This post is sponsored by Babonbo. Rent Baby & Toddler gear from locals.

Is there any holiday destination that's more fool proof than Italy? Beautiful scenery, charming villages, and of course all the pasta, pizza, wine, Aperol Spritz and gelato you can eat/drink... You just can't go wrong! So when we were looking for places to go for a long weekend this summer, Lake Como seemed like the perfect option (and if it's good enough for George Clooney, it's good enough for me!).

This beautiful lake, surrounded by the foothills of the Alps, is packed with things to do for adults and toddlers alike, whether you're looking for beach, history, culture, shopping or hiking.

Although a weekend is definitely not long enough to see everything the area has to offer, I still felt it was enough to get a feel of the place, and as it was easy to get around, we managed to see and do a fair chunk.

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Where is Lake Como?

Lake Como is the deepest lake in Italy (400 metres deep!) and it is located in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, about an hour’s drive north of Milan and close to the Swiss border. It's shaped like an upside-down Y and is surrounded by the foothills of the Alps, which makes it a stunning mix of mountain and water views.

How to get to Lake Como?

The easiest way to get to Lake Como is by flying. Lake Como doesn’t have an airport of its own, but there are four airports relatively close to Lake Como - Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), Milan Linate Airport (LIN), Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport (BGY) and Lugano Airport (LUG) in Switzerland, all within a 1-2-hour drive from Lake Como. We flew into Milan Malpensa which is serviced by regular flights from budget airlines and from here you can either drive or take the train directly to Lake Como. We chose to hire a car as we love a road trip and it meant that we would have much more freedom exploring the surrounding areas.

When is the best time to visit Lake Como?

If you want to go swimming and enjoy the warm sunny weather, then the summer months are of course the best time, but bear in mind it gets VERY busy in July and August. We went at the end of July and it was packed with tourists, especially in the main villages. If you can, I would definitely recommend going outside of the summer season, as it will be a lot quieter, and in the shoulder season (May-June/September-October) it will still be nice and warm.

One thing to be aware of is because of the mountains surrounding the lake, the area is notably one of the rainiest areas in Italy, so be sure to pack an umbrella!

What to pack for Lake Como?

For this trip, we decided to challenge ourselves and travel the lightest we have ever travelled with our daughter - only one rucksack each! I can confirm that not only is this possible, but it was so much easier not having to spend ages queuing up at bag drop/collection and lugging around suitcases/stroller/car seat.

Instead, we used Babonbo, a company which lets you rent baby and toddler gear from locals. We could choose the exact products we wanted and you have the option to either collect it yourself or have it delivered - we had a stroller and car seat delivered straight to our hotel. It honestly made the trip so much smoother - being able to just whizz through the airport, whilst still feeling reassured that we had everything we needed for a comfortable trip. Babonbo currently has trusted providers in over 200 destinations worldwide - you can check out their website here.

If you want tips on exactly what to bring, you can check out my packing guide for practical tips and a downloadable travel checklist!

Where to stay in Lake Como?

There are a few hubs where you can stay in Lake Como, and where is best for you will depend on things like how you're getting there, what your plans are and your budget. If you aren't hiring a car, Como is probably the easiest option as it is easily accessed by train. If you are short on time, like us, and want to make the most of your time and not spend a lot of time driving/in transit, I would recommend staying in the "Golden Triangle" - Bellagio, Menagio or Varenna. These three towns are connected via ferry which means you can easily move between the three and there is plenty to see and do in this part of the lake.

We were guests at the wonderful Aria Bellagio, a boutique apartment about a 20-30mins walk away from the centre of Bellagio. It has stunning views of the lake, but more than anything it's a really well-thought through place with everything you need to have a comfortable stay and you can tell a lot of care and attention has gone into it creating this space.

How to get around?

If you are planning to visit the different villages and towns on the lake, especially in the "Golden Triangle", the easiest and quickest way is to take the ferry. Tickets for the ferry can be bought online, but they sell out quickly, in which case you'll need to queue up and buy tickets at the ferry terminal. There are some car ferries, so you can bring the car if you wanted to explore other areas by car and avoid driving around the entire lake, just be mindful that public parking is very limited in the main villages. For places a little further afield, however, we did drive, and found that the car definitely allowed us to explore less touristy areas, like some of the beaches and the mountains.

If you're travelling with kids, one thing to bear in mind is that there are lots of steps in the villages and towns. We quickly learnt that having a toddler carrier for when our daughter didn't want to walk was way easier than carrying her up and down the stairs in her stroller.

We use the Izmi Adventure Breeze carrier, which you can get a 10% discount off with the discount code TTD10.

48 Hours in Lake Como with a Toddler Itinerary

Day 1 - Bellagio, Varenna and Villa Monastero

We started our trip near Milan Malpensa airport where we had stayed for our first night. We had chosen to hire a car to have more flexibility when visiting, and after picking up the car we started making our way up to Bellagio, about a 1-1,5-hour drive. We arrived early afternoon and after dropping our things off at our apartment, we headed into Bellagio to explore the town.

Bellagio, often nick-named "the Pearl of Lake Como" is a picturesque town nestled in the heart of the lake, with cobbled streets, pastel buildings, and panoramic waterfront views.

It is also, unsurprisingly, one of the most touristy places in Lake Como, and at lunchtime in peak summer season, it was absolutely packed. We hadn't made any lunch reservations and after spending a bit of time looking for somewhere to sit down and eat, we decided to instead grab some takeaway panini from Mr Panino and jump on the ferry to Varenna.

The ferry to Varenna is only about 10 minutes direct, or around 25 minutes if you get the ferry that stops in Menaggio, and you can buy tickets directly at the ferry terminal. There is both a car ferry and a ferry for pedestrians (they run from different ports in Bellgaio but are only a minute's walk apart). We did a mixture of both ferries as they’re the same price - the pedestrian only ferry has more seating, but the car ferry is more open and is therefore better for the views. 

Chances are you will want to visit at least one of the villas while you're here. These villas are essentially estates that offer a glimpse into the area's glamorous past, many of them open to the public. This is a great way to explore lush gardens, lake views, and ornate architecture in a more relaxed setting. Most of them need to be booked in advance, so I would dedicate some time prior to your trip to do some research on which villa(s) you would like to see.

We had booked to see Villa Monastero, a short walk from the Varenna ferry terminal, and I would highly recommend this villa if travelling with kids. The botanical gardens by the lake were a great place for our daughter to roam around freely, and it was a beautiful and calm way to see the lake - a welcomed break from the busy villages! You only need a couple of hours max here, and I would also allocate some time afterwards to explore Varenna and grab a drink or a snack down by one of the waterfront restaurants (there was also a playground right next to a ferry terminal which came in handy!).

We arrived back in Bellagio around 5.30pm and now that most of the day trippers had left, it was a lot quieter and we could explore more at our own pace. For dinner we had booked Ittiturismo Restaurante Mella - a restaurant specialising in local lake-caught fish, located near the San Giovanni ferry terminal. It's about a 25 minute walk from Bellagio, or a quick taxi ride, and the food was incredible! You do need to pre-book though as they are only open for one sitting between 7.30-9.30pm, and we saw a few people being turned away.  

Day 2 - Nesso, Menaggio and dinner in the mountains

For our second day in Lake Como, we started off in Nesso. Nesso is a quaint little village pretty much halfway between Como and Bellagio (about 30 minutes drive from Bellagio). It is best known for its dramatic waterfall, the Orrido di Nesso, which cascades through a gorge beneath a Roman stone bridge. There's parking next to the waterfall at the top, and from there it's quite a steep walk down the cobbled steps to the bridge (definitely ditch the pram for this one!).

If you are feeling brave, the bridge has become a popular spot for jumping into the water - it's only about 4 metres high and the water was really warm! There are some steps on the side where you can easily get out of the water afterwards. Me and my husband took turns jumping off while the other person stayed with Malva - you do get stared at by tourists (as well as all the teenagers wondering who these old people interrupting their swimming session were) but it was good fun!

In the afternoon, we headed back to Bellagio and were lucky to find a place to park down by the water (where there was also very conveniently a small fun fair where Malva could go on a few rides). We then jumped on the ferry again, this time headed to the opposite side of the lake to Menaggio. Menaggio is another cobble-stoned village with lake views and charming piazzas - take a stroll down by the lake, wander around the quirky shops and treat yourself to a gelato from one of the many gelaterias (I can highly recommend La Fabrica del Gelato!).

In the evening, we had booked a table at Polentoteca Chalet Gabriele, a restaurant higher up the mountains specialising in polenta. The food here was great and very different from what we'd had thus far, but the best thing about this place, is the panoramic views of the lake! It was also very reasonably priced (I will definitely miss paying €10 for an entire litre of wine).

Day 3 - Boat trip and OnnoLuLu beach

As we didn't need to be at the airport until about 4pm, we decided to maximise our final day here. We had booked a boat hire for a few hours in the morning with Bellagio Rent a Boat - this was honestly the highlight of our entire trip! If you don't feel comfortable driving a boat yourself, there are loads of tour companies that offer both private and shared boat tours of the lake.

We had saved it for our last day as the weather had been a bit on and off the previous two days, and today was a glorious, sunny day. We had originally booked it for three hours 9-12, but as it was a bit choppy in the morning, the guys told us to come back at 10 instead, and it did calm down significantly. Unfortunately, there were some people booked in at 12pm, so we only got 2 hours in the end which was just a little bit short, but we still had an amazing time.

We took turns driving the boat and followed the route we had been recommended, taking us first to Nesso, where we had gone the day before, where we got to see the waterfall and bridge from a different viewpoint (we decided to give the bridge-jumping a miss today though to have more time on the boat!). We then went to a small channel where we could stop and swim from the boat, before heading back towards Bellagio. On our way back, we went past the famous Villa Balbianello, debatably the most beautiful villa in Lake Como which has even featured in films like James Bond and Star Wars.

We still had a bit of time before we needed to be at the airport, so we got a takeaway lunch (Mr Panino to the rescue again) and headed to one of the beaches around the lake. We had driven past quite a few beaches on our way up from the airport, so we knew there were some on the way and chose a beach called OnnoLuLu Beach which is right next to the road and had parking nearby. It's worth noting the beaches are very pebbly, so you might want to consider bringing beach shoes if you are planning on visiting a few of the beaches. That said, it was a really lovely spot for a swim in the warm lake with the mountains as the back drop, and it was also clear this is where the locals go - the beach was quite busy but we didn't see a single tourist! The only downside to swimming on your last day is of course having to bring back wet swimming clothes, but I'm not one to ever turn down an opportunity for a swim!

It was the perfect way to end a lovely weekend. It does require a bit of planning, at least if you're going in peak summer, as things like the villas and many of the popular restaurants tend to book out, but there was also a lot to do and discover that you don't need to pre-book. As it turns out, Lake Como is a great destination for young kids with lots on offer to entertain them!