Lake Como by kayak

You’ll meet your guide, Michele, at the jetty in the pretty village on the shores of Pescallo Bay. Born and raised by Lake Como, Michele can offer you the insights that only come from a lifetime of exploration. He’s also happy to suggest places to see and eat while you’re visiting.

He’ll begin with a safety briefing, before you climb into your open-deck kayak and paddle out onto the serene waters of the lake.

Circumnavigating the Bellagio Peninsula, which splits the lower end of the lake in two, you can admire the views over the north leg of the lake and the rising Alps in the distance.

At the very tip of the peninsula, you’ll find Punta Spartivento, a well-manicured park that’s popular with visitors because it offers a photogenic vantage point down all three legs of the lake. From your position on the water, you’ll get to enjoy the same sweeping views, as well as a look back at the park and the peninsula.

You’ll also pass the Villa Serbelloni, a grand neoclassical hotel surrounded by formal gardens that enjoys pride of place on the headland. Michele can tell you some of the history of the property, which opened in 1873 and has hosted such luminaries as Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, the Rothschilds, John F. Kennedy, Clark Gable, Robert Mitchum and Al Pacino.

Before you head back to the jetty, you’ll enjoy a relaxing drink in the kayak.