Brunate Funicular
The Brunate Funicular departs from a lakeside square in Como and delivers you, seven minutes later, to a village sitting 692 metres above sea level — nearly 500 metres of altitude gained on a single track that tilts at an average gradient of 51.5%. The cars are long, air-conditioned, panelled in the rounded Liberty style, and on a clear day the view opening above the treeline reaches Monte Rosa and, further still, the Milan skyline. Brunate itself was long a retreat for noble families from Como and Milan; the Art Nouveau villas along its lanes still carry that unhurried register.
The ride begins inside a gallery cut into the hillside before the track breaks into open air and the lake spreads below you. It is a short journey, but the change in atmosphere between the city piazza and the quiet hilltop is pronounced.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who return tend to time it carefully: a weekday morning, or any evening when the service runs until midnight and the lake lights are on. The round-trip ticket is €5.70. From Brunate, a walk to the Voltiano Lighthouse — built in 1927 as a memorial to Alessandro Volta — takes about half an hour on foot and earns a wider panorama than the village square alone.
The story behind Brunate Funicular
The Società Anonima per la Funicolare Como-Brunate was formally constituted on 3 November 1891, with capital of 350,000 lire. Construction began on 4 January 1893 under the direction of the engineer brothers Villoresi, whose design had been approved by the company board the previous September. The line opened in 1894, running on steam power, and was converted to electric traction in 1911.
The Liberty-style station building at Brunate dates from 1906. The cars were refurbished in 1934–35 and again in 1951, when new carriages were introduced. In 1981 ownership passed from the original private company to the Lombardy regional government, and since 2005 day-to-day operation has been managed by Azienda Trasporti Milanesi on behalf of the Consorzio Mobilità Funicolare & Bus.
Good to know
The funicular runs daily from 6:00 am to 10:30 pm (midnight on Saturdays and in summer). Peak summer waits can exceed an hour; early mornings or weekday afternoons are considerably calmer. Piazza Alcide De Gasperi, where you board, is a five-minute walk from Como Lago station. Tickets are sold on-site.
Spring (April to June) and early autumn (September to October) offer the clearest long-distance views and the most comfortable temperatures, typically between 12°C and 24°C. July and August are warm — highs around 26°C — but also the busiest months; winter ascents are quieter, though January mornings can sit just below freezing at the top.
Where is Brunate Funicular?
Location
- In Como
- 45.8136, 9.0889
- Open in Google Maps
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