Private Boat Tour Lake Como: Choose Your Duration & Stops

Design your own Lake Como itinerary on a private boat with a live guide.

A private boat tour on Lake Como where you choose the duration (one to three hours), the stops and the activities, with a live guide speaking English, Italian or French and a maximum of eight passengers on an exclusive boat. The starting point is flexible and arranged to suit your location. Private transportation by boat is included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Private boat tour on Lake Como

• Start tour from agreed location
• Pass by Bellagio village
• Pass by Villa Melzi Gardens
• Pass by Villa del Balbianello
• Pass by Villa Carlotta
• Pass by Tremezzo village
• Pass by Villa Balbiano
• End tour at agreed location

The experience

Most Lake Como tours follow a set route and a fixed schedule. This one flips that: you decide what matters. Want to spend the morning at Villa Melzi Gardens in Bellagio, walking the English park and its centuries-old trees? Pick that. Prefer to cruise past Villa del Balbianello in Lenno, the neoclassical villa perched on a peninsula, and then move on? That works too. The boat holds up to eight people, so the group stays small enough that the guide can actually hear you and adjust on the fly.

The tour runs for one, two or three hours depending on what you want to cover. Bellagio sits on a promontory known for narrow cobbled streets and the 18th-century Villa Serbelloni Park overlooking the water. Tremezzo, on the opposite shore, clusters around Villa Carlotta and its botanical garden. Villa Balbiano, an 18th-century residence on the western shore near Ossuccio, stands on its own promontory with views across the lake. You and your guide decide which ones fit the time you have and what you want to do when you get there: walk the gardens, photograph the architecture, or simply sit on the water and take it in.

The boat picks you up from a starting point you arrange with the operator, so there's no trek to a crowded dock. A guide fluent in English, Italian or French travels with you, and the private boat means no strangers sharing the experience or the view.

What’s included

• Private transportation by boat.
• a live guide fluent in English, Italian or French.
• the flexibility to choose your stops, activities and starting point based on your interests and location.

Options for this experience

3 options

Private boat tour lasting 1 hourGuide in English, French or Italian · 27 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 21:00

Private boat tour lasting 2 hoursGuide in English, French or Italian · 27 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 21:00Lasts 2 hours. Departure points: Contrada del Porto, 14, 23829 Varenna LC, Italy; Pontile Pescau, Pescau, Strada Comunale per Calvasino, 46, 22025 Lezzeno CO, Italy; Via Carlo Lomazzi, 3, 22016 Lenno CO, Italy; Via Portici S. Pietro, 12, 22019 Tremezzina CO, Italy

Private boat tour lasting 3 hoursGuide in English, French or Italian · 27 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 21:00Lasts 3 hours

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day27 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 21:00

Book up to1h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Bellagio Water Tour

Is this one for you?Book the one-hour tour if you want a quick taste of the lake and one or two villas; choose two hours to visit multiple sites without rushing; pick three hours if you want to explore the gardens, walk the villa grounds and have time to absorb the views without feeling hurried.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French and Italian.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

Can I really choose which villas to visit on the Lake Como tour?

Yes. Villa Melzi Gardens in Bellagio, Villa del Balbianello in Lenno, Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, and Villa Balbiano near Ossuccio are all reachable by boat, and you work with your guide to pick which ones fit your interests and the time you've booked.

What's the difference between the one-hour, two-hour and three-hour options?

The duration determines how many stops you can make and how much time you spend at each one. A one-hour tour might cover one or two nearby villas. Three hours lets you visit multiple sites and linger longer at the ones you want to explore.

Where does the boat pick me up?

The starting point is arranged with the operator based on where you're staying, so pickup can happen from a location that suits your schedule rather than a fixed dock.

What is Villa Melzi Gardens actually like to visit?

Villa Melzi d'Eril sits in Bellagio and is surrounded by an English park considered one of the most beautiful in Italy, with flower-lined paths, statues, caves and centuries-old trees. The villa itself, built between 1808 and 1810, is a neoclassical masterpiece, though only parts of the interior are open to visitors. The real draw is the park and its panoramic views of Lake Como.

How many people travel on the boat?

The boat holds a maximum of eight passengers, keeping the group small and intimate.