Where you sleep on Como shapes the trip, and I have come to think the choice really comes down to two things: base town and budget. The lake is a slim inverted Y of water pressed between mountains, and the towns strung along its shores each have a different temperament. One is romantic and central and permanently busy, another is quiet and easy to reach, a third is the one I quietly recommend to friends travelling with children or watching their spending. Settle those two questions first, base and budget, and the rest of the planning tends to fall into place without much strain.
How to Choose Your Base
Before you look at a single hotel, decide which town you want to wake up in. Como is not the kind of place where one address does everything, because the ferries are slow and the roads are narrow, so your base becomes the anchor of every day. My rule of thumb is simple. Bellagio for romance and centrality, Varenna for quiet and easy trains, Menaggio for value and families, and Como town for a connected city base. If you have a particular reason to be near the great villas, the Tremezzina stretch on the western shore is villa country and worth its own consideration.
Budget then layers on top. At the very top sit some of the most storied hotels in Italy, running well into four figures a night in peak season and mostly closing from roughly November to March. Below that is a comfortable and generous mid-range that opens up from around 150 euros a night, and below that again there is real value to be found, particularly if you are willing to look slightly off the water.
Bellagio
Bellagio sits at the very point where the lake’s three arms meet, and it is the most romantic and most central of the towns, which also makes it the priciest and the busiest. Stepped cobbled lanes climb away from the water, geraniums spill from every balcony, and the ferry hub on the promenade puts the whole lake within reach. If your trip is short and you want the postcard, this is the base that delivers it.
For those with the budget, the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni stands in the heart of the village, a historic five-star with its own Michelin dining room at Mistral. The mid-range here is charming and family-run rather than corporate. Hotel Belvedere sits above the town with a garden and a pool and long views over the rooftops, while period townhouses on the waterfront such as Hotel Florence and Hotel Metropole put you a few steps from the ferry landing. Expect to pay a premium for the address, because you are paying for the centrality as much as the room.
Varenna
Varenna is the one I send couples to. It is quiet and deeply photogenic, a tumble of ochre and rose houses along a narrow waterfront, and, crucially, it sits on the direct train line from Milan. Arrivals here are effortless. You step off the train, walk down to the lake, and the fuss of getting to Como simply does not happen. That ease is worth a great deal, especially at either end of a trip.
The classic lakefront hotels cluster near the ferry pier. Hotel du Lac and Albergo Olivedo are the names I return to, both properly on the water and both squarely mid-range, opening from around 150 euros. Varenna is also kinder on the wallet than Bellagio across the board, so it manages the rare trick of being both prettier-than-most and better value than its rival across the water.
Menaggio
Menaggio is the best value of the central towns, and it is flat and walkable in a way the others are not, which makes it genuinely family-friendly. There is a proper little town square, a lakeside promenade you can push a pram along, and good ferry connections to Bellagio and Varenna. It lacks a little of the swoon of the others, but it makes up for it in ease and in price.
At the upper end, the renovated Grand Hotel Victoria brings a serious spa and a five-star polish to the town. Solid mid-range options such as Hotel Bellavista handle the middle ground well. And for value, rooms in Menaggio start from around 75 euros, with a well-regarded HI hostel, La Primula, sitting right on the lake for those travelling light or long. If you want central without the central price, this is the answer.
Como
Como town, at the southern tip of the western arm, is the city on the lake. It has amenities the villages cannot match: real restaurants and nightlife, shops, the funicular up to Brunate, and by far the best transport links, being the point where trains from Milan arrive first. It is less postcard and more working city, but that is exactly its appeal for a certain kind of traveller.
It also has the widest choice of affordable rooms and off-lake apartments, which makes it the natural base for anyone keeping a close eye on the budget. Stay a street or two back from the water and prices drop noticeably. From here you can strike out to the villages by ferry or train by day and return to a city that stays awake after the last boat has gone.
Tremezzina
The Tremezzina, the stretch taking in Tremezzo and Lenno on the western shore, is villa country. This is where the grand hotels and the great gardens gather, and the scenery is as fine as anywhere on the lake. It is also the most car-or-ferry dependent of the bases, so factor in how you plan to move around before you commit. If your idea of Como is terraced gardens and Belle Epoque grandeur, this is where it lives.
Luxury and Iconic
At the top of the market, Como holds some of the most storied hotels in Italy, mostly seasonal and running well into four figures a night in peak. The Grand Hotel Tremezzo is a Belle Epoque grande dame facing Bellagio, with a famous pool that floats on the lake itself and Michelin dining at Mistral. Villa d’Este at Cernobbio is a sixteenth-century former royal residence set in twenty-five acres of gardens, with its own floating pool. Passalacqua at Moltrasio, an eighteenth-century villa, was recently named the best hotel in the world.
Beyond those three, the Mandarin Oriental Lago di Como at Blevio brings contemporary polish to the eastern shore, the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni anchors the heart of Bellagio, and Filario at Lezzeno offers something sleeker and more design-forward, understated and modern where the others are grand. Almost all of these close roughly from November to March, so this is a spring-to-autumn indulgence.
Mid-Range
The mid-range is where most people will and should stay, and it opens up from around 150 euros a night. Bellagio leans on family-run hotels and period townhouses: Hotel Belvedere above the town, Hotel Florence and Hotel Metropole on the waterfront. Varenna offers its classic lakefront pair by the ferry, Hotel du Lac and Albergo Olivedo. Menaggio spans the renovated Grand Hotel Victoria with its spa at the top of the range down to dependable choices like Hotel Bellavista. None of these will empty your account, and all of them put you properly on the lake.
Value and Budget
If value is the priority, the geography is clear. Menaggio is the best value of the central towns, with rooms from around 75 euros and the La Primula hostel on the water. Varenna, Como town and the quieter Lecco branch on the eastern arm are all gentler on the wallet than Bellagio. And Como town has the widest choice of affordable rooms and off-lake apartments, so it rewards anyone willing to trade a lake view for a lower rate and a livelier evening.
For more on picking between the villages, see my guide to the best towns on Lake Como, and for the two most beloved bases, the Bellagio travel guide and the Varenna travel guide. This piece is one chapter of Victoria’s complete guide to Lake Como, which ties the whole trip together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best town to stay in on Lake Como?
It depends on what you want. Bellagio is the most central and romantic, and for many people that is worth the premium. If you want quiet and easy arrivals, choose Varenna. If you want value and space for a family, choose Menaggio. And if you want a connected city base with nightlife and the best transport, choose Como town.
Which is the cheapest base on Lake Como?
Menaggio is the best value of the central towns, with rooms from around 75 euros and a well-regarded HI hostel, La Primula, on the lake. Como town has the widest choice of affordable rooms and off-lake apartments. Varenna and the Lecco branch are also kinder on the wallet than Bellagio.
Where is best for families?
Menaggio, without much hesitation. It is flat and walkable, has a lakeside promenade and a proper town square, and its prices leave room in the budget. Ferry links to Bellagio and Varenna make day trips simple, so children can see the sights without a car being essential.
Is Bellagio worth the premium?
For a short, romantic trip, I think it often is. You are paying for centrality as much as the room, and being at the ferry hub where the lake’s arms meet saves time you would otherwise spend in transit. For longer or more budget-conscious stays, Varenna or Menaggio give you more for your money.
