Lake Como has no shortage of hotels, but the ones worth staying at are fewer than you think. This shortlist cuts through the noise: seven genuinely distinctive places to stay, each chosen for character, setting, and something a standard chain hotel simply cannot offer. We start with our top pick , a private estate set in the hills above Como , and work down from there.
Table of Contents
- 1. Villino Rubini - A Private Art Nouveau Estate Above the Lake (Our Top Pick)
- 2. Grand Hotel Tremezzo - Belle Époque on the Waterfront
- 3. CastaDiva Resort and Spa - Quiet Gardens on Blevio Bay
- 4. Il Sereno - Minimalist Design on the Eastern Shore
- 5. Filario Hotel and Residences - Small Scale, Long Stays, Corenno Plinio
- 6. Villa Cipressi - Historic Gardens in Varenna
- 7. Albergo Silvio - Family-Run Rooms by the Water in Bellagio
- How to Choose the Right Stay for You
- FAQ
- Conclusion
1. Villino Rubini - A Private Art Nouveau Estate Above the Lake (Our Top Pick)
Villino Rubini is not a hotel. It is a private 1892 Art Nouveau estate in Brunate, the hillside village above Como, and that distinction matters more than it sounds.
The estate has ten rooms across three buildings: the Villa, the Dependance, and the Orangerie. Up to nineteen guests sleep here at any one time, which means the heated pool, four acres of beech forest and terraced gardens, spa, sauna, gym, and studio feel genuinely private rather than shared with strangers. The original ceiling mouldings, floors, and period details were preserved during a recent restoration rather than replaced , a choice that gives the house an atmosphere no amount of interior design budget can manufacture.
You can book a single room on a bed and breakfast basis at Villino Rubini, with Italian breakfast served each morning and a private shuttle to the Como-Brunate funicular (built in 1894, still running). The funicular drops you at Como's lakefront in minutes. Milan Malpensa is an hour away by car.
For groups, the whole estate is available as an exclusive hire: ten rooms, nineteen guests, gardens that seat up to approximately one hundred for a dinner under a tent. It works equally well for intimate weddings and celebrations at Villino Rubini, yoga or wellness retreats, corporate off-sites, or a family gathering that needs space and quiet in equal measure.
The setting in Brunate sits above the lake at around 720 metres. There is no road noise. The trails that start from the estate connect to the Via dei Monti Lariani and the ridge paths above. Cyclists come here specifically for the Brunate hillclimb, 500 metres of elevation in six kilometres from Como. Architecture and design travellers come for the original Liberty-style interiors. Remote workers come because the WiFi is fast and the mornings are calm.
The honest caveat: Brunate is not on the water. If your priority is a terrace directly above the lake surface, one of the options below will suit you better. But if you want a historic home rather than a hotel room, genuine quiet, and grounds you do not share with a hundred other guests, nothing on this list comes close.
Key Takeaway: Villino Rubini is the only option on this list that functions as both a private estate and a B&B , it works whether you book a single room or hire the whole house.
2. Grand Hotel Tremezzo - Belle Époque on the Waterfront
Grand Hotel Tremezzo opened in 1910 on the western shore of the lake in Tremezzo, and it has been one of the most recognised historic addresses on the water ever since. It is a member of Historic Hotels Worldwide, which has listed it among the most romantic hotels in the world for several consecutive years.
The building is Art Nouveau in character, with period furnishings and a waterfront position that puts the Alps directly in front of you. The hotel pairs that historic atmosphere with contemporary facilities , pools, a spa, and a restaurant programme that earned it a place on the Historic Hotels Worldwide culinary heritage list.
It is a full-service hotel in the classic sense. The rooms are numerous, the staff are numerous, and the experience is polished rather than intimate. For travellers who want the full grandeur of early twentieth century Lake Como , the kind Greta Garbo and Alfred Hitchcock frequented in the 1930s , this is the appropriate choice.
Where it differs from Villino Rubini: scale. You are one of many guests here, not one of nineteen. The trade-off is everything that comes with a large hotel: more facilities, more staff, but less of the feeling that the house is yours for the week.
3. CastaDiva Resort and Spa - Quiet Gardens on Blevio Bay
CastaDiva Resort and Spa sits on Blevio Bay, a quieter stretch of the western shore between Como and Cernobbio. The property now operates as Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como, which took over the site and brought its wellness and dining standards with it.
The gardens are the draw here. They are terraced, mature, and genuinely calm , the kind of hotel grounds where the landscape does most of the work. The spa programme is serious, with a full wellness menu rather than a token treatment room. Dining sits in an elegant lakefront setting.
This suits guests who want a spa-led retreat close to Como without the density of the central Bellagio corridor. The Mandarin Oriental brand brings consistency and service depth, which is reassuring for first-time visitors to the lake who want fewer surprises.
The caveat is the same as any large international hotel brand: the experience is refined and dependable, but it reads as a hotel rather than a home. Room rates reflect the brand positioning.
4. Il Sereno - Minimalist Design on the Eastern Shore
Il Sereno opened in 2016 in Torno on the lake's eastern shore. The building sits on a former state-owned boathouse (darsena) and reinterprets the rationalist architecture of Giuseppe Terragni , a Como-born architect whose work sits in the canon of European Modernism , through floor-to-ceiling glass and vertical wooden slats.
Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola designed the 40 suites, which range from 50 to 200 square metres. The language throughout is spare and precise: natural materials, clean lines, nothing unnecessary. It is the most architecturally deliberate hotel on this list.
Torno is a small village, and the eastern shore is quieter and less trafficked than the western corridor. That works in its favour for guests who want to be on the lake without being in the middle of the tourist circuit. Day trips to Bellagio or Como are straightforward by boat.
Il Sereno suits design travellers, architecture enthusiasts, and anyone for whom a room's proportions and material palette matter as much as the views outside them. It is not the choice if you want heritage atmosphere or a large garden estate , those lead you back to Villino Rubini or Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
5. Filario Hotel and Residences - Small Scale, Long Stays, Corenno Plinio
Filario sits in Corenno Plinio, a medieval village on the upper eastern arm of the lake , well north of the main tourist concentration around Bellagio. The hotel is small by design. That scale makes it a natural fit for longer stays: a week or two rather than a weekend.
The residences format means some units have kitchen access and living space, which changes the rhythm of the stay. You are not reliant on restaurant bookings for every meal. The village is genuinely quiet. The ferry connections link you south to Bellagio and Varenna when you want them.
For travellers who find the central lake corridor too busy in peak season , and it can be very busy , Corenno Plinio sits far enough north to feel different. Walking the medieval lanes takes minutes; the lake path runs directly in front of the hotel.
The trade-off is distance from Como city and from Milan. If you need airport access or day trips into the city, you will spend more time in transit than guests staying further south. Filario works best as a destination in itself rather than a base for wider exploration.
Pairing a longer stay in the upper lake with a day or two at Villino Rubini at the start or end of the trip is a combination that works well: the estate handles the arrival experience, the historic atmosphere, and the Como day trips; Filario provides the slower middle stretch.
6. Villa Cipressi - Historic Gardens in Varenna
Villa Cipressi is a historic property in Varenna, one of the most photogenic villages on the lake. The gardens are the reason most guests book here: they are terraced, lake-facing, and old enough to have genuine character rather than the look of recent landscaping.
Varenna suits travellers who want a village with real daily life rather than a resort town. The ferry from Varenna connects directly to Bellagio and Menaggio, which makes it a usable base for exploring the triangle at the centre of the lake. The village streets are narrow, the piazza is small, and the pace is slower than the western shore.
Villa Cipressi is a hotel in the conventional sense , rooms, a restaurant, garden access , rather than an estate or a design object. What it offers is position and history. The building dates to the sixteenth century, and the gardens have been cultivated across several hundred years.
For travellers who want to be in a working village rather than a resort, and who value mature garden architecture, Villa Cipressi earns its place on this list. Those wanting exclusive privacy or the feeling of having a house to themselves will find Villino Rubini a better answer.
Pro Tip: Varenna is one of the smaller ferry stops on the central lake. If you arrive by train from Milan, Varenna-Esino station puts you directly in the village without needing a car , useful if you plan to move between villages by ferry rather than drive.
7. Albergo Silvio - Family-Run Rooms by the Water in Bellagio
Albergo Silvio is a family-run hotel in Bellagio with a straightforward proposition: simple, well-kept rooms, a lakeside restaurant, and the kind of service that comes from a family that has run the same place for decades.
Bellagio is the most visited point on the lake. That brings both advantages , ferry access in every direction, restaurants and shops within walking distance , and disadvantages: crowds in July and August, and a tourist-town atmosphere that not everyone finds restful.
Silvio works because it does not try to be more than it is. The restaurant is the main event: fresh fish from the lake, prepared plainly, served with a directness that cuts through the more elaborate hotel dining rooms nearby. Rooms are modest in size.
It is the right choice for travellers on a sensible budget who want to be in Bellagio specifically and who value the atmosphere of a family-run house over designed interiors or extensive amenities. For those same qualities at the estate level , ten rooms, grounds, pool, and history , Villino Rubini remains the benchmark on this list.
How to Choose the Right Stay for You
Lake Como's geography spreads across three legs of water, and where you stay shapes the entire trip. Use the table below as a quick decision grid, then read the fuller description for your shortlisted options above. If you are still weighing the options, our guide on how to choose where to stay in Lake Como covers the usable questions in more detail.
| Property | Best For | Location | Scale | Key Distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villino Rubini | Privacy, history, retreats, weddings | Brunate, above Como | 10 rooms / 19 guests max | Private estate; B&B or exclusive hire |
| Grand Hotel Tremezzo | Classic grandeur, waterfront position | Tremezzo, western shore | Large hotel | 1910 Belle Époque; Historic Hotels Worldwide |
| Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como | Spa retreat, mature gardens | Blevio, western shore | Full-service resort | International brand; wellness focus |
| Il Sereno | Design and architecture | Torno, eastern shore | 40 suites | Urquiola-designed; rationalist interiors |
| Filario Hotel and Residences | Long stays, quiet, upper lake | Corenno Plinio, eastern shore | Small hotel + residences | Kitchen access; medieval village setting |
| Villa Cipressi | Historic gardens, village life | Varenna, eastern shore | Mid-size hotel | 16th-century building; terraced gardens |
| Albergo Silvio | Budget-conscious, Bellagio base | Bellagio, central lake | Small family hotel | Family-run; lakeside restaurant |
A few usable rules. If you want the whole property to yourselves , no shared pool, no strangers at breakfast , only Villino Rubini on this list offers genuine exclusive hire at the estate level. If a direct waterfront terrace is the non-negotiable, Grand Hotel Tremezzo or Albergo Silvio will satisfy that more literally. And if the architecture matters as much as the location, Il Sereno is the only option with a serious design pedigree behind every room.
FAQ
What is the best boutique hotel on Lake Como for a private group?
Villino Rubini in Brunate is the strongest option for a private group. It offers exclusive hire of the entire estate , ten rooms, nineteen guests, four acres of grounds, a heated pool, and a spa , so your group has the full property without sharing it. The gardens accommodate seated dinners for approximately one hundred guests under an outdoor tent.
Is Bellagio the best base for exploring Lake Como?
Bellagio sits at the junction of the lake's three arms and has ferry connections in every direction, which makes it geographically convenient. It is also the busiest tourist village on the lake. Varenna and Menaggio are quieter alternatives with similar ferry access. If you want to avoid the peak-season crowds, consider a base on the eastern shore or, for genuine quiet, the hillside above Como at Brunate.
Do any boutique hotels on Lake Como offer exclusive property hire?
Yes. Villino Rubini operates as a private estate available for exclusive hire across all ten rooms and nineteen guest places. That covers the entire grounds, pool, spa, studio, and gym. It is one of very few options on the lake where a single group takes the whole property. Most hotels on this list, including Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Il Sereno, rent individual rooms only.
What is the difference between staying in Como, Bellagio, and Varenna?
Como is a working city with the best transport links , direct trains to Milan, the funicular to Brunate, and ferry services north. Bellagio is the most photographed village, centrally located but very busy in summer. Varenna is smaller and quieter, with direct train access from Milan and good ferry links. Your choice depends on whether you prioritise connectivity, central lake position, or a quieter pace.
When is the best time to visit Lake Como?
May, June, and September are the strongest months: the weather is warm, the gardens are in full growth, and the crowds are thinner than in July and August. April can be cool but beautiful. Most boutique hotels on Lake Como close between November and March, though properties like Villino Rubini that operate year-round offer a very different, quieter experience of the area in the off-season months.
Can you stay on Lake Como without a car?
Yes, and for many villages it is the better approach. Trains connect Milan to Como, Varenna, and Lecco. The ferry network links the main villages across the central lake. Bellagio, Varenna, and Menaggio are all walkable once you arrive. For Brunate above Como, the historic funicular runs regularly and takes about seven minutes from Como's lakefront. Villino Rubini includes a private shuttle to the funicular for guests travelling without a car.
Conclusion
If one property on this list earns a longer look, it is Villino Rubini. The combination of Art Nouveau history, genuine privacy, and the flexibility to book a single room or hire the entire estate makes it the most versatile stay above the lake. Take a look at the Villino Rubini estate to check room availability or ask about exclusive hire , the team responds directly, without a call centre in the middle.