Lake Como: Private Gozzo Boat Tour & Villa Views

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/24

Duration4h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · IT

Mobile ticketAccepted

Glide past five lakeside villas on a private Italian gozzo, drinks in hand

You board a private gozzo at your chosen pier and spend the afternoon gliding past five historic villas and their gardens without fighting tour groups or fixed itineraries. The captain steers, prosecco flows, and you decide whether to linger at Bellagio or push toward Villa del Balbianello. Bring a jacket and expect the lake to be colder than it looks.

Step-by-step itinerary

Private boat tour on Lake Como

Board boat at chosen meeting point
Depart from Varenna or Menaggio
Admire lovers' walk in Varenna
Pass Villa Cipressi and botanical garden
View Villa and its botanical garden
Cross lake to Punta Spartivento viewpoint
Visit Bellagio's streets and gardens
Admire Villa Serbelloni park
Pass Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni
See Villa Melzi English gardens
Reach Tremezzo village on western coast
Admire Villa Carlotta and gardens
View eclectic style building sailing south
Pass Gulf of Venus and Villa Balbianello
Option to visit Villa Balbianello gardens
Pass Villa la Cassinella gardens
Skirt eastern shore along Lezzeno banks
See Ossuccio and bell tower of Santa Maria Maddalena
Pass Comacina island for swimming
Admire George Clooney's Villa Oleandra in Laglio
Cross lake to eastern coast village Nesso
View Civera Roman bridge in Nesso
Pass Lezzeno village coastline
Return to meeting point in Varenna

The Experience

The boat pulls away from the pier and you're already moving into open water—no crowds, no schedule beyond what you and the captain agree on. The gozzo cuts across Lake Como with enough room to breathe, and the shoreline starts revealing itself: Villa Cipressi slides past with its botanical gardens spilling down to the water, then Villa Melzi with its 1815 English gardens full of camellias and rhododendrons that have been there longer than most of the hotels on shore. The captain knows the lake and knows how to read it—if the light is right or you want to linger somewhere, he adjusts. If you want music or quiet, that's what you get.

The route depends on which pier you start from—Varenna, Menaggio, or Tremezzo—but either way you're crossing toward the landmarks that actually matter. Punta Spartivento comes up, the watershed that splits Lake Como into two branches, and from there the view opens north toward the mountains. Bellagio sits on the point with its cobbled streets and the terraced gardens of Villa Serbelloni rising behind it. Then you're heading south along the western shore, past Villa Carlotta with its art collection and botanical grounds, and into the Gulf of Venus where Villa del Balbianello sits on its own peninsula—the one that's been in films and hosted writers for centuries. If you want to stop and walk the gardens there, you can; tickets are on you, but the captain knows the timing. The private boat tour on Lake Como means you're not herded through these places; you're seeing them from the water, which is how they were meant to be seen.

Soft drinks and prosecco come on board, and the captain will bring more if you ask—extra bottles are charged separately. The boat has safety gear for everyone, including kids, and the equipment is there if you want to use it. Bring a jacket; the wind picks up on the water even in summer, and shoes come off once you're aboard. If weather turns rough or the lake gets unsafe, the captain will cut the tour short or cancel—that's not negotiable, and it's the right call. The whole thing runs between two and four hours depending on how many stops you make and where you start.

What’s included

Your afternoon includes use of the boat's onboard equipment, safety gear for all ages, soft drinks, and a bottle of prosecco.
The captain steers past Villa del Balbianello, Villa Melzi Gardens, Villa Carlotta, Bellagio, and other lakeside landmarks, with the option to stop at Villa del Balbianello gardens if you want to visit (entry tickets separate).
The tour runs 2 to 4 hours depending on your starting point and stops.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by BOAT ME Como Lake

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to see the lake's main villas without joining a group tour or arranging your own transport—the private boat and flexible captain mean you move at your own pace and stop where the light or your mood says to.