Updated 6 November 2026
In brief
You can see the old town on foot: the Duomo, the Broletto, San Fedele and Porta Torre, the most visible part of the medieval walls.
Just outside the centre, the Basilica of Sant’Abbondio, the Tempio Voltiano and the lakeside walk to Villa Olmo are worth the walk.
The Como–Brunate funicular climbs in about 7 minutes, but according to ATM it is closed from Monday 9 to Friday 27 November 2026 for works.
The Pinacoteca and the Tempio Voltiano are closed on Mondays. The Duomo has a free route and a ticketed area.
At the end you will find a one-day and a two-day itinerary.
This guide is about the city’s sights. If you are looking for things to do on the lake, boat hire, SUP or ideas for Cernobbio, you will find them in our article Cosa fare a Como e Cernobbio: 14 idee (in Italian). Here we stay in town: churches, palaces, museums, villas and viewpoints.
The hours and prices below come from the official websites, checked on 6 November 2026. They can change because of works, religious services or exhibitions: always check before you go.
What to see in Como’s centre
Como Cathedral (Duomo, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta)
The Duomo is the natural starting point. According to the Cathedral’s website, building began in 1396 and went on for about three and a half centuries: the façade is from the 15th century, with statues by the Rodari brothers, and Filippo Juvarra’s dome was completed in 1744.
How you visit today:
Free route: without a ticket you can enter through the Porta delle Virtù, walk along the right-hand nave, pass under the organ pipes and leave through the left-hand nave.
Ticketed area: transept, sacristies and galleries. The combined ticket adds the civic museums, the wooden choir and the walkways high up in the building.
Tourist visiting hours: Monday–Friday 10:30–17:30; Saturday 10:45–16:30; Sundays and public holidays 11:00–11:45 and 13:00–16:30. The Cathedral warns that hours and routes can change because of services.
Tickets: online on the Cathedral’s website, or as a paper ticket at the Broletto Infopoint in Via Pretorio, open every day 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:00.
The website does not list the prices as text, so we do not give them here: you see them when you buy. If you go in to pray, you have free access to the rest of the Cathedral.
Broletto and the civic tower
In Piazza Duomo, between the Cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace, stands the Broletto, the medieval town hall that housed the city’s institutions from the 13th century, with later Gothic additions. The tower with the bell was used to call public assemblies. According to the Comune (city council), the tower cannot be visited and the hall only opens for exhibitions and events: it is a building to look at from the square, together with the Duomo.
Basilica of San Fedele
In Piazza San Fedele stands the 12th-century Romanesque basilica. The parish guide dates it “probably around 1120” and points out the Porta del Drago (Dragon Door), with medieval reliefs. The square, once called the grain market square, is lined with low pastel-coloured houses.
Porta Torre and the walls
Porta Torre, in Largo Miglio, was built in 1192 and is 40 metres high. It is the most visible part of the medieval walls on the south side, where travellers from Milan came in. The inside cannot be visited. Other stretches of the walls can be seen in Piazza Vittoria.
Giuseppe Terragni’s Casa del Fascio
At Piazza del Popolo 4 stands the building designed by Giuseppe Terragni in 1932 and completed in 1936, which the city council includes in its Rationalism itinerary. You can look at it from the square. To go inside you need permission from the provincial command of the Guardia di Finanza (the Italian financial police), or you can visit during events or with authorised guides.
Pinacoteca civica (Palazzo Volpi)
At Via Diaz 84, in 17th-century Palazzo Volpi, the civic art gallery covers local art from the Middle Ages to the present day: medieval sculptures and frescoes, the portraits of famous men from Paolo Giovio’s collection, drawings by Antonio Sant’Elia and works by the abstract painters of the Gruppo Como.
Pinacoteca civica | According to the Comune di Como, checked on 6 November 2026 |
|---|---|
Hours | Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00, last entry 17:30 |
Closed in 2026 | every Monday (except 6 April and 31 August), 1 January, 1 May, 15 August, 25 December |
Full ticket | 6 euros |
Reduced | 4 euros (over 65, Como residents, university students); 3 euros (age 6–18) |
Free | under 6, people with disabilities and one companion, Abbonamento Musei Lombardia (regional museum pass) |
The Museo Archeologico Paolo Giovio and the Museo Storico Garibaldi, in Piazza Medaglie d’Oro, are listed by the council as closed to the public for maintenance work.
The lakefront, the villas and Sant’Abbondio
Basilica of Sant’Abbondio
The city council calls it an example of Como Romanesque: it was consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1095. It stands outside the walls, at Via Regina Teodolinda 35, at the foot of Monte Croce. It has two bell towers and, inside, 14th-century frescoes. According to the council, entry is free, every day from 8:00 to 18:00 (in winter until 16:30), with visits suspended during services.
Tempio Voltiano
On the lakefront, in Viale Marconi, the Tempio Voltiano is the museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta: original scientific instruments, reconstructions and documents about his life. The neoclassical building, designed by Federico Frigerio, was completed in 1928 and given to the city by the industrialist Francesco Somaini.
Hours and prices are the same as the Pinacoteca: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00, last entry 17:30, full ticket 6 euros. The council points out passages lower than 2 metres and a staircase of 17 steps: keep this in mind if you are travelling with people with reduced mobility.
Como Art Pass. According to the Comune di Como, for 10 euros you can visit two places out of the Pinacoteca, the Tempio Voltiano and the Cathedral within 3 days; for 15 euros all three within 3 days. The Pinacoteca and the Tempio Voltiano alone, with separate full tickets, cost 12 euros.
The Lino Gelpi walk and Villa Olmo
The Lino Gelpi walk follows the western shore of Como’s bay and passes in front of the city’s patrician villas. In order, according to the council: Villa Scacchi-Carminati (1787), Villa Saporiti, known as “La Rotonda” (1790–1793, by Leopoldo Pollack, now the seat of the Province), Villa Gallia (1614, on the site of Paolo Giovio’s 16th-century museum), Villa Parravicini Revel, Villa Volonté. At the end is Villa Olmo, designed by Simone Cantoni for the Odescalchi family, with an Italian garden in front and an English-style park behind.
The park of Villa Olmo is open as usual. The villa itself, according to the Comune di Como, is currently closed for restoration: if you want to see the interiors or an exhibition, check the council’s website before you go.
The lakefront and Villa Geno
On the other side of the bay, from Piazza Volta you reach the Lungolago Mafalda di Savoia, then Lungo Lario Trento, Lungo Lario Trieste and Viale Geno. At the end is Villa Geno (Viale Geno 13), with the fountain that shoots a jet of more than 40 metres over the lake, and one of the city’s two lidos (lakeside bathing areas).
Brunate and the Faro Voltiano
The Como–Brunate funicular, opened in 1894, leaves from Piazza De Gasperi, near the lake, and climbs to Brunate in about 7 minutes. Cars leave Como and Brunate at the same time.
Como–Brunate funicular | According to ATM, checked on 6 November 2026 |
|---|---|
Hours | every day 6:00–24:00, one run every 15 minutes (every 12 between 7 and 9) |
Single | 3.60 euros |
Return | 7.20 euros |
Reduced (up to 12 years) | 2.40 euros single, 4.80 euros return |
Free | children up to 4 |
Closure | from Monday 9 to Friday 27 November 2026, for planned works |
From Brunate you can walk or take a shuttle up to San Maurizio, home to the Faro Voltiano, a lighthouse built in 1927 for the centenary of Volta’s death: 29 metres high, with a spiral staircase of 143 steps. According to the FAI (the Italian National Trust) page, the lighthouse is closed in 2026 for major maintenance. Do not count on climbing to the top: check its status before you go.
Two footpaths lead down from San Maurizio to Como, one along the funicular and one passing the Eremo di San Donato (hermitage).
Como in one day: itinerary
A walking route, with approximate times planned for a weekday from Tuesday to Friday (the civic museums are closed on Mondays).
Time | Stop | Note |
|---|---|---|
10:30 | Duomo | tourist visits open on weekdays |
11:30 | Broletto and Piazza San Fedele | outside |
12:15 | Porta Torre | outside |
13:00 | Lunch in the centre | ideas in Dove mangiare a Como (in Italian) |
14:30 | Casa del Fascio | outside, Piazza del Popolo |
15:15 | Tempio Voltiano | last entry 17:30 |
16:30 | Lino Gelpi walk to Villa Olmo | park |
sunset | Funicular to Brunate | if running, then back down and dinner on the lakefront |
If you arrive on a Sunday, move the Duomo to the afternoon (13:00–16:30). If the funicular is closed, end the day on the lakefront towards Villa Geno.
Como in two days: itinerary
On the first day follow the itinerary above, leaving Brunate for the second day.
When | Stop | Note |
|---|---|---|
Morning | Basilica of Sant’Abbondio | free entry from 8:00, outside the walls |
Late morning | Pinacoteca civica, Via Diaz 84 | 10:00–18:00, closed on Mondays |
Lunch | Old town | |
Afternoon | Funicular to Brunate and walk up to San Maurizio | Faro Voltiano closed in 2026 according to the FAI |
Late afternoon | Walk down and lakefront to Villa Geno |
With two days, the 15-euro Como Art Pass covers the Cathedral, the Pinacoteca and the Tempio Voltiano. To travel by ferry (“battello”) to Bellagio, Varenna or Cernobbio, read Come muoversi sul Lago di Como (in Italian). For day trips, see our English guides to Bellagio, Varenna and restaurants in Cernobbio. For the villas outside the city there is our guide to the historic villas of Lake Como (in Italian), and over the Christmas period you can combine your visit with the Christmas markets of the Città dei Balocchi.
Where to stay to see Como on foot
For this kind of trip it makes sense to stay in town, so you can leave the car and get around on foot.
Gio’s Studio: studio flat with a terrace in the centre of Como, in Via XX Settembre, for 2 guests.
Dimora del Lago Crispi: apartment with a balcony and terrace in Via Crispi, up to 4 guests, about 1 km from the old town.
Eye on Lake Como: lake-view apartment in Via Torno, with one bedroom and a balcony, up to 5 guests.
You can book directly from each home’s page.
Frequently asked questions
What should I see in Como in one day?
The Duomo, the Broletto, San Fedele and Porta Torre in the morning, then the Tempio Voltiano and the Lino Gelpi walk to Villa Olmo in the afternoon. If the funicular is running, finish with Brunate at sunset.
Do you have to pay to enter Como Cathedral?
There is a free route along the naves. The transept, sacristies and galleries are ticketed, with tickets online or at the Broletto Infopoint in Via Pretorio. If you go in to pray, you do not pay.
Is the Brunate funicular open in November 2026?
According to the ATM website it is closed from Monday 9 to Friday 27 November 2026 for planned works. Outside that period it runs every day from 6:00 to 24:00.
What is closed on Mondays in Como?
The Pinacoteca civica and the Tempio Voltiano, except for the exceptions listed by the council (in 2026, 6 April and 31 August). The Duomo and Sant’Abbondio are open on Mondays too.
Can you visit Villa Olmo?
The park, yes. The villa, according to the Comune di Como, is closed for restoration: check the council’s website for exhibitions or reopening.
Is the Faro Voltiano open?
According to the FAI page, it is closed in 2026 for major maintenance. Check its current status before going up to San Maurizio.
Sources
Cattedrale di Como, Visits: https://www.cattedraledicomo.it/en/visits/
Cattedrale di Como, Tickets: https://www.cattedraledicomo.it/en/buy-tickets
Cattedrale di Como, History of the Duomo: https://www.cattedraledicomo.it/en/duomo/
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Broletto: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/luoghi-della-cultura/broletto/
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Porta Torre: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/monumenti/monumenti-fino-900/porta_torre/
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Casa del Fascio: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/monumenti/monumenti-dal-900/casa_fascio/
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Rationalism itinerary: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/itinerari_escursioni/itinerari-in-citta/razionalismo/
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), From the Middle Ages to the Neoclassical age itinerary: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/itinerari_escursioni/itinerari-in-citta/medioevo
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Basilica of Sant’Abbondio: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/monumenti/chiese/basilica_santabbondio/
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Pinacoteca civica: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/musei/pinacoteca-civica/index.html
Comune di Como, Pinacoteca civica prices: https://www.oggiacomo.it/export/sites/oggi-a-como/scoprire/musei/TICKET_Pinacoteca-civica.pdf
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Tempio Voltiano: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/musei/tempio-voltiano
Comune di Como, Tempio Voltiano prices: https://www.comune.como.it/export/sites/comune-di-como/.galleries/Settore-07/TICKET_Tempio-Voltiano.pdf
Comune di Como, Como Art Pass and CoMmUnity card: https://www.oggiacomo.it/export/sites/oggi-a-como/scoprire/musei/TICKET_Como-Art-pass-e-CoMmUnity-pass.pdf
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Archaeological Museum: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/musei/museo-archeologico/index.html
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Historical Museum: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/musei/museo-storico/index.html
Comune di Como, Villa Olmo: https://www.comune.como.it/vivere-il-comune/luoghi/Villa-Olmo/
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), The walk along the shore of the villas: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/itinerari_escursioni/itinerari-in-citta/passeggiata/
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Lidos: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/cose_da_fare/lidi/
Comune di Como (Oggi a Como), Brunate and the walk of the huts: https://www.oggiacomo.it/scoprire/itinerari_escursioni/escursioni/brunate
Parish of San Fedele, guide to the Basilica: https://www.parrocchiasanfedelecomo.it/home/chiese-della-parrocchia/basilica-di-san-fedele/guida-en/
Italia.it (Ministry of Tourism), Villa Olmo: https://www.italia.it/it/lombardia/como/villa-olmo
Italia.it (Ministry of Tourism), Piazza San Fedele: https://www.italia.it/it/lombardia/como/piazza-san-fedele
Italia.it (Ministry of Tourism), Como lakefront: https://www.italia.it/en/lombardy/como/lungolago-di-como
ATM, Como–Brunate funicular: https://atm.it/en/AltriServizi/Trasporto/Pages/FunicolareComoBrunate.aspx
ATM, funicular timetable: https://www.atm.it/it/AltriServizi/Trasporto/Documents/Orari%20funicolare%20Como%20Brunate.pdf
ATM, funicular fares: https://www.atm.it/it/AltriServizi/Trasporto/Documents/Tariffe%20Funicolare%20Como%20Brunate.pdf
FAI, Faro Voltiano (I Luoghi del Cuore): https://fondoambiente.it/luoghi/faro-voltiano?ldc
You get more out of Como slowly and without a car. If you want a base to set off from on foot in the morning and come back to in the evening, take a look at the Breva homes in Como and on the lake.
If you own a home on Lake Como and are thinking of letting it, see our guide for owners and our short-term rental management in Como.
This guide is also available in Italian: Leggi in italiano.
