Grand Lake Como: 5-hour private boat tour

Highlights

• Five hours on a private boat, without hurry
• One or more stops ashore, decided with the skipper
• An hour in Bellagio between waterfront and old village
• Villa del Balbianello: gardens, loggia and, if you wish, the interiors
• Villa Melzi and its gardens on the lake
• Isola Comacina, Villa Balbiano and Villa Oleandra from the water

About this tour

The boats for this tour

8.5-metre motorboat

Up to 7 guests Included

Twin engines, cream leather seating, wood and teak, a sun deck and a swim platform.

Venetian-style wooden boat

Up to 11 guests Included

The classic polished wooden boat, with a glazed cabin and sofas, for groups of up to 11.

What you'll see

1. Boarding

   You board at the jetty of the town you chose when booking. The skipper is waiting with the drinks on ice.

2. Como

   The first basin of the lake: the dome of the cathedral above the roofs, the lakefront and the funicular climbing to Brunate.

3. Villa Olmo

   A neoclassical villa at the end of the Como lakefront, built for Marquis Odescalchi and now owned by the city: from the water you see the long facade and the garden reaching the shore.

4. Villa d'Este

   The 16th-century residence of Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio, a hotel since 1873: from the lake you see the palace, the garden rising behind it and the floating pool.

5. Villa Oleandra, George Clooney's villa

   In Laglio we pass in front of Villa Oleandra, the lakeside home George Clooney bought in 2002. It is a private residence: you see it from the water, without stopping.

6. Nesso and its gorge

   On the opposite shore, the gorge where two streams fall into the lake and the small stone Civera bridge: the classic view is the one from the boat.

7. Villa Troubetzkoy

   In Blevio, the chalet-style villa built in the mid-19th century by an exiled Russian prince. Private, low on the shore, with wooden balconies.

8. Isola Comacina

   The only island of Lake Como, about 600 metres long: a medieval stronghold razed in 1169, today church ruins among olive trees.

9. Villa Balbiano

   In Ossuccio, a 17th-century villa enriched in the late 18th century by Cardinal Durini, with its Italian garden on the lake. It was the set of Aldo Gucci's home in "House of Gucci".

10. Villa del Balbianello

    On the tip of a wooded headland in Lenno, now owned by FAI: the three-arched loggia and terraced gardens you saw in "Casino Royale" and "Star Wars: Episode II".

11. Villa Melzi

    In Bellagio, the neoclassical villa built between 1808 and 1810 for Francesco Melzi d'Eril. The villa is private; the lakeside gardens can be visited from late March to the end of October.

12. Bellagio, 1-hour stop

    On the point where the lake divides into two branches, with the arcades on the waterfront and the stepped lanes of the old village. They call it "the pearl of the lake". An hour is enough for the arcades, the Serbelloni lane and the basilica of San Giacomo.

13. Return

    Back to the jetty you left from, at the planned time.

14. Rientro

    Si torna al pontile da cui sei partito, all'ora prevista.

Good to know

• The price is for the boat, not per person: up to 7 guests.
• The private villas (Villa Oleandra, Villa d'Este, Villa Balbiano, Villa Troubetzkoy) are admired from the water: there is no landing.
• The route may change with wind, waves and lake traffic: the skipper decides, for everyone's safety.
• Bring a light jacket even in summer: the air is cool when the boat is moving.
• Villa del Balbianello belongs to FAI: it is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays, booking is mandatory and the ticket is bought separately on the FAI website (in 2026 park 15 EUR, villa and park 25 EUR). From the water it can always be seen.
• The gardens of Villa Melzi are open from late March to the end of October (in 2026 the ticket is 10 EUR, at the gate).
• The lunch stop is at the lakeside restaurants along the route: lunch is not included.

Pickup

You board at the jetty of the town you choose when booking, in one of 19 lake towns: Como, Cernobbio, Moltrasio, Blevio, Laglio, Carate Urio, Torno, Faggeto Lario, Nesso, Brienno, Colonno, Argegno, Sala Comacina, Lenno, Tremezzo, Menaggio, Varenna, Bellagio or Lezzeno. Boarding is included in the price in every town, with no supplements. We confirm the exact spot and time after the booking: if you stay at a hotel with its own jetty, write it in the notes.

Frequently asked questions