Along the Via Spluga to Lake Como

Personal highlights: First day's circular walk, beautiful lunch spot at Surretensee. Also the walk over the border into Italy and the Cardinello gorge. Of course, Lake Como too which is lovely. The base of Lenno and the choice of hotel was perfect. Would definitely recommend Trattoria Santo Stefano in Lenno for dinner and the hotel restaurant.

On the walk, there had been a few landslides and loss of route, but generally there has been an alternative route set out either by whoever maintains the paths or other walkers. It just takes a little searching to find the alternative. Would definitely encourage use of walking poles as some of the descents are tough.

All four days were absolutely magnificent, totally different and we enjoyed it thoroughly. I couldn't recommend it more highly to anyone wanting to walk in the Alps. We didnt need our passports as the border was closed. We just waltzed on down the foot path.

We have travelled many times with Inntravel and I have to say that all of these holidays have more than met our expectations. Travelling to places off the beaten track is exciting and arriving somewhere new is always a fantastic experience. Our holiday along the Via Spluga was no exception - even though we had snow on our first day and rain the following two days! The views were exceptional and arriving in Chiavenna, which is such a lovely little place, made me smile. Our final days spent by Lake Como (in a lakeside room) did not disappoint and by this time the temperature was 27 degrees!

The walk was dramatic and challenging but extremely enjoyable in the lovely weather we had. We enjoyed some very good food particularly note worthy being Ristorante Al Cenacolo in Chiavenna, Tratorria Santo Stefano and Ristorante Plinio both in Lenno.

Every detail was thought about and we had a wonderful and stress free family holiday as a result 

This, our 17th holiday with Inntravel, was an exciting and varied journey. We enjoyed the contrast of the mountain and lakeside walks.  All the transport - rail, boat and taxi worked smoothly. The four places we stayed were all very different as were the hotels. 

Splügen is a lovely untouristy village with dark wooden houses and a rushing river. The Bodenhaus looked after us well with imaginative vegetarian cuisine. The walk onwards from here over the Splügen Pass and down the Cardinello Gorge is a real highlight. Because the first part of the route is currently closed due to a landslide, and we had already walked the diversion the previous day on the lakes walk, we got a taxi (there is also a bus) up to the Surettasee bus stop.

Staying in the Locanda del Cardinello in Isola is an experience. Martino entertained all the guests with an aperitivo and then dinner was served in the old dining rooms which date from 1722. 

We loved Chiavenna, which is a beautiful unspoilt town. The San Lorenzo Hotel is very conveniently placed to access the centro storico. Don’t miss the walk to the Palazzo Franchi which was one of the highlights of our trip. We had a really good pizza in L’Arca. You might want to consider adding an extra night in Chiavenna as we didn’t have time to do everything we wanted. 

Lenno was an attractive and quiet place to stay on Lake Como, and the San Giorgio Hotel is an historic gem (in a good way). We added an extra night here, which meant we were able to do all the walks. We enjoyed a couple of good meals at the Albergo Plinio by the lakeside.

The temperature varied from 6 to 30 degrees on our trip (in early July) so you need to think carefully about what you pack. 

This was our first trip with Inntravel and we had a fabulous time. The second day travelling over the Splugen pass and through the gorge was spectacular (even with the deviation due to recent landslips). The trip would have been even better had there been another day of this kind of walking. Nonetheless, all the other days were also excellent. Chiavenna was a delightful town, and we enjoyed a very good meal at Crotti Ombra. After disembarking the boat at Lake Como we were sad to have left the Alps behind but pleasantly surprised by the walk from Villa Carlotta to Lenno, in particular the pilgrim route up to the Santuario via the chapels. We would also recommend visiting the churches in Varenna and Bellagio. Food at Hotel Alte Alberge was delicious, and we had a pleasant evening of aperitivi and pizza at La Balbiana at the far end of the Lenno waterfront, and another good meal at Plinio in Lenno. We booked relatively last minute (only about a month ahead) and this wasn't our first choice of destination, but we were not at all disappointed with the trip and would highly recommend it. We really enjoyed the variety - every day was quite different - and the standard of accommodation was very high. Thanks for organising a fantastic trip.

Our highlight was walking down the Gardinello gorge - the walk from Splugen to Isola was the best day.
We also enjoyed our stay in Chiavenna - great food at the hotel but also at the Ristorante Crotto Ombra (perfect steak!). Good atmosphere at the Il Sorel bar.
Tips - soothing cream and antihistamines for insect bites - a risk on Lake Como.

Marmots!  Not much bird life but lots of marmots!

Beach/water shoes for Lenno - which we thought was the nicest place to stay on the Lake by far.  The villas are all worth visiting - especially for their shady gardens.  We had a really good English speaking guide at Villa Balbianello.  The views and garden at the San Georgio were unbeatable.

A mid-lake pass (€15) is well worth it if you are dodging around Lenno once you get to three trips or more as it avoids the queues.

Restaurants - the Albergo Lenno on the lakeside - was lovely.  We had two really lovely meals there.  The service and food in the San Georgio restuarant was a bit inconsistent. 

In Chiavenna - the Trattoria Mercato was great.  Reasonably priced, good quality, nice service and a lovely verandah/terrace.

This is an expensive holiday and people should be wary of how poorly the pound rests against the Swiss franc. Some of the walks are challenging which was fine for us as fit 50 somethings but might pose a problem for those who might struggle over uncertain terrain. The walk over the border was amazing. No passport was required as the border crossing appeared unattended. After the dam, the walk is awesome although you would do well to have a strong head for heights or a strong will. Worth it though.

We were happy with the Hotel San Giorgio as to the room and breakfast and general ambience. However, we felt that the dinner on offer was substantially below the quality available in other restaurants we tried.

Plinio was excellent just along the coast in Lenno. I would recommend that your visitors explore rather than eating in the hotel.

Walking the Via Spluga is an epic trip where you not only get a chance to walk through spectacular scenery, hike from one country into another but also walk in the footsteps of a wide range of historical figures; the Romans, Mozart, Einstein, Mary Shelley, Edith Wharton, Erasmus, Goethe and Turner amongst many others. It's a challenging walk but one where you are rewarded with many memorable views and where you learn a lot about European history.

Had another wonderful hike organized by Inntravel. Can't say enough good things about the customer service we received before and during our trip, especially around the handful of customizations and modifications we made both in advance and in real-time while we were out on the trail. I always feel like we're in good hands when we sign up for a walking holiday with this team! Bravo and thank you!!

As a keen amateur botanist, I loved the walks at higher altitude as the alpine flowers were magnificant!

A really good holiday and in an ideal world, I would have turned round and done the whole walk again - perhaps in the opposite direction! But whether one started again at the beginning or returned the way one had come the contrast in weather, terrain and stunning views one got between the Splugen Pass and Lake Como was just stunning. Having said that I wouldn't go to Lake Como for a holiday by itself (too many people like us already there), but as an end to a quite a tricky walk at times, it was superb.

The scenery and views along the Via Splüga were both stunning, but the wild flowers made it exceptional! June was such a wonderful time to walk this beautiful route and witness such floral delights!