Lake Como

Spring is the classic season, with camellias from March and azaleas and rhododendrons in April and May. June and September are warm and good for swimming, with long ferry timetables. July and August are hot and very crowded, especially at weekends, when Bellagio, Varenna and the boats between them are packed. October is often lovely, though gardens shorten their hours and many close in early November. Winter is quiet and atmospheric, but many hotels, restaurants and villas close, and boats run less often.

Navigazione Laghi runs the public boats: slow ships stop at almost every village, faster services link Como with the central lake and the north, and a car ferry crosses between Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Varenna and Menaggio. Tickets can be bought at the piers or on board where there is no office, but arrive early in summer, when queues at the ticket windows can be long. Services can be suspended in bad weather.

Trains run from Milan to Como in under an hour, from Milano Centrale and Porta Garibaldi to Como San Giovanni, and from Milano Cadorna to Como Nord Lago, right by the lakefront. For the central lake, trains from Milano Centrale towards Tirano stop at Varenna-Esino in about an hour, and from there the ferry crosses to Bellagio and Menaggio. Buses run along the western shore from Como.

Driving is difficult. The lakeside roads are narrow, winding and congested in summer, and parking in the villages is scarce and expensive. If you do drive, base yourself somewhere with hotel parking and use the boats for day trips.

• Check the ferry timetable for the day you travel; services change between seasons and the last boats can be early.
• Book Villa del Balbianello in advance, and check its calendar outside summer.
• Varenna has brought in rules against walking around in swimwear or bare-chested away from the beaches and piers, and limits on large tour groups; follow local signs.
• Most towns charge a per-night tourist tax, added to your hotel bill; check the rate when you book.
• Wear good shoes: many lanes are steep stairways, and the paths to Vezio and Balbianello are rough.
• Visit the busiest places, Bellagio and Varenna, before 10am or after 5pm.
• Swim only at lidos and marked beaches; the water is deep and cold, and boat traffic is heavy.
• Carry some cash for small boats, cafés and taxis.

Lake fish is the local speciality: try missoltino, shad dried and preserved in salt, perch fillets fried in butter and sage with risotto, and lavarello, a white fish often grilled. Polenta, game and cheeses from the valleys above the lake appear in cooler months. In summer, look for gelato on the lakefront and an aperitivo with a view at sunset. Restaurants in the central villages fill up in the evening, so book ahead in high season.

The central lake, Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Tremezzo, puts you closest to the ferries and the best gardens, with everything from family-run guesthouses to grand lakefront hotels. Varenna is ideal if you arrive by train. Como town is cheaper, has more choice and the fastest links to Milan, but you'll spend time on the boats. Quieter villages on the northern lake and the Lecco branch offer better value and fewer crowds.

The villas of Lake Como were built to be seen from the water, and to look back at it. Many began as country retreats for Milanese noble families in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and were remodelled in the nineteenth century, when English-style landscape gardens became fashionable and plants were brought from around the world. The mild climate, protected by the mountains, lets camellias, citrus and subtropical trees thrive at the foot of the Alps. Some villas are now museums or heritage properties, some are luxury hotels, such as the Villa d'Este at Cernobbio, whose grounds are only for guests, and many are still private. The best way to plan is to pick two or three gardens rather than rushing between them, and to check opening days, as several close one day a week and all keep shorter hours in autumn.

Behind the lakefront villages, mule tracks and old paths climb through chestnut woods to hamlets, chapels and summer pastures. The Greenway on the western shore is the gentlest introduction. Longer routes include the Sentiero del Viandante on the eastern shore, a historic path linking villages above Varenna, and the trails around Bellagio and Brunate. Paths can be steep and slippery after rain, so carry water and check the weather.

Lake Como's villages are small, and many residents live with very heavy traffic and crowds in summer. Travelling by train and boat rather than by car helps a great deal, as does staying overnight instead of rushing through on a day trip. Keep noise down in narrow lanes, respect private property and villas, dress modestly away from the water, and take your rubbish with you on the trails.