What to Do In Lake Como if You Have Less than 48 Hours
Hello, and welcome to my mini travel blog, about the November weekend getaway, my partner and I did, in Lake Como, Italy.
We landed in Milan on Friday night from London, rented a car at the airport, and drove to Albergo Terminus, which is where we stayed for the weekend. The drive from the airport to Como takes about an hour.
Our Saturday morning started with a croissant and a coffee at a Bliss Cafe. The coffee was truly BLISSFUL, I had two.
Well caffeinated and excited about the weekend, we took a walk by the lake and ended up in Villa Olmo, which was about a 25-minute walk from Bliss Cafe. Inside the villa is a beautiful gallery, which has a mesmerizing mix of neoclassical and contemporary art.
After the gallery and a 10-minute drive, we wanted to stop for lunch at Ristorante Trattoria del Fagiano, which was highly rated for its traditional dishes. Unfortunately, we got there by 3 PM and it closes at 14:30, a lot of restaurants/cafe places close at 14:30 in Como. But we despaired not, despite being hungry, and instead enjoyed the beautiful view of the lake from near the restaurant.
Luckily, we found one place, open for a late lunch and both the food and the views did not disappoint. It was an ultra pleasant, slow 2-hour lunch at Da Luciano Bottega e Caffè, which was only a 10-minute drive away from Trattoria del Fagiano.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area near Da Luciano, soaking up the remaining sunshine and warm lake views. Before heading home to rest, we stopped at a home shop called Croff, at Viale Giulio Cesar, where I got a pomegranate tablecloth, that I am fully in love with. I get a little something for home, during every trip we make, as a warm memory of the moment, wrapped in an object.
For dinner, we went to Trattoria Tira Mola E Meseda, which was incredibly delicious and welcoming.
On Sunday, we had a slow morning at the hotel, followed by a ferry ride, around the lake, which you can find by putting ‘Ferry Terminal Como’ in Google Maps. The ferry leaves every 30 minutes, so we did not book in advance and just got the tickets on the spot.
After the ferry ride, we drove to a scenic point, called La Punta Spartivento, which was an hour away from ‘Ferry Terminal Como’, stopping at a small local bar for lunch, in one of the villages we passed by.
After La Punta Spartivento, we drove to meet the sunset at another scenic point, had a hot chocolate, and made our way to the airport.
I would definitely come back to Como one day. The lake has a fairytale, calm, idyllic, awe-like presence to it. The air you breathe there feels incredibly pure. All you really need to take with you is a comfy pair of shoes, sunglasses (unlike London, it’s thankfully very sunny), and the mood to explore.
My partner and I work and live in London, which a lot of the time, feels very fast-paced. One of the best parts about being in Como, even for a short timeframe, was mentally detaching from city life and ever-growing to-do lists of ‘must-do tasks’ and ‘aspirations’, and consciously submerging into the present moment of nature's expansive ethereal. It was beautiful, mentally recharging and so worth it.
Follow my Instagram, for my occasional travel adventures: @ksprudyus .
