Things to Do

The official digital map issued by the Chamber of Commerce is the best resource for identifying things to do in and around Lake Como.  The online map allows you to layer different items of interest including nature reserves, cycle paths, beaches and lidos, galleries and museums, places of interest, film sets, transport links, train stations etc..  Use the online map (click here) as a reference guide and then install the app (available for IoS and Google) to help you navigate and make contact when on the lake. Versions of the map are available from tourist offices and a PDF version can be downloaded – follow the link.

Como Companion cannot pretend to offer an extensive range of suggestions for ‘Things to Do’ or ‘Places to Visit’. The most complete reference guide for this is the official internet site for the Lake Como Tourist board – follow their link here. You will also find the websites listed on the right-hand panel of our home page very useful, e.g. Lake Como Tourism.  What follows here is just a very small and personal selection.

Day Cruises on the Steamboat Concordia

In 2016 the Navigazione Laghi completed the restoration of the steamboat Concordia and put the boat into regular service on the lake. In addition, they offered so-called Apericena evenings just around the first section of the lake going up as far as Villa Pliniana. View the two sets of photos on this site, one focussing on the renovation work of the steamboat and the other recording one of the ‘Apericena’ mini-cruises.

In 2018 Sunday is a busy day for Concordia with three cruises  on offer. The long one is a lunch and day cruise leaving Como at 11.30 and arriving at Varenna at 13.50 with stops along the way at all the main ports. Lunch is available on the outward journey and a bar service is available on the return from Varenna at 14.40 arriving back in Como for 17.05.

Concordia then departs for a mini-cruise around the ‘primo bacino’ usually as far as the Villa Pliniana beyond Torno. It departs at 17.15 and returns at 18.05. Tickets cost €10 for adults and €5 for children. It is then followed by another cruise on the same route but this time with the offer of aperitifs, snacks and a guide to inform you of what you are seeing. This second ‘apericena’ cruise departs at 18.30 from Como with a pick up and p and deposit at Cernobbio, returning to Como at 20.10. Tickets for this mini-cruise cost €20 for adults and €14 for children.

All three cruises run throughout the summer until the 2nd September but with no service on 24th June. Tickets are available from the ticket offices. Navigazione Laghi can be contacted on +39 031 579 211 or by email at infocomo@navigazionelaghi.it

Civenna and Xtreme Jungle Raider Parks

The Jungle Raider Park at Civenna (900m above sea level on the Piano Rancio south of Bellagio) offers a variety of outdoor sports and activities. The main attraction is taking one of their so-called Park Paths which are graded by difficulty and suitability for heights and ages. Additionally you could opt for ‘Softair’ wargames, archery, potholing or canyoning. The potholing should be amazing given that the whole of the Lario Triangle is riddled with underground rivers and canyons. There is also a Jungle Raider Park Xtreme not so far away that presumably caters for those who get a thrill from extreme sports. Either way, all information is available on their website including costs.

 

Archeo Prehistoric Park – Boario (Brescia)

This theme park is  little distance out of Como but is included here because it is a little out of the ordinary and less likely to reach your notice than the massively commercial theme parks like Gardaland. This is their own description of what they offer:

In the ARCHEOPARK you can explore a CAVE like those where, more than 10.000 years ago, people painted the animals they hunted; you can observe how the Mesolithic nomads , between 10.000 and 7.000 years ago, organized their ROCK SHELTERS; followed by a herd of goats you can take a break in the NEOLITHIC FARM and hold the tools of the prehistoric farmers as the hoe or the sickle.
You can stop in the huts of the great PILE­DWELLING VILLAGE, similar to villages of 4.000 years ago, which is on the edge of the lake you can cross by dugouts canoes among waterfowl and reeds. You can go up the hill to conquer a FORTIFIED VILLAGE , as the villages of 3,000 years ago, and rest among the trees ; you can enter the log houses of the VILLAGE OF THE ARTISANS, similar to those of 2.500 years ago, to observe some craftsmen working with ancient techniques.
It’s also possible to go through a great LABYRINTH which has been rebuilt on the basis of the petroglyphs found on the rocks in Luine, Capo di Ponte and Cimbergo areas.
This big MULTIFUNCTIONAL THEME PARK is not only to visit but to live …

To learn more, visit their website by following the link.

Cycling Museum at Ghisallo

As is obvious, many Italians are passionate about cycling and so the Cycling Museum at Ghisallo is a popular destination for enthuiasts. It is located at the top of one of the many taxing hill climbs in Lombardy. In fact, if you arrive at the museum having climbed the hill, you earn yourself a €1 reduction in the entry price of €6. The museum is open from March everyday from 9.30 to 17.30.

Lake Como Adventure Park

This offers similar types of activities as the Jungle Raiders Parks mentioned above. They are open from the start of April until the end of October but you will need to book in advance if visiting during the week in April to May or from mid September to the end of October. They are located in Sant’Anna di Germasino, near to Dongo. Get more information from their website or contact them via info@lakecomoadventurepark.com or by phone on +39 0344 53 6589 or +39 334 857 1659.

Moto Guzzi Motorbike Museum

Moto Guzzi’s factory is on Lake Como just outside of Lecco . Attached to the factory is this museum with over 80 different Moto Guzzi models on display. Entrance is free but not suitable for disabled visitors. Opening times are limited to between 3.00pm and 4.00pm Monday to Friday. Since the museum is linked to the factory, it closes during the main factory holidays, i.e. during August and over the Christmas period.