Lake Como Trip

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll see that we went on a long European adventure just over a week ago! We went all over the place but started in Lake Como, Italy. Today I am covering everything about our Lake Como trip.

If you’ve never heard of Lake Como before, do a quick google search “George Clooney Lake Como House” and you’ll see why there’s so much hype around the area! This is one of the largest lakes in Europe and is the most picturesque Italian place ever! Think flowers and colorful buildings and turquoise water everywhere.

I will dive in below on the Lake Como trip and some tips and of course, what I wore there.

Sizing reference: I am 5’4″ and typically XS in tops and 25 in bottoms.

How to Get To Lake Como

We flew out of Orlando because the flights were cheaper than Tampa. If you take a look at google.com/flights you can plug in super vague terms to see what is the cheapest! For example, when planning the trip I put in flying out of Orlando the month of June and put Europe as the destination. I was able to see that there was a $250 flight to Milan, and that is how I decided where we were starting our trip! If you can flexibly schedule vacation with your job, this is a great way to get the best deal (I am already looking at flights for $300 ROUND TRIP to Europe!!). Warning, Google Flights may or may not get you lost in wanderlusting!

Milan is only 1 hour from Lake Como and the trains are kinda sorta easy to use. You must take a train (or Uber) from the Milan airport to Milan central station and then from that station to Lake Como. If you find someone who speaks English well, they can help guide you at the airport. You do not buy these train tickets in advance, just wait until the day you arrive to purchase. If you get frustrated with the train system, just hop on an Uber to Milan Central and then catch the Lake Como train there.

My #1 Tip

My number 1 tip when traveling abroad is to just suck it up and pay for an international plan with your cell provider. We would have been so lost without Google Maps while we were there and it’s not worth the stress of being disconnected (a vacation is a VACATION remember?)! Verizon has $10/day international, which adds up, but is a necessity in my opinion.

Travel Outfit

I wore a super comfortable outfit below for traveling. I love these Zella leggings (always on sale at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!) and I would have died without my Aetrex sneakers (see my old post about Aetrex here!). These are absolutely the most comfortable shoe I own hands down, so I knew I needed to bring them to Europe where we would be doing a ton of walking. This Tumi luggage is also a life saver. I bought this suitcase 6 years ago at TJ Maxx for an awesome deal and Tumi really does live up to their high cost. This bag has gone with me everywhere and is still working hard!

Outfit Details:

Tee (c/o), Leggings, Shoes (c/o)

Where to Stay in Lake Como

We decided to stay in Varenna because of its proximity to the train station out of Milan. I was thinking about Bellagio and am SO happy we decided on Varenna instead. Varenna is much quieter and is right next to the train station. Imagine flying through the night, taking a train from the airport to the train station, taking another train from Milan to Lake Como, AND then taking a ferry to Bellagio. Um no thanks.

We did Airbnb for our entire trip. You can also do Home Away, but they didn’t have as many options. We picked a cute spot within walking distance of the train station in Varenna and “downtown” Varenna. If you are planning a trip, message me and I can give you our Airbnb host name!

Pro tip: be prepared to carry luggage up steps! There are not many elevators in Europe so understand when you book a place how many flights of stairs there are and if that is an issue. Luckily my husband was able to carry all the luggage for me.

Pro Tip

ALSO, there is not AC everywhere! If you are going during a hot month, be prepared for the heat or do your research to make sure you book a place with AC (not very common and very expensive). Or do what me and my husband did and knock yourself out at night with Melatonin (of whatever your preferred sleep aid is lol). The most uncomfortable part of our Lake Como trip was the heat!

Each morning our Airbnb host set up this adorable breakfast!! How amazing is this view!?

I wore this adorable jumpsuit from Dillards while exploring Varenna! If you saw, a month ago I did a try on session at the Perimeter Mall Dillards in Atlanta. The lovely ladies there were SO helpful with picking out summer outfits for me and they were so much fun! Growing up, I really only shopped at Dillards. My grandmother worked there her whole career so I always used her 25% discount. I have so many fond memories going there as a child, and this try on session totally renewed my love for the company!

Outfit Details:

Jumpsuit (c/o Dillards), Hat, Slides (c/o)

What to do In Lake Como

We did a day trip to the very popular Bellagio (photos below) and loved it! You can buy ferry tickets that day (no need to buy in advance) and the ferry leaves from Varenna every 45 minutes!

EAT EAT EAT! There are SO many great options! TripAdvisor is super popular over there so I downloaded the app and used that to pick out restaurants.

Pro tip: If you love something and it’s not on the menu, ask and usually they can make it! I asked for black or white truffle risotto at every restaurant and they make it special for me!

Enjoy the views with some wine. Wine is cheaper than water so best to stick to alcohol right!?

Boat / Swim – we did not do this activity but there are a ton of areas to swim and rent boats!

Yellow Tank Dress

I was dying over these baby swans!!!! THE CUTEST!

I wore the cutest dress from Dillards (linked below) while exploring Bellagio! I love the gorgeous yellow for summer, and it was perfect for the higher temperatures!

Just the happiest person alive with my truffle risotto and rosé!

Outfit Details:

Dress (c/o Dillards), Hat, Slides (c/o)

Floral Maxi Dress

Our last night on our Lake Como trip in Varenna I wore this Chicwish dress out and I could not have picked a better dress for the evening! Holy cow, I literally felt like a princess in this dress! One of my all time favorites.

Outfit Details:

Dress (c/o), Wedges