inner part of the lake is not the best thing to do, you can take the opportunity to visit the city of Lecco. This city is less common in the tourist itineraries of Lake Como despite being the second largest in the area.

Lecco has a very nice historic center and several emblematic squares such as Piazza XX di Settembre from which you can see Monte Resegone, the mountain that guards Lecco. The city has a lot to see being a must to visit the Basilica of St. Nicholas, the Palazzo Belgiojoso, the Palazzo delle Paure or the Viscontea Tower. Lecco is also full of cafes and restaurants perfect to take a break from the winter cold.

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7. Take advantage of the smaller crowds to get to know the more touristic towns in depth

Bellagio Village| ©Jim Gillette
Bellagio Village| ©Jim Gillette

In summer, the number of people visiting Lake Como is considerable. This causes that, in some occasions, visiting some of its most beautiful and touristic villages is very uncomfortable. This is the case of Bellagio, Varenna or Menaggio among others.

In winter the situation is quite the opposite. The cold deters people from visiting these towns and, therefore, booking an excursion to Lago Di Como in the winter season is much more comfortable.

The most notable cases are Bellagio and Varenna, as they are two of the most touristic. In these cases, prices are also much lower than in summer and finding good value for money accommodation is much easier in winter.

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8. Winter is the best time to take refuge and enjoy its wonderful hotels.

Hotel Villa D`Este| ©Joe Shlabotnik
Hotel Villa D`Este| ©Joe Shlabotnik

With the cold, the best thing is to stay in the warmth of a fireplace, enjoy a hot Italian coffee, a good dinner or watch the scenery from the warmth of your room ... All are luxuries that share most of the hotels on Lake Como. Some of them are among the best in the world. In fact, the Hotel Villa D`Este, in Cernobbio, is recognized as the best hotel in the world.

Although this and many other hotels on the lake have prohibitive prices for most mortals, the offer is very wide and the best time to stay in one of them overlooking the lake is in winter.

Prices go down and so do hotel bookings, so there is no better time to guarantee a few unforgettable days in a good hotel on Lago Di Como.

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9. Don't let the cold weather stop you from taking a boat trip on the lake

Tour Boat| ©Andrey Salikov
Tour Boat| ©Andrey Salikov

The most authentic experience Lake Di Como has to offer is a boat ride to get to know it, although the cold weather is not exactly inviting. But it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to do so.

It will certainly not be because of facilities, since in winter the boat trips maintain their schedules, somewhat reduced by the fewer hours of daylight but there is a supply.

In winter the boats are also better conditioned. Most of them are covered and heated so that sailing on the lake in winter is not an impediment. On this website you can check the rates and schedules in winter.

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10. Visit the luxury villas of Lake Como with more peace of mind

Villa del Balbianello| ©Christine Wagner
Villa del Balbianello| ©Christine Wagner

The luxury villas are the most characteristic symbol of Lake Como. They are the most visited monuments and the most crowded in high season.

Since they are hardly visited in winter, it is the best time to visit them quietly. It is true that some of its attractions are its gardens and in winter they do not look their best face, but the environment of the snowy mountains gives them a different and spectacular touch.

And what are the best Villas to visit? Well, although there are dozens of options, in my opinion the must-see are three: Villa Olmo, in the city of Como, which is practically a royal palace; Villa Carlotta, in the town of Tremezzo, inside which there is a small art museum, and Villa Balbianello, whose beauty led it to be the setting for films such as Star Wars or James Bond.

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Temperatures at Lake Como in winter

Snow at Lake Como| ©Michele D'Amico
Snow at Lake Como| ©Michele D'Amico

As expected, winter in the region of Lago Di Como is quite cold. Mainly because it is surrounded by the Alps at high altitude. Still, whether you've enjoyed all the attractions in Milan or not, it's an ideal plan.

During the winter months, the maximum temperatures do not usually reach 10 degrees, staying at about 7 on average. While minimums dip below zero degrees, but rarely below -3 degrees. The humidity of the lake does not contribute much to soften these temperatures, but being prepared with a good coat is not an insurmountable inconvenience. Being in a mountainous area, snow is also a regular guest, although not for too many days throughout the winter.

The great advantage of winter is that it is the time of least rain and on average it rains only 5 days a month. Although the weather is not very inviting to visit Lake Como in winter, it is a perfectly tolerable winter if we are properly equipped.

The influx of tourists and prices at Lake Di Como in winter

Lake Como| ©Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie
Lake Como| ©Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie

The great advantage of winter at Lake Como is the tranquility of the lake. In addition, you will be able to enjoy everything to see in Lake Como comfortably.

In summer, at the height of the high season, the influx of tourists is remarkable and in some cases overwhelming. While in the winter months the peace of the lake is its great asset, in addition to the fact that we will not find problems to book accommodation and there are no queues for, for example, a boat ride or visit one of its villas.

This low influx also has a very positive consequence. Given the low demand at this time of the year, prices drop considerably. Considering that Lake Como is an expensive area, largely associated with luxury, this is a very important point to take into account especially if we want to spend more than one day.

What to bring in your suitcase to visit Lake Di Como in winter

Luggage| ©nappy
Luggage| ©nappy

To avoid that the cold bitter us the trip, we must go well prepared. For this, I leave you this list that you can review to not leave anything forgotten when packing your luggage:

  • A good coat is essential. Better of a waterproof material in case it snows.
  • A good thermal shirt helps us to fight the cold and especially the humidity of the lake.
  • In addition to warm clothing, accessories such as scarves, hats and gloves are highly recommended.
  • Footwear is also vital. Here waterproof boots with good grip in case it snows or we make a small route through the mountains is the best choice.
  • Although it is the rainy season, a raincoat is a great ally especially if it snows.