Hi All,

My wife and I are visiting Milan and Lake Como in early February and are looking for quality accommodation in the Lake Como area for a couple of nights.

Unfortunately all of the hotels I have tried so far appear to be closed at that time of the year. Does anyone have any accommodation suggestions to assist please.

Looking for something around the 300 euro per night.

Also are there restaurants/cafe's open in Bellagio/Verenna etc at that time of the year?

Many thanks

A couple of hotels will be open in Bellagio and Varenna, but dining options will be very scarce. You'd find more to choose from in Menaggio and the town of Como.

I assume you are aware that the ferry service will be quite infrequent and that the weather will be cold. You could even have snow. I'm not sure I see the point in visiting the mid-lake area in early February. What did you plan to do when you're there?

It seems only natural that hotels and restaurants would be closed at that time of year. It wouldn't make sense to pay for water and heating in a large building, or pay a chef, when no one's around.

I would go somewhere else or change your travel dates.

I just looked at booking.com and there are plenty of options - most in the town of Como but some in the mid lake towns including Bellagio. Rock bottom prices at that time of year.

It certainly won't be the same experience as going in July but in some ways that could be good - way less crowds. You could get unlucky and get cold and rain, or lucky and get relatively warm and sunny. Or get really lucky and get a sunny day after a fresh snow fall. Google images of Bellagio in winter, some of the photos look magical.

I'm going in March. I've been before (in summer) but will be in northern Italy in March and my traveling companion has never been. But we are staying in Milan and planning on day tripping up to Como (and Lugano) on the best weather days. If you have plenty of time and can afford a few days even if the weather is not great I would stay on the lake. If like me (in this case) you have limited time and want to see other things in the region you could consider basing in Milan (or Bergamo).

I agree that Booking.com might offer your best bet. The larger hotels in all three so-called "mid-lake" towns will be closed.

I understand the "point of going there" completely. These same people are the ones who look at you all funny when you say you are going to the beach in the winter, too.

You may also encounter fog at that time of year.

Snow may look pretty in the photos, but walking the stairs of Bellagio in snowy/icy conditions could be treacherous.

FWIW - We were in Bellagio in May 2015. We took the ferry one day to Varenna. There was hardly anything open [restaurant wise] and that was May.

Thanks everyone!

Our travel dates are fairly fixed as it is our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We will be staying mainly in Milan but were considering just a couple of nights in Bellagio just as a quiet getaway, enjoy the peace and scenery.

The possibility of snow is not an issue, rain is another quesion though.

May have to be just a day trip on the finest day.

Northern Italy has a real winter. Chilly rain is common and snow is certainyl possible.

A very close friend of mine was talked into going to Venice for a week around the holidays by her teacher sister and they ended up with 6 days of chilly rain and one of snow. Not bad because it was a city and there was plenty to do indoors.

But Como sounds really boring in Feb.

Living in Como I have a slightly different take on many of the above comments.

1. Fog is very rare on Lake Como but may be found just 5 km south of Como.
2. Most hotels in Como are open all year round. Milan is very big for trade fairs and often visitors stay in Como rather than Milan.
3. Winter in Como (January/February) is generally a dry cold rather than a wet cold. Often there can be up to 4 - 6 weeks with hardly any rain. Landscape photos are often better than in the summer months as there is greater clarity whereas in the summer the heat haze affects the result.
4. The lake ferries still function but the winter schedule still applies. Many (including students) commute to Como every day by ferry.

For nice quality hotels in Como itself consider:
1. Hotel Terminus
2. Albergo Le Due Corti
3. Posta Design Hotel

All are within easy walking distance of everything including the ferries (especially 1 & 3).