Como city is the gateway to Lake Como with direct trains from Milan. This makes it a popular day trip and even a stopover for a night before continuing to other destinations around the lake.
No matter what the reason, you’re here, so I suppose you only have one day in Como, wondering what to do. And I’m here to help you.
I spent quite some time in Como and have explored the city thoroughly, and the good news is that I think you can see the top attractions easily in a day, as long as you plan it well.
Read on for my recommended Como one-day itinerary, including taking the historical funicular to Brunate for the best views of Lake Como.
Hi, I’m Linn Haglund, the face behind Brainy Backpackers. I’ve been based in Spain for the last 10+ years, and travel locally and abroad whenever I have a chance. I’m passionate about responsible travel, slow and off the beaten path travel, and outdoor activities, especially hiking. I’m currently slow traveling in my van Persistence (Persi among friends) with my fiancée Mohammed and rescue puppy Atlas. I’m excited to help you explore this planet responsibly!
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What to do in one day in Como city
First of all, let’s have a look at what to do in one day in Como city. This one-day itinerary is easy to switch around by doing the before-lunch activities after lunch, and vice versa.
But if you have until sunset in Como, I highly recommend the sunset in Brunate because it was one of my most epic experiences there.
Visit Como Cathedral
If there’s one attraction in Como that made an impact on me, it was Como Cathedral. While I’m partially grown up in Italy, so I’m used to impressive cathedrals, I still get baffled when I enter Italy’s most beautiful cathedrals.
And Como Cathedral is up there.
The cathedral was built over a span of almost 400 years, from the late 1300s to the mid 1700s, and like so many other major cathedrals in Italy, it features different building styles.
It sits on the narrow Piazza del Duomo, where restaurants take up the space in front of it, as if it was just another building. But the facade is incredible and big, and the interior is even more impressive.
Walk around the old town
Take a couple of hours just walking around the old town to soak in the city’s vibe, the beautiful buildings, and have some gelato. Because you’re in Italy after all.
I highly recommend going to Piazza San Fedele, with its historical buildings, and the 10th-century Romanesque church, Basilica of San Fedele. For me, this is the most beautiful square in Como.
Also Piazza Alessandro Volta is worth mentioning, with a large statue of the local chemist and physicist of the same name, who is known for inventing the battery as we know it today.
But for me, the best thing to do in the old town is to just walk around and discover new corners, buildings, and squares. I highly recommend doing that before lunch.
Grab lunch in the old town
There are plenty of great places to grab lunch in Como Old Town. I recommend walking a bit away from the main attractions and popular squares to avoid the biggest tourist traps and expensive “taxes for cutlery”.
That said, Como is one of the places around Lake Como where I haven’t had a bad meal, no matter where it was.
If you want to grab pizza on the go, I can’t recommend Rom’antica enough. They do sliced pizza the Roman way, which is my favorite of all, and they do it well!
They also sell Supplí, which is a Roman street food consisting of fried rice balls with typically tomato or meat with melted mozzarella cheese inside.
As a Roman far away from home, this place was heaven on earth!
Stroll around the lakefront
Como’s lakefront is long and well-maintained, and holds some of the city’s top attractions. It’s a really beautiful stroll that takes you past the Tempio Volitano, a museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta, and the modern Life Electric sculpture, which is reached by a floating dock. The views of Como city and the lake are spectacular from there.
Unless you visit the museum, I’d set off at least an hour to enjoy the lakefront. You can also walk past the funicular to the end, where we found a small park with people sunbathing.
Take the funicular to Brunate for sunset
The funicular to Brunate is located right across the road from the lakefront and is easily accessible from the old town if you choose to change around on the itinerary.
The funicular dates back to 1894 and is a very nice experience as you get the incredible lake views on the way up. Besides, it’s dog-friendly, so Atlas got to come with us, which was great as it was too hot to walk up when we were there.
Brunate is a tiny village overlooking the lake, known as “The balcony over the Alps” for its spectacular views.
Besides, Brunate is known for its Art Nouveau-style villas. It’s a really nice little village to walk around, though my absolute favorite thing to do is the hike to Voltiano Lighthouse.
It takes about an hour there and back, so if you have the time, I highly recommend it.
The lighthouse was built in 1927 and dedicated to Alessandro Volta, hence the name. But the best thing about the lookout is the view of Lake Como. It’s totally unmatched, especially at sunset.
Whether you go to the lighthouse or not, Brunate is a lovely place for dinner too if time allows.
Where to stay in Como
There are plenty of places to stay in Como for every budget. We mostly stayed in the van, but also checked in at a hotel a couple of times. Besides, several friends who were with us for a wedding stayed in different hotels that they were happy with. Here are some of my top picks based on our experience.
LUXURY: Palazzo San Gottardo Lake Como – A fantastic 5-star experience right in the heart of Como, with an indoor pool and a spa and wellness center to kick back after a long day of exploring.
MID-RANGE: Albergo Le Due Corti – This 4-star hotel is so charming, with rustic stone walls and wood beam ceilings in some rooms. They have an outdoor pool surrounded by a charming pool area.
🐾MID-RANGE: Albergo Firenze – A fantastic pet-friendly option right on the Piazza Volta, where you find restaurants and bars. It’s within walking distance of all top attractions, and the staff was lovely.
🐾BUDGET: Hotel Il Loggiato Dei Serviti – A pet-friendly budget option within walking distance from the lake and the old town. Note that it says on the booking site that there’s parking, but there isn’t any other parking than street parking, which can be hard to find, especially in the high season. For us, this was an ok stay that served its purpose, but we definitely preferred Albergo Firenze.
How to get to Como
Como is easily accessible by train, bus, and car. Several daily direct trains from Milan that take less than an hour (from 35 minutes and up), and there are direct trains and buses from the Milan Malpensa Airport.
Como is also well connected with the rest of Lake Como’s towns by bus and ferry.
If you’re on a Lake Como road trip, note that it’s not the best city to park in. Blue lines are paid parking, and white lines or no lines are usually free, but hard to find.
We went on a van trip through Italy and found it hard to park in Como compared to other places we visited around the lake.
By using the app Park4Night, we found a street that had temporarily free parking, which was super central, so we stayed there when sleeping in the van.
Best time to visit Como
Como is one of those places you can visit all year round. Since there are just as many locals as there are tourists roaming around the streets, it’s a city that never sleeps.
That said, winter gets really cold in winter, with 3-5 degrees Celsius at the coldest. It’s definitely not the same as eating gelato in the summer months, but that’s also the busiest time of the year.
I’d probably recommend going in the shoulder seasons, just before or after the summer rush, to avoid the biggest crowds and the highest prices.
Summing up: Como city one-day itinerary
Summing up, a Como one-day trip is absolutely possible, and you can see most of the top attractions while also taking the time to wander around the old town and soak in the vibe over a gelato.
Besides, rounding off the day trip with a trip up the funicular to Brunate is a treat! Como city is so worth visiting, so one day is way better than no day.
Happy travels!