Lake Como slow: a 7-day romantic itinerary
Villa breakfasts, water-taxi lunches and a Bellagio sunset for the ages.
Lake Como rewards couples who resist the urge to rush it. Slow down to its pace - villa breakfasts that run long, lunches reached only by water taxi, an evening in Bellagio timed exactly for sunset - and seven days on its shores becomes one of the most romantic honeymoons available within a reasonable flight of Scotland.
This itinerary is built entirely around that slowness: fewer big attractions, more long unhurried days on and around the water.
Getting there from Scotland
Edinburgh and Glasgow both offer direct or one-stop routes to Milan in around two and a half to three hours flying time, with easyJet and British Airways among the carriers serving the route, followed by a scenic hour's drive or train transfer up to the lake itself. It's one of the most accessible European honeymoon destinations, making even a shorter break genuinely worthwhile.
When to go
Late May to June and September offer the best combination of warm, settled weather and manageable crowds, with the lake at its most photogenic once the spring wisteria has given way to full summer greenery. July and August bring the heaviest crowds and highest prices, particularly around Bellagio and Como town.
The itinerary
- Days 1 to 2: base in Bellagio, exploring on foot and taking a slow lakeside dinner on the first evening
- Day 3: water-taxi day trip to Varenna for lunch at a lakefront trattoria, with time to wander its narrow streets
- Day 4: villa gardens day - Villa del Balbianello and Villa Carlotta, both reachable by boat
- Days 5 to 6: relocate to a villa stay near Menaggio or Tremezzo for a quieter final stretch
- Day 7: a final Bellagio sunset from the water, ideally on a private boat charter for the last evening
Where to stay
Como offers everything from grand lakefront hotels in Bellagio and Cernobbio to genuinely private villa rentals with their own boat access, which for many honeymooning couples is the better choice - breakfast on your own terrace, no shared pool, and complete control over your schedule. Several villas offer a private chef for at least one evening, which is worth booking for a proper anniversary-worthy dinner without leaving the property.
Budgeting for 2026
A seven-day Lake Como honeymoon including flights, a mix of villa and hotel stays, water taxis and a couple of proper dinners realistically runs from £2,400 to £4,000 per couple, with private villa rentals at the higher end offering excellent value for couples travelling with a bit more budget who want total privacy over hotel service.
Making it feel slow, not rushed
The lake's biggest trap for honeymooners is trying to see everything - every villa, every town, every viewpoint - in seven days. Pick two or three towns rather than six, build in at least one entirely unplanned day, and let the water taxis set your pace rather than a checklist. Couples who've done both say the version with fewer stops and longer lunches is, without exception, the one they remember more fondly.