Milan Tours in Fall

This trip exceeded my expectations, probably helped by the glorious week of autumn sunshine, showcasing the best of Lake Como. The hotel is excellent with very attentive staff and the location is stunning with glorious views from my bedroom balcony across the northern lake. Gravedonna is a laid back lake shore town with a more local vibe than some its more famous neighbours, like Bellagio and Varenna, so a superb base for Como exploration. Our guide (Kristians) was top-class, very caring and informative and a pleasure to travel with. The walks are very scenic with spectacular views across the Lake. The walking is possibly a little 'tame' for the trip grade, but hugely enjoyable all the same. The use of public transport is excellent and travelling by local buses and boats really added to the experience.

We were blessed with sunny weather and as it was towards the end of the main tourist season the roads. paths and ferries were not as busy. The walks were varied and as it was autumn the colours in the woods we walked through were stunning. We saw a lot of the local area from a variety of view points sometimes using a coach, bus or ferry to get to the starts of our walks. The leader Kristians Lunins was excellent, very professional. thorough, aware of the groups needs and responded to them. He kept us informed as to what was happening when and where, what we needed to take etc. Kristians was also great company. He made it be lovely memorable holiday to look back on in the winter months.

A fabulous holiday. The hotel overlooks mountains and the lake. Steep ascents and descents often on old mule tracks through ancient villages and forests give wonderful viewpoints to the lake below and the higher mountains above. Great use of buses and ferries to complete linear walks. The best leader I’ve ever had in over 20 walking holidays with 4 different companies.

We greatly enjoyed our Lake Como trip with Explore. The trip leader, Kris, did a great job of guiding us, making sure we were fully briefed, and ensuring the group were all managing well. Kris provided a lot of local history and color as part of the walks. He was knowledgable and communicated very well. The hotel, The Regina, is very well situated on the shore of the lake, and affords some amazing vistas. The staff were friendly and helpful. The food was okay but not fine dining. The rooms were comfortable but lean towards spartan. The trip is rated level 3. Perhaps two of the walks were level 3; the others were level 2. The walks blend time on trails and paths with time on roads going past homes and through small towns. All the walks include lovely views of Lake Como and the surrounding Southern Alps. You will need to count on time waiting for public busses as you go to and sometimes return from daily outings. It's good to have a lower impact on the environment but can be tedious and requires careful timing to ensure busses are not missed. Overall, this was an enjoyable hiking / walking trip with great scenery and expert guidance.

Wonderful trip. Very fast paced. Jacopo our tour manager was fantastic. Only downside was our final dinner as a group. Held in a hotel conference room with no windows, bright lights and not so great hotel food.

Peppe was an excellent guide adapting each walk according to the weather. The hotel was in a stunning location with fabulous views over the lake. The picnic stops with amazing views were the highlights along with the ferry trip and walk in Bellagio.