Noble Milanese families began building grand palazzos on the shores of Lake Como in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, commissioning wedding-cake villas that overlooked the water to serve as an escape from city life. Generations on – in place of those original aristos with their taste for manicured gardens, marble columns and Murano chandeliers – a similarly glamorous (and monied) crowd can be found zipping across the lake on Riva boats, browsing the boutiques in Bellaggio, or dining at Il Gatto Nero.

The historic heart of Italy’s silk industry, there are still plenty of fine fabrics to be found in Como – typically Pucci-printed and draped around en route to lounge beside a floating pool. (Katie Holmes, Kim Kardashian, Emma Watson and Millie Bobby Brown are just a handful of familiar faces who cropped up in Como over the summer.) Add to that the spectacular views, the Wes Anderson-worthy pastel villages and the very real possibility of a Clooney sighting, and it’s easy to see why Lake Como remains among Italy’s most beloved holiday destinations.

Discover 10 of the best hotels in Lake Como to book now.

Villa d’Este

Affectionately dubbed the Lady of the Lake – Villa D’Este is practically synonymous with Como. Brimming with a fabulously old-school charm, it’s not at all hard to understand the enduring appeal of this fabled 16th-century villa. There’s the impeccable service, the unrivalled spot on the water, the stunning Italian Renaissance gardens, and the tinkling of the piano as you descend the stairs at dusk. To check in here is to feel as though you’ve been whisked to a different time (a time when people dressed for dinner – no activewear or sliders here), and the people-watching is pretty spectacular (we spotted Adrian Brody at breakfast).

In a boon for high-profile guests, the property’s manicured grounds are also home to four private villas, including ’s favourite, Villa Cima, a chocolate box hideaway with drop-dead views of the lake and cashmere-forward interiors by Loro Piana. The Villa d’Este La Collezione group has also been busy expanding its portfolio: it recently acquired the 19th century Palazzo Venezia, now a more contemporary and boutique offering in Como proper, while Miralago, a postcard-perfect pastel building in Cernobbio that now houses eight luxury serviced apartments, opened this summer. Guests at both have access to Villa D’Este facilities, including the Sporting Club and that legendary floating pool. – 

When the celebrated hotelier Valentina de Santis – also the CEO of one of Como’s best loved addresses, the family-owned Grand Hotel Tremezzo – bought this 18th century villa at auction several years ago (it opened in summer 2022), she and her family began amassing mountains of artwork, sourcing furniture, dusting off heirlooms and commissioning pieces to fill its 24 suites, ensuring that no two rooms are the same. The result is a maximalist’s paradise – think handblown glass chandeliers, vast marble bathrooms, yawning beds, and gloriously mismatched, one-of-a-kind pieces. It is both unutterably luxurious and laidback: in short, it has the air of the most sumptuous family home you ever stayed in, which was precisely de Santis’s aim (it is not for nothing that she has earned a reputation as one of Italy’s best hosts). At Passalacqua, more is more: the served at breakfast – round, fluffy buns sliced down the middle and generously filled with whipped cream – set the tone. –

The super sleek Il Sereno is proof that Como can do contemporary, too. A palate cleanser from the traditional glamour of the area’s villas, Il Sereno (the sister property to Le Sereno in St Barths) on the eastern shore of the lake is minimalism at its finest, an architectural vision of smooth lines, glass and wood, realised by the award-winning designer Patricia Urquiola. Take in panoramic views of the lake beside the marble infinity pool, or from your room: each of the 40 suites overlooks the water from floor-to-ceiling windows. Better yet, take a boat out – Il Sereno commissioned three custom Cantiere Ernesto Riva boats ready to show you the best Como has to offer. – 

Courtesy of Grand Hotel Tremezzo

An older sister to Passalacqua, the iconic Tremezzo’s most famous asset – its floating pool-on-water – remains place to cool off on Como. Between dips, eat lunch of the freshest raw fish in the buzzy, appropriately Aperol-hued beach bar, Giacomo al Lago, before stepping aboard one of the hotel’s water limousines to be taken on a tour of the lake in unparalleled style. After a day on the water, have a browse at their very own boutique – Sense of Lake – before winding down at Tremezzo’s T Spa. Then enjoy the best night’s sleep of your life in one of the hotel’s 90 bedrooms, before waking up and doing it all over again. – 

Courtesy Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni

The backdrop to many a Helmut Newton’s photoshoot (see, for example, his 1989 portrait Panoramic Nude with Gun) and host to the likes of JFK and Mary Shelley, there is little that Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni hasn’t seen in its 150-plus years in operation. Owned and run by four generations of the Bucher family since 1918, the neoclassical “Grande Dame” hotel is surrounded by beautiful botanical gardens with direct access onto the water in what is perhaps Lake Como’s best known village, Bellagio. Originally commissioned as a private residence by the noble Frizzoni family in the 1850s, this property is still about tradition, not trends. Think sweeping staircases, Murano chandeliers, frescoed ceilings and plenty of chintz. – 

Courtesy of Villa Làrio

For a serene escape, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than Villa Làrio, an all-suite hideaway tucked into the lesser-known village of Pognana Lario, where the lake tapers to one of its most narrow stretches. Architect and interior designer Pietro Castagna, a Como native, reimagined the property’s three villas and 19th-century palazzo with a sensitive touch, preserving original mouldings while introducing sculptural, contemporary furnishings, clean lines, and expansive windows designed to capitalise on both the lake views and the abundant natural light. Unlike many of the region’s so-called “lakefront” hotels – which are often set back from the water’s edge or separated by a small road – it offers guests a true front-row seat to the lake, particularly in the Il Palazzo building. – 

Courtesy of Palazzo Albricci Peregrini

Prefer a more personalised Lake Como hotel? Consider the family-run Palazzo Albricci Peregrini, set in the historic heart of Como town. Owners Lidia and Max Galli live in the palazzo themselves and have thoughtfully transformed part of their 15th-century home into a modern boutique hotel. In lieu of lake views or a swimming pool are 10 individually designed bedrooms – some featuring original oak ceiling beams, Venetian marble terrazzo floors, and balconies overlooking Italian and English gardens – spread across the floor and the former stables. While there’s no restaurant on site, the breakfast here is legendary, and the Gallises are always happy to secure reservations for guests at their favourite local spots. –

Courtesy of Hotel Belvedere

This charming boutique hotel is easily one of Lake Como’s best-kept secrets. Many loyal guests have been returning for 30 years or more. Owner Giulia – the fifth generation of the Martinelli-Manoni family, who have lived on the property since 1880 – is a warm and convivial host who encourages guests to treat the 40-room retreat like a family home. That might look like ordering French fries or ice cream any time of the day, or stretching out on a blanket for a private picnic among the trees. The silk boutiques and harbourfront arcades of Bellagio are just a 10-minute walk away. – 

Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como

Courtesy of The Mandarin Oriental

Like many of Lake Como’s five-star hotels, Mandarin Oriental occupies a villa steeped in history; in this case, Villa Roccabruna, once home to Italian soprano Giuditta Pasta, who legend has it would serenade composer Vincenzo Bellini from across the lake. While the Hong Kong-based group has expanded the historic estate – the 75 guestrooms, suites, and villas are now spread across nine buildings set within a botanical park – the sense of Old World grandeur remains. Opulent common areas are dressed in handmade wallpaper, Venetian glass chandeliers, and neoclassical marble columns, all punctuated by breathtaking floral arrangements. The rooms skew more pared-back and contemporary, allowing the setting to take centre stage; even entry-level rooms feature balconies and lake views. – 

Courtesy of Casa Olea Hotel

There’s more to Lake Como than aristocratic villas and flashy Riva boats. In the lake’s wild, mountainous, and more windswept northern reaches, the mood is quieter and more lived-in, with family-run trattorias, terraced stone houses, and hikers tracing alpine paths and bike trails. It’s here, along the waterfront of the hamlet of San Vito di Cremia, that this 18th-century vicarage-turned-boutique hotel is situated, offering travellers a taste of a different version of lake life: a traditional stone property with just 13 rooms, outfitted with spare, monastic-chic furnishings. Simply check in, and switch off. –