Painted fishing-village houses on Lake Como's eastern shore
Photo: Evan Verni
Why go
Italia.it describes Varenna as one of the most characteristic and romantic villages on the lake, having begun as a fishing village, a past that still shows in the narrow lanes and stone stairways that drop to the water. Colourful houses reflect in the lake, and everything you want to see is close together, so a short visit feels complete and a longer one never feels rushed.
The village is also a natural crossing point for the lake. A Trenord train from Milan arrives in about an hour, the ferry landing is a short walk away, and across the water Bellagio is only about 15 minutes by boat. Walk the lakeside path, climb to the church squares and take in the view, then decide whether to go on to Vezio castle or across to the other shore.
Gallery
Photo: Evan Verni
Photo: Julia Solonina
Photo: Kasturi Roy
Photo: Chris Boland
Photo: Bjorn Agerbeek
Highlights
The Lovers' Walk is a pedestrian path of about 500 metres starting at the ferry landing, on a walkway that in places seems to hover over the water. You see the lake, the mountains and, as you arrive, the brightly painted houses of the historic centre. It can be walked in any season; spring and autumn are often the most scenic.
Narrow lanes and stone stairways lead to Piazza San Giorgio, the village's central square. The church of San Giorgio is a 14th-century Lombard church with a Baroque altar, older frescoes and a 15th-century polyptych. San Giovanni Battista, founded around the 11th century and enlarged in 1653, is among the oldest churches on the lake.
Fiumelatte is a hamlet just outside Varenna where a very short stream, about 250 metres long, plunges into the lake in a frothy, milky cascade. It flows from spring to autumn, usually from late March to early October. Its source has never been identified, and the most accepted theory is a karst spring from the Moncodeno plateau.
Villa Monastero was once a convent, later a private residence, and passed to the Italian state in 1939. Today it is a house museum with a botanical garden and terraces along the lake. It has its own opening times, and a 2024 municipal crowd-management plan asked visitors to book online rather than at the ticket office, so check its official page.
A medieval castle stands on a rocky spur above the village, with a curtain wall and a square tower, and views over the lake. It is reached on foot from Varenna in about 20 to 30 minutes. The castle has its own page here, with its season, hours and ticket prices for the current year.
Practical information
The village, lakefront and lanes are open all year. The Passeggiata degli Innamorati is a public path. Villa Monastero and Castello di Vezio keep their own opening times and seasons.
Free: the village, the Passeggiata degli Innamorati and Fiumelatte are public. Villa Monastero and Castello di Vezio charge their own admission; see their pages.
Information correct as of November 2026. Hours and fees can change: check on the day before you go.
Getting there
By lake boat on the Como-Colico line, which calls at Varenna (check the Navigazione Laghi timetable for the journey time).
Trenord train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino, about 64 minutes without changes, with roughly 16 trips a day and departures about every hour (per Trenord). The station is a short walk from the lake.
Navigazione Laghi (navigazionelaghi.it): lake boats on the Como-Colico line call at Varenna, and the car ferry links Varenna with Bellagio, Menaggio and Cadenabbia. Varenna to Bellagio is about 15 minutes by boat. Navigazione Laghi published notices in October 2026 on works at the Varenna ferry pier and on vehicle service there, so check the notices before you travel.
Driving into the village is difficult. In 2024 the municipality planned to close the historic centre to cars in summer and to use a public car park as a waiting area for ferry boarding. These measures were described as temporary, so check the rules before driving. The train is simpler.
Insider tips
Varenna-Esino station is a short walk from the lake, and the ferry to Bellagio leaves from the same village. A day that starts by train from Milan and crosses by boat needs no car at all.
Navigazione Laghi posted notices in October 2026 about works at the Varenna ferry pier and about the vehicle service. Look at its notices page and the winter timetable (2 November 2026 to 14 March 2027) before planning a crossing.
The stream flows from spring to autumn, usually from late March to early October. Outside that period the riverbed is dry, so the cascade is not worth a special trip in winter.
A 2024 plan to manage crowds in Varenna asked visitors to book Villa Monastero online instead of at the ticket office. Confirm the current booking rule on the villa's official page before you go.
Nearby
From the Lake Como City Guide, each with its own Holiplanet page. Straight-line distances.
Restaurant · 0.2 km
A small family-run pasta place in Varenna where a short menu of fresh handmade pasta is made daily, with sauces meant for the bread.
Discover more →Restaurant · 1.1 km
A village osteria above the eastern shore of Lake Como, serving slow, homemade cooking and the lake view from its terrace.
Discover more →Restaurant · 5.6 km
A lakefront restaurant in Lierna with a big terrace facing Bellagio, relaxed service and simple, modern cooking built on local ingredients.
Discover more →Restaurant · 6.2 km
A family-run trattoria in the woods above Bellagio, with a terrace view over the lake and the Prealps and a menu rooted in Lombard tradition.
Discover more →Hotel · 0.4 km
A scattered hotel in the hill village of Vezio above Varenna
View hotel →Hotel · 2.9 km
A neoclassical lakeside villa in Bellagio with gardens
View hotel →Hotel · 5.3 km
A family-run hotel on the hillside above Bellagio
View hotel →Hotel · 7.7 km
A family-run lakefront hotel on the Bay of Venus in Lenno
View hotel →All hotels on the Lake Como map → All things to do on the map →
Questions
By Trenord train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino, about 64 minutes without changes, with roughly 16 trips a day. The station is a short walk from the lake, so you need no car. Check the timetable for the day you travel.
The Lovers' Walk is a pedestrian path of about 500 metres starting at the ferry landing, running along a walkway over the water towards the painted houses of the old centre. It is a public path, free to walk in any season.
A hamlet of Varenna where a very short stream, about 250 metres long, falls into the lake in a milky cascade. It flows from spring to autumn, usually late March to early October. Its source has never been identified; a karst spring from the Moncodeno plateau is the leading theory.
About 15 minutes by boat across the lake. The Varenna to Bellagio boat and the car ferry between Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio and Cadenabbia are operated by Navigazione Laghi; check the timetable for the day, especially in winter. The crossing is short enough to make Bellagio an easy half-day from Varenna.
Varenna is in the province of Lecco, on the eastern shore of Lake Como. Bellagio, Menaggio and Tremezzo are in the province of Como, so the lake has two provinces and the crossing by boat links them. Villa Monastero and Castello di Vezio are on this eastern side of the lake.
