Lake Como, Italy Travel Guide

If you’re like my mom, you’ll ask me if I saw George Clooney and Amal while in Lake Como.  Sadly I didn’t but I did see from the road where they live.  Does that count?!  I had no idea where Lake Como was located before traveling but it’s actually located in Northern Italy.  You will find some of the most breathtaking views of the Alps.  My husband and I were lucky enough to be invited and apart of our friend’s wedding in this majestic region of Italy.  Her now husband is Italian/Australian so it made for a perfect location for family and friends to come together.  It was a huge honor to be a bridesmaid for such a wonderful occasion and we all had such a great time.  I did a full recap of all my FODMAP travels but I would love to hear your favorite spots as well!

We flew from Houston (with a connection in Munich) into the Milan airport and from there drove approximately 1.35 hour drive into Bellagio which is located Northeast of Como.  My first piece of advice is to take motion sickness medicine before getting on the road as the drive is INSANELY windy.  I normally don’t get car sick but after being on a 10 hour plane without sleeping, I wanted to die.  We had to pull over half way through the drive to get motion sickness medicine because my girlfriend and I thought we were going to loose it!  With that being said, I highly recommend hiring a driver as it’s a tough and narrow road going in 1 way directions with huge buses, motorcycles, and cars speeding by.  We would have never wanted to do the drive on our own.

STAY:

We typically prefer to stay in Airbnbs instead of hotels but since we were there for a wedding, we decided to stay at a hotel to be closer to our friends.  There are so many hotel options but I would recommend the following:

Hotel Bellagio – This is the hotel we stayed at while visiting.  The price of the rooms were extremely reasonable.  You can’t beat the price and it was located in the center of town. The staff was so sweet and accommodating.  We splurged to have a view of the water which was only a few dollars more and made the actual room feel larger than it was.  The only downside was there were about 20 cobblestone steps to take up to get to the hotel.  Luggage and stairs are not a good mix but luckily I had my strong husband to help. Breakfast is included with your hotel stay but there is no restaurant located in the hotel.  This wasn’t an issue as there are a TON of restaurants located everywhere.  I did find it challenging to eat the options provided for the breakfast as it was limited but everyone else was satisfied.  I am used to packing my own breakfast foods so it was not a big deal.

Hotel Florence – We had friends stay here and the hotel was also located in a great location central to town.

Hotel Belvedere – The bride and groom and other wedding guests stayed at this hotel.  The price was more expensive but with that you get more amenities such as a gorgeous pool overlooking Lake Como.  This is a rarity for a hotel to have a pool so a huge plus.  The restaurant  located in the hotel I heard rave reviews of  and the menu even had numbers to demonstrate allergies!  The only downside is it’s about a 10 minute walk from town.

DO:

Take a Boat Ride around Lake Como – This is an absolute must!  We shared the boat with 5 other couples and it ended up being pretty affordable splitting it 5 ways.  The boat ride was about three hours, including a stop for lunch which I found to be the perfect amount of time to spend touring around.  I highly recommend Lake Como Water Taxi, the owner, Mattia, was an awesome captain and tour guide.

Hike – The guys went on a gorgeous hike while in Lake Como and the pictures were amazing.

Walk around and explore – take in all the beautiful views!

EAT:

OMG!  There are so many delicious restaurants located in Bellagio.  We did not have one bad meal.  I will say that I was not a huge fan of the local fish, it had too many bones and not a ton of flavor.

Far Out – This restaurant saved my life the day we arrived!  I was so nauseated from the drive into Lake Como that all I wanted to eat was something plain and tummy safe.  I wanted gluten free pasta with olive oil and vegetables and dang it, that’s exactly what I got.  Not only was the waiter extremely hospitable but gave me gluten free crackers as well as a tote bag that I used for my entire vacation stay in Italy.  We asked for it to go or “take away” as they say in Europe and it was absolutely perfect.  If we had time, I would have gone back for a second meal to actually eat at the restaurant.

Locanda La Tirlindana – This restaurant sits just off the water and is a dream spot to have lunch.  Our captain took us to this restaurant and we were all so impressed!  Not only was the food so fresh and delicious but the scenery was absolute perfection.  I ordered the fillet of sea bass with orange sauce which was light and perfect for lunch.  My husband got the lemon ravioli which looked AMAZING!  Too bad I couldn’t try it!

La Fontana – I needed to carb load before my bridesmaid duties to make sure I was properly fed and hydrated. Ha!  I asked for gluten free pasta with a garlic free pasta sauce and guess what?  The response was NO problem.  My husband got a delicious pizza (not gluten free) that looked amazing.  I had to refrain myself from eating the whole bowl as I had to fit into a dress an hour later!  :/

Gelato – it doesn’t matter where you go, it’ll be delicious!  I had it from two different gelato shops and the variety of sorbet (dairy free) options were awesome.

Looking for other International travel guides?  Check out Florence & Venice, Barcelona and Cabo San Lucas!

SaveSave

SaveSave