Private skippered guide
Villa del Balbianello stands on a narrow wooded spit near Lenno, and its famous double loggia only reveals itself from the water. Arriving by vintage wooden boat is the classic approach — and the only one that gives you the whole façade at once.
The villa was built as a Franciscan monastery, then rebuilt as a private retreat; explorer Guido Monzino left it to the Italian environmental trust, which opens the gardens and rooms to visitors. Film fans know the loggia from Star Wars and James Bond, and it is one of the most requested photo stops on the lake.
From the boat we round the Lavedo peninsula slowly, passing the boathouse, the stone stairway and the ancient church of San Giovanni, then hold off the loggia for photographs. If you want to visit inside, we time the cruise around opening hours and can land you at the villa's own jetty.
Villa del Balbianello
The arched belvedere on the point, visible only from the lake.
A ribbon of cypress and holm oak reaching out into the water.
The lake's only island, five minutes away, with its ruins and single restaurant.
A sheltered stretch of water the colour of green glass.
Info
Tours
From a one-hour villas cruise to Bellagio, Varenna and a full Grand Tour, every itinerary is private and built around you.
1 hour
The first basin in front of Como and Cernobbio: Villa Olmo, Villa Erba, Villa d'Este, the Blevio shoreline and Torno.
Como · Villa Olmo · Cernobbio · Blevio · Torno
From €300 per boat
Early booking €250 if booked at least 3 days ahead
1–6 guests · departure from Como
Skipper, fuel & water included · 7–11 guests +€50/h per boat · other docks may add a pick-up fee
Details
2 hours
From Como towards Torno, Laglio and Nesso, past period mansions, stone boathouses and gardens running into the water.
Como · Torno · Laglio · Nesso
From €600 per boat
Early booking €500 if booked at least 3 days ahead
1–6 guests · departure from Como
Skipper, fuel & water included · 7–11 guests +€50/h per boat · other docks may add a pick-up fee
Details
3 hours
The heart of the lake from the water: Villa del Balbianello, the tip of Bellagio and Villa Melzi. Panoramic tour, no landing.
Balbianello · Bellagio · Villa Melzi
From €900 per boat
Early booking €750 if booked at least 3 days ahead
1–6 guests · departure from Como
Skipper, fuel & water included · 7–11 guests +€50/h per boat · other docks may add a pick-up fee
DetailsDestinations
Detailed guides to the places we reach on board: what you see from the water, the best light, and how long to allow.
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 …
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Varenna faces west, which makes it the best sunset stop on Lake Como. Seen from the water its ochre and rose houses stack straight…
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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 guideTell us your dates and we'll build the cruise around Balbianello and Comacina Island.