Why you should go to Menaggio when visiting Lake Como

Going to Lake Como and not sure where to go? Make sure to add Menaggio to your list! It is the cutest little lake side town. Slow moving and picturesque it is everything you have dreamed about for your Lake Como trip. This is why you should go to Menaggio!

Best time to go to Como

Best time to go is a tricky one, we arrived in late April assuming it would be lovely and it was rainy and cold! I packed many pretty dresses. However I wore my jeans and warm clothes because of the cold weather. Needless to say, I was disappointed. If you don’t care about this them April was fine! It did rain a bit on our first day. I would honestly recommend to go in May at the earliest. Rain is possible at any time. In May the weather will be warmer and the days a little nicer. I am hoping to return closer to summer!

Location and getting there

Menaggio is close to the top of Lake Como, it is one of the triangle of cute towns as I call them.

Lake Como is in the north of Italy, it is close to Milan and most people will arrive from this airport. From there you can take a train, bus or private taxi. Taxi is expensive, the bus is a longer option, we love the trains, they are comfortable and easy to navigate.

We came from St Moritz in Switzerland and took the bus from there. Unfortunately we missed the best option for the bus which is the Palm Express bus. It is the fastest bus from St Moritz to Lake Como and will drop you right at Menaggio. This is the best way to get from St Moritz to Lake Como. There are other options, we caught a series of buses and trains which is not as easy as the palm express. I really wish we had heard about it sooner! You can take the scenic train from St Moritz to Tirano. It is called the Berina Express and it’s a beautiful train ride. In Tirano catch a train to Lake Como and a bus to Menaggio. We had Swiss Travel Passes which made public transport simple throughout Switzerland.

Where to stay

There are many hotels in Menaggio. We stayed at Hotel Garni Corona and it was perfect! It is a historic hotel and is really lovely. The staff were wonderful and the room was cosy. We had a view right over the lake! Hotel Garni Corona was perfect and is one of the top reasons why you should go to Menaggio.

Beautiful details in the historic Hotel Garni Corona

What to do in Menaggio

(Why you should go to Menaggio…)

Fontana Evelyn Mylius

This beautiful fountain is situated right in front of Menaggio. It is lovely place to sit and watch the world go by. It is right out the front of Hotel Garni Corona. We could see it from our room!

La Fortezza

The lower part of the fortified village of Menaggio was made up of the ‘fortress’ which ended with two towers on the lake. Inside a mighty Romanesque column, ancient “prisons” tell us about the age of the building, from which underground links that reached the castle, dominating the town.

Chiesa di S. Marta

In the main street this historic building is amongst others. It was constructed in 1885 and currently houses important paintings.

Chisea di S. Stefano

In 1618, on the ruins of Romanesque buildings, construction began on the church. The orientation was changed by moving the front towards the lake.

There are frescoes inside the church are by a famous painter. The Madonna with Child and an angel , was located in the chapel of the Rosary. It is now a copy hanging there and the original is the Louvre museum in Paris.

There are four wooden confessionals from the 17th century, a processional cross in silver from 1539 and paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries. The bell tower was built in the 19th century.

Chisea di S. Rocco

The Church of San Rocco was built in 1772 and is dedicated to the protector from the scourge of the plague.

Ponte di Caravggio

Caravaggio’s Bridge is one of the pretties views in Menaggio and is located right behind the main street of town. The bridge is called Caravaggio’s and of medieval origin.

Located on the ancient street of Via Regina, it is at the end of the Sanagra gorge which flows in a narrow beautiful gorge. The Tuscan artist Enrico Vannuccini decorated the shrine that stands on the parapet dedicated to St. John Nepomuceno, patron saint of Prague and of wayfarers on bridges.

Fonte del Salvatore

In the are of the Castello, there is the Fonte del “Salvatore”. The stone basin which is set under a little balcony of a house has an arch above it and a keystone. The keystone is a recovered Romanesque sculpture, thought to date to the 12th century and interpreted as Jesus Christ holding a rounded object.

A plaque states that the fountain was built for public use in 1621. The date 1642 is engraved at the base of the arch on the left.

Walk the town to find all the cute spots

One of the things we love to do most is just walk the towns and find the cutest scenes. Menaggio has many! Make sure to visit Menaggi on on your Lake Como trip.

Menaggio is such a great town on the edge of Lake Como. You can spend a day walking the town, enjoying lunch and gelato here or stay at the excellent Hotel Garni Corona and use it as a base to see the rest of the lake! We loved our time and will return there asap. If you have any questions about Menaggio, Lake Como or planning your trip feel free to leave a comment below or DM us on Instagram @passport_nomads or @kelly___buckley