If the Lake Como leg of Jet Set made you want to see the lake for yourself, this bookable week-long itinerary is your way in. It puts you in lakeside villas, among terraced gardens, and out on the water, then adds two more Italian lakes on either side. The link below opens the full trip, where you can change, edit, or lengthen any part of it.

Bellagio and a Lakeside Stay

Lake Como is a long, narrow lake in northern Italy, ringed by mountains and dotted with villages that sit right at the water’s edge. Your trip reaches it from Lake Maggiore, with a drive from Stresa to Como of about an hour and a half. You settle in at Villa Belvedere for two nights, a lakeside base from which the whole shoreline opens up.

Bellagio is the stop to build a day around. The village sits where the lake’s arms meet, and its stepped lanes, waterfront cafes, and boats coming and going make it a place to wander without a plan. Order a coffee, watch the ferries cross, and let the afternoon take its time. Come back at the end of the day and the light on the water is reason enough to linger.

Villas and Gardens

Lake Como is known for its villas, and the itinerary lets you walk inside their grounds. Villa del Balbianello is a two-hour visit, with gardens set on a wooded point that reaches into the lake. Walk the terraces and the views across the water do the rest. Villa Monastero pairs a historic villa with gardens along the shore, so the lake stays beside you as you stroll. The gardens of Villa Melzi in Bellagio add lakeside paths lined with flowers and trees, and they are an easy way to follow a morning in the village with a quiet walk.

Together, the three give you a different side of the lake each time: a point jutting into the water, a villa on the shore, and a garden in town. Few places let you spend so many unhurried hours among such well-kept grounds.

Two More Lakes

The trip does not stop at Como. On Lake Maggiore, you stay two nights at Regina Palace and spend a full day among the Borromean Islands. An eight-hour tour with skip-the-line tickets and boat transfers takes you to Isola Madre, Isola dei Pescatori, and Isola Bella, three islands that each feel different, from garden to fishing village to palace. You cross the water at your own pace, so you can linger wherever something catches your eye.

Lake Garda finishes the trip. You stay three nights at Grand Hotel Gardone, and a 25-minute boat ride takes you to the Sirmione Peninsula. There, Sirmione Castle rises from the water, and you can see Maria Callas’s villa, wander the Grotte di Catullo, and ease into the sulfurous springs of Sirmione or the Aquaria wellness center. It is a calm, restful way to close out a week of boats, villas, and gardens.

Open the trip below to see the full itinerary, then adjust the stops and extras to fit the way you want to travel.