Lake Como Directory
Albergo Milano
Varenna, on the eastern shore, is quieter and less polished than Bellagio, which is exactly its appeal. The waterfront is lovely, with a narrow lakeside promenade and a handful of restaurants that catch the afternoon sun and the views across to the western mountains.
Bilacus
In Bellagio, the waterfront restaurants along the lungolago tend to trade on location rather than quality. For better cooking, head uphill to the quieter streets behind the waterfront, where Bilacus serves reliable Lombardian cuisine in a pleasant courtyard in the old town.
Crotto dei Platani
A crotto is a traditional Lombard restaurant built into or against a natural rock formation, using cool air from mountain caves as a natural refrigerator, a technique that predates electricity by centuries. Crotto dei Platani, in the small village of Brienno on the western shore, is one of the finest examples. The terrace extends over the water beneath enormous plane trees, and on a still summer evening it is as atmospheric as dining gets.
Filario
Filario is a modern lakefront hotel in Lezzeno, between Como town and Bellagio on the eastern shore. The 10 rooms are minimalist and elegant, with floor-to-ceiling windows over the lake, and there is a small pool, a good restaurant, and a jetty for boat arrivals.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo
The Grand Hotel Tremezzo is, for many, the definitive Lake Como hotel. It has been hosting guests since 1910, and the combination of Art Nouveau architecture, a floating pool set in the lake itself, lakeside gardens, and views directly across to Bellagio creates a striking setting. This is the hotel that appears in every Lake Como feature, and it earns the attention.
Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni
The Villa Serbelloni is Bellagio's grande dame: a neoclassical palace at the tip of the promontory, with gardens, a pool, a private dock, and old-world grandeur that modern hotels cannot replicate. The hotel has operated since 1873, and the frescoed ceilings, marble floors, and crystal chandeliers reflect that lineage without feeling preserved in amber.
Hilton Lake Como
The Hilton is Como town's most prominent modern hotel, occupying a waterfront position with views across to Cernobbio. It is a contemporary, well-run property with a rooftop bar, an infinity pool, and clean-lined rooms, providing a comfortable base without the heritage of the lake's grand hotels.
Hotel Belvedere
Hotel Belvedere offers a more intimate alternative to the Villa Serbelloni, with 64 rooms in a historic building slightly uphill from the Bellagio waterfront. The rooftop pool and terrace have panoramic views across the lake, and the rooms, recently refreshed, are comfortable and tastefully decorated in a contemporary Italian style.
Hotel Royal Victoria
The Royal Victoria occupies a converted nineteenth-century villa on the Varenna waterfront, with a garden terrace that runs down to the lake's edge. The rooms are traditional in style, but the lake-view rooms with balconies are lovely, and the location is unbeatable: steps from the ferry dock, the promenade, and the village's best restaurants.
Hotel Villa Marie
Villa Marie is a smaller, more recent addition to the Tremezzo stretch, a boutique property with 16 rooms in a restored lakeside villa. The style is refined but relaxed: white linens, natural materials, a small pool, and an intimate restaurant that sources from local producers.
Il Sereno
Il Sereno is the most design-forward hotel on the lake. Designed by Patricia Urquiola, who oversaw every detail from the architecture to the bathroom fittings, it occupies a lakefront position in the village of Torno, south of Bellagio on the eastern shore. The aesthetic is dramatically contemporary: walnut, stone, raw silk, and enormous windows that frame the lake as living art.
Il Sereno Al Lago
Il Sereno Al Lago, at the Patricia Urquiola-designed Il Sereno hotel in Torno, holds a Michelin star and delivers a more contemporary experience than most of the lake's fine-dining rooms. Chef Raffaele Lenzi's cooking is built around clarity and precision: dishes centre on two or three core flavours, executed with impeccable technique and presented with modernist restraint.
La Darsena
The western shore between Tremezzo and Lenno is home to some of the lake's grandest properties, and the dining reflects that clientele. La Darsena, in Tremezzo, serves excellent lakeside lunches: fresh pasta, grilled fish, and a wine list that takes Lombardy seriously.
La Terrazza Gualtiero Marchesi
The flagship restaurant at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo benefits from what might be the most spectacular dining terrace on the lake. The table is set directly above the water, looking across to Bellagio and the Grigne mountains, and on a warm evening with the village lights reflected in the lake, the setting is hard to beat.
Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como
The Mandarin Oriental occupies a series of restored eighteenth-century villas on the lakeshore at Blevio, with gardens, a spa, and the serene, meticulously managed environment the brand is known for. The 73 rooms and suites spread across multiple buildings, and the best offer lake views, private gardens, and in some cases their own pools.
Materia
Materia is the restaurant that Como's food-conscious visitors seek out first. Chef Davide Caranchini earned his Michelin star here by applying modern technique to hyper-local ingredients, many foraged from the hills above the lake or sourced from small producers within a tight radius. A dish of lake fish with wild herbs and fermented vegetables arrives looking spare and beautiful, and it tastes exactly as good as it looks.
Osteria del Gallo
Como town is the lake's largest settlement and its least glamorous, but it has the advantage of a year-round dining scene that does not shut down when the tourists leave. Osteria del Gallo, in the medieval centre, is the place for a simple, honest lunch.
Trattoria Baita Belvedere
Pescallo is a tiny fishing hamlet tucked behind the headland from Bellagio, a ten-minute walk down a steep path from the town centre and a world away from its bustle. Trattoria Baita Belvedere sits at the water's edge, with a small terrace overlooking the harbour and a handful of wooden boats. The menu is short, seasonal, and built around whatever came out of the lake that morning.
Villa d'Este
Villa d'Este needs little introduction. The sixteenth-century cardinal's residence turned luxury hotel is a monument to Italian grandeur: 152 rooms across two buildings, 25 acres of parkland with botanical gardens, a floating pool on the lake, eight tennis courts, a golf course, and an opulence that makes modern luxury hotels look restrained.