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Swiss Alps to Lake Como: Along the Via Spluga

From the Swiss Alps to the heart of the Italian Lakes
Alpine scenery | Glorious mountain lakes and passes.
Chiavenna | A delightful town with a wealth of historic interest.
The variety | From untamed natural beauty to stately homes with rose gardens.
Crossing borders | Your walk from Switzerland to Italy is a real highlight.
Lake Como | Finish right by the sapphire waters of this famous lake.
What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 2 dinners
    3 picnics
    7 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes
  • GPS navigation
  • transfer on day 5
  • entrance to selected places of interest
  • Swiss Alps to Lake Como: Along the Via Spluga
    From the Swiss Alps to the heart of the Italian Lakes
  • Explore Bellagio, the 'Pearl of Lake Como'
  • Walk through meadows and past mountain villages
  • Pause to enjoy the scenery
  • Splügen
  • En route to Isola
  • Path around Splügen
  • The Via Spluga
  • Relax by the pool of your hotel beside Lake Como
  • Village around Lake Como
  • Varenna, Lake Como
What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 2 dinners
    3 picnics
    7 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes
  • GPS navigation
  • transfer on day 5
  • entrance to selected places of interest

Holiday information

A walking holiday along the Via Spluga

Follow the Via Spluga, an ancient and modern-day trading route, from Switzerland into Italy. You walk self-guided through the mountains, past lakes, while your luggage is transported from one hotel to the next, finishing right by the shores of Lake Como.
The sapphire waters and sylvan shores of wish-bone-shaped Lake Como have sparked many a romantic reverie, ever since the time of Pliny during the Roman Empire. They have lured numerous famous visitors over the centuries – from Queen Victoria to modern-day Hollywood stars – and inspired countless works of art – including the verses of Wordsworth and Longfellow, and the operas of Verdi, Rossini and Bellini – and remain as intoxicating a target now as ever before.

But don’t simply make a beeline for the lake: instead, embark on an adventure by following the historic Via Spluga from the Swiss Alps and over the Splügen Pass, and into Italy. Still a trading route to this day, the Via Spluga has formed the main link between Graubünden, Switzerland’s largest canton, and the Italian town of Chiavenna for up to 2,000 years, enabling the transfer of people, goods and ideas from places as far afield as Munich and Milan, and linking the two mighty valleys of the Rhine and the Po.

This ancient mule-track is not only awash with natural beauty, traversing spectacular gorges and passing bijou lakes, but is also packed with historical interest, and we include vouchers for entry to many places en route, including the Via Spluga Museum in the small town of Campodolcino and Palazzo Vertemate Franchi which can be visited on our walk from Chiavenna, all of which provides a wonderful build-up to a memorable final two days by the shores of Lake Como itself.


Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.

    In the mountains, temperatures will be lower than those on the shores of Lake Como shown above. The best time for flowers is June.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 5 7 11 15 19 23 26 25 22 16 10 6
    mm 72 71 98 124 158 135 108 137 122 135 120 63
  • Arrival in Splügen
    Night 1: at Hotel Bodenhaus (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of walking.
  • Circular walk from Splügen: 13km, 5hrs; ascent/descent 840m
    Make the most of your time in these beautiful surroundings by following our much-praised walking circuit across the flanks of the Rhäzünscher Alps. The path soon enters a valley which you follow to the high plateau and a string of bijou lakes at Suretta, above the treeline, and surrounded by an imposing cirque of mountains. Enjoy the peace and quiet tranquillity and admire the peaks of the Seehorn and Suretthorn reflected in the tranquil waters of the lakes. You descend to the Franzisch Grind viewpoint before entering deep forests to return to the village via Fugschtwald. You can also shorten the route by 4km at the end by taking a bus (pay locally).
    Circular walk from Splügen: 13km
    Lake at Suretta
  • Splügen to Isola: 17.5km, 6.5hrs; ascent 730m/descent 930m
    Today’s walk is an undoubted highlight: you veer south along a quieter and even more dramatic valley to follow an ancient cobbled trail via a sublime pass, over the border into Italy. Stop for some timely refreshment in one of Montespluga’s two restaurants before skirting the crystal-clear waters of its eponymous lake and passing through the breathtaking Cardinello Gorge. You finish with a descent into Isola, where you stay at the Locanda del Cardinello. Those with no head for heights can skip the gorge and take a bus from Montespluga (pay locally).
    Splügen to Isola: 17.5km
    Glorious views on the route from Splügen to Isola
  • Isola to Chiavenna: 19.5km, 6.5hrs; ascent 240m/descent 1330m
    This is a lengthy valley walk, but one that brings a sense of satisfaction as you reach the end of the Via Spluga. In Campodolcino you can visit the museum devoted to this historic trading route, the people who traversed it, and the villagers who lived in the settlements along it. You then descend steadily, following the River Liro as it flows south towards the delightful town of Chiavenna, where you spend two nights at the Hotel Conradi or Villa Giade. (For a shorter day, you can catch the bus to Campodolcino and start from there.)
    Isola to Chiavenna: 19.5km
    Valley walk from Isola to Chiavenna
  • Circular walk from Chiavenna: 11.5km, 4.5hrs; ascent/descent 640m
    After two epic mountain walks, today comes as a welcome change of pace. Take time to explore delightful Chiavenna before walking to the split-level Acquafraggia waterfalls, calling en route at the Palazzo Vertemate Franchi, a splendid 16th-century stately home with beautiful rose gardens.
    Circular walk from Chiavenna: 11.5km
    Traditional villages
  • Chiavenna to Gravedona: 14km, 4.5hrs; ascent/descent 315m
    After a transfer towards Lake Como, you follow quiet paths alongside a river through a nature reserve to the northernmost shores of the lake, before rising into the foothills and crossing panoramic slopes, where views stretch across upper Como to the impressive peaks which frame it. You wander through ancient settlements and then make an easy descent on cobbled lanes and paths to reach lakefront Domaso, from where a promenade continues into Gravedona. Your destination is the Hotel Tullio.
    Chiavenna to Gravedona: 14km
    Cobbled trails above the lake
  • Explore Gravedona & surrounding area
    Gravedona is charming and relaxed, with a historic centre and elegant promenade. You might like simply to potter around the town, but there are further walking options if you prefer, which can be accessed using the local network of boats and/or buses (pay locally in all cases).

    Linear walk from Bellano to Varenna: 7.5km, 3hrs; ascent/descent 400m
    This walk offers the opportunity to explore the beautiful lakeside villages of Bellano and Varenna on the opposite side of the lake and to explore the Orrido Gorge at Bellano. Strolling along the balcony path between the two villages affords spectacular panoramas of Lake Como and the surrounding area.

    Linear walk from Lenno to Villa Carlotta: 10km, 3.5hrs; ascent/descent 325m
    Alternatively, on the western shore of the lake, a delightful walking trail leads from Lenno to Villa Carlotta, an imposing 17th-century mansion boasting enchanting gardens and a much-admired art collection.

    A stroll around Bellagio: 6km, 2hrs
    A third option is to take a boat to Bellagio and use our notes to guide you round this lovely town, known as the ‘Pearl of Lake Como’. While in Bellagio, we highly recommend a visit to nearby Villa Melzi, whose magnificent gardens are not to be missed.
    Bellagio
    Villa Carlotta
    Linear walk from Bellano to Varenna: 7.5km
    Linear walk from Lenno to Villa Carlotta: 10km

Accommodation

We have chosen accommodation on or close to the Via Spluga, followed by a hotel right on the shores of Lake Como.

In some places, we work with more than one hotel, as shown below. All are hand-picked by us and, unless there is a price implication (in which case we will contact you to discuss your options), we will tell you which one we have booked for you on your booking confirmation.
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 7 nights: 12 June 2026 - 04 October 2026

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price *
    1 - 27 Sep 2026 From £1626

    * Final price is subject to change due to the customisable nature of our holidays and is dependent on accommodation availability for the dates selected. We will contact you to confirm the final price. Single supplements are applicable on many of our holidays. Please contact us for full details.

    Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    If you would prefer to drive from the UK, please contact us for self-drive prices.

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Zürich on the outward journey, Milan or Bergamo on the homeward journey
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend Zürich or Milan Malpensa. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Zurich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Aberdeen - Zurich (via Paris) Air France 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Malpensa - Aberdeen (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Zurich Swiss 
    Birmingham - Zurich (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Malpensa - Birmingham (via Zurich) Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Zurich Swiss 
    Bristol - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Bergamo - Bristol Ryanair 
    Milan Malpensa - Bristol easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Zurich Swiss 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Bergamo - Edinburgh Ryanair 
    Milan Malpensa - Edinburgh easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Malpensa - Leeds Bradford (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Zurich British Airways,  Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Zurich easyJet,  Swiss 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Milan Bergamo - Gatwick easyJet 
    Milan Linate - Gatwick easyJet 
    Milan Malpensa - Gatwick easyJet,  Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Zurich British Airways,  Swiss 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Linate - Heathrow Alitalia,  British Airways 
    Milan Malpensa - Heathrow British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Zurich easyJet,  Vueling 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Malpensa - Luton easyJet 
    Milan Malpensa - Luton Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Zurich Lufthansa,  Swiss 
    Manchester - Zurich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Zurich (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Bergamo - Manchester Ryanair 
    Milan Malpensa - Manchester easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Zurich (via Paris CDG) Air France 
    Return route Airline
    Milan Malpensa - Newcastle (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Norwich - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend Zürich or Milan Malpensa. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Unless otherwise stated, connecting travel by rail or bus tends to be from the city centre station, rather than from its airport, and connections between the two should be paid for locally.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Milan Bergamo

    Outward route
    not recommended in this direction TBA
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Colico (0h30), rail Colico to Bergamo station (1h40) TBA 1330

    Connecting travel options - flying via Milan Linate

    Outward route
    not recommended in this direction TBA
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Colico (0h30), rail Colico to Milan Centrale (1h25) TBA 1500

    Connecting travel options - flying via Milan Malpensa

    Outward route
    not recommended in this direction TBA
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Colico (0h30), rail Colico to Milan Centrale (1h25) TBA 1500

    Connecting travel options - flying via Zürich

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Zürich airport to Thusis (2h50), taxi Thusis to hotel (0h30) TBA 1600
    Homeward route
    not recommended in this direction TBA
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

Please note: any reference to maps in customer reviews is now out of date – we no longer provide these. For information on this, please see our FAQs page.


 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • Yes, prior to going on holiday you will be able to download GPX tracks so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you use them – our detailed, step-by-step route notes remain the principal means of guiding you from A to B – but we provide them as a secondary means of navigation for additional reassurance when walking.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact us to discuss your plans.
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Italy, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The principal official language is Italian, though some regions have a second official language, such as South Tyrol, where German is widely spoken. The currency is the Euro. Italian time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
  • You are the best judge of your child’s/children’s capabilities. We are happy to take bookings for families of older children/teenagers if they walk regularly, love the outdoors and are comfortable with the distances and ascent/descent involved. Please note that the bedrooms at most of the accommodation we use will normally only sleep a maximum of 3 people, and sometimes only 2.
Swiss Alps to Lake Como: Along the Via Spluga
7 nights
Swiss Alps to Lake Como: Along the Via Spluga
7 nights
Hotel-to-hotel walking
Grade: Moderate-to-challenging
Last fetch time is : 9/21/2026 10:36:00 AM

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