If your travel agency is organizing a bus tour, shore excursion or large group visit to Como, you should be aware of the city’s new rules for guided groups.
Como’s Urban Police Regulation Article 27-bis of June 2025 limits the size of accompanied visitor groups in designated protected areas of the city. These rules should be considered before confirming your itinerary, transportation and local tour arrangements.
Como’s urban tour laws in Article 27-bis since 2025
To combat overtourism and clear up bottlenecks in the city’s busiest red zones (historic ZTL and tourist areas), the city has implemented the following restrictions for any groups led by tour guides and tour leaders (accompagnatori), or other group references:
1. Maximum group size: 25 people
You are no longer legally allowed to walk around the city center of Como in a massive group. Any organized tour group is strictly capped at a maximum of 25 people per guide or tour leader. Children under 2 years of ago do not count. Educational school trips are exempt.
2. No loudspeakers
To reduce noise pollution and respect local tranquility, the use of megaphones or portable amplifiers is forbidden. Guides and tour leaders must provide instructions using only their natural voices and quiet whisper-radio earpieces.
3. No obstructing passageways
As any professionally trained and licensed tour leader knows, groups are strictly prohibited from obstructing access to monuments, storefronts, and private residential entrances. You must keep the group moving fluidly and avoid crowding narrow medieval streets. Distance must be kept from other groups, etc.
500€ fines for tour groups more than 25 people
Standard buses typically hold 40 to 50 passengers. Under the 2025 regulations, your single tour leader cannot legally lead the entire group of tourists through Como at the same time. If authorities stop a group of 45 people following a single umbrella or flag, the tour leader and the agency face immediate fines up to €500 per violation by the local police, not to mention the embarrassment caused to your clients.
How to split your group
To stay compliant with Article 27-bis and provide a much better experience for your guests, agencies bringing large groups must divide their customers into two smaller groups of 25 people or fewer.
This means you will need an additional tour leader on the ground in Como.
While your main guide or tour leader takes the first half of the bus (Group A) for their walking tour, a second local tour leader must take the other half (Group B) on a slightly staggered route.
Need an additional tour leader in Como?
If your agency is arriving in Como with a large group and you need a reliable, professional, and locally-based tour leader speaking native English help split your group, I can help.
I have provide myself as a local tour leader in Como for multiple European and American tour agencies in this capacity, and I can help arrange other licensed local professionals, depending on your itinerary, language and service requirements.
By partnering with me through MyComoTours.com, you ensure that:
- Your group complies 100% with Como’s Article 27-bis regulations avoiding fines.
- Your guests are not just waiting around for their turn—they get immediate, professional attention.
- The walking tour remains engaging, safe, and easily manageable through Como’s beautiful but narrow streets.
Do not let the 2025 regulations catch your agency off guard. Plan ahead, split your large groups, and provide a premium, stress-free experience for your travelers.