Boat trip on Lake Como

Day 3: Como - Boat trip on Lake Como: Varenna, Menaggio, Nesso - Como

Today we wake up at 6:30 in the morning and the first thing we do, like so many times on trips, is to look at the time since today's plan is to make a boat trip on Lake Como. Yesterday, after spending the day in some of the best villages to see on Lake Como, we saw that storms were expected for today, something that left us a little bit chafados, but as soon as we looked out the window we found that a sky looks quite clear and quite hot, something that encourages us already early in the morning, although it also leaves us thinking that although we expect it to be a good day, yesterday's 35 degrees are not necessary either.
We leave our accommodation on Lake Como here, the B&B Al Porticciolo di Sant'Agostino, when it is practically 8:00 in the morning, after having worked for a little while, and we approach a cafeteria that we have right in front, specialist in Sicilian desserts, where we ordered a cannoli and pasta plus a couple of coffees for 7.50 euros, which give us energy to start this second day of the trip to Lake Como in 4 days at full capacity.

With our stomach ready, we approached the pier, less than 5 minutes from the apartment, from where the boats that cross the Lake of Como and where directly at the ticket offices we buy a couple of tickets for the whole day, which include the boat trip on Lake Como, getting on all the boats you want from Como to Varenna, for 25.30 euros per person. After looking at all the options we believe that it is a good choice if you have a full day in the area to be able to stop in all the towns of Lake Como.

Although we have to take into account that there are not only these tickets to make the boat trip on Lake Como. There is also a very interesting option that for about 72 euros, includes navigation for a week. An alternative that is perfect if you are in the area for a week and want to move around the lake and the different villages.
Our boat leaves at 9:10 in the morning, so counting that we still have a few minutes for boarding, we take the opportunity to go around the area and get a little idea of ​​Como, the place where we are staying these days and tomorrow we will spend a few hours before returning home.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Lake Como

- 10 tips to travel to Lake Como essential

Boat trip on Lake Como

Before buying any ticket for the boat trip on Lake Como We recommend that you look carefully at all the options that exist. For example, for the area of ​​Como to Varenna, apart from the boat that we will take, which takes about two and a half hours and costs 25.30 euros, there is a fast service that takes almost an hour less to make the same journey . This is something to keep in mind if you have less time or it does not kick you to make such a long journey. In our case, wanting to take pictures of the villages of Lake Como, have all day and want to have the experience, we have opted for the longest journey.

It is time to embark and we directly sit at the front of the ship, at which time we see that the sky just begins to cloud, so we only have the first part of the trip to enjoy Lake Como in all its splendor or minimally clear.

As we move forward, the sky becomes increasingly black, something that makes us realize and confirm that this morning is not going to be as we expected and probably the rain that was expected, will end up appearing and leaving us without our expected boat trip on Lake Como.

Despite this, the landscape begins to take spectacular colors, especially the sky and although the forecast is to start raining at any time, we continue in the seat, watching as little by little, second to second, the sky becomes every it gets darker and lightning starts to appear on the horizon.
As soon as we arrived at Villa Balbianello, where we were yesterday, the sky breaks, beginning to unload the storm that had endured so far, so it is time to get inside the ship, in the covered area from where we follow our boat trip on Lake Como through the rain soaked glass.

We arrived in Varenna when it is just after 12 noon and although it is still raining we decided to end the route and get off here to visit one of the most visited villages of Lake Como And given the time it is, look for a place to eat. As the day is, we take shelter at the jetty until we see the rain a bit less, when we decide that it is time to go for a walk in the town, accompanied by a sky, which as if by magic , it is increasingly clear and blue.

Varenna, considered one of the most tourist destinations of Lake Como, not without reason, is a small fishing village that still retains this incredible charm that makes it a unique and perfect place for anyone who wants to get lost in the narrow streets of charm, enjoy some relaxing moments, romantic walks or have one of the most incredible landscapes of Lago di Como.
As we enter the inner streets of Varenna, we see that the weather improves at times, so finding ourselves in front of Al Patro, one of the most recommended restaurants of Tripadvisor, when it is one o'clock, we take the opportunity to sit in your dining room , where we tasted a lasagna and ravioli, which are incredible, plus two desserts and two coffees for 43 euros. Who said Lake Como was expensive?

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Lake Como by travelers:

- Tour of Lake Como and Bellagio
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It's just after 2 in the afternoon when we return to the streets of Varenna, now with a totally uncovered sky, a moment we took the opportunity to take pictures and go back to the areas where we were before eating.

As you arrive at the jetty, if you turn right, you arrive at a street where there are several shops with a lot of charm, one of them with pieces of ceramic crafts that really deserve a few minutes, and then, a few meters away, reach to the terrace of a restaurant, from where you have one of the most incredible perspectives of Varenna in which the profile of the town is seen with an image of a small jetty in the first line.
If you access the terrace of the restaurant, this image looks even more beautiful if we add the silhouette of the white chairs and parasols, creating an image, which at least for us, is one of the most beautiful of Lake Como.

Following this street, you arrive at a kind of road or path, perfectly signposted, which leads to one of the most magical corners of the town and one of those places that you can not miss, since only for the views, it is a true wonder.

It's a little after three in the afternoon when we go to the jetty to wait for a boat to leave, which is our case will take us right in front of Varenna, Menaggio, another of the most visited villages of Lake Como, who make a triangle together with Bellagio, which we visited yesterday.
On this occasion we ride a ferry, where cars can also go, a very interesting option especially if you are moving by Lake Como by car and you want to cross to the other side of it without having to go around it.

It did not take more than 15 minutes to cross this area of ​​the lake, which as we said before forms a triangle between Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio, which they say are the three most beautiful villages of Lake Como. We, after visiting them, have to say that they are not only charming, but that we believe they are a must, since at least those we have known, they are undoubtedly the most flashyEspecially for a first visit, which is the time when you normally seek to visit the most tourist places. Although we are sure that Lake Como hides true jewels and is something that we will surely discover later when we return with more time to this area of ​​Italy.
Once in Menaggio the first thing we do is go to the center where there are several points of interest, especially at the scenic level, although we have to say that of the three that we mentioned earlier, Menaggio is perhaps the one we liked least.

Apart from the most central area of ​​Menaggio, which you can not miss, we recommend that you approach the viewpoints along the promenade, from where there are unique views of Bellagio, which although a bit far, with the frame from Lake Como, we believe it is a unique perspective.

Apart from having these incredible views of another of the most beautiful villages of Lake Como, approaching this area allows you to see another area of ​​the town, much quieter but just as scenic as the center, at the back of the Grand Hotel Menaggio, where we find another perspective of the town.

In this area of ​​the town, as we said quite quieter than the center, we took the opportunity to write four postcards that we also took to put directly in a mailbox right next to the Information Office and after buying a couple of soft drinks and giving a second round So it is the downtown area of ​​the town, where we are more or 1 hour, we decided that it is time to go back to Como with a boat slow, so we still have a couple of hours ahead until we reach our destination.

Right now the sky is quite clear so we understand that we will be able to enjoy the latter boat trip on Lake Como, being able to take the photos that we have not previously been able to take because of the rain when we were traveling in reverse this morning from Como to Varenna.
We leave punctually at 5:45 p.m. and the truth is that we can say little more than this experience, if you have the opportunity, you can not miss it, since it is one of the best ways to get to know Lake Como, apart from having a unique perspective of the surrounding villages. If you also have a clear day, we assure you that you will not regret it, being part of it, a perfect form of transport between the different villages.

Although any position on the ship is perfect, we advise you to get in the part that goes closest to the coast, on the way from Como to Varenna, this would be on the left side of the ship and on the journey from Menaggio to Como, on the right side of the ship.

On the height, the truth is that the vision is perfect both in the front and the back, although if you are lucky enough to take the first positions, better than better, since the perspective is much wider and in some moments you can lift to take pictures, especially when the boat stops at the different villages of Lake Como moment in which you can see from a privileged position the piers of the different villages and the charm that all of them have.

Although it seems a lie, the minutes fly by and it is that although the landscapes can be quite repetitive, and that is that each and every one of the villages that you can see in the boat trip on Lake Como They are each more incredible and charming, you do not get tired at any time. Moreover, after two hours, we would have stayed for a while while touring another area of ​​the lake.

Another one of the moments that you cannot miss in the boat trip on Lake Como It is the moment in which we pass through Villa Balbianello, since we have unique perspectives of the villa from the water, something that yesterday when we visited it we could not appreciate, nor this morning due to the rains that surprised us just when we reached this place.

When we realize we see that we have been on the ship for more than two and a half hours, a time that as we said, is flying by us and that we are enjoying as we did not expect from Lake Como landscapes, with a very clear sky and with enough sun something that allows us to enjoy that incredible landscape in a unique way, and much more after seeing how this morning our plans were falling apart due to bad weather.

Another of the highlights of the boat trip on Lake Como arrives when we approach Nesso, one of the most beautiful villages of Lake Como, that this time, for lack of time, we will have to settle for seeing it from the water, from where we have the best views, although this does not take away so that the next time we come through this area, we will stop for a few hours to Know him more calmly.

It's 8:00 in the afternoon when we get back to Como, the place where we stay and seeing the good weather, we consider the possibility of going to the funicular of Brunate, one of the things we want to do in this trip to Lake Como, although after assessing it, we decided that with the forecast of good weather, we will leave it at the end for tomorrow that we have practically all morning and a few hours of noon to enjoy Como. So being the time it is, it does not touch anything else Look again at TripAdvisor and decide on one of the many recommended restaurants in the area.

In the end we end up in Riba Café, a pizzeria where they make very thin oval pizzas, where we can tell you that you will not regret coming: they are impressive !! We ordered a couple of pizzas, one of nine euros and one of 10 euros that has more ingredients, more drinks for 31 euros, a price that we believe is more than adjusted and more considering that we are in the center of Como.

It's a little after 10 p.m. when we leave the restaurant and after a day as complete as today, we go directly to our apartment, ready to rest and charge energies to continue tomorrow with which will be the last day of the trip to Lake Como.