Bellagio & Varenna - Small Group Tour from Milan with Boat Cruise

Discover Lake Como’s beauty on a 10-hour guided tour from Milan. Enjoy a boat cruise, visit Bellagio & Varenna, and savor a lakeside lunch.

Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Como - Stroll through Como City with your guide. With a history that predates the Roman Empire, Como has been under the rule of various Italian, German, and Austrian emperors due to its strategic importance.

You’ll visit the Duomo of Como, the last Gothic cathedral built in Italy and the city’s most significant religious landmark.

Next, you’ll embark on a boat cruise starting from Como City.

  • Villa Olmo - Enjoy views of the Alps, film locations, and celebrity villas during the lake cruise.

The cruise begins in Como City, where you’ll first see Villa Olmo and Villa D’Este. Villa Olmo, built in the 18th century after Villa d’Este, features a neoclassical design. Its beauty is enhanced by extensive, symmetrical lakefront gardens, sculptures, fountains, and a vast English garden at the back.

  • Villa Erba - This renowned villa, used as a location for the movie ‘’Ocean’s 12’’ starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts, was originally constructed in the late 19th century by Luigi Erba, brother of the notable Italian businessman Carlo Erba, founder of the Erba pharmaceutical company, to showcase his grandeur.
  • Cernobbio - After Villa Olmo, you’ll pass by Cernobbio and Villa D’Este, a 15th-century villa initially known as Villa del Garovo. It is a Renaissance patrician residence with a park spanning approximately 100,000 square meters.

Villa D’Este was transformed into a luxury hotel for royalty in 1873 and retained its name due to its association with the famous Villa d’Este in Tivoli, Rome.

In 1925, the renowned director Alfred Hitchcock filmed ‘’The Pleasure Garden’’ here.

In June 2009, Forbes magazine named it the best hotel in the world.

  • Torno - Admire Torno, one of Lake Como’s most picturesque villages. It is home to Villa Pliniana, named after Pliny the Elder, who was originally from Como.

Pliny the Elder was a Roman author, naturalist, philosopher, and naval and army commander, and a close friend of Emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ‘’Naturalis Historia’’ (Natural History), which became a model for future encyclopedias.

  • Villa Carlotta - Located in Tremezzo on the left shore of Lake Como, Villa Carlotta is a significant villa and botanical garden. Today, it also serves as a museum, housing works by various sculptors. The villa was built in the late 17th century by Marquis Giorgio Clerici of Milan.
  • Villa del Balbianello - One of Lake Como’s most famous villas, Villa del Balbianello is also a notable film location, featured in movies like James Bond’s ‘’Casino Royale’’ and ‘’Star Wars.’’ The villa is renowned for its intricate terraced gardens.
  • Bellagio - Your boat cruise concludes in Bellagio, the gem of Lake Como. Here, you’ll explore the lake’s renowned “golden triangle,” famous for its stunning villas and picturesque villages.

Discover charming boutiques with local art and dine at a lakeside restaurant offering authentic Italian cuisine. Your guide will recommend a few excellent lake-view restaurants.

  • Varenna - After lunch in Bellagio, you’ll take a ferry to Varenna with your guide and explore this ancient village together.
What's Included
  • Priority skip-the-line access for boat cruise & guaranteed prebooked seats on the ferry to Bellagio
  • Professional local expert English-speaking guide
  • Ferry tickets from Bellagio to Varenna included
  • Lake Como boat cruise with guaranteed seats & reserved skip-the-line access
  • Train tickets (first class), ferry, subway & boat skip-the-line tickets included
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Drinks
Additional Information

Explore the most famous lake of Italy on an entertaining 10-hour guided tour in a very small group of max. 12 people. Avoid any tourist traps, crowds & queues on a well-planned trip with a professional local guide. Admire the Alps, film locations & celebrity villas during the lake boat cruise.

Firstly, you will meet your guide in Milan and take together an express train ride to Como.

Join a panoramic ferry cruise ride along the lake and immerse yourself in the lake’s famous “golden triangle” section and visit Bellagio & Varenna.

Enjoy pre-booked & guaranteed seats during the boat cruise along the lake with prioritary skip-the-line access to the ferry.

Enjoy a lunch in a lake-view restaurant in Bellagio that your guide will suggest to you.

Admire the majestic historical villas of Lake Como during this entertaining day trip.

Take the express train back to Milan with your guide. The tour will finish at approx. 18:45 in Milan.

  • All time for transportation (train, ferry, subway, etc) is already included in the tour duration.
  • The tour programme & schedule can change for operations reasons (eg train strike, bad weather, force majeure, technical issues of the boat, etc)
  • At the end of the tour the group will normally take the train from Varenna at 17:35, but if you wish you can stay in Varenna to spend more time there and take on of the next trains by yourself (we will provide the tickets - this must be comunicated at least 48h before the tour)
  • During the summer period, there is a small beach in Varenna if you want to swim a little
  • The tour is always confirmed in case of rain
  • Not suitable for travelers with mobility impairments
Location
La Mela Reintegrata
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(308 Ratings)
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Wander28299569175
Sep 7, 2024
we had a great time. a full day! - Everything’s was perfect!! Antonella our quite was friendly 👌👌 this excursion is the perfect opportunity to see both cities.. and the cruise from Como is 2 hours and has magical views ✨
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Keemic
Sep 7, 2024
Amazing excursion with fantastic guide - Exceptional from start to finish thanks to our guide Antonella. Amazing boat ride with great photo opportunities. Beautiful places to visit and fantastic advice from Antonella about where to go for an authentic experience. Would definitely recommend this excursion, well worth the money! A first class journey with a first class service. Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maysam887
Sep 5, 2024
One of the best tours ever! - The tour was absolutely amazing! Our tour guide Elma was lovely and very helpful, despite the crazy crowd she managed to find us amazing seats in the boat and guide us smoothly throughout the stunning places we visited. Seriously one of the best tours I have ever done!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guy_b
Sep 5, 2024
A relaxing and yet stimulating day out on the water - The organisation was excellent and our tour guide was highly knowledgeable. Really good group of only 12 and a nice mix of young and old from multiple countries. It was a great way to relax after days of very hot city walks and I thought represented great value for money.
Review provided by Viator
Nicolaou_g
Sep 5, 2024
Como Bellagio Varenna - Salvatore was a great guide his knowledge of the everything was amazing we learnt so much. He was so efficient in getting us from point to point always giving more advice in any questions we have we would highly recommend him to all
Review provided by Viator
Sarina_b
Sep 4, 2024
Lake Como tour - Great tour. We had a wonderful day and loved Lake Como. We had a great host who knew all the sights. Thanks Alessandro
Review provided by Viator
Indiac366
Sep 2, 2024
Must do trip! - We had an amazing day trip lead by our tour guide Claudia. From start to finish the trip was organised and enjoyable. The 1st class train tickets and skip the queue access to the ferry was 100% worth the extra money. Claudia kept us informed throughout the day and there was a nice amount of free time in each place we visited. Lunch reservations were booked for us, the food was lovely and views were amazing! The tour is a great way to see lake como if visiting from Milan and want to see the highlights in one day. Would 100% recommend this trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Louisianamomoffour
Sep 2, 2024
Don’t Miss This Tour of Lake Como!!! - Elma was a fantastic tour guide! Our family had a wonderful day!!! We felt so lucky to have such a great guide and beautiful day. We would highly recommend this tour! You will see so much and have such a fun day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Plina94
Sep 2, 2024
Fun day trip! - Mr. Salvatore was a great guide and made sure to connect with each participant. This was a fun day trip and it is worth having someone organize transportation for you. Just a heads up that you don’t get much time to explore the city of Como itself, but you have free time in the other locations.
Review provided by Viator
Meander18759181237
Sep 2, 2024
Amazing - Amazing trip with helpful guide Mr. Salvadore And everything was in time .. highly recommend.. Thanks alot for the day ..
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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1 Adult
September 2024
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