Como Travel Guide
What to See in Como: Eight Stops in Walking Order
This is what to see in Como on a first visit, as eight stops in walking order: the piers on Piazza Cavour, the cathedral, the Broletto, the Casa del Fascio, San Fedele, Porta Torre, the lakefront to the Tempio Voltiano, and Brunate by funicular. Only two of the eight charge anything. For every other sight in the city, see things to do in Como, and keep the Como map open as you walk. The wider city is on our Como guide. The figures come from the cathedral, the Comune di Como and the funicular's own fare sheet.
Quick answer The eight stops and what they cost
The eight stops are Piazza Cavour and the piers, Como Cathedral, Broletto and Piazza Duomo, Casa del Fascio, San Fedele and the Roman grid, Porta Torre and the walls, the lakefront walk to the Tempio Voltiano and Monumento ai Caduti, and Brunate by funicular. Only two are paid on the core route: the cathedral ticket at $6.92 (€6) and the funicular return at $8.54 (€7.40), $15.46 (€13.40) for both by our sum. Everything else on the list is free or viewed from the street.
Key takeaways
- The paid cathedral visit adds the transept, the wooden choir, the sacristies and the upper walkways, and a free route runs along the side naves. The prices are on the cathedral tickets page.
- A small-group guided walk covers the cathedral, the lakefront and the funicular in four hours, capped at five people.
- Leave the Brunate funicular for the end of the day: it runs until midnight, so there is no last-train rush.
- The rest of the city, including the Silk Museum and Sant'Abbondio, is on things to do in Como.
The Route at a Glance
The eight stops in walking order plus two extras, with the official cost of each from the cathedral, the Comune and the funicular fare sheet. Times are our estimates for a first visit.
| Stop | What to look at | Cost | Time (our estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Piazza Cavour and the piers | The ferry landing stages on the lakefront, the tourist office at Piazza Cavour 17 | Free | 20 minutes |
| 2. Como Cathedral | The nave on the free route, then the transept, choir, sacristies and upper walkways with a ticket | Free nave, ticket $6.92 (€6) | 30-60 minutes |
| 3. Broletto and Piazza Duomo | The old town hall against the cathedral's flank, and the Broletto Infopoint that sells paper tickets | Free | 10 minutes |
| 4. Casa del Fascio | Terragni's rationalist facade behind the cathedral, seen from the street | Free from outside, guided visits $17.31 (€15) | 10 minutes |
| 5. San Fedele and the Roman grid | The Romanesque basilica on its small square, and the Roman street grid around it | Free | 20-30 minutes |
| 6. Porta Torre and the walls | The stone gate tower on the south side of the walled town | Free | 15 minutes |
| 7. Lakefront to Tempio Voltiano and Monumento ai Caduti | Volta's neoclassical museum on the water and Terragni's war memorial at the end of the gardens | Tempio Voltiano $6.92 (€6), memorial free from outside | 45-75 minutes |
| 8. Brunate by funicular | The 7-minute ride and the hilltop views over the first basin | Return $8.54 (€7.40) | 90-120 minutes |
| Optional: Villa Olmo park | The park and the lake from the lawns, the villa itself is closed for restoration | Free | 45 minutes |
| Optional: Silk Museum | Ten rooms showing Como's silk trade from silkworm to finished cloth | $11.54 (€10) | 60 minutes |
Only the cathedral ticket and the funicular are paid on the core route. The Museo Archeologico Paolo Giovio and the Museo Storico Garibaldi are closed for maintenance, so neither is on the list. Figures current for in Q3 2026.
Stops 1 to 6: The Pier, the Cathedral and the Walled Town
The first six stops sit inside or against Como's medieval walls. Each block says what to look at, which door to use and what the ticket adds, so you decide on the spot. The order runs from the water inland and ends at the south gate.
Stop 1: Piazza Cavour and the Lakefront Piers
Start at the water, where the boats land. The Navigazione Lago di Como piers line the lakefront on Piazza Cavour, and this is where the public boats leave: Cernobbio is band 1 at $3.46 (€3) one way, Bellagio band 6 at $13.84 (€12) and Varenna band 7 at $15.57 (€13.50). Even if you are not sailing today, the square is where Como makes sense, with the old town behind you and the lake in front.
The tourist office is at Piazza Cavour 17. If you want the villas of the first basin from the water before you walk the town, the small-group boat tour with prosecco does it in an hour for $56.40.
- Boat times change with the season, so read the timetable at the pier or on the Como ferry page.
- The minimum fare on the public boats is $2.08 (€1.80).
- Boat tours mostly meet a short walk north along the lakefront, not on the square itself.
Stop 2: Como Cathedral, With and Without a Ticket
The cathedral is the stop that asks you to decide about money. Visitors without a ticket have their own route: enter by the Porta delle Virtù, walk the right nave past the altar of Sant'Abbondio and the Raimondi altarpiece, pass under the organ pipes and leave along the left nave by the Porta della Rana. That route costs nothing and shows you the full height of the church.
The ticket, $6.92 (€6) standard, $4.61 (€4) for over-65s and university students and $3.46 (€3) for ages 6-18, adds the transept, the wooden choir, the sacristies and the upper walkways. Ticket holders enter by the Porta delle Virtù in Via Maestri Comacini or the small door of the Presentation on the right of the facade. Ticketed visits run Monday to Friday 10:30-17:30 and Saturday 10:45-16:30.
The price sheet says Sunday tourist visits are suspended, while the visits page still lists Sunday times, so plan Monday to Saturday. Our pick: pay, because the upper walkways are the part you cannot see any other way.
- The full visit is on the Como Cathedral page.
- Paper tickets are sold next door at the Broletto Infopoint, stop 3.
- Online tickets ask for a date, but entry is not tied to the date you pick.
- Photos are allowed for personal use, never during services.
Stop 3: Broletto and Piazza Duomo
Step out of the cathedral and the Broletto, the old town hall, stands against its flank on Piazza Duomo. The two buildings share the square so closely that one photograph takes both. The practical reason to stop is the Broletto Infopoint in Via Pretorio, on the north side of the cathedral.
It sells the cathedral's paper tickets and opens every day 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00, so if you would rather not buy online, buy here and walk straight back to the door. Piazza Duomo is also where the small-group food tour meets, which tells you something about where the city's cafés are. Give the square ten minutes unless you stop for a coffee.
- Infopoint hours: Monday to Sunday 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00.
- If you plan to enter three museums, the Como Art pass is sold for the cathedral too.
Stop 4: Casa del Fascio From the Street
Behind the cathedral apse stands Giuseppe Terragni's Casa del Fascio, the landmark of Italian rationalist architecture and the reason architecture students come to Como at all. Look at the facade as a grid: the bays, the solid and the open, the way the building answers the cathedral across the street. You cannot walk in.
The only way inside is a scheduled guided visit led by the architect Attilio Terragni, Giuseppe Terragni's great-grandson, through Slow Lake Como. The visit covers the atrium only, costs $17.31 (€15) for adults and $5.77 (€5) for children 6-14, and needs your ID sent by email in advance. The dates are published on the Slow Lake Como booking page.
For most first visits ten minutes in front of the facade is the right amount, and it costs nothing.
- Book the interior only if a published date fits your trip.
- Terragni's second landmark, the Monumento ai Caduti, is stop 7 on the lakefront.
Stop 5: San Fedele and the Roman Street Grid
Walk south into the streets inside the walls and the plan of the Roman town is still there, straight streets meeting at right angles. The basilica of San Fedele anchors its own small square a few blocks from the cathedral. It is a Romanesque church and a working parish, free to enter, plainer and quieter than the cathedral, which is the point of coming.
The hours published for it differ between sources and the parish page could not be read, so go outside Mass times and check the notice on the door rather than planning around a clock time. The square around it still feels like the town's own in the early evening, and the streets nearby are the natural place to stop for lunch on this route.
- San Fedele is free, as a working church.
- The grid is easiest to follow on the Como map.
Stop 6: Porta Torre and the Medieval Walls
Keep going south and the walled town ends at Porta Torre, the tall stone gate tower on the southern side of the medieval walls. Walk under the arch and look back inside: the whole old town you have just crossed sits in a compact rectangle behind it. Stretches of the wall run away from the gate, and following them shows you the edge of the medieval city.
It is free at any hour and an outside visit, since no official page publishes access to the top of the tower. Fifteen minutes is enough. From here the route turns back north towards the lake for the last two stops.
- Porta Torre is free and needs no ticket or opening hours.
- Step back from the gate for the full height of the tower in one frame.
Sources: Cathedral visits and price sheet, Slow Lake Como, Casa del Fascio visits, Navigazione Lago di Como tariff.
Stops 7 and 8: The Lakefront and Brunate
The last two stops leave the walls behind. One is a flat walk along the water, the other a 7-minute ride up the hill, and together they fill the afternoon.
Stop 7: The Lakefront to the Tempio Voltiano
Walk back to Piazza Cavour and follow the promenade west along the water through the public gardens. The walk is part of the stop: flat, free and best with low sun on the lake. At the end of the gardens rises the Monumento ai Caduti, the war memorial Giuseppe Terragni built from a drawing by Antonio Sant'Elia.
Its interior opens only from 2 June to 4 November, Wednesday and Friday 10:00-13:00 and Saturday and Sunday 14:00-17:00. Beside it, on the water at the end of Viale Marconi, stands the Tempio Voltiano, the museum of Alessandro Volta's instruments and papers. The architect Federico Frigerio modelled it on the Pantheon, and the industrialist Francesco Somaini paid for it and gave it to the city.
It opens Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00, last entry 17:30, and closes Mondays plus 1 January, 1 May, 15 August and 25 December. Entry is $6.92 (€6), reduced $4.61 (€4) or $3.46 (€3), and a lift serves visitors with reduced mobility. Stadio Sinigaglia, Como 1907's ground, is next door.
- Three museums on one ticket: the Como Art pass is $17.31 (€15) for the Tempio Voltiano, the Pinacoteca and the cathedral within 3 days.
- The Pinacoteca Civica at Via Diaz 84 charges the same $6.92 (€6) and closes on the same days, see things to do in Como.
Stop 8: Brunate by Funicular
Finish high. The funicular leaves from Piazza Alcide De Gasperi 4 on the lakefront and climbs to Brunate in 7 minutes. It runs daily from 06:00 to midnight, every 12 minutes in the early morning peak and every 15 minutes the rest of the day, so there is no timetable to plan around.
A one-way ticket is $4.27 (€3.70), a return $8.54 (€7.40), children up to 12 pay $2.88 (€2.50) one way, and a 10-ride carnet is $38.10 (€33). Buy at the station. At the top, the lanes and terraces of Brunate look down on the city you have just walked and along the southern basin of the lake.
Our estimate for the round trip with a walk at the top is about two hours. If you want the lake and the hill in one booking, the boat tour with the Brunate funicular bundles a one-hour cruise with a priority funicular ticket for $72.23.
- Fares, hours and the ride are on the Brunate funicular page.
- What to do at the top is on the Brunate page.
- The last car runs at midnight, so dinner in Brunate still gets you back down.
If You Have Two More Hours
Two stops miss the core route only because of time. Villa Olmo is where the lakefront ends in the west: the villa was completed in 1812 and has belonged to the city since 1925. The building is closed for restoration, but the park is open and free, with lawns running to the water and the Lido di Villa Olmo beside it.
The Silk Museum, at Via Castelnuovo 9 south of the walls, walks through Como silk in ten rooms from the silkworm to dyeing, printing and finishing. It costs $11.54 (€10), $5.77 (€5) for under 18s and students, and closes on Mondays. On Tuesdays it opens only in the afternoon, 14:00-18:00.
- Villa Olmo park: free, only partly accessible for reduced mobility.
- Silk Museum: Wednesday to Sunday 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00.
Sources: Comune di Como, Tempio Voltiano, Como Art pass sheet, Funicolare Como-Brunate fare sheet, ATM funicular hours, Comune di Como, Villa Olmo, Museo della Seta.
See It With a Guide
Every stop on this route is walkable on your own. A guide adds the stories and takes the planning off your hands. The guided city tour walks the cathedral, the Teatro Sociale and the walls from outside in two hours for $43.56. The Lake Como and Brunate guided walk covers the cathedral, the lakefront and the funicular in four hours for $66.49, capped at five people. The private walking tour adds Villa Olmo on its 3-hour option, with the closed villa seen from outside. The golf cart tour drives the centre and out to Cernobbio, and the boat and funicular tour does the water and the hill.
from $43.56
Como: Guided City Tour
A two-hour guided walk through Como's historic centre, taking in the Cathedral, the Social Theatre and the medieval walls from the outside. Entrance tickets to any monument are not included.
Check Availability
from $66.49
Como: Lake Como and Brunate Guided Walking Tour
Four hours on foot around Como with a guide, capped at five people, taking in the cathedral, the lakefront and the funicular ride up to Brunate.
Check Availability
from $72.65
Como: Private Walking Tour with Villa Olmo Visit
A private walking tour of Como's old town, with the 3-hour option adding Villa Olmo and its gardens. Villa Olmo's interior is not always open, per the listing.
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from $46.33
The Iconic Como City Tour • 2-Hour Golf Cart Experience
A two-hour tour of Como and Cernobbio in an open electric golf cart with a driver and a seven-language audio guide, stopping for photos at Villa d'Este and Villa Erba.
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from $72.23
Lake Como Boat Tour with Brunate Funicular and Scenic Views
A one-hour shared boat tour out of Como with a Prosecco, bundled with a priority-access Brunate funicular ticket and free time to explore the hilltop village on your own.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
How Much Time to Give Como's Sights
The town is compact, but the paid sights keep fixed hours and close on different days. The table compares three budgets for the route on this page. The paid-entry column counts only the official prices you would pay in that window.
Three Ways to Spend the Time
With three hours, walk stops 1 to 6 and take the cathedral ticket. With a full day, the lakefront, the Tempio Voltiano and the funicular fit without rushing. On a Monday the Tempio Voltiano and the Pinacoteca are closed, so the day runs on the free stops, the cathedral and Brunate.
The time estimates are ours, the prices are the official ones.
| Time you have | What to see | What you skip | Paid entries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three hours | Stops 1 to 6 | The Tempio Voltiano and Brunate | $6.92 (€6), the cathedral ticket |
| A full day | All eight stops | The Pinacoteca and the Silk Museum | $22.40 (€19.40) by our sum: cathedral, Tempio Voltiano and funicular return |
| A full Monday | Stops 1 to 6, the lakefront from outside, Villa Olmo park, Brunate | The Tempio Voltiano and the Pinacoteca, both closed | $15.46 (€13.40) by our sum: cathedral and funicular return |
What to Skip, and What Is Closed
Some sights that older guides list cannot be visited now. This is the list to check before you build a day around any of them.
Closed, or Only on Booked Dates
Every item here is stated on the venue's own page or the Comune's.
- Museo Archeologico Paolo Giovio: exhibition halls closed for maintenance, no reopening date published anywhere.
- Museo Storico Garibaldi: exhibition halls also closed for maintenance, no reopening date.
- Villa Olmo building: closed for restoration. The park is open and free, so go for the grounds and the lake view, not the villa.
- Casa del Fascio interior: scheduled guided visits only on published dates, no walk-ins ever, so never count it into a route.
- Cathedral on Sundays: the price sheet suspends Sunday tourist visits while the visits page still lists Sunday slots. Plan the paid ticket Monday to Saturday.
- City museums on Mondays: Tempio Voltiano and the Pinacoteca close all Mondays, so shift them or skip them.
- The Silk Museum closes on Mondays and opens only in the afternoon on Tuesdays.
Sources: Comune di Como, Museo archeologico, Comune di Como, Museo Garibaldi, Comune di Como, Villa Olmo.
Do and Don't on the Route
A handful of small decisions change how the day runs. These are the ones that matter most on this specific route.
Do
- Buy the cathedral ticket at the Broletto Infopoint if you would rather not buy online.
- Take the free side-nave route through the cathedral if you skip the ticket: in by the Porta delle Virtù, out by the Porta della Rana.
- Walk stops 1 to 6 in the morning and leave the funicular for the end of the day.
- Check the Casa del Fascio visit dates before your trip if you want to see inside.
- Keep the Como map open for the streets behind San Fedele.
Don't
- Plan the paid cathedral visit for a Sunday: the price sheet suspends Sunday tourist visits.
- Walk to the Museo Archeologico or the Garibaldi museum: both have their halls closed.
- Turn up at the Casa del Fascio expecting to go in: there are no walk-in visits.
- Put the Tempio Voltiano on a Monday: it is closed.
- Buy the 10-ride funicular carnet for one trip up: a return is $8.54 (€7.40) against $38.10 (€33).
Starting From Como San Giovanni or Como Lago
Both Milan lines end in Como but in different places, and where you start changes the natural direction of the route. This block sets the entry point for each arrival.
Which End to Start From
Trains from Milano Cadorna end at Como Lago, on the lakefront a few minutes from the piers, after about 60 minutes. Trains from Milano Centrale end at Como San Giovanni, up the hill, after about 40 minutes. Both cost $6.23 (€5.40).
From Como Lago, walk the route exactly in the order on this page, piers first. From Como San Giovanni you can start either way: the Comune puts the Tempio Voltiano 800 metres from the station, 12 minutes on foot, and the Pinacoteca 1.1 km, 13 minutes. So one option is to walk down to the lakefront first and run the route backwards, ending in the old town.
The station itself and its info point are on the Como San Giovanni page, and the two lines are compared on Milan to Como by train.
- Both lines charge the same $6.23 (€5.40) regional fare.
- Como Lago is on the lakefront, Como San Giovanni is uphill.
- Walking between the town's stations is covered on getting around Como.
Sources: Trenord, Milano Centrale line, Trenord, Milano Cadorna line, Comune di Como, Tempio Voltiano.
Where to Go Next
Once the eight stops are done, these pages take the route further, onto the water, up the hill or into the full list of sights.
The full inventory of sights
Every sight and activity in the city numbered to one map, beyond this shortlist. See all 24 to fill a second day.
Como Cathedral in depth
The history, the doors and the art of the cathedral in depth, on the Como Cathedral page.
Brunate and the funicular
Everything on fares, hours and the ride in our Brunate funicular guide, plus what to do in the village of Brunate at the top.
The map
The map of Como plots all eight stops so you can see the loop you are walking. Keep it open while you plan.
Guided options
Every tour from Como beside what the public boat or a free walk costs, on Como tours.
What to See in Como: Questions
What should you not miss when deciding what to see in Como?
The cathedral, Porta Torre and the walled town, the lakefront to the Tempio Voltiano, and the funicular to Brunate. Those four carry the route on this page, and only the cathedral ticket at $6.92 (€6) and the funicular return at $8.54 (€7.40) cost money. The guided walk with Brunate covers the same ground with a guide.
Can you see Como's main sights in one day?
Yes. The eight stops fit a full day: the walled town before lunch, the lakefront after, and the funicular in the late afternoon. On a Monday the Tempio Voltiano is closed, so see it from outside. The Como map shows how close the stops are, see the Como map.
What is there to see in Como's old town?
The cathedral and the Broletto on Piazza Duomo, the Casa del Fascio behind the cathedral, San Fedele on its own square, and Porta Torre on the south side of the walls. All are free to see except the cathedral's ticketed visit. The guided city tour walks the old town in two hours for $43.56.
What is there to see near the San Giovanni railway station?
The Tempio Voltiano on the lakefront is 800 metres from the station, 12 minutes on foot by the Comune's figures, and the Monumento ai Caduti stands beside it. The Pinacoteca is 1.1 km away. The station itself is covered on the Como San Giovanni page.
What can you see in Como for free?
Piazza Cavour, the cathedral's side-nave route, the Broletto, the Casa del Fascio facade, San Fedele, Porta Torre, the lakefront and Villa Olmo park. That is six of the eight stops on this route and one of the extras. The rest of the free list is on things to do in Como.
What can you see in Como on a Monday?
Everything on the route except the inside of the Tempio Voltiano: the cathedral's ticketed visit runs Monday 10:30-17:30 and the funicular runs daily 06:00-24:00. The Pinacoteca and the Silk Museum are closed too. Ride the Brunate funicular in the afternoon instead.
Como's Old Town and Lakefront on Film
Three walking films of the city itself, shot on the streets of this route. Watch one before you go to recognise the squares and the gate.
Como, Italy walking tour 4K 60fps
A continuous walk through the centre and along the lake, close to the order of stops above.
Video: Travel is LifeComo, Italy | Exploring the Old Town | 4K Walking Tour
The streets inside the walls, from the cathedral square into the Roman grid.
Video: JoyOfTravelerComo 4K Walking Tour | Italy's Historic Town
A second walk of the historic centre, useful for the squares around San Fedele.
Video: JoyOfTravelerVideos load from YouTube only when you press play.
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