Lake Como for Solo Travelers on a Budget

Last year I visited Italy to check a very exciting destination off my bucketlist: Lake Como. I was quite nervous to visit Lake Como as a solo traveler on a budget, since it’s known as a romantic luxury destination. But besides that stereotype, it seemed like a perfect travel destination for me: it is easily accessible by public transport, there’s great views, endless small towns to safely explore, and hiking opportunities nearby. So I added it to my European summer itinerary to see how I can explore all that Lake Como has to offer without breaking the bank!

Keep reading to learn more about how to visit Lake Como, Italy as a solo budget traveler!

Can you travel to Lake Como on a Budget?

Yes, but it depends on what your definition of “budget travel” is! If you’re looking for a backpacker destination where you can spend $30 a day staying in hostels and eating street food, Lake Como is not the destination for you. However, if you are intentional, there are ways to visit on a smaller budget than one would typically think of when traveling to Lake Como.

If you want to visit Lake Como, I would plan on budgeting at least $100 a day, which would include hostel accommodations, eating out at restaurants 2-3 times a day and one activity a day. Of course, depending on what type of traveller you are, where you stay, which restaurants you eat at, and which activities you do, you can spend a LOT more.

When is the best time to travel to Lake Como?

Your budget in Lake Como will also greatly depend on what time of year your visit. From a budget perspective, the best times to travel to Lake Como are in the shoulder seasons: spring from April to May and fall from September to October. You’ll find there will be less crowds and MUCH lower prices. Accommodations prices almost double from the spring to the summer.

The weather during spring and fall is usually good but can be unpredictable. I visited in May and had two warm, sunny days and two cloudy, cold days with scattered rain. Make sure you pack accordingly for different types of weather!

If you’re looking for guaranteed warm days and sunny skies, you should visit in the summer, from June to August. But expect to pay for it, with higher prices all around.

Is Lake Como Good for Solo Travelers?

When you think of Lake Como, you probably think of a luxury destination for couples on their honeymoon. And you’re not wrong! Lake Como, along with many beautiful places throughout Italy, is a romantic destination geared towards couples, and you might feel a bit out of place as a solo traveler, especially when eating alone at restaurants.

However, there’s a few great accommodations and many activities suited for solo travelers in Lake Como! There’s not as many young solo travelers as in other cities throughout Europe, but there are enough that I was able to meet and make friends with travelers at the hostels I stayed at.

Most importantly, all the towns around Lake Como are extremely safe, making it a great place to explore solo! I felt safe walking around at night and taking the ferries and local buses by myself. There are so many solo friendly activities, such as hiking and visiting the gardens and villas in each town. My favorite thing to do was to take a quick ferry to another small town, walk around and take pictures.

How to get to Lake Como from Milan

Lake Como is well connected making it so easy to get to and to get around. And thankfully, the trains, buses and ferries are relatively affordable, so you won’t spend all your money on transportation.

The best way to get from Milan to Lake Como is by train, which takes about one hour and cost about €8. You have two options for which train to take:

• If you are staying in the town of Como, or somewhere else in the southern part of the Lake, take the train from Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni. This will leave you right in the center of Como, where you can easily walk to your accommodation.
• If you are staying in the central part of the Lake, in the towns of Bellagio, Varenna or Menaggio, then you should take the train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino. From Varenna, you can take a ferry to one of the surrounding towns.

Getting around the Lake

Once you’re in Lake Como, ferries are the easiest and most scenic way to get around the lake. They are inexpensive and come frequently, especially between the popular towns like Como, Bellagio and Varenna.

Going between the three towns in the middle of the lake, Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio costs about €5 and takes about 20 minutes for the journey.

There’s two ferries that go between Bellagio and Como, a slow ferry (€10 and takes about 2 hours) and a fast hydrofoil (€13 and takes about 40 minutes). This is the best way to get from the center to the southern part of Lake Como.

For more information about the ferry schedules and routes, check out this website, where you can look up the timetables and buy tickets! You can also buy tickets when you arrive at the port.

The other option for getting around Lake Como is to take the local buses, which are a bit cheaper, but usually take longer than the ferries. The buses are great if you’re trying to get to a inland town that can’t be accessed from the water, or one of the smaller towns on the lake with infrequent ferries. However, they’re a bit confusing to figure out the schedule and how to buy tickets. I almost missed a bus because I didn’t know I had to buy the ticket at the convenience store down the street.

I decided to take the bus when I was moving accommodations from Bellagio to Como, since there wasn’t a ferry exactly when I wanted to leave. The bus took about an hour and the windy roads made me so nauseous, I almost had to get off the bus before Como to avoid throwing up! Thankfully I made it all the way there but I really regretted not just waiting for the ferry, as it would have been a more pleasant journey.

Visiting as a Day Trip from Milan

If you’re short on both time and money during your trip to Italy, you can easily visit Lake Como as a day trip instead of staying overnight. The train from Milan to Lake Como only takes about 1 hour, and once you’re there you can use the ferries to visit a few towns. I’d recommend taking the train to Varenna, where you can then take a quick 20 minute ferry to both Bellagio and Menaggio. You’ll get to visit three towns in one day, without spending too much time traveling.

If you prefer to do a done for you guided tour from Milan to Lake Como, here are some great options! Some of them even visit the Swiss town of Lugano, which is right across the border of Italy and Switzerland.

Where to Stay in Lake Como as a Solo Traveler

Because Lake Como is a luxury destination, there are less budget accommodations than in other popular destinations around Europe. There’s only a few hostels on the lake, and most of them aren’t very budget-friendly, being €50+ a night. I stayed at two hostels in Lake Como and they were both amazing, with great locations, amenities, and breakfast included. So despite the high price tag, I think my stay at both places was worth it.

Agriturismo La Derta in Bellagio

Agriturismo La Derta is THE place to stay if you want to stay in Bellagio on a budget. It offers both a shared hostel-style room, and a few private hotel rooms that are cheaper than other ones in Bellagio. It’s located on a working farm, where you’ll find flowers, vegetable plants and animals. You’re able to enjoy the peaceful outdoor space and the bright, welcoming interior. The daily breakfast, which is included in your stay, was simple but delicious, with local fruit, freshly baked bread, and made to order eggs if you want them

I stayed in the large shared room, which has 7 beds. The room had regular beds instead of bunks, which made it feel a lot more bright and open than a regular hostel dorm. There’s not much privacy, but it’s a big space so I didn’t feel cramped. The dorm room is about €40 a night, while the private rooms start at €100.

The only downside about Agriturismo La Derta is that is about a 15 minute walk from the actual town of Bellagio, where you’ll find most of the restaurants and the ferry port. I personally didn’t mind being in this quieter part of town. With your stay at Agriturismo La Derta, you are given free access to Giardini di Villa Melzi, a beautiful waterfront garden, which happens to be on the way to town. So instead of walking along the street, you can walk through this picturesque garden on the way to Bellagio.

Even when I did walk on the street, it was a safe, pleasant walk. I did the walk once after dark and even felt safe then, since there were other people walking in the same direction back to their hotels.

Ostello Bello Como

If you’ve backpacked around Italy, you’ve probably heard of Ostello Bello, a popular hostel chain with locations in all the major Italian cities. I was so happy to find one on Lake Como, in the main town of Como, on the southern part of the Lake. Ostello Bello Como has a perfect location, only a few blocks from the lake and within a 15 minute walk of all the restaurants and things to do in the town of Como.

Ostello Bello is a pretty social hostel, with a large common space & garden, and daily events. Its a great place to make friends as a solo traveller in Lake Como.

During the shoulder seasons, the price for a dorm room at Ostello Bello is about €50, but it can go up to €100 in the summer months! So if you’re looking to stay there on a budget, visit during the spring or fall, and avoid the summer.

Other Budget Accommodations in Lake Como

Here are some other hostels around Lake Como that I haven’t personally stayed in.

• New Generation Hostel Lake Como in Como (€20-70 per night)
• SANTANGELA Hostel & Rooms in Menaggio (€25-30 per night)
• Lake Como Hostel La Primula in Menaggio (€35-40 per night)

Eating on a Budget in Lake Como

Unless you’re staying somewhere with access to a kitchen, eating in Lake Como will be expensive! The restaurants are pricey, with meals being around $15-20. And if you choose a restaurant right along the water with a view, you’ll find the prices to be even higher!

If you want to find restaurants at a cheaper price point, try walking off the beaten path to find some “less touristy” restaurants. I found a few great hidden gems with reasonable prices and portion sizes. In Como, there’s lots of cafes and panini shops where you can find a great lunch for only a few Euros. Make sure you check out L’Ora della Pasta, where you can customize your own bowl of pasta for less than €10.

Oh, and don’t forget, you’ll definitely be getting gelato at least once a day, so budget another few dollars for that!

Things to do in Lake Como for Solo Travelers

Whether you like food, history or hiking, there’s something for everyone in Lake Como. And thankfully, many of the activities are solo traveler and budget-friendly. Here’s a few things that I loved doing in Lake Como.

Explore Lake Como by boat

Because the ferry system is inexpensive and easy to use, its the perfect way to explore Lake Como on a budget! And if you want to enjoy the beauty of the lake without the hassle of checking ferry schedules and buying tickets, you can also book a boat tour, which sail past multiple towns and point out landmarks from the water. Try this one from Varenna, or this one from Como.

Visit I Giardini di Villa Melzi

Giardini di Villa Melzi is a must visit in Bellagio. It’s only €10 to enter (free if you’re staying at Agriturismo la Derta!) and offers the most incredible views of the lake!

Go for a hike

Many of the towns in Lake Como offer opportunities to hike straight from town, without having to take extra transportation. I used AllTrails to find a hiking trail starting a few minutes outside of Bellagio, which went through farms and past a waterfall. There’s also a lot of information about hiking on the official Bellagio website.

From the town of Como, you can hike through Spina Verde park, a protected forest right next to the city offering panoramic views of the lake.

Take a day trip to Switzerland

Como, Italy is only a 35-minute train ride (€13 each way) to Lugano, Switzerland, a beautiful city on Lake Lugano. Once there, you can explore the historic center of Lugano, ride the funicular up to Monte Bre for views of the lake, or hike the Olive trail to the small town of Gandria.

4 day Itinerary for Lake Como

I spent 4 days in Lake Como and felt like it was a good enough time to see a few different parts of the lake and visit and handful of towns.

If you have at least 4 days, I recommend you split your time between two different towns, such as Bellagio and Como. This will make it easier to see different sections and towns without having to take long ferry rides everyday. If you will be in Lake Como for less than 4 days, then you should just stay in one town, and take day trips to other parts of the lake.

During my 2 days in Bellagio, I spent time relaxing at Agriturismo la Derta, visited Giardini di Villa Melzi multiple times, went for a hike up the mountain, and took quick trips to visit the towns of Menaggio and Varenna.

During my 2 days in Como, I walked around the town and visited the church, walked along the waterfront to the nearby town of Cernobbio, and took a day trip to Lugano, Switzerland.

There’s a lot that I didn’t see (partially because it rained for two of the days I was there), but my 4 days gave me a great taste of what Lake Como has to offer, visiting 5 different towns and making a quick trip to Switzerland!

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