The first few kilometres of the legs at the southern end of the lake are relatively flat, but Lake Como becomes more mountainous as you head northwards into the Alps. Some of the nearby peaks go slightly above the tree-line so the views are really impressive. In the winter, there is skiing in the nearby valleys.

Lake Como is decidedly mountainous and rugged, far beyond being merely "hilly." Situated at the foot of the Rhaetian Alps in Northern Italy, the lake is Y-shaped and surrounded by steep, dramatic limestone and granite peaks that plunge directly into the deep blue water. While the towns themselves—like Bellagio, Varenna, and Menaggio—are built on the water's edge, they are characterized by steep, narrow cobblestone staircases (called montée) and vertical narrow streets. If you venture even a few blocks away from the shore, you are immediately faced with significant elevation changes. This vertical landscape is exactly what provides the breathtaking panoramic views the region is famous for, but it also means that walking between different sections of a village often requires a fair amount of physical exertion. Only the very northern tip of the lake, near Colico, flattens out slightly into a small plain.