What's on in Como (Lake Como), Italy through the year

Peak crowds — Citta dei Balocchi light festival, Christmas holidays in Italy

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Winter: the villages close (10 Nov – 15 Mar), Citta dei Balocchi light festival (23 Nov – 6 Jan (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Winter: the villages close (10 Nov – 15 Mar)

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Opening

  Villa gardens and full boat timetable

  20 Mar – 5 Nov · usuallySummer season opens

  Villa Carlotta, Balbianello and the rest open for the season in the second half of March, and the lake boats move to the full timetable with them. Out of that window the lake is a bus ride. Source ↗

Still on: Winter: the villages close (10 Nov – 15 Mar)

Busy — Easter holidays in Italy, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Azaleas and rhododendrons

  5 Apr – 20 May · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The terraced gardens at Tremezzo are planted for exactly these six weeks, and the show peaks around the end of April before the summer coach traffic arrives.

Still on: Villa gardens and full boat timetable (20 Mar – 5 Nov (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Villa gardens and full boat timetable (20 Mar – 5 Nov (usually)), Azaleas and rhododendrons (5 Apr – 20 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Summer on the lake road, Summer holidays in Italy

• Season

  Summer on the lake road

  15 Jun – 10 SepCrowdedBook early

  One two-lane road runs each shore and it does not cope. Ferry queues at Bellagio and Varenna are the real constraint on a summer day here, not opening hours. Source ↗

Still on: Villa gardens and full boat timetable (20 Mar – 5 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Summer on the lake road, Summer holidays in Italy

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Villa gardens and full boat timetable (20 Mar – 5 Nov (usually)), Summer on the lake road (15 Jun – 10 Sep)

Peak crowds — Summer on the lake road, Ferragosto

• Holiday

  Ferragosto

  5–25 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedClosures

  Milan comes up for the middle of August and the lake villages run at capacity, while some of the family-run kitchens take their own break in the same fortnight. Source ↗

Still on: Villa gardens and full boat timetable (20 Mar – 5 Nov (usually)), Summer on the lake road (15 Jun – 10 Sep)

Peak crowds — Summer on the lake road, Summer holidays in Italy

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Villa gardens and full boat timetable (20 Mar – 5 Nov (usually)), Summer on the lake road (15 Jun – 10 Sep)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Lake floods the lakefront

  1 Oct – 15 Dec · usuallyFlood seasonClosures

  Autumn rain lifts the lake over the walls into Piazza Cavour most years, which is why the city has spent two decades building barriers. Walkways go down and the lakefront cafes shut for days. Source ↗

Still on: Villa gardens and full boat timetable (20 Mar – 5 Nov (usually))

Busy — Citta dei Balocchi light festival, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Winter: the villages close

  10 Nov – 15 MarOff-season shutdownClosures

  Villas, most lakeside hotels and the smaller ferry stops shut, and the mid-lake villages go quiet. Como city itself is a working town and does not.

• Festival

  Citta dei Balocchi light festival

  23 Nov – 6 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Projections onto the cathedral and the old town walls, markets and a rink from late November to Epiphany. It is the one reason the town is busy when the boats have stopped. Source ↗

Still on: Villa gardens and full boat timetable (20 Mar – 5 Nov (usually)), Lake floods the lakefront (1 Oct – 15 Dec (usually))

Peak crowds — Citta dei Balocchi light festival, Christmas holidays in Italy

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Lake floods the lakefront (1 Oct – 15 Dec (usually)), Winter: the villages close (10 Nov – 15 Mar), Citta dei Balocchi light festival (23 Nov – 6 Jan (usually))