3 Affordable Lake Como Travel Activities For Budget Savvy Italy Tourists
A trip to Lake Como does not have to break the bank
Planning a trip to Italy and have Lake Como on your bucket list? A trip to the land of Hollywood stars doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are three fun activities recommended by experts during these uncertain economic times.
Start by walking Como’s historic city center.
“Clinging to the lake’s southwestern pocket, Como is an ideal jumping point for exploring the territory, but the city itself shouldn’t go uncharted. The remains of Como’s 33-feet-high medieval wall enclose its quaint historic center. Shops and restaurants stand snugly alongside each other in lively pedestrian streets that teem with picture-perfect sights, like elegant interior courtyards framed in arched doorways, the storybook-like Piazza San Fedele and the 15th-century Duomo, a magnificent Gothic cathedral,” says an article in Conde Nast Traveler magazine.
Want to mix and mingle among the lake’s mansions? They recommend checking out “Villa del Balbianello, which perches on a lakeside peninsula in Tremezzina, is a must-visit. James Bond and Star Wars fans will recognize the elaborate 18th-century complex from the silver screen. The eclectic-style Villa Monastero in Varenna lodges a house museum surrounded by a lush garden with trees procured from all over the world. The leafy, labyrinthine wonderland of Bellagio’s Villa Serbelloni Gardens (not part of the same-named hotel) overlooks the meeting point of the lake’s three branches.”
Lake Como is also a great place to hit the trail and check out the scenic outdoors.
“Don’t let the glitz and glamour overshadow the scenery—the hiking trails and beaches are the best way for travelers to appreciate the natural surroundings. Dozens of hiking trails weave through the hillsides, including well-marked routes that pass through the three funicular towns,” the article says. “In the lake’s upper reaches, the over 6-mile Greenway joins Colonno, Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo, and Griante. A path in Ossuccio arrives at Sacro Monte di Ossuccio, one of the nine complexes comprising the Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy UNESCO World Heritage site.”
Even in uncertain economic times a trip to Lake Como is still an affordable vacation destination in Italy.