Lake Como

A Beautiful Place We Did Not Experience at Its Best

Lake Como arrived in a difficult position on our month-long trip.

We had just left the Dolomites, the stop that made our entire family exhale, and we were headed next to Switzerland, another place we would come to love. Between those two chapters sat five nights on one of the world's most celebrated lakes.

The lake itself was not the problem. It was beautiful in all the ways people describe: mountains rising beyond the water, colorful towns gathered along the shoreline and promenades that seemed designed for an unhurried walk. Our rental was comfortable, our host was lovely and we found moments we genuinely enjoyed.

But we stayed in Gera Lario, near the lake's northern edge, while most of the places we wanted to experience were farther south. Almost every outing required a drive. Construction made those drives much longer than the distances suggested, and one closure sent us up and over the side of a mountain before bringing us back down to the lake.

With a two-and-a-half-year-old and a four-month-old, that friction mattered. Getting out each morning felt more daunting than it should have, and five nights began to feel much longer than the itinerary had looked on paper.

Still, the trip gave us one of those useful travel lessons that can only come from doing it: on a lake this large, choosing the right base is not a small logistical detail. It shapes the entire experience.

Lake Como was beautiful. Our stay simply asked more of us than it needed to.

The Road from Ortisei

We left Cavallino Bianco around checkout time, later than we usually begin a driving day. Part of that was practical. Part of it was that none of us was especially eager to leave a hotel and destination we had loved so much.

The drive was predicted to take roughly four and a half hours. With food and bathroom stops, it took closer to five and a half hours, which felt reasonable for a travel day with two young children. We checked into our Lake Como rental at approximately 6:00 p.m.

The arrival placed us at the quieter northern end of the lake. The setting was attractive, and the apartment gave us what we needed for the next five nights. We did not yet understand how much extra time the location would add to nearly every plan.

A Comfortable Rental in Gera Lario

We are intentionally leaving the rental unnamed. The host was perfectly lovely, the apartment was nice and the property itself was not the reason the stay felt difficult.

For Preston, the standout feature was a toddler room with a low bed. It was a thoughtful setup for his age and made sleeping away from home feel more manageable. The property also had parking and a swimming pool with a beautiful view toward the lake and mountains. There were games and toys for Preston to play with in the apartment.

We used the pool only once or twice. Most days, we were either driving toward another town or recovering from the amount of time it had taken to get there and back.

Mileage alone did not tell us whether a Lake Como base would feel convenient.

Why Gera Lario Did Not Work for This Trip

Gera Lario may suit travelers who want quiet, northern-lake scenery and plan to spend most of their time nearby. It would be great for someone who wanted to day trip into Switzerland. That was not the trip we had imagined. The towns we most wanted to see were farther away, and the map did not communicate how long those drives could become.

During our June 2024 stay, construction around the lake added significant delays. A route that looked manageable by distance could take much longer in practice. On one outing, a closure required us to reroute up the mountainside and then descend again.

The immediate roads around the rental were fine, and parking at the apartment was easy. The challenge appeared once we began using the rental as a base for repeated day trips around the lake.

Three Famous Towns, Three Separate Outings

We visited Varenna, Menaggio and Bellagio on separate days. We drove to Varenna and Menaggio. Bellagio was the only outing that included a ferry, although we no longer remember the exact departure point.

None of the days was built around a long list of attractions. We walked, ate, stopped at playgrounds when we found them and tried to absorb each town at a pace we could manage.

Varenna

Varenna gave us the kind of lakeside walk we had pictured before the trip. A boardwalk traced the water's edge and opened to wide views across the lake. Once we reached the main part of town, restaurants gathered along the waterfront and the pace felt easy enough to follow without a formal plan.

We stopped for a late breakfast at a lakeside restaurant and later found gelato. The meal itself is not what stayed with us. The appeal was being able to walk beside the water and see the town unfold around the shoreline.

Menaggio

Menaggio was similarly low-key. We walked along the promenade, stopped at a couple of playgrounds and ate in the main town square.

The playgrounds mattered as much as the postcard views. They gave Preston a place to move freely and gave the adults a reason to stop without feeling as though the pause had interrupted the day.

Bellagio

Bellagio was our one ferry day. Once there, we mainly wandered through town and let the streets, water views and stops for food create the itinerary.

We ate breakfast at Seta, where the view and nearby photo spot were more memorable to us than the meal. Later, we had lunch at Babayaga, a casual restaurant serving pizza, pasta and burgers. The food was decent and worked for an uncomplicated family stop.

The Simple Colico Afternoon We Loved Most

The simplest afternoon became the clearest memory of the stay.

Our favorite Lake Como memory did not come from one of the most famous towns. It came from an easy afternoon in Colico, not far from where we were staying.

At Rose Bike Rental, we rented a family pedal bike with two adult pedaling seats and a front child seat for Preston. His seat had a small steering wheel, so while we did the work, he could pretend he was driving. The rental also had helmets available.

Avery came with us in the soft carrier. Together, the four of us rode around the park and lakeside area. There was no major attraction and nothing we needed to accomplish. It was simply a fun way to move through the afternoon together.

We ate at Ristorante Pizzeria Il Faro, where a children's play area made the meal especially convenient. Avery had his first small taste of pizza sauce there. Nearby, another playground and a small carnival gave Preston even more room to play.

That day worked because it was close, uncomplicated and built around something all four of us could enjoy. After several outings that required long drives, Colico reminded us how much ease can shape a family memory.

Traveling with a Toddler and a Four-Month-Old

What Worked

• A low toddler bed gave Preston an easy, age-appropriate sleep setup.
• Parking at the rental removed one logistical concern at the beginning and end of each outing.
• Lakeside promenades gave us an activity that did not require tickets, reservations or a fixed schedule.
• Playgrounds in Menaggio and Colico gave Preston room to move between adult-oriented parts of the day.
• The soft carrier kept Avery close during walks and allowed us to move through towns without relying entirely on a stroller.
• Keeping each outing simple prevented the driving days from becoming even more overloaded.

What Made the Stay Harder

• Our base was too far from the central-lake places we wanted to visit.
• Construction and closures made driving times unpredictable during our stay.
• Repeatedly loading two young kids into the car made even simple town visits feel like full-day commitments.
• Five nights gave us more time than we needed for the version of Lake Como we were experiencing.
• Coming directly from the Dolomites made the contrast in ease especially noticeable.

Five Nights Was Too Long for This Version of the Trip

Five nights sounded reasonable when we planned the itinerary. In practice, it was entirely too long for us in Gera Lario. The location, construction and amount of driving made it difficult to use the time the way we had imagined.

That does not mean Lake Como requires only a short stay. A family based within walking distance of the places they most want to see, with easy ferry access and plans that fit that part of the lake, may experience the same number of nights very differently.

Our lesson was not that every family should leave sooner. It was that trip length and home base have to be considered together. Five nights in the right location can feel spacious. Five nights that begin and end with a long drive can feel like too much.

Would We Return?

We cannot honestly say that Lake Como is high on our list for another family trip. If we return, it would more likely be for a couples trip based in one of the busier central-lake towns.

Even then, we do not have a specific town we would confidently choose. Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio were all pleasant, but they did not become distinct enough in our memories for us to name one as the clear fit.

For our family, Lake Garda worked better. It felt easier to navigate and gave us a version of lake travel that matched the pace and experiences we wanted. We drove a lot in Lake Garda too but did not have the same reaction to the driving as we did in Lake Como.

That comparison does not make Lake Como less beautiful. It simply means the more famous lake was not the one that fit us best.

A destination can be beautiful without becoming your family's favorite.

The Road into Switzerland

The most memorable part of our departure day was the drive itself. We left Gera Lario for Faulensee, Switzerland, on a journey that took approximately five to six hours. We checked into our Swiss accommodation around 5:20 p.m.

At first, the road carried us through a series of lakeside towns. Then the landscape changed. Once we entered Switzerland, we looked up and realized that waterfalls seemed to be descending from every side of the mountains.

There was water everywhere we turned. The scale of the landscape was extraordinary, and the drive became one of the most beautiful road trips we have ever taken.

It was one of the moments that made us grateful to have a car. Flying or taking the fastest possible route between major destinations might have moved us more efficiently, but road-tripping allowed us to experience the remarkable middle.

What Lake Como Left With Us

Lake Como did not become the chapter we expected. We arrived at a famous destination, stayed for five nights and left knowing that we would have planned it differently.

But the stay was not empty. We watched Preston pretend to drive a family bike along the lake. Avery tasted pizza sauce for the first time. We found promenades, playgrounds, gelato and an easy afternoon that reminded us the boys did not need a landmark for a day to matter.

The trip also made us more honest about fit. We do not have to turn every beautiful place into a favorite, and we do not have to blame a destination when our own logistics shaped the experience.

What Lake Como gave us was clarity: choose the base for the trip you actually want, protect the simple days and leave room for the possibility that the place everyone talks about may not be the place your family loves most.