Lake Como Walking Routes: Which to Choose, How Many Stages and How to Get Back

If you are looking for walking routes on Lake Como, there are really three. The Sentiero del Viandante runs along the Lecco shore and is walked one stage at a time, coming back by train. The Via dei Monti Lariani climbs above the Como shore and needs several days, with mountain huts. The Greenway, in the Centro Lago, is a half-day stroll. Here you find how many stages each has, how long they are, how to get back to where you started and which sections are closed today, 7 October 2026.

In short

• For a day on foot with the train home: Sentiero del Viandante, eight stages between Sorico and Lecco, from 3.9 to 11.5 km.
• For several days in the hills: Via dei Monti Lariani, 125 km from Cernobbio to Sorico. The Menaggio Infopoint splits it into at least six stages and lists the huts.
• For half a day without effort: Greenway, about 10 km between Colonno and Griante.
• Before you go: on the Viandante one section is closed at San Martino, between Abbadia Lariana and Lecco, one is diverted between Pino and Fiumelatte, and in Lierna there is an undated closure notice.

Which route is right for you

Route	How long	How you get back to the start
Sentiero del Viandante, Sorico to Lecco	Eight stages between 3.9 and 11.5 km	By train on the Lecco-Colico line, or by boat: there are seven landings on the eastern shore
Via dei Monti Lariani, Cernobbio to Sorico	125 km in four sections, to be split into at least six stages	By ASF bus from the valley villages: the lines are in the sections table
Greenway, Colonno to Griante	About 10 km in seven stages, which are not full days	Boat at Lenno and Tremezzo, ferry at Cadenabbia for Bellagio and Varenna

The editors’ pick for a first time: the Viandante stage between Bellano and Varenna, 4.8 km with a station at each end (Bellano-Tartavalle Terme and Varenna-Esino-Perledo). Among the closure notices we found, this stretch is not mentioned, but check the trail website the day before. If you would rather walk higher up, the most convenient starting point is section 1 of the Via dei Monti Lariani: it starts in Cernobbio, which you reach by bus or boat, and has three huts where you can break it up.

Sentiero del Viandante: one stage at a time, with the train

The Viandante is an old mule track halfway up the eastern shore of the lake. Lecco Tourism traces its history: in the 15th century the Dukes of Milan suggested it to pilgrims as a safe route away from plague epidemics, in the 18th century it was the main road from Milan to the northern borders of the Duchy, passing by Forte di Fuentes, and under Napoleon it took the name Strada Napoleona. In the 19th century it was partly forgotten because of the new military road over the Stelvio, and in 1992 it was restored for walkers.

How long it is depends on who measures. Lecco Tourism and the trail website say about 70 km, another page of the website says about 75, and adding up the eight stages of the regional listing gives 60.5 km. For planning, the stages are what count, and you will find them below with the notices that affect them. Lecco Tourism gives an elevation gain of about 2,470 m and difficulty E, and says the trail is accessible all year round, except when there is snow at low altitude.

Stage	Length	Good to know
Sorico-Colico	11.5 km	Sorico is not on the railway line: the Menaggio Infopoint lists the ASF bus C10
Colico-Dorio	9.5 km	There is a 5.3 km variant to the Madonna di Val Pozzo
Dorio-Dervio	3.9 km	The shortest of the eight
Dervio-Bellano	4.8 km
Bellano-Varenna	4.8 km	In Bellano you find the Orrido
Varenna-Lierna	8.5 km, 9.7 km going via Vezio Castle	Low variant closed between Pino and the Fiumelatte spring because of Anas works (notice updated May 2026). From Lierna the detour goes along via Roslina and the hamlet of Pino to Fiumelatte
Lierna-Abbadia Lariana	10.5 km	In Lierna via Chignola is closed while the road surface and dry-stone walls are redone; from the south, detour from via della Libertà to via al Seminario. The notice is undated
Abbadia Lariana-Lecco	7 km, about 2 hours	Closed to pedestrians at San Martino «until revoked» (order of the Comune di Abbadia Lariana of 4 February 2025). Le Vie del Viandante confirm it for September 2026

Source: lengths from the Le Vie del Viandante listing on in-Lombardia (Regione Lombardia), notices from the Le Vie del Viandante website and the trail website, read on 7 October 2026. For walking times on the stages around Bellano and Varenna see the Viandante itinerary from Varenna to Dervio.

Notices change: before you leave, check the trail website and, for the detour above Varenna, the Varenna Infopoint named in the notice. If you want a keepsake, you can ask for the Passaporto del Viandante and have it stamped at the authorised points along the route.

Greenway del Lago di Como: a stroll, not a multi-day walk

The Greenway is not a route for several days. The official website describes it as «a pleasant walk suitable for everyone and every season»: about 10 km (10.5 km and three and a half hours according to the regional listing) between Colonno, Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo and Griante. The seven stages are the stretches from one village to the next, so you can walk just one or all of them in half a day.

It follows the Antica Via Regina in places and is marked with metal plaques on the ground and signposts. The website names the climb towards Mezzegra as the hardest stretch and, in several places, for example at Ossuccio, warns you to take great care crossing the Regina state road. To get back, Lenno and Tremezzo have a landing stage with boat and hydrofoil, and at Cadenabbia, in the municipality of Griante, there is the ferry to Bellagio and Varenna. The stage-by-stage account is on our Greenway page.

Via dei Monti Lariani: four sections, but not four days

It was designed by the CAI of Como and runs from Cernobbio to Sorico for 125 km, according to the Menaggio Infopoint, linking places that lie between 600 and 1,200 metres above sea level. Many were summer pastures, the «mûnt» that give the route its name. On section 2 you also walk on the military roads of the Linea Cadorna, with a 120-metre tunnel cut into the rock of Monte Crocione. The waymarks are red-white-red flags with a number from 1 to 4, the number of the section.

The four sections are too long to be one stage each: the Infopoint writes that in four stages it is «extremely difficult» and recommends at least six, sleeping in huts or hotels. For sections 1, 2 and 3 the Infopoint also offers a PDF and a map to download.

Section	Length, time, ascent	ASF bus (according to the Infopoint)
1. Cernobbio-San Fedele Intelvi	28 km, 9 h 30, 900 m of ascent, highest point 1,275 m	Cernobbio: C10 or boat. San Fedele Intelvi: C20, C21, C22
2. San Fedele Intelvi-Croce di Menaggio	26 km, 9 h, about 800 m of ascent	From Argegno to San Fedele: C20 or C21
3. Grandola ed Uniti-Garzeno	25 km, 9 h, about 800 m of ascent	Grandola ed Uniti: C12 from Menaggio. Breglia: C13 from Menaggio, which shortens the stage by 2 hours. Garzeno: C17 from Dongo
4. Garzeno-Sorico, two days	About 50 km: Garzeno-Peglio 24 km, 8 h, 300 m; Peglio-Sorico 26 km, 8 h 30, 626 m	Garzeno: C17 from Dongo. Peglio and Livo: C18 from Dongo. Sorico: C10

Source: the four section pages of the Menaggio Infopoint, read on 7 October 2026. The bus line codes come from those pages: check timetables and codes on the ASF website.

The Region describes it differently: seven routes from Como piazza Cavour to Sorico, each between 17 and 25.7 km and between 6 and 8 hours 30, which add up to 144.8 km. If you prefer to start from Como and walk stages of one day, that is the plan to follow; if you start from Cernobbio, the Infopoint’s applies.

Huts and places to stay along the way

Section	Support points listed by the Infopoint	Good to know
1	Rifugio del Bugone, Rifugio dei Murelli, Rifugio Prabello	Contacts are on the section page
2	Rifugio Boffalora, Rifugio Venini	Contacts are on the section page
3	Rifugio Menaggio, Rifugio la Canua	La Canua is 1 h 20 from the route
4	Rifugio Vincino, Rifugio Alpino Dalco	The Vincino is unstaffed and 20 minutes above the route: to book and collect the keys you contact the Comune di Gravedona ed Uniti

We did not find 2026 opening periods for the huts on any official source: call ahead before counting on a meal or a bed. For sections 3 and 4 the Infopoint flags two points to check, both undated: a landslide just outside Breglia, with a detour on site, and the ford over the Val di Bares, which can be very difficult or impossible after a long spell of rain. Write to the Infopoint before you leave.

Other routes linked to the lake

Route	How long	Good to know
Antica Strada Regina, Menaggio to Rezzonico	9 km, 3 hours one way, 300 m of ascent and descent	From Rezzonico you return by bus C10 Como-Menaggio-Colico
Sentiero delle 4 Valli, Breglia to Dasio	About 50 km in three stages	The Infopoint recommends doing it from May to the end of October
Strada Regia, Como to Bellagio	About 35 km according to the Region, 37.2 adding the two stretches: Como-Nesso 21.7 km, Nesso-Bellagio 15.5 km	The Region gives 8 hours and 5 hours 30
Via Francisca, Chiavenna to Sorico	26.3 km in two stages	It ends at Sorico, where the Viandante begins. At Gordona, passage is banned under the Torre di Segname because of the risk of rockfall after the fires of summer 2026

Source: Menaggio Infopoint, the regional Le Vie del Viandante listing and the Le Vie del Viandante notice of 13 September 2026.

How to get back without a car

On the Viandante you come back by train: the Lecco-Colico-Sondrio line has a station at Abbadia Lariana, Mandello del Lario, Olcio, Lierna, Fiumelatte, Varenna-Esino-Perledo, Bellano-Tartavalle Terme, Dervio, Dorio, Piona and Colico. The trail website suggests exactly that, one stage at a time. Boats are an alternative, with seven landings on the eastern shore according to Lecco Tourism. On the Via dei Monti Lariani you come back by bus, and it is worth fixing the times beforehand. On the Greenway the boat is enough.

The autumn boat timetable is valid until 1 November 2026, then it changes. For trains, boats and getting to the lake, see Getting to Lake Como; for boat prices, the tickets and fares.

How we checked

Lengths, times, connections and notices come from the original pages of public bodies, municipalities and operators, read on 6 and 7 October 2026; the history of the Viandante comes from Lecco Tourism. The research was done with the help of artificial intelligence tools and the practical data were checked again against the source. There is no single official list of all the lake’s walking routes: we chose the ones described by official bodies.

Frequently asked questions

Are the four sections of the Via dei Monti Lariani four days?

No. The Menaggio Infopoint considers them too long and proposes at least six stages. The Region counts seven, from Como.

Does the Greenway take seven days?

No. It is about 10 km, three and a half hours of walking according to the regional listing. The seven stages are the stretches between the villages.

How long is the Sentiero del Viandante?

Between 60.5 km, adding up the eight stages of the regional listing, and about 70 or 75 km, according to Lecco Tourism and the trail website. To plan, use the length of each stage.

Can I get back to the start without a car?

On the Viandante yes, almost always by train. The Sorico-Colico stage starts from a village off the railway line. On the Via dei Monti Lariani you use ASF buses, on the Greenway the boat.

When can I walk them?

The Viandante all year round, except when there is snow at low altitude, says Lecco Tourism. The Sentiero delle 4 Valli from May to the end of October, recommends the Menaggio Infopoint. For the Via dei Monti Lariani we did not find an official season.

Where to go next

The Sentiero del Viandante from Varenna to Dervio is already described stage by stage, like the Greenway. The four sections of the Via dei Monti Lariani have a page each: section 1, section 2, section 3 and section 4. To climb to the Swiss border see the Passo San Jorio from Garzeno. If you walk in winter, see what is open from November to March.