Free Things to Do in Como, Italy

The official free route

The free route runs in through the Porta delle Virtù, along the right aisle with the altar of Sant'Abbondio and the Pala Raimondi, under the organ lofts, into the left aisle with the altars of the Deposition and St Joseph, and out through the Porta della Rana, the Frog Door. That is the printed line from the cathedral itself.

Prayer opening is weekdays 07:30-19:00. On Sundays and solemnities the church stays open until the end of the last celebration, about 20:00. Photography is allowed for personal use, never during Mass.

What does the $6.92 (€6) ticket buy, then? The transept, the choir and the sacristies. If those interest you, our Como Cathedral tickets page has the full price ladder and the slot rules. If not, the aisles alone give you the altars named above, at no cost.

Villa Olmo park

The villa building is currently closed for restoration, so plan for the park, not the interior. The Comune page says visits to the villa are free when it is open, access may be closed during exhibitions and events, and the grounds are partially accessible for reduced mobility. Park hours are not printed on the Comune page, which is an honest gap.

Our advice is to go in daylight and treat any closure sign at the gate as final.

The Chilometro della Conoscenza

From Villa Olmo the Chilometro della Conoscenza, the kilometre of knowledge, runs just over one kilometre along the shore joining the parks of Villa Olmo, Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota, marked with 13 numbered points of interest. The route's own page states neither an admission rule nor hours, so you follow each park's opening times: Villa Olmo's park is free, and the Comune prints no charge for Grumello's.

Villa del Grumello park hours

The Comune prints park hours for Grumello only for part of the year. The park is open April to October, Monday-Friday 9:00-17:00 and Sunday 9:00-18:00. Saturday is not listed on the Comune page, so a Saturday visit is a gamble, and our routing is to walk this stretch on a weekday or a Sunday.

Between the parks you see the lake and the villas from the outside without a ticket.

Basilica di Sant'Abbondio

Sant'Abbondio is the clearest case in the city. The basilica's own site states it is open every day 7:30-18:30 and prints no entry fee. Sunday Mass is at 16:30, and 20:30 in July and August.

It stands outside the old walled city, and the Sant'Abbondio page covers the visit.

Basilica di San Fedele

San Fedele is a negative finding, and an honest one. The parish site publishes Mass times only. It prints no visiting hours and no admission charge, so we can tell you it publishes no charge but not when to walk in.

Our advice is to check the parish's posted times at the door, or time your visit to a published Mass slot and sit quietly at the back.

Dress and courtesy

This is our advice, not an official rule. Both are active churches, so cover shoulders and knees, keep your voice down, and never take photos during a service. Leave any chapel reserved for prayer alone.

Piazza Cavour and the lakefront

The Comune calls Piazza Cavour the heart of the city. It is pedestrian, with flowerbeds, trees and benches facing the lake, and the green dragon drinking fountain, the fontanella del drago verde, dispensing fresh water. Bring a bottle and refill it. Bus stops, the Navigazione piers and Como Lago station are all close by.

From the square the lakefront promenade runs along the water, free and unbroken.

Casa del Fascio from the square

Giuseppe Terragni's Casa del Fascio can be seen from the square outside at no cost. The inside is a different matter. It is visited only on paid guided tours, at $17.31 (€15) per adult per the tour organiser Slow Lake Como, and access is limited to the atrium with ID submitted in advance.

Our Casa del Fascio page has the booking detail. For a free day, the façade from the square is your visit.

Cimitero Monumentale

The Monumental Cemetery was laid out from 1811 to 1826 on a neoclassical design by Biagio Magistretti, with the central chapel completed in 1845 by Luigi Tatti. The Comune calls it an open-air museum, and the reason is sculpture. Vincenzo Vela's bronze Ecce Homo stands over the Camozzi tomb, and the Pirovano and Stecchini chapels were designed by Terragni, the same architect as the Casa del Fascio.

It is partially accessible, and it is a place of burial first, so walk it with that respect.

Porta romana. The Roman gate was found in 1914 under the Liceo Volta, and the Comune states it is currently not open to the public. There is nothing to enter.

Museo delle Scienze Casartelli. Ordinary opening is suspended, with groups on request only.

Museo Archeologico Paolo Giovio. The exhibition halls are currently closed to the public for maintenance work, and the Comune gives no reopening date.

Broletto, San Pietro in Atrio and Spazio Ratti. These are exhibition spaces the Comune lends to third parties. They open only when an exhibition is on, and no standing admission rule is printed. Check what is showing before counting on them.

If you need an indoor paid option instead, our rainy day Como guide covers what is actually open.

The day works because the cathedral's prayer opening starts early, the Grumello park opens at 9:00 on weekdays and Sundays from April to October, and the cemetery closes last at 17:00 or 18:00 depending on season. Nothing below needs a ticket.