Milan and Lake Como Hiking Area
From the shores of Lake Como to the glaciers of the Bernina, all within reach of Milan
If you like hiking and you are in Milan, you can’t miss the mountains nearby. Lake Como and the Alps are super near and it would be a pity to miss them. Just a few hours north of Milan, the landscape changes from the shores of Lake Como with its elegant villas to the high-mountain valleys of Valtellina and the Engadine. The Milan Alps hiking area begins on Lake Como, where paths lead from the lakeside villages up to summits overlooking the water. It continues into Valtellina, known for its terraced vineyards and for side valleys like Val Masino and Valmalenco, ideal for hut-to-hut treks. Less known but well worth a visit is Valchiavenna, just north of the lake, the valley that leads towards the Splügen and Maloja passes. Here you can hike in quiet side valleys such as Val Codera, whose villages can still only be reached on foot. The Milan Hike Hiking area ends in the Engadine, the high valley of Switzerland’s Graubünden, famous for the lakes of Sils, Silvaplana and St. Moritz, its larch forests and the Bernina massif. Thanks to good train connections from Milan, this is also one of the best areas in the Alps to reach without a car. Enjoy the nature near Milan hiking around is possible all year round!In Lake como, the best knownroutes are the Greenway on the western shore and the Sentiero del Viandante on the eastern shore. For a more alpine experience, the Grigna, a limestone massif over 2,400 m, rises above the eastern shore with views across the Po plain to Monte Rosa.
Features Milan Alps Region
Near Place to visit and Special Features
Bellagio and Lake Como Villas
Bernina Express and Swiss Alps
Milano City Center - Duomo
Geography of Alps near Milan
The area covers three distinct landscapes:
- Lake Como
- Valtellina
- Engandina(Swiss Alps)
Around Lake Como, the trails are less wild than in the rest of the area: they mostly follow old mule tracks between villages, terraced gardens and olive groves, with views over the lake for most of the way.
North of the lake, Valtellina runs east to west for over 100 km along the Adda river. Its south-facing slopes are covered in terraced vineyards, while side valleys lead to high mountain environments. These include Val Masino and Val di Mello, granite valleys often called the “Italian Yosemite”, where the Sentiero Roma crosses from hut to hut. They also include Valmalenco, at the foot of Piz Bernina, the only 4,000 m peak in the Eastern Alps. At the eastern end, Bormio is the gateway to the Stelvio National Park. Together with nearby Livigno, it hosted several events of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, including men’s alpine skiing on the Stelvio slope.
On the way to the Engadina from Chiavenna, Val Bregaglia climbs towards the Maloja Pass. It is an Italian-speaking valley on the Swiss side, with stone villages such as Soglio and granite peaks like Piz Badile (3,308 m) and Piz Cengalo (3,369 m), whose north faces are among the classic climbs of the Alps.
Alps near Milan and Lake Como Wildlife
The Stelvio National Park and the Swiss National Park together form one of the largest protected areas in the Alps. Red deer are especially abundant here, and in autumn the rutting season fills the valleys with their calls. Ibex are easy to spot around Pontresina and in the high Valtellina, along with chamois and marmots. The bearded vulture, reintroduced in the Swiss National Park, now flies again over these mountains alongside golden eagles. The forests also change as you move north. Chestnut and beech woods around the lake give way to larch and Swiss stone pine in the Engadine, which turn golden in October. This makes autumn one of the best seasons to hike here.
Accommodation in Lake Como and Milan Alps
The area offers a wide choice of accommodation for every style of trip. On Lake Como you can sleep in family-run B&Bs or historic lakeside hotels, often with a view over the water. Valtellina has a dense network of mountain huts run by the Italian Alpine Club (CAI) and private owners. Most huts serve traditional Valtellina dishes such as pizzoccheri, bresaola and Bitto cheese, along with local wines like Sforzato. In the Engadine, the Swiss Alpine Club huts are comfortable and very well run, often in spectacular positions at the foot of glaciers. In the valley you will find charming guesthouses in traditional Romansh villages, as well as some of the most famous luxury hotels in the Alps. Note that prices in Switzerland are higher and the currency is the Swiss franc. Bring a valid ID card or passport to cross the border.