Finding Family Adventures

A magical 2 week adventure for the whole family. Self-drive, do it yourself trip.

Date of trip: October half term 2024

Total cost: £2500

Including:

Flights to Milan:£479

Car hire: £215

Accommodation lake Como: £340

Other Accommodation: £180

Food £1000

Number of party: 5 (2 adults, 3 children).

Lake Como was absolutely delightful. Picture perfect moments around every corner and that magical, opulent, classic Italian feel everywhere you go. The pictures speak for themselves. The kids really enjoyed the restaurants, ice cream, sunsets and finding lizards.

Lake Como is an upside down Y-shaped glacial lake in Lombardy, Northern Italy. We flew to Milan and rented a car to drive to Lake Como. There are lots of accommodation options from campsites to decadent hotels and apartment rentals. We chose to rent an apartment for our family. Every morning we had a short walk along the lake edge to pick up breakfast. The family favourite breakfast treat was a cornetto (similar to a croissant) filled with chocolate spread. The locals often paired these with a cappuccino. Sometimes the kids dipped theirs in hot chocolate or hot milk.

There are plenty of lake access points and lidos spotted around for a swim. Often a bar will expect you to buy a drink but then let you have access to the water in their boundary. It’s a refreshing way to spend a warm afternoon. There are also plenty of options for sailing, boat hire, boat taxi services in every town along the lake. For panoramic views, there are plenty of hilly walks or take a funicular ride from Como to Brunate. Our favourite was Parco Valentino where you can walk out on a platform hanging over the mountain. It was great for wildlife here with lots of lizards along the walls.

Orrido di Bellano

Orrido di Bellano is a natural gorge walk with views overlooking Lake Como and Bellano. With waterfalls cascading down the rocks, it is well worth a visit. The walk takes about 45 minutes and involves some steep uphill sections and steps. Park in Bellano town by the lake. Parking fills up quickly but there are several carparks. The turning to the gorge is opposite Bar Monastero. You then walk up a cobbled footpath leading to a church, Chiesa di SS. Rocco e Sebastiano. The entrance to the gorge is about half way between the church and bar on the right. You will need to pay to enter. This was 10 euros each. A pushchair would struggle and would need lifting for parts. It is not accessible for a wheelchair.

Bellano also has a beach and lido.

Villa del Balbaniello

Villa del Balbaniello is a film location for Star Wars – where Anakin Skywalker married Padme and also for James Bond. The villa is located in Tremezzina on Lake Como and is one of the most visited villas in Lake Como. It is not hard to see why. An absolute stunning building and gardens with the shimmer of the lake give it a fairytale-like quality.

It is worth booking a tour to see inside the villa to see the display of distinctive little statues and other memorabilia from Guido Monzino’s expeditions to Mount Everist. It is now owned by Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI) which is the National Trust of Italy.

Tickets with a tour cost 25 euros for adults, 17 euros for children.

Bellagio

Bellagio is known for stunning views, rich culture and great restaurants. It has a strong celebrity appeal for this reason and location in the centre of the Y on the lake.

It is worth strolling along the lake edge at sunset with an ice cream, explore the windy cobbled streets and shops and take time for lunch or dinner in one of the restaurants.

Vezio

Vezio is another pretty town along the lake with a beautiful lakeside walk. Enjoy an ice cream on the way. There are boats from Vezio direct to Bellagio and Menaggio.

Firenze (Florence)

Firenze is known for being a hub for culture, history and art. There are plenty of things to occupy your time well here including the Uffizi gallery, the Galleria dell’Accademia and Brunelleschi Dome. We loved the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio. You will find an interesting mix of shops, it’s worth stopping, exploring or window shopping as you cross the bridge. Then kids may enjoy icecream and a horse and carriage ride. We also enjoyed Boboli gardens with plenty of outdoor space to explore and interesting statues to study.

Cinque Terre

This Italian Riviera consists of 5 towns with brightly coloured houses on steep sided slopes decorating the coast. The 5 towns are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. There are beautiful coastal walks between them, lots of swimming opportunities and plenty of outstanding restaurants. We opted to get the train from Pisa which was an easy low cost option. The train stopped pretty much on the beach and travels to all 5 towns giving you an easy hop on/off option.

We enjoyed a day swimming and exploring the coast followed by being serenaded with music from street players while watching the sunset. Topping off the night with a fantastic meal.

Pisa

We visited Pisa by request of the kids. They really wanted pizza in Pisa which was , everything we hoped for. It’s  a great city to take children, with playgrounds and icecream and spaces for them to run around. Children need to be 8 years old to go inside the leaning tower but can appreciate it from the outside and play games posing for photos eating the tower or pushing it over or any other creative option.

Bologna

Bologna was a fun city to explore with kids. There are lots of interesting statues and stories to keep the kids entertained. Our favourite was the legend of the three arrows of Bologna. The story tells that assassins were hired to kill a noble person. As they were shooting the arrows, they were distracted by a naked woman and missed their shots. Instead of hitting their target, the three shots became lodged in the ceiling of the portico of Casa Isolani. We spent ages trying to find the three arrows but only found two.

Bologna has excellent vibes and plenty to explore, including its own leaning towers.

When to go

Anytime will be beautiful. Perhaps avoid the peak heat of Summer and tourist season in July and August. October was a nice time for us. We still had warm evenings and water to swim in but it was less crowded.

Activities for free

Walks, enjoying the sights and scenery, swimming.

Difficulties

The free toilets around Lake Como were not nice. Use café/bar toilets or find the paid for ones. Ensure you have plenty of coins.

Top tips to keep the kids interested

Find stories and games that relate to each place you are visiting to make it interesting and keep them engaged.

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