Brunate

By Funicular

The funicular is the simple way up. The lower station is at Piazza Alcide De Gasperi 4, by the lake in Como, and the cars climb to Brunate in 7 minutes. They run every day from 06:00 to midnight, every 12 or 15 minutes, and a return is $8.54 (€7.40).

Como's urban trade district site dates the line to 1894, and Italy's national tourism portal says it replaced the old mule track between the two towns. Everything else about the ride, including the full fare list and the bicycle and dog tickets, is on the Como Brunate funicular page.

By Car

Brunate is also reached by road, and the Comune runs paid and free car parks, set out in the parking section below. We found no official page describing the road route up, so we do not give one here. For driving and parking in the city itself, see getting around Como.

From Milan

The funicular's lower station is on the lakefront, so the train from Milano Cadorna to Como Nord Lago lands you on the right side of town. Trains from Milano Centrale stop at Como San Giovanni, above the old town. The regional fare is $6.23 (€5.40) on either line, and the Milan to Como page compares them.

The reason to come up is the view, and the official descriptions agree on its reach. Italy's national tourism portal says the gaze from Brunate sweeps from the mountains to the lake and, on clear days, as far as Monte Rosa, the Apennines and the skyline of Milan. Como's own trade district site uses the same nickname, the balcony of the Alps.

The practical point is the weather. The long view to Monte Rosa and Milan depends on a clear day, so on a hazy summer afternoon you get Como and the first stretch of the lake, which is still worth the ride, and not much beyond. Our advice is to check the sky from the lakefront before you buy the ticket: if the mountains behind Como are sharp from below, the long view from the top will be there too.

The Campari Fountain

Before you head back down, Italy's tourism portal points visitors to the Campari Fountain in Brunate, one of 12 fountains the drinks brand commissioned in the 1930s. The portal suggests a photograph of it before you return to Como.

When To Go Up

The funicular's hours make both ends of the day possible. It starts at 06:00 and the last car leaves at midnight, so a morning ride and an after-dark ride are both easy.

The Faro Voltiano was built in 1927 to a design by the engineer Gabriele Giussani, in the San Maurizio area of Brunate. It was Como's gift to Alessandro Volta, the town's most famous citizen, on the hundredth anniversary of his death. It is an octagonal tower 29 metres high, and the Comune says it looks over the whole valley below. Italy's tourism portal counts 143 steps up to its circular balconies and puts the walk from the centre of Brunate at less than half an hour.

It is closed. EspansioneTv, quoting both Comuni, reports that the tower has been shut since 2024 for repair work that has not been carried out, and no reopening date is published. The Comune di Brunate's own page still prints old hours and a ticket price, and neither applies. You can walk up and see the tower from outside. The address is Via Giacomo Scalini, 22034 Brunate.

The Opening Hours Nobody Publishes

This is the finding that matters most on this page. Walk to the lighthouse for the view and the outside of the tower, but do not plan to go in or climb it. The Comune di Como owns the monument and the Comune di Brunate owns the land, and the repairs stalled between the two.

The Faro Voltiano guide tells that story in full, and the Brunate infopoint is the place to ask on the day.

The three paid car parks charge the same: $2.31 (€2) for the first hour and $17.31 (€15) for the whole day, from 08:00 to 20:00. The free options are small, so do not count on a space at a busy time.

The S. Maurizio car park is on Via G. Scalini, the same street the Comune gives as the Faro Voltiano's address, so it is the one to aim for if the lighthouse is your goal. For a stay of more than a few hours the day rate beats paying by the hour, and for most visitors from Como the funicular return at $8.54 (€7.40) per adult avoids the question altogether.

Brunate has its own tourist information point, in the rooms beside the municipal library. It opened with a notice from the Comune that sets its hours by season, and it is the best place to ask about walks on the day. The Faro Voltiano stays closed until the two Comuni announce otherwise.

For anything else, the Comune di Brunate's switchboard is 031 220301. For the funicular, the office at the Como station answers on 031 303608. Brunate is a separate comune from Como, with its own town hall and its own infopoint.

For the practical side of the city below, including luggage and transport, see the Como travel tips page.

Plenty of visitors want to ride up and walk down, and "Brunate to Como walk" is a common search. Here is the honest position: we found no official page from the Comune di Brunate, the Comune di Como or the funicular operator that describes a walking route down, or gives its length or time. So this page prints no route, no distance and no walking time.

What we can say is practical. The fare sheet sells a one-way ticket at $4.27 (€3.70), which is exactly half a return, so riding up on a single costs nothing extra if you then decide to take the car down after all. The funicular runs until midnight, so there is no last-car pressure in the afternoon. And Italy's tourism portal says the funicular replaced the old mule track between the two towns, which tells you the ground is steep.

Our advice, labelled as ours: only walk down in daylight, in shoes with grip, and with a map on your phone. If the paths look wrong, walk back to the upper station and ride. For guided walking on the hill, the small-group Como and Brunate walk includes the funicular and four hours on foot with a guide, and the Como tours page lists the other walks.

The deciding factors are the weather and the walk to the lighthouse. The ride itself is 7 minutes each way, and the wait for a car is never more than 15 minutes.

If you only have one day in Como, the views-only plan fits in the late afternoon without cutting anything else. With a second day, give Brunate a morning with the walk to the lighthouse and come down for lunch in the city.

Brunate has places to eat and drink, and people search for them. We do not name any here. This guide only names a restaurant, café or bar when a citable list such as the MICHELIN Guide, Gambero Rosso or Slow Food includes it, or when the venue's own site gives the facts, and we have not checked those lists for Brunate. Naming a place on the strength of reviews would be guessing on your behalf.

The practical options are simple. Eat in Como before you ride up, carry water and a snack for the lighthouse walk, or look around the village and judge for yourself. For restaurants in the city, with their sources, see Como restaurants.