9 Best Photo Spots in Lake Como: Instagrammable Places

Lake Como is one of the most beautiful and photogenic places in Italy. In this blog post I am sharing with you my 9 best photo spots in Lake Como, so you can capture beautiful memories during your trip there.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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📸 If you’d love to have your photos taken by a professional, consider booking Personal Travel Photographer in Lake Como.

📖 Check my Lake Como Itinerary: How to Spend 2 Days in Lake Como blog post.

Villa del Balbianello

Villa del Balbianello is my favourite villa in Lake Como.

The villa was built at the end of the 18th century by Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini on the site of an old Franciscan Monastery.

Today the villa is famous because it was used as a filming location for Star Wars II and Casino Royale movies. Because of its beauty, it is also a popular wedding destination.

All of this goes to say that Villa del Balbianello is truly the best photo spot in Lake Como and the most instagrammable one.

There are many good angles, especially in the garden. The most famous is the loggia, where one of the scenes in Star Wars took place.

📖 Read my Villa del Balbianello & Star Wars: Visiting Filming Location blog post.

Just bear in mind that the tickets for Villa del Balbianello sell out fast, so if you plan on visiting the villa, you need to buy them at least 2 weeks prior to your visit!

📖 Check my How to Get to Villa del Balbianello – Exclusive Guide blog post for more.

Serbelloni Street

Salita Serbelloni is the most famous street in Lake Como.

The street is the heartbeat of Bellagio and the ultimate Instagram place.

There are stairs leading to the top and from there, you get a beautiful photo opportunity (and the views) of narrow cobblestone street with Lake Como and surrounding mountains in the background.

If you want to have a photo with no people in it, or yourself in the photo, then go there early in the morning, otherwise it gets crowded as you can see in my photo. In general early mornings are the best for taking photos in Lake Como if your goal is to have no one in them and do a photo shoot peacefully.

Villa Melzi d’Eril

Villa Melzi d’Eril was built as the summer residence of Francesco Melzi d’Eril, vice president of the Italian Republic founded by Napoleon in the early 1800s.

Till this day Villa Melzi is a private residence, therefore you can only visit the gardens, which are so beautiful and romantic. So amazing photos are guaranteed during your visit there.

The most popular spot at Villa Melzi is the small Arabian style temple, especially the inside.

✅ As for the tickets, if you want to visit Villa Monastero, Villa Melzi and Villa Carlotta (which are all on this list of best photo spots in Lake Como), then consider getting a combo ticket that covers the entrance to all these 3 villas + ferry rides. You can also buy the tickets on the spot separately.

Walk of Lovers

As you’re walking from the Varenna ferry port towards the centre of Varenna, you’d pass by the Walk of Lovers. It is a short pedestrian path over the lake waters with beautiful and romantic views, hence the name.

Because it offers beautiful views of the colourful houses in Varenna, surrounded by the lake from one side, and the mountains from the other, this is one of the top photo spots in Lake Como.

I particularly loved to play with zoom and blur here, but you can take a standard photo too and it will come out nicely.

📸 If you’d love to have your photos taken by a professional, consider booking Personal Travel Photographer in Lake Como.

Villa Monastero

Villa Monastero is my second favourite villa in Lake Como and surely one of the best villas in Lake Como to visit.

It’s also the most historic villa. It was initially the site of the ancient Cistercian women’s monastery that was built at the end of the 12th century. Due to decline the monastery was bought by the Mornico family in 1569. They rebuilt it and turned it into a villa, which was owned by them for more than 3 centuries.

Over the course of centuries the villa was passed from one owner to the other until 1939 when the De Marchi family, who owned it at the time, donated it to the public.

Villa Monastero therefore became a public property and a museum opened to the public.

Speaking of the best photo opportunities at Villa Monastero, honestly, wherever you look makes a perfect photo place.

✅ As for the tickets, if you want to visit Villa Monastero, Villa Melzi and Villa Carlotta (which are all on this list of best photo spots in Lake Como), then consider getting a combo ticket that covers the entrance to all these 3 villas + ferry rides. You can also buy the tickets on the spot separately.

📖 Read my 5 Best Villas to Visit in Lake Como: Most Beautiful Spots blog post.

Villa Cipressi

Villa Cipressi is located in Varenna, only 2-3 minutes walk from Villa Monastero, so it’s quite easy to combine both of them in a single day.

The main difference between Villa Cipressi from all the other villas is that Villa Cipressi is actually a luxury hotel today. So, if you’re looking for a place to stay with breathtaking views of Lake Como, this is one of the best choices.

✅ CHECK THE PRICES HERE

The most popular instagram spot is at the gate leading to the lake, especially in wisteria season because it makes for a perfect photo framing. Sadly, when I was there, this part of the garden was closed due to the wedding (which annoyed me quite a lot because I paid the full price and could only see half of the garden, and not even its main part!).

Anyways, the rest of the garden is beautiful too and hopefully the gate will be open to visit when you’re there.

📖 If you’re looking for hotels with Lake Como views, check my Top 12 Hotels in Lake Como with Beautiful Lake Como View blog post.

Streets of Varenna

Even though Bellagio is considered the heart of Lake Como, my favourite small town there is Varenna. It is less busy, it’s more romantic and it has more beautiful villas you can visit.

The whole town is very instagrammable, especially its narrow streets overlooking the lake. I’m sure you’ll find many beautiful photo spots.

My favourite was a street off of the main square, painted in yellow, arcaded and with a beautiful Lake Como view.

Villa Carlotta

Villa Carlotta was built in the late 17th century by the wealthy banker Giorgio Clerici as a summer residence.

It’s truly one of the best places to visit in Lake Como.

My favourite photo spot is right at the entrance, next to a small fountain with the villa in the background.

✅ As for the tickets, if you want to visit Villa Monastero, Villa Melzi and Villa Carlotta (which are all on this list of best photo spots in Lake Como), then consider getting a combo ticket that covers the entrance to all these 3 villas + ferry rides. You can also buy the tickets on the spot separately.

From the Lake

And obviously, one of the best ways to experience Lake Como is by boat.

You can do it using public ferries from one town to the other, or you can go on a boat tour and enjoy the views privately and for longer.

It’s especially nice to see the villas from the lake, and on some tours, they will even show you villas of famous people like George Clooney.

Google Maps of Best Photo Spots in Lake Como

Where to Stay in Lake Como

The best places to stay in Lake Como are Bellagio and Varenna, especially if you’re depending on public transportation.

However, if you’re renting a car, which is my recommendation, then the residential town of Lecco is a great choice too.

📖 If you’re looking for hotels with Lake Como views, check my Top 12 Hotels in Lake Como with Beautiful Lake Como View blog post.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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