9 Best Hotels in Lake Como, From Celebrity Favorites to Historic 18th-Century Villas
Few can resist the distinctive magic that radiates from Italy's grandest lake. Virgil called Como “the greatest lake,” and Pliny the Younger had a villa here where he said the porch was “always like spring.” Once home to the gilded palaces of princes, bishops, and painters, it is now the playground of the world's rich (the fictional Roy family from Succession tells you everything you need to know) and famous (George Clooney has owned a villa here for over 20 years). Many of the historic villas lining the lake remain private abodes, while those that have been converted into hotels are revered as some of the grandest in the world.
How we choose the best hotels in Lake Como
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location, and warm service—as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve.
From unassuming family-run stays to glossy recent arrivals, this is our edit of the best hotels in Lake Como, all reviewed by an expert on the Condé Nast Traveler team. For a private stay, see our pick of the best villas in Lake Como.
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
SARAMAGNI/Il SerenohotelIl Sereno
$$$ |
Gold List 2018, 2024 
Hot List 2017 
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023When it launched a few years ago in Torno, Il Sereno, Lago di Como caused a sensation. It was the first hotel in the area of Lake Como to be designed by a world-renowned architect—and Patricia Urquiola, the Spanish starchitect and a longtime resident of Milan, did a fabulous job. The hotel blends into its surroundings thanks to the “light” building, with its many windows awash with sunlight reflected by the lake. The garden, with around 183 varieties of plants, creates a gorgeous floral landscape that syncs up with the environment. Even the Brazilian quartzite heated infinity pool and the ashwood deck become one with the lake in a continuous line: harmony. From inside the hotel—a Gold List 2024 property—you can often glimpse the waters of the Lario, the other name by which Lake Como is known, an iconic part of Italian culture and the backdrop of Alessandro Manzoni’s 19th-century novel The Betrothed, where star-crossed lovers Renzo and Lucia manage to finally reunite and get married. Il Sereno’s lobby is elegant, soft, and welcoming, filled with the best of Italian design—furniture by Cassina, Moroso, and B&B Italia—as are the 40 rooms, all with a view, and the exquisite vertical garden by Patrick Blanc. The delicious and simple (albeit Michelin-starred) food is courtesy of Raffaele Lenzi and features local freshwater fish and vegetables, served alongside sensational cocktails (even the alcohol-free ones). As if so much contemporary beauty were not enough, there’s still the wooden motorboat, a beautiful Riva, ready to take you around the lake or to Villa Pliniana, a 16th-century palace with another 17 bedrooms—a perfect setting for listening to the music of the villa’s beautiful grand piano while gazing upon the waters of Lago di Como. —Maddalena Fossati
francesco lopazioMUSA Lago Di Como
Hugging the manicured shore of Como's west shore, Villa Musa stands proudly—a whitewashed modern villa with only 12 rooms, all with balconies overlooking the handsome backdrop of the lake. Elegant guests arrive by boat at the private jetty or via the meandering road, a 30-minute drive from Como town. Interiors are sleek, with neutral and monochrome furnishings that run throughout the hotel. Bedrooms follow suit: white washed linen bedding, contemporary artwork, white marble bathrooms with a deep bath and spacious shower, cozy seating areas and balconies revealed by heavy curtains that we couldn’t wait to draw every morning. Wake up to the cinematic views dotted with eager paddleboarders and bobbing boats easily lost amongst the glittery morning waters.
Food is a big thing here, which makes sense—the hotel and restaurant are run by two acclaimed Italian chefs, Robert Moretti and Matteo Corridori, after al. Dine at the glass-fronted restaurant or on the outdoor terrace, which has an artistic Italian menu—think poached eggs with carbonara sauce for breakfast. Later, lounge by the lakefront pool, sip a creative cocktail at the makeshift boat bar or unwind in the spa facilities. With only a few guests, it’s a rather relaxing affair. —Sophie Knight
Courtesy Grand Hotel TremezzohotelGrand Hotel Tremezzo
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2020, 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023In an increasingly rapacious Italian hotel scene, some iconic family-owned properties retain that made-in-Italy, one-of-a-kind elixir that the bigger players can only dream of. The decadent Grand Hotel Tremezzo is decidedly one of these: It has been in family hands since opening in 1910 and comes with Grand Tour charm in spades. Sitting a little back from Lake Como, looking out onto Bellagio, the Liberty-style building conjures a Grand Budapest Hotel set, an impression that grows when you enter the formal lobby with its sweeping red-carpet staircase, antique gilt-framed mirrors, and marble-encased bathrooms. I also love the flowers in abundance all over the property. But the hotel still manages to feel intimate thanks to its smaller cozy spaces: a cocooning spa with a heated swim-in, swim-out pool and Santa Maria Novella products; an outdoor pool surrounded by a forest of trees and blooming flowers; and tucked-away bars and corner banquettes in the restaurant (be sure to try the gold-leaf risotto). The hotel effortlessly pulls multiple punches, with a covetable shop stocking brands like Bric’s Milano, Borsalino, and Chez Dede, and a beautiful vintage wooden boat for lake excursions and to avoid road traffic. But the true pièce de résistance is the floating pool sitting on the lake—cinematic grandeur incarnate with a Lido-like beachfront, bright orange and white umbrellas, and chic custom loungers. —Ondine Cohane, contributor
Stefan Giftthaler/Villa PassalacquahotelPassalacqua
$$$ | Hot List 2023A historic private villa since 1787, Passalacqua is Lake Como’s newest and most impressive hotel. Expectations ran high at the 2022 unveiling of Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s little sister—which is thrice the size—having been acquired and reimagined by the same owners. The new iteration has been met with much fanfare— features editor for Condé Nast Traveller UK Lydia Bell says it's a “practically faultless creation.” From hand-blown Murano chandeliers to suites with original frescoes and veiling carvings, the devotion to detail is exquisite. As is the swimming terrace.
Courtesy Mandarin OrientalhotelMandarin Oriental, Lake Como
$$$ | Hot List 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2023Once the lakefront estate of Italian opera singer Giuditta Pasta, Mandarin Oriental took over this 75-room grand dame in 2018. Milan-based designer Eric Egan made over heavy interiors (also behind the Belmond Hotel Caruso revamp), sharpening the meticulous gardens and floating swimming pool. Mandarin Oriental added a lounge for afternoon tea and a spa in the basement, bringing in Italian chef Massimiliano Blasone to oversee the resort’s restaurants and bars. This was the Mandarin Oriental's first European resort and a rare new arrival on the lake—yet it slotted into the scene seamlessly.
Courtesy Villa d’EstehotelVilla d'Este
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023Preposterously and hilariously grand, this is where Elizabeth Taylor came to hide out at the start of her affair with Richard Burton. As the great director Mike Nichols later recalled, so long as she wore a large-ish hat, nobody gave her a second glance. Built in 1568 as a summer residence for a wealthy cardinal with a passion for art, the hotel has an immense 17th-century shelled grotto, decorative gardens lapped by water so clear you can see pebbles fall to the distant bottom, and chefs in high white hats inspecting the engraved glass on bridal tables. In the morning, breakfast of Sicilian cannolis and iced espresso is taken as the sun starts its journey across the lake, settling on a flower-plumed promontory beyond. Boats cut through the water, leaving a fizzing trail behind. Everybody sits and watches—wondering where reality leaves off and dreaming begins.
Luigi RotahotelGrand Hotel Villa Serbelloni
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023The only luxury hotel in the picturesque town of Bellagio, this Neoclassical grande dame combines the graces of a gilded past and the easy warmth of a family-run business—and has welcomed generations of distinguished guests since 1873. Villa Serbelloni ticks all the boxes for what you might expect of a patinated palazzo on Lake Como: grand marble staircases, giant crystal chandeliers, a mix of Louis XVI and Art Nouveau furniture, and ornate frescoed ceilings. And the guests, a broad cross-section of international travelers, soak it in: They linger in front of the fireplace in its opulent grand salon; tread softly through vast, unoccupied rooms filled with period pieces, and tuck themselves into the wooded American Bar for a nightcap or two. For a reprieve from all that antiquity, there's always the palm-fringed lakeside pool and the garden with its subtropical plants and manicured hedges, which offer the perfect counterpoint—and imposing views.
Courtesy Sereno Hotels/Photo by Vincent DehoehotelVilla Pliniana
$$$ | Hot List 2017A 16th century Renaissance estate once visited by Napoleon, Byron, and Liszt, the seven-suite Villa Pliniana emerged in August 2016 from a renovation that mixes old-world with the new—think terrazzo floors and gold-leaf mirrors paired with modern furniture from icons like Giò Ponti and Le Corbusier. The location, set on 18 waterfront acres, is hard to beat, but the amenities are not too shabby, either: Guests who book the villa have access to a personal chef, spa, swimming pool, concierge, and even a private helipad to make getting to and from just a little bit easier (Pliniana is normally accessed via boat; sister property Il Sereno is a half mile away). Spanish architect and Villa Pliniana designer Patricia Urquiola's tip? Angle for the room under the terrace, where you're right on the water and have your own deck. "It's like a secret room," she says. —Hot List 2017
Emily Sandifer/Courtesy of Villa LarioVilla Lario
With 18 suites (all with views over the lake) accessed sharply from Como's one road, this place feels definitively private, set apart, very much on its own picturesque high pinnacle hanging over the water. Part of a 19th-century property previously owned by the Lombardi family, it has something no other five-star hotel around here can quite claim: a very secluded pontoon that guests can swim off directly, bothered by nothing but the occasional boat dropping somebody off for lunch. (Inexplicably, most hotels don't encourage swimming in Como itself). It's worth coming to eat (just-caught fish and tomatoes from the hotel gardens) even if you don't stay, but there is something particularly authentic about this side of the lake and it would feel a shame to not sleep here, too.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date. It was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller U.K.
