Published on: 16 March 2013 | Last updated: 25 December 2019
Lago di Como from the road to the Madonna del Ghisallo (click to enlarge)
A road tour that takes in five lakes: the Lago d’Orta, Lago di Mergozzo, Lago Maggiore, Lago di Lugano and Lago di Como. The route avoids the busier roads and there are sections of cycleway. There’s relatively little climbing, except for one classic climb to the chapel of the Madonna del Ghisallo - patron saint of cycling. This is a loop, so you could avoid it, but it would be a shame to miss the great views of the Lago di Como.
The tour makes use of a ferry and a boat at a couple of points. This is not just to cut out stretches of riding that would otherwise get pretty samey (yes it is possible to have too much of a good thing) but also because the boats are a good way to see the lakes: many of the grand lakeside villas were designed to be seen from the lake, and there may not be very much to see from the road. The ferries and boats are fairly cheap (eg 5€ for a cyclist and bike to cross the Lago Maggiore). The car ferries have plenty of space for bikes, but on the smaller boats there’s a limited amount of deck space; generally this should be fine unless you’re planning to travel in a big group.
Note: This route takes the quieter roads where this is possible, and avoids tunnels and roads where bikes are banned. However sometimes the price you pay for the fabulous views from the lakeside roads is that you have to put up with a certain amount of traffic. I enjoyed this route a lot, but if you are nervous in traffic it may not be for you. If you are looking for get-away-from-it-all day-rides in the area then your best bet is to head for the hills: see the suggested day rides: Into the Valley of Painters … and Chimney Sweeps, Lago d’Orta day-ride and the Madonna del Ghisallo day-ride.
Map and altitude profile
Powered by WP-GPX Maps
tips for using the map
Run your cursor over the graph to show the elevation, and distance from the start, for any given point on the route. (Note: the altitude graph is not shown where the route is flat).
Click the little icon in the right-hand corner to see the map fullscreen
| Distances | |
|---|---|
| Orta San Giulio to Mergozzo | 22 kms |
| Mergozzo to Cannobio (ferry to Luino) | 34 kms |
| Luino to Lugano | 46 kms |
| Lugano to Menaggio | 27 kms |
| Menaggio to Como | 34 kms |
| Como to Bellagio | 30 kms |
| Madonna di Ghisallo loop | 39 kms |
| Menaggio to end | 25 kms |
Options
The route includes two loops in the area of the Lago di Como - so there are plenty of options and variations.
The Lakes of Lombardia and Piemonte route offers an option for continuing on to the Lago d’Iseo and the Lago di Garda. You could also combine it with the Mountains of Lombardia route which would take you to the border with the Trentino and, if you still have time and energy, there’s my suggested Dolomites (West-East) route which takes you from the Brenta Dolomites to the Friuli Dolomites.
Connections
The route connects with the Swiss national cycling network near Lugano and with the Ticino cycleway at Sesto Calende, and the Sentiero Valtellina near Sorico.
When to go
Probably the ideal time to visit this area is in June and September outside the main tourist season when the lakeside roads should be quieter.
Downloads
Maps to print out or view offline
GPS files
More information
Places to stay
Transport and services
Articles in this series
- Tour of the western lakes: Overview
- Western Lakes – Part 1
- Western lakes – Part 2
- Western lakes – Part 3
- Western lakes – Part 4
- Western Lakes – Part 5
Get in touch
Please get in touch if you find any errors in the information, or if there’s anything, good or bad, that you’d want other cyclists to know.
Join the mailing list?
If you’ve found this site useful why not sign up to the mailing list for occasional updates about new routes.