Walking in Lake Como
The Southern Alps, still dusted in snow until May, rise steeply from the lake, and a network of footpaths is threaded through them linking quiet mountain villages with the towns along the lake shore. Our
Lake Como walking tours, typically guided small group tours over a week or so, use some wonderfully picturesque trails, many of which can be reached directly from your hotel. Others use public buses and ferries to get to the trailhead.
While you can admire many lovely panoramas of Lake Como from the water, it’s only from above that you can truly appreciate the lake’s majesty. Viewpoint follows viewpoint as you walk through chestnut groves, forests and meadows, occasionally stopping at isolated farmsteads and villages for a drink or something to eat. One such, Livo, has its own breed of goat, the Capra di Livo, and a baroque stone church where you can find relief on a hot day.
Many areas of Lake Como are simply too busy, which can affect your enjoyment. But walking is another matter entirely.
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Walking in Lake Como is also the best way to escape the crowds of summer. “A few years ago,” says Giovanna, “those of us who live near the lake would happily go to Bellagio or Varenna for a Sunday ice cream. Now, unless you arrive at dawn, parking can take hours. We simply don’t go anymore.” Many areas of Lake Como are simply too busy for much of the year, which can affect your enjoyment, as well as making life very difficult for residents.
Our vacations get to the hotspots early or late to beat the worst of the crowds and also take you to less well known areas which enable them to see more of a share of tourism while helping to relieve the pressure on the most popular communities.
