Is Lake Como Worth Visiting? A Local’s Honest Answer

After living in Lake Como for almost 4 years, let me be honest – Lake Como is not a place for people, looking for holidays with an active night life (night life is almost non-existent, and locals prefer to keep it this way). However, if you value beauty, history, nature, elegance, inspiration – Lake Como is absolutely worth visiting. As someone who lives here, I can say it’s every bit as magical as it looks, but not for the reasons you might expect.

In this post, I’ll share what most people get wrong, what daily life is really like here, and what I’d do differently if I was planning my first trip.

What Most Tourists Expect

If you’ve spent any time researching Lake Como, chances are you’ve seen some variation of this:

• You’ll sip Aperol Spritz by the lake, wearing linen ✅
• You may meet celebrities who own villas in Lake Como: George Clooney, Gianni Versace, Ronaldinho, Richard Branson, and many others ✅
• You’ll take a glamorous boat tour and snap the best photos of your life ✅
• You will be having the most romantic dinners under the starry sky ✅

While all of the above can absolutely be true, here is what most people don’t expect:

• The time it takes to get there through the traffic
• The overwhelming number of “same-y” hotel options
• That most of the places you see on Instagram will be full of crowds
• How fast your day can disappear in ferry queues
• How big Lake Como actually is, and how many towns there actually are

What It’s Actually Like (From a Local)

I fell in love with my life in Lake Como mainly because of the space between the tourist moments — the serene hikes with incredible views, espresso at hidden bars, hams provided by a local butcher, boat rides when the lake is empty, visiting villages that not many tourists know about.

Here’s what I experience day to day:

• Early morning walks in the local village streets meeting the locals, where everyone know each other’s names
• Super long Sunday lunches outside (this is an old Italian tradition)
• Hikes overlooking the lake, with the best local restaurants on the top of the mountains
• A pace that resets your nervous system (unless you try to do too much)
• Family owned restaurants serving local food, that only Old Money Milanese and Lake Como local people know about.

The real Lake Como magic happens, when you let go of ticking the checkpoints, and start following local footprint – living slowly, and always aiming for quality over quantity.

Who Should Visit — and Who Maybe Shouldn’t

✅ Come to Lake Como if you:

• Love food, calmness, elegance, history
• Relax in nature, love mountains and water
• Have a desire for a slower, more refined Italian experience
• Love cycling, hiking, sailing, tennis, paragliding
• Are a couple looking for unforgettable Honeymoon or even a wedding
• Are a solo traveler – Como region is one of the safest in the whole country
• Enjoy romantic atmospheres, long ferry rides, boutique shopping

🚫 Skip it (for now) if you:

• Want party scenes or late nightlife
• Don’t like narrow streets, stairs, or walking
• Do not want to change your lifestyle a bit or adapt to the local eating habits
• Only have one day — it’s possible, but Lake Como is not built for rush visits
• Cannot handle heat, but can only travel in August – I’d recommend to choose a seaside

What I’d Do Differently Now

Before moving to Lake Como for love (another story for another time!), I actually visited this place dozens of times. Most of those visits ended up with me making some of the rookie mistakes (I made them all) — overpacked or underpacked, stayed in the wrong places, accidentally skipped lunch time by not knowing the local eating habits, wasted hours waiting in the ferry queues under the sun, and most importantly, visited either only Como city, or only Bellagio/Varenna. Little did I know what Lake Como has to offer!

To be fair, I still heavily fell in love with the place, because when you know, you know, but soo much potential wasted, simply by not knowing anyone who actually lives there to give me tips!

If I were planning my first trip today, I’d:

• Stay in smaller villages not too far away from either Como, or Varenna
• Book the ferry tickets online, or order taxi boats, skip the car overall
• Plan 3 full days, not 1 overnight

👉 And yes, I’ve turned all that into a map + plan — which you can get below.

BONUS — My 3-Day Como Plan

I’ve created a printable Lake Como itinerary based on how I plan trips for friends when they visit. It’s:

• Walkable, local-tested, stress-free
• Includes great local restaurants + hidden corners
• Saves you hours of research and helps you avoid the tourist traps (yes, there are many!)

🎁 [Download my 3-day Como itinerary] — and thank me later.

FAQ

Q: How many days do you need in Lake Como?
A: At least 3 full days — 1 day for central lake villages, 1 for a boat day, 1 for slower moments.

Q: Can you visit Lake Como without a car?
A: Yes! In fact, I recommend it. The ferry + walking combo gives you the most flexibility and helps to avoid traffic.

Q: Is Lake Como good for solo travel?
A: Absolutely. Safe, scenic, and friendly. Como was ranked among top 10 safest cities in Italy!

Q: Is Lake Como or Amalfi better?
A: It depends — they are located in opposite parts of Italy. South differs from the North on so many levels. I wrote an entire post comparing them here.

Q: When is the best time to visit Lake Como?
A: I absolutely recommend to visit Lake Como between April and May – it is already warm, but fewer crowds. Way easier to book restaurants and activities. You can walk anywhere; the summer heat is not there yet. The best part is that it is a blossoming season, and Lake Como has very established gardening all around – so everywhere you go, you are greeted with blossoms: wisterias, magnolias, sakuras, etc.!