Villa Balbianello and Flavors of Lake Como Walking and Boating Full-Day Tour

This tour far exceeded our expectations. The pace was just right for a full day tour with a wonderful lunch

Our day with Alessandra could not have been more perfect. When we met her near the ferry ticket office in Bellagio, we were delighted to find out that we were the only people who had booked the tour that day, so we ended up with a private tour with her; we were so lucky!! She instantly made us feel totally at ease and spoke excellent English. She had a driver waiting and they drove us to a cool ancient mill where we had olive oil and wine tasting, and then we spent the rest of the morning in Varenna, where she shared lots of interesting tidbits and facts about the area and its history, etc. The tour included a delicious lakefront lunch at a nice hotel in Varenna and after that we got on a very cool speedboat for a tour of the lake and the destination of Villa Balbianello. The villa is spectacular and we enjoyed the tour of it, but truly the time on the boat where the driver was stopping at various points and giving us local insight was just as much fun. Then after the villa visit, we took another boat to Bellagio to walk along some lovely gardens, with more fascinating insight from Alessandra. When we decided to make Lake Como one of our destinations in our 10 days in Italy, I knew we would get more out of it by doing a tour. But I originally hesitated slightly on this one because for some reason there weren't a ton of reviews. I am so glad we took the plunge and did it, because it was SO worth every penny and truly was one of the best days on our trip. Our time at the Italian Lakes would not have been nearly as memorable if we hadn't spent that amazing day with Alessandra!

Great value for money and the staff was great! A lot to see in one day, but well worth it. The transportation was perfect.

Alessandra, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable about the Lake Como area and our group learnt a lot about the area especially Varenna. The tour of Villa Balbianello was quite an interesting and amazing experience. We covered so much in one day. It is definitely worthwhile and totally recommend it to all who come to Lake Como.

This tour gave us an overall familiarity with the various locales on the lake, included an awesome lunch in a beautiful upscale hotel restaurant, as well as an informative tour of Villa Balbianello, not only the beautifully landscaped grounds, but the extremely interesting story of the owner who built it. We were provided transportation from our ferry drop off point as well as useful recommendations as to which boat to take in order to make the tour on time. Worth the price.

enjoyed this tour. food was delicious and guide was knowledgeable.. learned alot about the lake como region in a fun way

The tour guide was really nice. Villa balbianello was really great. So was the varrena tour and food served.

This tour was a great way to experience a bit of all the things you want to see and do at Lake Como in one tour. Get out on the water, visit the top Villa, lunch with an incredible view as well as wine and food tasting with some history. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, friendly, well versed in English and a true joy to spend time with.

We lucked out with a private tour as no one else booked this all-day adventure (their loss). Elena, our guide, spoke perfect English and adjusted the itinerary as my daughter wanted to see the local castle and because we wanted to do more hiking. Please be aware this is a hiking tour; not for the lazy or unfit. You will hike up and down several hills. But the experience is so worth it. We sampled local wines (2 times), ate local food, and sampled local olive oil. The private boat tour gave us incredible views of the Alps and local villages (Varenna, etc.). We visited the gorgeous Villa Balbianello and ended our adventure with a walking tour of the gardens near Bellagio. Although the price may seem high, it is worth every penny. This day trip was a highlight of our 2 week visit to Europe, and it will not be forgotten. If you are thinking of going cheap (which I usually do), don't. You will regret booking a different tour.

My husband and I had a great day with another friendly couple and excellent tour guide. We are so glad we chose this tour—it really was one of the highlights of our trip.