1 hour
Como villas cruise
The first basin in front of Como and Cernobbio: Villa Olmo, Villa Erba, Villa Pizzo and the Blevio shoreline.
Como · Villa Olmo · Blevio · Cernobbio
Details
Private skippered guide
Varenna by boat: the coloured village on the eastern shore
Varenna faces west, which makes it the best sunset stop on Lake Como. Seen from the water its ochre and rose houses stack straight out of the lake, with the Castello di Vezio watching from the ridge above.
The approach to Varenna is one of the finest on the lake: the fishermen's harbour of Riva Grande, the lakeside walkway pinned to the rock, and the gardens of Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi running down to the water. Because the village has almost no road frontage, the view from a boat is the view Varenna was built for.
Varenna is also the natural counterpart to Bellagio — the crossing takes only a few minutes — so a two hour cruise can take in both shores. In late afternoon we usually finish here, with a glass in hand while the light turns the façades copper.
Varenna
What you see from the boat
Riva Grande
The old fishermen's beach with boats pulled up between the coloured houses.
Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi
Two botanical gardens that step down to the lake in terraces.
Castello di Vezio
The medieval tower above the village, framed by olive terraces.
Fiumelatte
Italy's shortest river, a white streak down the cliff just south of the village.
Info
Planning your Varenna cruise
- How long to allow
- Two hours from Bellagio or Menaggio; three hours if you start from Como.
- Best time of day
- Sunset. Varenna faces the setting sun and the whole shoreline glows.
- Where we board
- Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, Como, Cernobbio or your own jetty.
Tours
Cruises and tours
From a one-hour sunset aperitif to a half-day tour of Bellagio and Varenna, every itinerary is private and built around you.
2 hours
Villas & gardens tour
From Como towards Torno, Laglio and Nesso, past period mansions, stone boathouses and gardens running into the water.
Como · Torno · Laglio · Nesso
Details
3 hours
Bellagio & Comacina Island
The heart of the lake: the tip of Bellagio, Villa del Balbianello and the Lario's only island, with time ashore.
Bellagio · Balbianello · Comacina Island
DetailsDestinations
Boat tour guides, place by place
Detailed guides to the places we reach on board: what you see from the water, the best light, and how long to allow.
Bellagio
Bellagio sits on the tip that splits Lake Como in two. Approaching it in a classic mahogany taxi is the way the village was meant …
Read the guideVilla del Balbianello
Villa del Balbianello stands on a narrow wooded spit near Lenno, and its famous double loggia only reveals itself from the water. …
Read the guideComo
Como is where most cruises begin. Leaving the city basin in a mahogany taxi, the shoreline turns into a sequence of villas, cypres…
Read the guideSee Varenna at golden hour
Send us your dates and we'll time the cruise so you reach Varenna with the best light.