Lake Como Villas Shared Boat Tour Como

A Lake Como boat tour from Como

Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down Y, about 46 kilometres long and among the deepest lakes in Europe, and Como sits at the tip of its south-western arm. A Lake Como boat tour is the natural way to understand this geography, because most villas were built to be seen from the water and have their grand fronts facing the lake rather than the road.

Your boat leaves from the pier in Como and heads into the first basin, where the shoreline is steep, green and dotted with terraced gardens. People often ask whether a Lake Como boat tour is worth it. In a small boat with a guide, you get the views, the stories and the photos in one comfortable outing, and the morning and late afternoon light is best.

Villa d'Este, Villa Erba and the villas of Cernobbio

Villa d'Este in Cernobbio is the best known of all Lake Como villas. Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio had it built in the 1560s as a summer residence, and today it is a luxury hotel with a large lakeside park. From the boat you see its long facade, the landing stage and the gardens that climb the hill behind.

Nearby stands Villa Erba, an elegant nineteenth-century estate that now hosts exhibitions, and on the Como side the neoclassical Villa Olmo. Your guide names the owners, the architects and the families behind them, so a Lake Como villas tour becomes a short history of Lombard high society rather than a list of buildings you cannot enter.

The Orrido di Nesso gorge on the longer tours

The two-hour option travels far enough up the lake to reach the Orrido di Nesso, a narrow ravine where a waterfall drops into the lake beside an old stone bridge. Seen from the boat, the cleft in the rock face is dramatic, and it is one of the most photographed corners of the western shore.

Along the way you pass more villages, small churches and villas that the shortest tour does not reach. If you are choosing between options and want more than a first look, the two-hour tour is the balanced choice, with time to enjoy the scenery without committing half a day.

Bellagio and Varenna, the Pearl of Lake Como

Bellagio sits at the tip of the promontory where the lake divides into two arms, and is often called the Pearl of Lake Como for its stepped lanes, silk shops and terrace cafes. The three-hour speedboat option gives you one hour there, and the four-hour tour gives you about 40 minutes in both Bellagio and Varenna.

Varenna is a quieter village of pastel houses on the eastern shore with a pretty harbour and a lakeside walkway. The four-hour tour also passes Villa del Balbianello, a well-known filming location on a wooded point. Meals are not included, so bring a snack or buy a coffee and gelato while you explore.

The Brunate funicular in Como

The four-hour option includes a ticket for the Brunate funicular, which you can use after you return to Como. The historic cable railway climbs from the lakefront to the hill village of Brunate in about seven minutes, and the terrace at the top looks over the lake, the city and the Alps on a clear day.

It is a good way to end the outing, since you see from above the shoreline you have just sailed past. If you plan to ride the funicular, check the operating hours and leave enough daylight, because the last departures vary by season.