Wondering what to do in Como city on your next Italy adventure? Look no further! After spending plenty of time in this wonderful city on Lake Como’s idyllic lakefront, I’ve explored it thoroughly.
There are so many great things to do in Como, from visiting the majestic Duomo to taking the historical funicular to Brunate for the best views of Lake Como.
Besides, Como is the birthplace of Alessandro Volta, who invented the electric battery, and there are attractions dedicated to the scientist all over the city.
Read on to explore the must-dos in Como, find the best vegan gelato, and the most beautiful squares.
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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Things to do in Como
Visit the Duomo
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 definitely worth visiting. In fact, it’s one of the top reasons to visit Como in the first place.
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 the interior is even more impressive.
Stroll along 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 several of Como’s top attractions.
The Tempio Volitano sits on the end of the lakefront and is a temple built to commemorate Alessandro Volta, the local scientist who invented the electrical battery. Inside, there’s a museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta.
Amidst the lake, in the middle of the bay that’s lined by the lakefront promenade, the modern Life Electric sculpture towers. It’s reached by a floating dock so you can see the whole lakefront from the water.
When continuing along the promenade, to the far end, there’s a small park with a fountain, and we also found forest trails taking you up for some nice lakeviews.
Have a gelato at Ge.Lab gelateria
Ge.Lab gelateria is located right around the corner from Piazza del Duomo and has become our go-to gelateria.
There are amazing gelatos all around Como, don’t get me wrong. But we really loved the vegan Nocciola and almond gelatos, and couldn’t really find a good match for them anywhere else in the city.
There are so many amazing gelato flavours to choose from, though, including fruit flavours, whereof my favorite is melon (melone). I highly recommend trying it; it’s so flavorful when you get it in a good gelateria!
Grab a coffee at Piazza San Fedele
Piazza San Fedele is a rustic square in the heart of Como Old Town, and probably my favorite in the city. Its historical buildings almost resemble a Medieval small town in Germany or France.
It’s the perfect place to sit down and enjoy a coffee while taking in the surroundings, people walking by, and the 10th-century Romanesque church, Basilica di San Fedele.
I just couldn’t get enough of this square, it almost feels like an old town inside the old town.
See the views of Como from the Life Electric sculpture
The contemporary Life Electric sculpture in Como was designed by Daniel Libeskind and dedicated to Alessandro Volta and is a tourist attraction in itself. It’s possibly the most modern thing to see in Como.
But for me, the sculpture itself wasn’t so interesting, but the views of Como’s lakefront are spectacular! By all means, it’s art, and you might enjoy it more than I.
The sculpture sits on a floating dock amidst the bay where Como city sits, and from there, you get 360-views of the city, the mountains, and the lake.
Take the funicular to Brunate
One of the top tourist attractions in Como is the historical funicular from 1894 that takes you up to the charming hamlet of Brunate, which overlooks Como in a 7-minute ride.
I was a bit sceptical, as it’s super touristy, but I ended up loving it. Besides, it was dog-friendly so Atlas could come without any extra cost, and he didn’t even need a muzzle.
The views as you ascend are absolutely mesmerizing, especially if you go around sunset when the sky turns pink and reflects in the lake.
Even if you only have one day in Como, I highly recommend taking the funicular, even if you just spend an hour in Brunate before heading back down.
Brunate started to become popular at the end of the 1800s and early 1900s, when the wealthy from Milan built opulent villas to escape the city.
These lavish Art Nouveau villas have become a tourist attraction in themselves. It’s absolutely worth walking around to admire these historic properties.
There are also some restaurants and bars in Brunate where you can grab a bite with a view.
We really wanted to walk back down to Como, as there’s a hiking trail connecting the city to Brunate, but we took too long, so it started to get dark before we went down, so we opted for the funicular back down too.
Hike to Volitano Lighthouse from Brunate
One of the best things we did when visiting Como, was to hike from Brunate to Volitano Lighthouse. The walk is about 1 hour there and back, but if you spend some time at the lighthouse, I’d schedule at least an hour and a half.
The views from there are absolutely stunning! It’s possible to visit the lighthouse too for even better views, but it was closed when we were there, so we didn’t get the chance to do that.
Volitano Lighthouse was built at the same time as Tempio Volitano, in 1927, to commemorate the Como-local scientist, Alessandro Volta, 100 years after his death.
Get lost in the Old Town
One of my favorite things to do in Como, is to walk around the old town without a map. Just let myself get lost in the streets.
This is a great way to discover hidden corners, cute cafés, and picturesque squares. We walked around the old town so many times over several weeks altogether, and every time, we came across something new.
Whether it was a new aley or a new detail around a shop window, we really enjoyed soaking in the details.
Visit Tempio Volitano
Tempio Volitano is a really beautiful neoclassical temple on the lakefront in Como. It was built to commemorate the local scientist Alessandro Volta a hundred years after his death, in 1927.
Inside, there’s a museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta and the invention of the electric battery. The museum is home to different scientific instruments as well as the first electric battery version that Volta created, which is pretty cool.
If you don’t want to visit the museum, the Tempio Volitano is still a really nice monument to see along the lakefront, so I highly recommend going at least to snap a picture of it from the outside.
People watch at Piazza Alessandro Volta
Piazza Alessandro Volta is a large square with a large marble statue of the local scientist by the same name in the middle.
I really like this square, because it’s frequented just as much by locals as by tourists, and it’s surrounded by beautiful historical architecture.
Whether you grab a coffee, a pizza, or just walk around with a gelato, Piazza Alessandro Volta is a fantastic place to slow down for a moment and just people-watch.
Grab a pizza at Rom’antica
Rom’antica is one of the few places I’ve found in other places in Italy than Rome that sells quality Roman pizza al taglio, which is basically pieces of pizza paid per gram.
I found other places selling it in Como, but not the Roman quality. The pizza was soooo good, and they had plenty of vegetarian and vegan options too.
Since it’s paid for the weight of it and they cut it to the size you want, it means that you can try different types of pizzas.
I’m a straight-out Margherita girl, but I also love the potato pizza (I know, it sounds odd to everyone but Italians!), and I usually like to try any other veggie option that looks fresh.
Take a boat trip to Bellagio
One of the best things to do in Lake Como is to take a boat trip to different towns. From Como, it’s nice to take the boat to Bellagio, which is located in the middle of the lake, viewing all three branches of Lake Como.
The ferry is 2 hours each way (dog-friendly), but the speedboat options usually only take about 45 minutes.
Bellagio is very touristy, but incredibly charming. Among the best things to do in Bellagio is to walk up Salita Serbelloni. The stepped street leads up to spectacular views of the village and Lake Como, where the mountains make the perfect backdrop.
Salita Serbelloni is home to several boutiques, restaurants, and bars. If you’re looking for a more relaxing street, I highly recommend walking the ones that go parallel to Salita Serbelloni, as there are fewer tourists and they are also incredibly beautiful.
We walked up a different street and then down Salita Serbelloni, which was nice as we got to see more of the town.
Besides the town, I highly recommend going to Punta Spartivento, which is a small park at the far tip of the Y-shaped lake, which gives epic views down all three branches of Lake Como.
There’s also a restaurant there with beautiful views. I haven’t eaten there myself, but it seems very nice.
Summing up what to do in Como
Summing up, there are so many lovely things to do in Como, and it’s by far one of my favorite cities in northern Italy to slow travel.
There’s plenty of history with Alessandro Volta’s many monuments throughout the city, the historical funicular, and the majestic Duomo. Besides, Como boasts a beautiful lakeside promenade that we didn’t get enough of.
Altogether, Como has a lot to offer, and with its fabulous blend of locals and tourists, it gives a relaxed local vibe compared to more touristy towns on Lake Como.
Happy travels!