Lake Como: Private Boat Tour & Historic Villas

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/22

Duration1h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · IT +1

Mobile ticketAccepted

What do the villas on Lake Como look like from the water?

You board a private boat in Como and cruise past ten historic villas — including George Clooney's summer home, a Gianni Versace estate, and a Renaissance palace — seeing the gardens and lakefront facades that are invisible from shore. The boat includes water, WiFi, and a restroom. Pickup can be arranged from nearby villages if your tour length allows, and the whole experience stays flexible around your schedule and location on the lake.

Step-by-step itinerary

Private boat tour on Lake Como

Start tour from Como town
View villages and old villas
Pass Villa Troubetzkoy
Pass Villa Erba
Pass Artaria family villa
See George Clooney's Villa Oleandra
Pass Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Blevio
Pass Villa Taverna in Perlasca
Pass Villa Fontanelle
Pass Villa d'Este in Cernobbio
Pass Villa Olmo in Como

The Experience

The answer is: different. From the shore, you see gates and walls. From a private boat on Lake Como, you see what the architects actually built — the gardens, the terraces, the way each villa sits against the mountain. The tour starts in Como town, though pickup from villages like Cernobbio or Blevio can be arranged depending on which tour length you choose. One hour keeps you close; longer tours can reach farther along the lake.

You'll pass Villa Oleandra in Laglio, where George Clooney spends summers, then move through centuries of Italian wealth and taste. Villa d'Este, a Renaissance palace that became a luxury hotel in 1873, rises from Cernobbio's shore. Villa Fontanelle — built in the 1800s, restored by Gianni Versace in 1980, now owned by a Russian restaurateur who paid 33 million euros for it — shows what happens when eccentric taste meets serious money. Villa Troubetzkoy, named after a Russian prince who blew up rocks with mines to clear the land, is now a five-star hotel. Villa Erba, built by the noble Erba family a century ago, hosts weddings and exhibitions; you see it from the boat because it's normally closed to the public.

The boat itself has restroom access, bottled water, and WiFi, which matters if you're traveling with family or want to check in without losing the view. The lake is genuinely large — it's been listed among the 55 most beautiful places in the world by Travel + Leisure — and the private charter means you're not competing with a crowded tour boat for sightlines. Fishermen's villages appear between the villas, and the water reflects the mountains in a way that photographs never quite capture. You'll also see Villa Olmo, a neoclassical structure that's the most important villa in the Como area, and Villa Taverna, set in Perlasca between Blevio and Torno, which was enlarged in the 1800s by the noble Poldi Pezzoli family and hosted prominent personalities for generations.

Timing matters here: a one-hour tour keeps you near Como, so pickups from farther villages like Varenna or Bellagio aren't possible. But if you're staying in Cernobbio or Blevio, even the shortest tour can include those points. Longer tours give you the full arc of the lake — more villas, more distance, more time to sit and let the landscape change. The boat departs from Como, which is the base for the fleet, and the route adapts to what you've booked.

What’s included

Your private boat tour includes bottled water, WiFi on board, and restroom access.
Departure is from Como town, with flexible pickup arrangements available from nearby villages like Cernobbio and Blevio depending on which tour length you select.
Service animals are welcome.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by La Dolce Vita Como Lake boat Tour

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the private villas and gardens of Lake Como from the water rather than from the shore — the boat is what makes the hidden facades and lakefront details visible, and the private charter means you're not sharing sightlines with a crowded group.