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Is Lake Como getting crowded like the CT and AC?

Posted by (San Diego, California) on

Crowds are heavy here now, Folks are telling me that spring is turning into high season, plus the weather is currently beautiful.
Around 10:00am today the line for buying the ferry tickets was about an hour long, winding up along the creek. The line to actually get on the next ferry wasn't too bad, the problem was buying tickets.
Tickets must be purchased the day of, and although there is a website, it doesn't seem
operational . We gave up on going to Bellagio today. Tomorrow we have Villa Balbianello timed tickets, so will buy ferry tickets at 7:00am, when the ticket booth open, when there are no lines. Obviously, we will take a later ferry to Lenno.
I know Thursday was a bank holiday, and it looks like the holidaying has expanded into the weekend. We planned our trip to avoid the weeks before and after Easter, but there seem to be many other holidays here.
There are lines everywhere, getting into the Varenna gardens and restaurants and parking garage.
This is our third time here, and I've never seen such crowds in the spring. I'm wondering if our cherished Varenna is gong to be the next Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast.
The crowds here are composed of younger folks, 20-30-ish, European mostly, and the gals are all dressed up. Guess it's the Instagrammers and posers. One gal this morning had a long velveteen spaghetti- Strapped gown, (80 degrees) and many gals had heavy make-up and long satiny dresses. They aren't part of weddings, we are observing them eating gelato and sight-seeing.
Thankfully we have a balcony room on the lake to which we can retreat.
Tomorrow we will see if our ticket buying strategy works, and also report on Bellagio.
I also have a post on the regional trains to Varenna from this week.
We sure hope we don't lose this beautiful area to the hoards and masses.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/private-transfer-from-varenna-to-milan-centrale

Posted by
4964 posts

I'm going to be following your reports with interest.

Posted by
506 posts

They call it paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace paradise
Kiss it goodbye....
Don Henley

Posted by
16563 posts

Varenna was definitely packed in July (always) and it's probably worse nowadays, due to 'revenge travel' after Covid and the Jubilee.

Like King Midas, who turned everything he touched into pure gold, everything Rick Steves' tours (and books) touch, are turned into pure zoos. But social media (like Instagram or TikTok) are also to blame. Popular spots are popularized even more through those media.

It's time to consider new venues and new travel periods (summers and holidays, when schools are closed, are the worst). There are beautiful places that are still largely uncrowded. Unfortunately not all are well served by public transit, so it is useful to invest in renting a car, which is also getting more expensive nowadays.

Posted by
1937 posts

Hi pat,
I thought it was possible to buy multi day passes for the ferries? So that we don’t have to wait in line every day to buy tickets. Am I wrong about this?

We are at Logan airport now waiting to board. This is a 5 week trip. We won’t be in varenna until the first week of June. What will the crowds be like then??? 😢

Am also worried about the train strike on may 6 when we have train tickets to go from Milan to Parma.

Posted by
16563 posts

Italian schools' calendars vary from Region to Region, since Regions have jurisdiction of school matters, but for the vast majority of regions the last day of school will be Saturday June 7, with a handful ending the school year on Tuesday June 10. (pre-schools will end toward the end of the month of June). Universities end the classes in early June and hold exams during the month of June also.

Since the first week of June, will be the last, with some final exams going on, Italians will not be traveling en-masse yet on that week, and Italian schools do not hold school trips in that period (April-Mid May is the heaviest for school trips), but of course there will be lots of tourists not affected by school calendar (like retirees and others non Italians whose schools end earlier)

Posted by
6304 posts

i believe June 2 is another holiday, and multi day ferry passes are for about a week, I think. Good luck!

Posted by
165 posts

The multi day passes are for 6 days, but you can only buy those in person. If I remember right, that is longer than your time there, but I think it would be worth it for the convenience.

When we were there, at times during the day the lines were very long. If you get down to the ticket office right when they open, it was easy, or right when a ferry leaves, there is a lull.

Posted by
382 posts

Lake Como has been a tourist magnet long before r/ick Settees was born!!
It's always heaving in good weather.

But why stick to towns like Bellagio fi your ant to avoid the masses of visitors--there are other pretty towns with fewer crowds. (And other lakes, too, for next time)

Posted by
2696 posts

The answer to Pat’s headline question: “ Is Lake Como Getting Crowded..?” appears to be a resounding “Yes!”
Could even change “…getting crowded” to “already too crowded.”

Posted by
1145 posts

We were there last October and it was equally as crowded. Varenna was a mob scene and given how small it is, it was awful even as a day trip. There were no festivals or holidays going on when we were there.

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