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This private tour brings together the lake’s three big names in one day: Villa del Balbianello, Bellagio & Varenna.
Morning begins on Como’s lakefront, then leaves the busy shore road for the hills and the Ghisallo pass, where a small chapel to the patron saint of cyclists, hung with the bikes of Italian champions, looks straight down on the water. From there the road winds down to Bellagio, set on the point where the lake splits in two, with free time to climb its stepped lanes, browse the silk shops and stop for a coffee on the lakefront. Take ferry for the crossing to Varenna, a fishing village of coloured houses and a lakeside promenade.
The star of the day Villa del Balbianello comes last, this lakeside villa where Anakin & Padmé married in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones & where James Bond recovered in Casino Royale. Reach the villa by boat from Lenno, then explore the terraced gardens and the famous loggia, with the lake on three sides and the late-afternoon sun on the water.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
We will pick you up at the arrival hall. Please inform your reception desk about the same, so when our driver comes at the reception desk they can guide to meet you.
Itinerary
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1Milan
Most day trips to Lake Como go there and back the same way. This one is a loop. Your private driver picks you up at your Milan hotel and takes you around the lake's three most famous villages without repeating a single road.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Como
Walk through the old town to Como Cathedral and Piazza Cavour on the lakefront, the heart of the city that made silk for Europe's fashion houses. Then ride the Brunate funicular, opened in 1894, up to the village of Brunate for a view across Como, the lake and, on a clear day, the Alps.
2 hours • Admission ticket free -
3
Leave the lakeshore and climb through the green hills of the Larian Triangle, the wedge of land between the lake's two southern branches. Stop at the tiny chapel of the patron saint of cyclists, filled with the bikes and jerseys of Italian racing champions. From the terrace, look down on the lake and the Bellagio point.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
4Bellagio
Drive down to Bellagio, often called the pearl of Lake Como. Climb its stepped lanes, browse silk and leather shops, and have lunch by the water. Local favourites are risotto with lake perch and missoltini, sun-dried lake fish. If you like, walk to the gardens of Villa Melzi or the fishing hamlet of Pescallo. Lunch and Villa Melzi entry at your own expense.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Varenna
Drive onto the car ferry with your driver and cross the widest part of the lake. Stand on deck for views of Bellagio behind you and Varenna's coloured houses ahead. Follow the old mule path down to Varenna (about 20 minutes, downhill and stepped), or ride down with your driver. Stroll the lakeside Passeggiata degli Innamorati, see the gardens of Villa Monastero, and enjoy a gelato or an aperitivo on the water. Your driver takes you up to the hamlet of Vezio, above Varenna. Explore the medieval watchtower and its gardens, with views over both shores of the lake. Falconry displays take place on some afternoons.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
6Villa del Balbianello
Your driver drops you at the Lido di Lenno, where you can take a taxi boat to Villa del Balbianello and explore the terraced gardens and the loggia at your own pace.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket not included -
7Milan
Head home along the eastern shore, past Fiumelatte, a river only 250 metres long that Leonardo da Vinci wrote about, and arrive back in Milan in the evening.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Villa del Balbianello is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays and Many dates during November to February. We can have alternate route via Brunate funicular and Castello di Vezio
Additional info
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Villa del Balbianello is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays and Many dates during November to February. We can have alternate route via Brunate funicular and Castello di Vezio
- Child seats available on request; please state children's ages when booking
- Cars can't reach Villa del Balbianello. Your driver drops you in Lenno and take a taxi boat (at your own expenses) to the villa in a few minutes.
- Wear comfortable shoes: Bellagio, Varenna and the villa gardens have steps and steep lanes.
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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