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Lake Como - Varenna and Bellagio Exclusive Full-Day Tour

Lake Como, Italy

Lake Como full day private tour Varenna and Bellagio

8 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

See the best of Lake Como in a single day with this small group tour. Set off via hydrofoil boat from Como to Bellagio for a guided walking tour of the old town, including stops at the Basilica of San Giacomo and Punta Spartivento. Then hop over to Varenna by boat to stroll the picturesque lanes before catching the ferry to take in the top villas along the lakeshore from the water.

A time-saving tour by land and boat to see Lake Como's highlights
Guided walking tours through the old towns of Bellagio and Varenna
Hydrofoil boat transfers between the towns plus a scenic ferry ride (own expense €35)
The personal attention and relaxed pace of a small group tour

What's Included

Live guide

Round trip ferry boat ticket Como - Varenna & Hydrofoil surcharge (total 35€)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Piazza Cavour, 22100 Como CO, Italy
The guide will wait for you in front of the Armani Store on the central square Piazza Cavour.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Piazza Cavour

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lake Como

2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bellagio

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Basilica di San Giacomo

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Varenna

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Chiesa di San Giorgio

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Not wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

143 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 143 reviews

Fun time

terryregan63, Oct 2023

Really great tour! Giovanni is a very good guide- knowledgable, interesting and easy going. He made the experience lots of fun. We’d definitely recommend this tour.

Buyer Beware -- VERY expensive for what you get...

karen_a, Oct 2023

The tour price ONLY covers the guides and one brief slow ferry ride. After paying for this tour, they stop for gelato (you pay), a mediocre moderately priced lunch at a place they choose (you pay), plus the extra 35 for the hydrofoil. Your "tour of Como" is told to you while you wait on line for the ferry. You have a brief 45 min-1 hour max time in Varenna and you see lovers lane, a church and a square because you are waiting more time for the group to get gelato. Then back to the ferry line to get to Bellagio where lunch takes over one hour -- walking tour of Bellagio maybe 45 min max. Very very pricey for what it was. Would NOT recommend. Was so difficult to sit with a huge group at a lunch for another hour when we had seen almost nothing to speak of... Guides were lovely, kind and knowledgable. BUT Don't do this. Most expensive tour of our trip and we did a private truffle hunting tour with a cooking class, food tours, private Uffizi tours and visited cheese farms with lunch, the Bernina train into the Alps and tasting as well as vineyards. This was so much more costly, with very little in its experience factor...

Tour was just average esp considering the price.

Evelyn_T, Sep 2023

Bellagio was very lovely and the risotto ossobuco at Seta was as good as Giovanni said. Much too long a wait for the ferry at Como n it cut short the time we had. Varenna was way too rushed. If not for a entertaining guide, I’d have given this a below average rating

Great way to see the highlights in a day

Holly_R, Sep 2023

Giovanni was an excellent passionate tour guide. His love of Italian history showed in the details of his explanations of each stop. The high speed ferry was late and Giovanni was able shift and cover all spots included in the tour. Great thinking on your feet Giovanni!!

Exceptional Tour

Brooks_W, Sep 2023

Great tour led by Giovanni. Entertaining and educational. Would highly recommend this tour of Lake Como.

Beautiful Lake Como

Stephanie_T, Sep 2023

It was a beautiful day on Lake Como. A wonderful way to see Bellagio and Varenna. Giovanni was the best tour guide and made everything so easy and enjoyable. It was a great way to navigate the crowds in town.

Lake Como Excellence

Anthony_S, Sep 2023

We have been using Viator for over ten years now. This was the best, most informative tour we have ever been on. We had Violetta as tour guide. She is by far the best guide we have ever had. She was skilled and professional in every way. We had 8 people in our group and by the end of the 8 hour tour, we were all friends. Violetta had a great personality, she knew all of the historical details of every place we walked by and into. She pointed out the most scenic photo ops and was happy to act as photographer to capture the most endearing scenes. We highly recommend this tour for anyone looking for a truly memorable day. We also recommend using the “fast boat” for any tour of Como. Thanks again…Violetta….for a truly magical day!!! Tony & Patricia S. (Milwaukee, WI. USA) P.S: When was the last time you could ever say you had FUN on a tour? You can say it with this tour.

An exceptionally enjoyable and educational experience

Christopher_C, Sep 2023

The tour was most enjoyable and I would recommend it very highly. We covered a lot of places in a most efficient manner. The scenery was. spectacular. We visited the important sites. Our guide, Violeta, was exceptional and made it most enjoyable day for everyone in this small group day tour. She was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, worked very hard, and explained things very clearly. She knew where to get the best views. We were able to skip the line in many places which helped greatly in the heat of the day. Local knowledge was clearly very useful. Believe me, you cannot get the same wonderful experience doing it yourself. It was well worth the expense for my wife and me.

Lake Como Full Day Adventure

Praveena_S, Sep 2023

Our tour guide Violetta was awesome. And very informative. This was an amazing tour and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing Lake como .

Wonderful experience at Lake Como

Elisabeth_D, Sep 2023

Beautiful area, amazing knowledgeable tour guide in Violetta! She made the trip! The villages were amazing and our curated tour could not have been better!

Fantastic tour with a fantastic host

Neil_H, Aug 2023

Giovanni was an excellent host, extremely attentive and struck the right balance of not providing too much information but making sure it was just right and interesting. The tour itself was fantastic, really great for a first time visit or those wanting to get a great snapshot of the area early in your visit so you can use what you've discovered to plan the rest of your adventure. Skipping the crazy queues was also an amazing perk.

Incredible experience, good use of time and money, efficient for time sensitive, 10/10

Karan_S, Aug 2023

10/10 Recommendation +++ Had an incredible day today with Giovanni as the host! Honestly one of the best experiences possible, highly highly recommend doing this tour as opposed to waiting in line for 2-3 hours to get to Bellagio and Verrana using the standard line. The tour is so well organised, not rushed and Giovanni did an amazing job on the history, fun aspects, facts and making the whole group feel welcome. He went above and beyond to ensure that everyone had a fantastic time. At the end, i had to arrange a taxi that was 30-40 mins outside the city and had great difficulty catching a cab, he spoke to multiple taxis to ensure i was on the cab and stayed 30 mins beyond his end time. Cant speak more highly! Recommend +++

A beautiful summer day in Varenna and Bellagio

Anonymous, Jul 2023

This is a fantastic way to visit the beautiful towns of Varenna and Bellagio, especially if you are traveling the area during peak season. Our guide Violeta helped make our day perfect! We had transportation issues to get from Bellano to the city of Como (where this excursion begins) and violeta was incredibly helpful in finding an efficient and add solution and she communicated with us throughout the process . This was my mother’s birthday gift and she loved it. Also, violeta took us to a great restaurant for lunch in bellagio. we appreciated that she not only showed us the area but she explained the history and culture of the Lake Como area, including visits to several important churches on these two towns. We had the loveliest group of ladies on our excursion, all of whom added to this quite memorable experience. I’m so glad we paid for this excursion!!! A+

Another great day with Violetta !

mari_s, Jul 2023

We had such a great previous day with Violetta that we really looked forward to seeing her again and touring Bellagio and Varenna. It was an another wonderful excursion filled with great conversations and learning all about this beautiful area. It was a great start your European Rail adventure and we highly recommend Violetta as your guide. Mari, Gary, Elaine and Harvey

Best guide in Como

Heather_D, Jul 2023

Our tour guide, Violetta, was fabulous. She really made our trip more memorable with her extensive knowledge, fun spirit, and her attention to detail. I highly recommend using Viator in Lake Como due to the challenges of the ferry and transportation. On a crowded weekend, we traveled with ease. We couldn’t have done it without Violetta! She was wonderful and took great care of us.

The tour took us to...

Caridad_S, Jun 2023

The tour took us to beautiful places in Bellagio and Varenna. The tour uses the ferry also used by other people not part of the tour and it could get very crowded getting on and off. The boat broke down on the return but one was sent right away and there was only a short delay. However, the tour was worth it and the tour guide was very helpful and informative.

over charge and not a private tour

Asif_S, Jun 2023

Calling it a private tour is misleading. It's semi private. They will charge you extra $40/person for ferry fair. Then they take you with common boat ferry where two hundred other people with you. First to Bellagio, stop 15 mins change the ferry than to Veranna. 45 mins in Verrana, then ferry back to Bellagio, 3 hrs in Bellagio and back to Como. We decided to break the tour and took the ferry back to Leccu from Bellagio and not to Como. We would have done it better on our own and at our own paise without wasting $400

Pickup choas

Eugenia_C, Jun 2023

Very difficult to find the pickup location as the company staff doesn’t carry a flag or staff card. No special service added during the trip with all transportation n food cost are not included. Not that value for money

Not sure why so many 5 star reviews? Terrible experience

Rohan_J, Jun 2023

I never leave reviews, but was so disappointed with this tour I feel the obligation to warn others. Not sure why there are so many 5 star reviews, the whole tour was an absolute farce. 8 hours in total…lining up for ferries for approx. 2 hours, another approx. 2 hours on a hot and packed old ferry. Obviously not the tour operators fault they are always running late…but the fact you have to pay additional for this (35 euro per person) and then also pay for your own lunch…I’m trying to figure out what the USD$440 for a couple we paid was actually for. A very basic tour of Como, rushed visit to Vareena and then walk on your own around Bellagio. You are much better off getting the ferry ticket yourself, saving yourself time/money and just exploring the towns on your own. Zero value and extremely disappointed we wasted our money and more importantly time on this tour. Only reason it gets 1 star was the tour guide Paula was lovely and tried the best she could with such an overpriced tour. Would definitely not recommend.

Great tour

nina_a, Jun 2023

Daniele was a great guide. Very knowledgeable and nice personality! The tour had a perfect balance of guidance with windows to self explore

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