The Lake is famous for its lakeside villages, famous private and public villas, but takes its name off Como, which at the head of the lake bestows its name on the Lake itself.
As a city, you know it's going to have is own special place of worship, the Duomo, which sits centrally and toward the lake, just ahead of the fabulous theatre. The image below shows the Duomo to the right and the Theatre to the left on an unusually quiet day in the city of Como.
In Como, being close to Swiss border and having a relatively well-heeled community you can find no end of great shops to buy international brands and local products, such as the famous Como silks, the local wines, and cheeses or artisan products from the local mountains. We would recommend Christmas as an excellent time to visit for shopping and combine it with the amazing light shows and festivities.
Easy Access to Switzerland, Milan and the Lake sights
Como city is on a train line and therefore is easy to reach from major airports (Milan, Bergamo, Malpensa) and further afield. Como is also on the border of Switzerland and only 30 minutes from Lugano by road, crossing the customs border at Chiasso. The train lines run up the East coast of the lake and a lake road runs up the west coast.
A completely circuitous route can be taken by a car traveling west through Cernobbio, Laglio, Mennagio (where there is a pass over to Switzerland), Dongo, Gera Laglio, traversing the head of the lake and taking the autostrada back down past Varenna to Lecco and then across country to Como again or via Bellagio. Our advice, however, is to take the ferries! You could also fly in by float plane as there is a flying school within Como too.
Shows and Conferences.
Como is a very short hop to Cernobbio and the Villa d'Este, one of the world's top hotels, which yearly hosts, along with local villas the Concorso d’Eleganza and takes place in May generally. This exhibition of extremely valuable cars and bikes is the ideal break for car enthusiasts. There are also frequent international conferences up and down the lake.
Hotels in Como, like many cities, can be expensive and a private apartment is often a better choice and there are many nestled amongst the elegant and ancient back streets, a short walk to the town centre and lakefront.
You can search for Como Rentals here, by clicking this link. As an example of our accommodation and what to expect, the photo and link below is one of our great selection overlooking the lake. Please ask for more help if you wish to know more.