Lake Como, Italy is situated close to the city of Milan in the northern part of this country. The lake measures 50km in length and at the southern end the town of Bellagio is located situated on the land where the lake forks. This is certainly not the largest of the lakes to be found in Italy, but is one of the deepest, both Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore are much larger in size.

The area surrounding Lake Como has for many centuries (since the Roman Empire) been favored as a tourist resort. Today it is not just Italians but tourists from around the world who enjoy all that this part of Italy has to offer and many cyclists, walkers and swimmers are enjoying the facilities available.

Getting to Lake Como is not that difficult as it is part of Italy’s main railway network. Train leave frequently from Milan and the overall journey from the city to the lake takes around 40 minutes. Trains leave from Milan’s Central Station or Porta Garibaldi Station and arrive at the main station San Giovanni in Lake Como.

Once there you have a number of ways of getting around the lake, you can either drive, use local buses, or cycle if you wish. But the quickest way of getting from one of the main towns on Lake Como to the various resorts is using the steamers or boats. These boats and steamers offer a much more frequent service and connect all the main resorts of Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, Tremezzo, Lenno and Villa Carlotta to each other.

The town of Commo itself is a very pleasant and lively one and is located at the southern end of the lake itself. But as well as enjoying the varied architecture of this historic town from its Gothic to Renaissance features why not take a ride on the funicular. This takes you to the top of the hill situated outside of the town and offers you spectacular views not just over Commo but also of the lake as well.

However, the town of Menaggio which is found on the lake’s western shore is one of the more popular tourist resorts here. As well as some superb hotels the resort actually has a beach as well, where one can relax and watch the world sail by.

As mentioned at the southern end of the lake along with the town of Commo there is the town of Bellagio. This is a picture perfect Italian town and has some of the stateliest hotels in the whole area as well as beautiful gardens that are open to the public to enjoy.

However, if you want a resort where you can get away from it all the town of Varenna is just perfect for this. Much smaller than many of the other town’s lining the lake’s shores but has some really beautiful architecture like the town of Bellagio has. Plus take time and visit the Castello de Vezio where you can admire the views over Lake Como that it offers.

When it comes to visiting Lake Como, Italy certainly during the week is best as at the weekends it becomes extremely busy as many of the people from Milan spend time enjoying all that the area has to offer. Also if you can avoid visiting the area between July and August as this is the height of the summer season and it becomes very crowded and accommodation prices increase dramatically. If you really want to enjoy all that this part of Italy has to offer try and arrange your holiday in either the spring or autumn. The weather is very pleasant during these times of the year but also the resorts are far less crowded as well.

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