During the summer holidays we spent a week on Lake Como, staying in Mandello del Lario. We explored both the Lecco and Northern branches and were constantly impressed by the beauty of the lake and the scale of the surrounding mountains. Below are five of our highlights and how much they cost to visit.
Varenna and Castello di Vezio
We visited Varenna first thing in the morning for a breakfast of coffee and croissants. Parking is situated off the main road (SP72) running through the town and costs about €1 per hour. There is also a train station and ferry terminal if you didn’t have a car.
Varenna is a maze of picturesque lanes leading off the main square. There is a walkway along the waterfront with views looking out to Bellagio. Eateries line the walkway ranging from very expensive restaurants to reasonably priced cafes and gelaterias. We stopped at Bar Il Molo, right on the water’s edge, and had chocolate croissants for €1.50 each and cappuccino for €1.20.
From Varenna it is a ten minute drive up to Castello di Vezio. There is a small free car park at the top.
The castle sits overlooking Varenna and Lake Como. The views of the lake and surrounding shoreline are some of the best we saw. It costs €4 per adult, €2 for seven to twelve year olds and free for children under seven. You are able to walk through the grounds and down into the basement of the castle where gun posts are situated. At the centre of the grounds there is a turret that can be climbed, the top of which is where you will experience the best views.
Falconry displays take place on certain days, check the timetable on the website if you are particularly interested in seeing this.
We felt that Castello di Vezio was the best value place we visited while on Lake Como, and had the best views of the lake.
Total cost of visiting Varenna and Castello di Vezio– €18.40
- Parking for two hours in Varenna
- Breakfast for four people
- Entry into Castello di Vezio
Leirna Beach
Lierna beach, off Via Riva Bianco, is one of the nicest beaches we found on the lake. It is shingle with a grassy strip running between the beach and the footpath. Paid parking is off the main road and cost €5 for the day. Buy your parking coupon from Alice Bar (below the car park), scratch off the correct day, date and time of arrival and display on your dashboard.
There are no facilities except a restaurant, Pizzeria Paninoteca Riva Bianca, at one end of the beach. We took a picnic lunch but there was plenty of choice at the pizzeria and at reasonable prices.
The water at Lierna beach is crystal clear and there are buoys setting out a safe swimming area. The beach shelves steadily, with plenty of space for kids to play and swim in their depth, before dropping off into deep water. Our boys are still in armbands but loved swimming out to the buoys and had a real sense of achievement.
Total cost of visiting Leirna Beach – €9
- All day parking
- Three ice creams
Bellagio and Villa Melzi & Gardens
Probably the most famous town on Lake Como, we had to pay a visit to Bellagio. We decided to leave the car behind and take the ferry from Mandello del Lario to Bellagio. The return trip cost €18 per adult, €9 for children aged four and above and free for three year olds and under.
Impressively situated at the end of the headland, Bellagio was every bit as striking as the pictures. We arrived into the ferry terminal and walked South towards Villa Melzi. The walk to the villa is along the lake and past Lido di Bellagio (the swankiest looking lido we had seen so far).
Entry into the gardens is €6.50 per adult and free for children under twelve. While you cannot actually go into the villa, the gardens are beautiful to walk around and there are plenty of shady spots for a picnic overlooking the lake. There is an activity sheet for children to complete by looking out for points of interest around the gardens. Our five year old really enjoyed doing this and it gave the rest of the family some interesting information.
After visiting Villa Melzi, we walked around Bellagio. The narrow pedestrianised streets lead up to the top of town and are lined with tourist shops. The town was incredibly busy, confirming its status as a top tourist attraction on the lake. Once we had walked around the streets, and nearly lost our three year old sprint runner a number of times, we headed back to the ferry terminal and got ice creams while we waited for our boat. We were expecting the ice creams to be very expensive but were pleasantly surprised when a huge double scoop ice cream cost €2.50.
As lovely as Bellagio was, and the fact that it is a ‘must see’ destination on the lake, I would argue that the likes of Bellano and Varenna were actually nicer to visit, particularly with children. The crowds in Bellagio, and large guided groups, did make it quite stressful to navigate with little ones.
Total cost of visiting Bellagio – €63
- Return ferry for three people
- Entry to Melzi Villa
- Two ice creams
Bellano and the Orrido (ravines) di Bellano
We visited the Orrido di Bellano which is an impressive natural gorge situated in the middle of town. A concrete walkway allowed us to walk through the gorge and watch the water crashing through. We arrived early which proved to be a good idea as there were few visitors. The walkways are single file and passing people is awkward with the restricted width and headroom.
There is a kiosk serving drinks and snacks at the main entrance and picnic tables on two levels before you enter the gorge. Entry costs €4.50 per adult, €3.50 for children six to twelve, and free for children under six year olds.
After visiting the Orrido we walked around Bellano which was another very pretty town with narrow cobbled streets and interesting shops. On the day that we visited there was also a large street market with goods ranging from meat, fruit and veg to clothes, second hand toys and crockery.
We had a picnic in the Parco dell’Eliporto (City Park) then spent the afternoon on the public beach next to the lido. One thing to note is that the Lido fronts the beach and has a private pool, toilets, changing areas, bar and restaurant. There is a charge to enter the lido and use these facilities but the beach is public and free. The beach is coarse sand and shingle and shelves steeply into the water. This is not an ideal beach for non-swimming children. There is a pontoon a short distance off the shore which is great fun to swim out to and jump off.
Parking around Orrido di Bellano is very limited and there were no spaces despite our early arrival. We ended up parking in a pay and display car park off Via Martiri della Liberta, between City Park and Conrad City supermarket.
Total cost of visiting Bellano and the Orrido di Bellano – €15
- Parking (€1.20 per hour / €6 for five hours)
- Entry to Orrido di Bellano
Forte Di Fuentes and Colico
At the very top of Lake Como, up a long, narrow road is Forte di Fuentes. Just when you think you have got lost and are in the middle of nowhere there is a brown sign and a small, free, car park. You have to walk up the hill to get to the ruins from the car park. Tickets cost €5 per adult, €3 for children aged six to seventeen and free up to five years of age. There are no facilities at the fort and only bottled water available to buy from the kiosk (€1 for 500ml bottle).
Originally a magnificent fort, it is now derelict but there is enough left to imagine what it would have been. There are sign boards up throughout the ruins illustrating what the buildings were and how they were used during the forts colourful history. During summer months there are guided tours but we just guided ourselves round.
The views of the River Adda running into the lake and surrounding mountains are spectacular. The visit was worth it for that alone. We spent about an hour at the fort as we had visited on an extremely hot day and with limited shade and water available we were all struggling a little.
We drove down from the fort to the town of Colico, situated on the Northern branch of the lake. Some of the roads into town were closed due to a street market so we parked in paid parking off Via Montecchio Nord, opposite Seven Park. The park was lovely and right at the end of the lake with a narrow beach, overlooked by the impressive Mount Legnone (2609 metres), the highest mountain in the Lake Como region. We set up in front of the Seven Park Hotel, a very smart hotel with bar and restaurant overlooking the park. There are no toilet facilities at the park, although we did use the hotel once.
If you continue to walk through the park, and over the river, you come to a windsurfing and kitesurfing school, and restaurant. Even if you are not interested in kite surfing yourself it is an excellent spectator sport while lying on the grass.
The main part of Colico is a short walk along the waterfront from Seven Park. There is a large, pedestrianised main square surrounded by restaurants and gelaterias. Colico is a local transport hub with boats to Como and Lecco and a train station.
Total cost of visiting Forte di Fuentes and Colico – €13.60
- Parking (€1.20 per hour / €3.60 for three hours)
Useful links
http://www.giardinidivillamelzi.it
http://www.turismobellano.it/it/orrido/
https://www.fortedifuentes.it/
Inspiring Adventure 
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