Indoor Things to Do in Como: Museums, Cafés and a Hands-On Class
Como is more than its waterfront and its boats. When the sun beats down in the early afternoon in summer, or when the lake turns grey and quiet in the off-season, the city hands you a small handful of indoor places to slow down in. This isn’t a wet-weather plan B — for that we have our rainy day in Como guide — but a set of under-cover experiences worth seeking out for their own sake: the Tempio Voltiano, the Silk Museum, the interior of the Cathedral, the historic cafés under the arcades, and, to close the day, a hands-on cooking class of about three hours that is naturally indoors. Here is how to fill a hot afternoon or a shoulder-season day without ever standing in the sun.
Why head indoors: summer heat and winter quiet
In Como, finding the cool is a practical matter. From late July through August the early-afternoon sun bounces off the lake and the stone walls, and between roughly 1pm and 4pm the lakefront promenade turns hard work — exactly the moment to slip into an air-conditioned museum or under the arcades. In the off-season the logic flips but the outcome is the same: with the lake wrapped in haze and the terraces shuttered, the life of the town moves inside, among exhibition rooms, churches and bars where people warm up over a coffee. Either way, heading indoors isn’t a compromise — it’s a different, and often more intimate, way to get to know Como.
If you’re planning a broader visit, it’s worth reading our general guide to things to do in Como too: think of this page as its “under cover” chapter, written for the hours when being outside isn’t the best idea.
The Tempio Voltiano: Como and the invention of the battery
Few people realise that the word “volt” was born here. Alessandro Volta, a son of Como, invented the electric battery, and the city dedicated the Tempio Voltiano to him — a small neoclassical museum facing the lake, a few minutes from the centre. Inside you’ll find original instruments, reconstructions of his experiments and a hushed atmosphere that makes it a perfect cool hour out of the heat. It’s a compact place — you don’t need a whole day — but it tells a story that changed the world, in the understated way that suits Como. For opening hours and tickets, always check the current official information before you go.
The Silk Museum: the craft that built the city
For more than a century Como was the European capital of silk, and the Silk Museum tells that craft through looms, twisting machines, prints and sample books that walk you through every stage, from cocoon to printed cloth. It’s a visit that explains where the scarves and ties that still carry Como’s name come from, and why the city is dotted with fabric boutiques. For those who want to go deeper, we’ve given a whole article to the silk history of Como: the museum is the best way to see it in the flesh, safely out of the heat or the grey.
Inside the Cathedral, and the cafés under the arcades
Como’s Cathedral is one of the most surprising churches in Lombardy, and its interior is a breath of cool air in the most literal sense: tall, dim, hung with tapestries and crowned by a dome that rewards a look upward. Stepping in takes only a few minutes but pays off, especially in the hot hours. Do remember to dress respectfully, as in any place of worship.
Out of the Cathedral, the old town is dotted with historic cafés and pastry shops under the arcades, where locals stop for a coffee, a brioche or a gelato. We won’t name names or quote hours — those change — but the area around Piazza Duomo and the pedestrian streets is the right place to sit in the cool, watch the world go by and take a break. It’s also the perfect prelude to aperitivo, as the afternoon tips into evening.
Key takeaways
- Head indoors on hot summer afternoons and on quiet off-season days: it’s not a fallback, it’s a more intimate way to see Como.
- The Tempio Voltiano tells the story of Volta and the battery in about an hour; the Silk Museum explains the craft that made the city famous.
- The Cathedral interior is tall, cool and free to visit; the cafés under the arcades are the perfect pause.
- A cooking class of about 3 hours is the indoor activity par excellence: it all happens at the table, sheltered from the weather.
- Different from the wet-weather plan: for that, see the rainy day guide.
The ultimate indoor experience: at the stove with us
If you want an activity that is naturally under cover from start to finish, a cooking class is the answer. With us you roll pasta by hand for about three hours in a cool kitchen a few steps from the centre: no sun on your head, no weather to keep checking. You knead, roll out the sheet of dough, and learn to build your own spritz — Aperol or Campari — to drink as your aperitivo, before finishing with gelato finished with a few drops of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP. Your guide is our resident chef, trained at the Accademia della Sfoglia of Rina Poletti. It’s the perfect complement to both hot summer afternoons and short winter days — and if you’re travelling in the cold months, take a look at our ideas for things to do in Como in winter too. Whenever you’re ready, you can book a place in a couple of minutes.
A cool afternoon, an evening at the stove
€150 per person, ~3 hours, groups of up to 12. Hand-rolled pasta, a spritz lesson and gelato with balsamic DOP — all indoors, a few steps from the centre of Como.
Book a class Back to Journal