Meals

A key facet of our responsible approach to tourism is that we encourage our groups to eat in local restaurants that prepare locally grown food. We give customers choice as to their meals and do not use rather bland and impersonal hotel restaurants or all- inclusive options 7 Breakfasts 4 Lunches 4 Dinners

Guide

Tour Leaders are quite simply the glue that holds our tours together. They are chosen for their travel experience and people skills and are thoroughly trained by Explore, widely acknowledged as some of the best training in the industry. A Tour Leader’s ultimate aim is to ensure everyone is well looked after and have a fantastic trip. They are there to ensure that the tour logistics run smoothly, that health and safety is adhered to and provide comprehensive briefings at the beginning and throughout the tour.

Transport

Bus, Ferry, Public Bus

Optional

The following excursions and/or activities are usually available and may be arranged locally. Estimated costs are provided below for guidance only, are on a per person basis unless shown otherwise, and may depend on the number of participants. Prices quoted are correct as of the date these tour notes were originally issued but may change at any time due to currency fluctuations. Please note: These activities are booked and paid for direct with the supplier and do not form part of your Explore holiday contract. Visit Villa Carlotta near Menaggio (30 minutes away from Gravedona by public bus) - Entrance ticket is €9 or €7 for over 65s. Return bus fare is €6. Private boat tour from Menaggio of the lake-side villas - €20 for 60-90 minutes. Return bus fare Gravedona/Menaggio is €5 and takes 30 minutes. Como town - The direct boat from Gravedona to Como Town is €12.60. Return is €25.20. Add another €4.90 each way for the express service (slow takes 2 hours / express 1.30 hours).There is also another boat ticket that costs €28 and allows you to get on and off ferries when you feel like it (so you could do Gravedona, Menaggio, Bellagio and Como by boat in one day!). The public bus takes 1.45 hours from Gravedona to Como town and costs €7 each way. You have to change bus at Menaggio - there is a 5-7 minute window to change bus.

Accommodation

7 nights standard hotel

Others

All accommodation, activities and meals that are shown in the itinerary are included in the total cost of your trip You will also receive a complimentary transfer to and from the airport if you arrive on day 1 of the trip and depart on the last day and have provided your international flight information.

Not included:

Others

Any visa costs, spending money and tips are not included in the trip price. You can also book extra nights’ accommodation at the beginning and end of the trip and the cost of this accommodation along with any transfers would be quoted separately.

Insurance

Travel Insurance is not included

Flights

International flights not included in the tour cost

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Join Trip At Milan Malpensa Airport; Transfer To Gravedona
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Join Trip At Milan Malpensa Airport; Transfer To Gravedona

Our trip begins in the Terminal 1 Arrivals Hall, area ’Arrivals B’ at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) at 1 pm. If your flight arrives into Terminal 2 you can catch a complimentary shuttle bus that runs around every 10 minutes to Terminal 1. If you would like a airport transfer to our hotel today, the latest time your flight can arrive is 12.30 pm. We will travel (journey time 1.5/2 hours) together as a group to our lake-side hotel in Gravedona, our base for the next 7 nights. Gravedona is a jumble of pastel-coloured houses set against the deep blue of the lake and has a few shops, cafés and restaurants. Our small hotel is family-run with a lake-side swimming pool and stunning views across the lake to the surrounding mountains. All rooms occupied by 2 people enjoy a view of the lake. Solo travellers opting to pay for a guaranteed single-occupancy room will be accommodated in a non lake-view room designed for double occupancy. It is possible to upgrade to a lake-view room (all are designed for double occupancy) for a premium. Please contact our sales team for availability and price. The hotel is an 800 metres/2625 feet, 10 minute walk from the town centre. Our time in Gravedona promises to be a quintessentially Italian experience, with friendly people and restaurants serving classic Italian dishes and fish from the lake, including the local specialty of fish risotto.
Day 2 Day 2: Hike To The Hill-Top Village Of Livo
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Hike To The Hill-Top Village Of Livo

Long-associated with poets, artists, world leaders and, lately, film stars, Lake Como is undoubtedly the most beautiful of all the well-known Italian lakes. The Southern Alps - which are still snow-covered until May - surround the lake which is dotted with small harbours, stately villas and traditional towns. Our first walk takes us high above Lake Como offering fabulous views and a good orientation of the region. We hike from the hotel, through villages and then into a thick forest. Near the village of Livo is a deep cleft in the ground that is the boundary between the African and European tectonic plates. After 2.5 hours we reach Livo, located 430 metres/1411 feet above the lake: it feels remote and very different to the lake-side villages. A little on from Livo there is the 15th century church of San Giacomo standing way above the impressive Valle de Livo. After a picnic lunch we descend back through the forest to the hotel via a different route. Today’s 12 kilometres/7.5 miles walk is expected to take approximately 6 hours with a total ascent and descent of 430 metres/1411 feet.
Day 3 Day 3: Walk To Sorico Via Villages, Vineyards And Meadows
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Walk To Sorico Via Villages, Vineyards And Meadows

Our walk today is once again direct from our hotel and is a 7 kilometres/4.4 miles traverse from Gravedona to the village of Sorico, located on the north-west shore of Lake Como with an impressive church. We pass through the pretty town of Domaso and then slowly climb up through meadows, vineyards and chestnut groves to the ancient village of Aurogna. Our views are of the high Alpine peaks that straddle the border between Italy and Switzerland. At Sorico we have a picnic by the lake. We then either take a short bus ride back to the hotel or walk along the newly-constructed path that contours along the lake shore. Today’s 7 kilometre/4.4 miles walk is expected to take approximately 3 to 4 hours with a total ascent and descent of 210 metres. From Sorico, there’s the option to extend this walk by a further 7 kilometres/4.4 miles on the flat along the lake shore back to the hotel which will take a further 1.5 to 2hours.
Day 4 Day 4: Ferry To Bellagio; Walk From Civenna To Bellagio
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Ferry To Bellagio; Walk From Civenna To Bellagio

We take the bus south along the lake to Menaggio - a small town with a pretty piazza - from where it’s a short ferry ride across to Bellagio on the eastern shore. From the ferry you can see the fabulous lake-side villas that have been host to royalty and world leaders. Bellagio, often described as the ’Pearl of Lake Como’, is charming with cobbled lanes, boutiques, cafés and 2 gardens you can visit. You can either chose to spend the day exploring the town or head up on a bus to Civenna from where we walk on a ridge over-looking the lake back to Bellagio. The route takes us through pretty forests, passing isolated farms and villas with wonderful views of the lake. Today’s 9.5 kilometres/5.9 miles walk is expected to take approximately 4 hours with a total descent of 400 metres/1312 feet.
Day 5 Day 5: Free Day To Visit Villa Carlotta, Como Town Or Relax At The Hotel
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Free Day To Visit Villa Carlotta, Como Town Or Relax At The Hotel

Today has been left free so that you can explore parts of the area that interest you the most. Close to Menaggio is the impressive Villa Carlotta with stately rooms and manicured gardens that are well worth seeing. Como town can be reached by ferry or public bus in 90 minutes: the old town has many churches, piazzas and museums together with lots of shops, cafés and restaurants. There are also boat tours from Menaggio that take you past the many villas along the lake shore.
Day 6 Day 6: Hike To Monti Di Nava With Views Across The Lake To Bellagio
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Hike To Monti Di Nava With Views Across The Lake To Bellagio

Today is a wonderful walk with outstanding views across the lake to Bellagio. We take the bus to Croce and head up a zig-zag path to the chapel of Madonna della Grazie di Paullo. Further up we reach a mountain pass with panoramic views of the lake. We then descend to the town of Griante and on to Cadenabbia, located on the western shores of Lake Como. Our return to Gravedona skirts along the side of the lake by local bus. Today’s 12 kilometres/7.5 miles walk is expected to take approximately 6 hours with a total ascent and descent of 550 metres/1805 feet.
Day 7 Day 7: Walk From Rezzonico With Its 13Th Century Castle To Dongo
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Walk From Rezzonico With Its 13Th Century Castle To Dongo

For our final walk, we take the 20-minute bus ride to Rezzonico which has flights of cobblestone steps, a beautiful harbour and a 13th century castle. It is one of the few lakeside villages to have maintained its original structure. From here we climb above the lake through vinyards and orchards leading to a succession of pretty hamlets along today’s 10 kilometres/6.2 miles walk. The trail gently undulates through more villages and farmland with fabulous lake views. Towards the end of the walk, we arrive at the magnificently situated church of St Eufemia. Our destination is Dongo where Mussolini was caught in 1945 whilst trying to escape to Spain. The war museum is well worth the visit. We take the 5 minute bus back to Gravedona or you can walk in around 1 hour. Today’s undulating 10 kilometre/6.2 miles walk is expected to take approximately 5 hours.
Day 8 Day 8: Transfer To Milan Malpensa Airport Where Trip Ends
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Transfer To Milan Malpensa Airport Where Trip Ends

Departing Gravedona this morning we drive to Terminal 1 at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) where our trip will end at about 10.15 am. The earliest time you should book a flight to depart today is 12.15.

8 days tour

Lake Como Walking

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Lake Como Walking

Day 1: Join Trip At Milan Malpensa Airport; Transfer To Gravedona

Day 2: Hike To The Hill-Top Village Of Livo

Day 3: Walk To Sorico Via Villages, Vineyards And Meadows

Day 4: Ferry To Bellagio; Walk From Civenna To Bellagio

Day 5: Free Day To Visit Villa Carlotta, Como Town Or Relax At The Hotel

Day 6: Hike To Monti Di Nava With Views Across The Lake To Bellagio

Day 7: Walk From Rezzonico With Its 13Th Century Castle To Dongo

Day 8: Transfer To Milan Malpensa Airport Where Trip Ends

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