Como, Bellagio & Varenna: Small Group from Milan with Boat Cruise
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Milan, Italy
- 10 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
·
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Lake Como is known as one of Italy’s most stunning districts, but visitors unfamiliar with the area risk missing out on the best locations. Enjoy an in-depth, intimate introduction to the lake and its surrounding towns during this small-group, full-day tour from Milan. A boat cruise is included, plus get-down stops in Bellagio and Varenna, with a return train to Milan.
- Get assistance and information from a guide for the duration of the tour
- Enjoy a personalized experience within a group capped at 14 people
- Grab a traditional local lunch during free time in Bellagio (own expense)
- All transportation tickets are included: ferry, train, subway, and cruise
What's Included
- ❌ NO BIG GROUPS ➡️ SMALL GROUP ONLY ✅ 14 PEOPLE MAX
- Visit Como, Bellagio & Varenna. Enjoy a balanced mix of free time and tour
- Train tickets (first class), ferry, subway & boat skip-the-line tickets are included in the cost
- Professional local expert English-speaking guide to make your experience informative & entertaining
- Priority skip-the-line access for boat cruise & guaranteed prebooked seats on the ferry to Bellagio
- Lake Como boat cruise is included in the cost with guaranteed seats & reserved skip-the-line access
- LunchStop by a lakeside restaurant in Bellagio to enjoy authentic Italian cuisine. Your guide will suggest you a couple of wonderful lake-view restaurants. Lunch cost is not included in the tour.
- Last Supper Leonardo Da Vinci museum visit is not included in this activity
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
Type to search
End point
- Milan CentralPiazza Duca d'Aosta, 1, 20124 Milano MI, Italy
The tour will end in the Central Station of Milan.
Itinerary
1
Milan
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Como
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Lake Como
1 hour 40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Villa Olmo (Pass By)
Cernobbio (Pass By)
Lake Como (Pass By)
Torno (Pass By)
Villa Erba (Pass By)
Villa Carlotta (Pass By)
Villa Del Balbianello (Pass By)
4
Bellagio
1 hour 50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Bellagio
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Varenna
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Stazione Centrale
55 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- All time for transportation (train, ferry, subway, etc) is already included in the tour duration.
- The tour programme & schedule can change for operations reasons (eg train strike, bad weather, force majeure, technical issues of the boat, etc)
- At the end of the tour the group will normally take the train from Varenna to return to Milan, but if you wish you can stay in Varenna to spend more time there and take on of the next trains/buses by yourself (we will provide the tickets - this must be comunicated before 13:00 on the day of the tour)
- During the summer period, there is a small beach in Varenna if you want to swim a little
- The tour is always confirmed in case of rain. Tour duration is approx. 10 hours (the tours ends in Milan Central Station).
- In the winter time (November-mid March) the tour starts 1 hour earlier (7:55 AM meeting point in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and 8:15 meeting point in Central Station), while summer time (April-October) the tour starts 1 hour later (8:45 AM meeting point in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and 9:15 meeting point in Central Station).
- It is possible to cancel free of charge only up to 24 hours before the tour, after that term it is not possible to cancel free of charge or modify the booking (for any reason). No-shows are non refunded. In order to cancel the booking, you need to do it from your account, please do not text us or call us to cancel the bookings - it can only be done by you personally from your account
- If you wish to visit Last Supper on the day of the tour, please book it separately in the early morning or late eveving.
- Bring an ID (passport, ID or driving license - an original, not a photo), this can be requested by train company
- If you wish to visit Villa Cipressi (Gates of Heaven) or Villa Monastero during your free time in Varenna, you can buy the ticket directly there in the villa
- Not suitable for travelers with mobility impairments
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Cathy_H
This is one of the best tours we have been on in Italy. The guide was fantastic. The scenery was spectacular. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone. We saw so many things on this tour, including stops in several towns on the lake and learned about all the Villas and famous sites. We had plenty of free time in each of the stops so we’re able to do a little shopping and walk around the towns. This tour is a must if you want a comprehensive experience of Lake Como.
Reviews
4.9
based on 1,411 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
vaishali_b, Jul 2026
Fantastic tour! The fast-track access and genuinely small group made the experience smooth and enjoyable. Alessandro was an amazing guide organized, knowledgeable, and always kept us informed about what to expect and where to meet. Lake Como and the surrounding areas are beautiful and definitely worth visiting, even with kids. Just be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. Highly recommend!
Diana_S, Jul 2026
What an amazing experience! Love everything, the train was in first class and it was quite, the town Como is so beautiful. We have time to explore a little bit and take pictures. The boat ride was very organized and the scenery views were amazing. We enjoyed and have a really good time.
ravneet_M, Jul 2026
What a fabulous experience with Antonella! It was very hot the day we went but she truly made our trip memorable and ar times forget the heat! She was warm, caring and most of all very informative! You could see the love for her country come through the whole day long! Everyone in the group was great she truly made us all feel like on happy family! Thanks to her we will have some wonderful memories! Truly a must do trip if you are short on time like us and could not stay in the Lake Como area!
sandra_D, Jul 2026
Very long beautiful boat trip on lake Como.
Late lunch in Bellagio. Amazing walking tour around Varena.
Fantastic day. Would do it again and highly recommend.
Yutong_Q, Jul 2026
The tour was ok, pact schedule with logistics taken care of. Our guide Antonella was great. However, I do feel this tour was misrepresented on Viator when booking, it mentions “small group”, “first class seat”, “cruise ride”, none of them were inaccurate perse, but it gave off a different impression. Like other users, it is worth flagging every transportation of this tour is public transportation. Our guide had to get ahead to grab us seats while we stood and wait. The most painful experience was the 2Hr ride in the overcrowded public ferry to Bellagio…the whole experience was really overwhelming for what you’d expect for a small group. After going through waiting in heat, clawing past crowds, you finally sit down and keep hearing from our guide “look I got us such good seat”. Coming back, our train was delayed also (not as bad as some other reviewers running into strikes). For a full day trip, this experience was filled with factors outside of anyone’s control and it was not described well enough for the participants to be prepared. Think of any of “skip-the-line” visits to the museum, this is basically that. However when you are travelling this far outside of the city for a full day, comfort is a lot more important to consider as part of the experience. In the museum skip the line, I could walk away any minute after getting in. But for this one I felt I’m stuck with this for the whole day while knowing midway this wasn’t gonna be a great experience.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Hello, thank you for your review. There are only 3 possibilities to visit Lake Como in high season (our tour is option n. 3):
(1) by yourself, which is not doable in high season, as you will spend hours in queues to board ferries and there is very high chance you will not get on it due to too many people travelling; and you would struggle to figure out the logistics to visit all 3 main towns in just one day (2) with a big tour of 50 people travelling by bus - one guide with 50 people - almost 4 hours spent commuting by us - no visit of Varenna as big buses are forbidden there (3) our small group tours, with just 14 people and 1 guide, including all 3 main towns, skip the line for ferries, first class train tickets. I think the choice is quite obvious. Obviously you did not read how to travel around Lake Como in high season and you did not read descriptions of the tour you booked and you did not see the photos, hence the complaints. If you find a better tour with more quality offered compared to ours, please write us and we will offer full refund - you will not find it, because it does not exist. The descriptions online are totally correct - you got first class train tickets, you skipped all the queues and you got a small group tour with a top rated guide. Best regards, Memento Italy
Maria_R, Jul 2026
An absolutely perfect day! Contemplated doing this trip on our own, but there is no way we would have enjoyed it as much or seen as many beautiful locations. Our guide Katia was amazing!!! She kept our group together, skipped the long lines for the ferries and trains, made reservations for lunch, and her knowledge and attention to detail allowed us to experience this magical place in just one day. She made our group feel welcomed and comfortable. It felt like we were touring with family. Highly recommended this tour and Katia! ❤️
Daniel_M, Jul 2026
We had a wonderful tour with Antonella. She made everyone feel like a VIP. Her knowledge of the lakes and secret places to get the best views and photos was terrific. We enjoyed everything about our tour. Antonella was able to make lunch reservations for all of he at a beautiful restaurant with a view in Bellagio. Not an easy task. We would highly recommend this tour. Hopefully you will be lucky and get Antonella as your guide.
Judy_R, Jul 2026
Five stars for our guide Francesca! She made the trip a great adventure June 8th by sharing her personal experiences of growing up in Como. Francesca also went out of her way to help us catch an early train back to Milan due to one of us not feeling well by the afternoon. My only complaint about this tour was that the “lake boat cruise” was in reality a crowded ferry boat from Como to Bellagio that stopped for others to get on and off at numerous places. This made for a very long ride. I would definitely book another adventure with Francesca as our guide!
Emily_Y, Jul 2026
This was a wonderful tour! And our guide Angela was great! She was very kind and knowledgeable about the areas we visited!
Jamie_W, Jul 2026
Fab trip great value for money. Guide was so helpful and knowledgeable this was my first walking tour and was surprised how easy it was.
Mohammad_D, Jul 2026
Bellagio is beautiful and certainly worth a visit. The hot weather did not help. More importantly, the cancellation of the originally scheduled train to Lake Como was unfortunate. Our guide, Mrs. Elma, was nice and supportive. The company offered a Villa Melzi visit in Bellagio to make up for the lost visit time for Lake Como. That was appreciated. The boat ride was nice and the scenery memorable.
catherinerobinson8, Jul 2026
A lovely day trip from Milan to see Lake Como, Bellagio, and Varenna. Really enjoyed lunch at Bellagio. The real highlight was Varenna, a very scenic fishing village. Thank you to our guide Elma for a very enjoyable day
NOUSHAD_A, Jul 2026
Being an agent we share the review received from our client who took this excursion. Supplier and guide was top class for this tour. Guide was very informative and guest friendly.
Rana_A, Jul 2026
It’s a wonderful way to see many beautiful sites in one day. Elma, our guide was excellent. She was both knowledgeable and very helpful. Our train arrival station was changed the last minute. She went above and beyond to make sure everyone was at their destination.
mario_a, Jul 2026
Our guide Angela was wonderful! She was very informative and the itinerary was great. Highly recommended.
Sarah_M, Jul 2026
We had an incredible day on Lake Como! Traveling with our guide, Angela, was like traveling with a friend. She was very knowledgeable and personable. We choose to extend our stay in Varenna and she easily took care of arranging a later train. Highly recommend this outing!
Shivashankar_M, Jul 2026
Guide Angela was fantastic and very helpful. Happy with the most of the trip. Getting on to the train from Milan was good and seating was reserved. Rest of the trip was fantastic with Angela’s guidance. Very unhappy about the return train from Veranna. Train was fully packed and need to rush on the train with 2 young daughters and a wife. Managed to get in to the train with other passengers but couldn’t get any seats for all four of us and has to stand on the train for nearly 70 minutes. No seat’s reservations as described in the trip by the company. Very tired travel standing on the train with packed passengers, though Angela tried to help. For Angela will give 5 stars but not for the company. My reason to book this trip was to avoid busy train journeys with my daughters and wife by paying nearly 5 times of the routine cost.
Organizers to clarify the description about the reservation of seats
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Hello,
Due to strong wind in the Northern Italy (Valtellina area, where this train line starts) the trees fell down on the railway and roads and all trains in the afternoon were cancelled, accumulating more people to take later all together that specific train line. This train goes only one time per hour, there are no other trains connecting Varenna and Milan (and big buses and not allowed to Varenna; they are prohibited there). This is unfortunate but can happen on rare occasions due to bad weather conditions (alert was issued by the region of Lombardy: https://www.allertalom.regione.lombardia.it/espcom/scarica-documento/2141).
The train company tried to fix the situation as soon as possible so luckily the train of 17:35 PM still arrived on time.
We book the tickets in first class on purpose, and not second class; so normally there is no issue, because the tickets in first class are more expensive and normally the train is not very full in first class - last time it happened was 2 years ago for a similar reasons (storm).
However, we are glad that you enjoyed the rest of the tour. The train ride is 60 minutes (not 70 minutes).
Kindly note that the situation with the train is not anyone's fault due to extreme weather conditions in Northern Italy (Valtellina/Tirano area) which caused major interruption between the train station of Tirano-Varenna-Milan.
Best regards,
Memento Italy
George_S, Jul 2026
Our guide, Antonella, was the most considerate, humorous, welcoming, and generous person we could have ever asked for to help us see Como, Bellagio, and Varenna. Thank you for making our visit so unforgettable. We will be talking about this family trip for the rest of our lives.
Maria_S, Jul 2026
A beautiful tour with many highlights. Alessandro was knowledgeable and pointed out many high points of the trip. We experienced the Metro which is a great way to get around and we also experienced a boat ride full of spectacular views and interesting facts.
newplacetitle, Jul 2026
Great experience to see three cities in one day. Each city you get some free time. Alessandro was an amazing tour guide always found the best seats for us on train and on the boat tour! Would recommend if you only have a day to see Lake como and bellagio. TIP
take comofrtable sneakers you will be walking quite a bit.
Elizabeth_S, Jul 2026
Alessandro our tour guide was outstanding. He made she we were in exactly the right place at the right time to get the best seats and views. It was a long and very hot day but it was an incredible experience.
Melissa_C, Jul 2026
Our Lake Como, Bellagio and Varenna boat tour was amazing. Elma, our guide, was very engaging and informative. We participated in the semi-private tour and were able to spend some time on our own in Bellagio and Varenna. Due to the train being delayed at the station, we had to skip on spending solo time in Como in order to make the boat departure. That was disappointing but the boat tour made up for it. Lake Como is beautiful and Ella gave us a little history and pointed out some of the important villas along the way. I would have personally liked more historical information rather than being told about celebrity-owned properties but I guess that was interesting to most people. Overall, I would recommend the excursion and would do it again but maybe opt for the private option. Again, Elma was amazing!
anthony_o, Jul 2026
Probably the best ever led tour we have been on. Our guide, Angela made every possible effort to please us and ensure a satisfying experience. She went out of her way to include me in all aspects of the tour despite my disability. I highly recommend you use this Tour Company to see Lake Como. Once again, thank you Angela for your tireless effort!
Sally_G, Jul 2026
Our guide Mrs Alessia was excellent. She was very friendly, organised, informative and attentive.On an extremely hot day she looked after us very well. The tour is a good mixture of being guided with time to look around on your own .Lake Como,Bellagio and Varenna are all so beautiful.
Megan_S, Jul 2026
What a fantastic day, we had a great time!
Angela was brilliant and so knowledgable , the group was small and everyone was friendly.
We would highly recommend this trip to anyone thinking of visiting Como as you get to see so much. We beat the ferry queues too and got the best seats which was great and Angela gave us lots of tips of where to go and eat / drink throughout the day.
Brilliant day, and would highly recommend
Terry_R, Jul 2026
Very long day, lots of waiting for trains, ferry. Angela was our tour guide, professional, attentive and always friendly. Was a great tour.
agrajaskanda, Jul 2026
This is probably the most efficient and hassle-free way to do Lake Como from central Milan. Angela was an incredible guide: perfectly organised, informative and amiable. Despite rail issues beyond her control, she made sure we covered the most important stops on the tour and got us back to Milano Centrale roughly on time. She gave clear directions and helpful tips on places to see and dine during our free time. Special kudos for helping us secure the best seats on the lake cruise, which was so worth it for the direct views and respite from the hot sun. Would recommend this tour and guide any time. It will be a long day but well worth to take the hassle out of self-organising and missing out on the great guiding by Angela.
Rebecca_E, Jul 2026
This was a great way to cover a lot of territory in a short period of time (one day) Our guide was expert at getting us to the front of lines with guaranteed spots on ferry’s and trains- everything was taken care of for us- it was a fabulous day trip with an experienced guide who knows how to get the most out of the day
slbeetham, Jul 2026
Great way to see Lake Como in a day! Visited all the main towns and had time to explore as well. Great lunch spot recommended in Bellagio! Thanks for the great tour!
Omar_L, Jul 2026
Antonella was amazing and kept our group on time throughout the day. She had great stories and was very personable.
From $150.42
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Como, Bellagio & Varenna: Small Group from Milan with Boat Cruise
1,409
10 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$150.42
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Milan, Italy
- Fidenza Village Tours & Tickets
- Navigli District Tours & Tickets
- Via della Spiga Tours & Tickets
- Museo del Novecento Tours & Tickets
- Church of Santa Maria at San Satiro (Chiesa di Santa Maria presso San Satiro) Tours & Tickets
- Brera Tours & Tickets
- 10 Corso Como Tours & Tickets
- Branca Tower (Torre Branca) Tours & Tickets
- Milan Monumental Cemetery (Cimitero Monumentale di Milano) Tours & Tickets
- Sempione Park (Parco Sempione) Tours & Tickets
- Leonardo3 Museum Tours & Tickets
- Ticinese Tours & Tickets
- Palazzo Lombardia Tours & Tickets
- Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio (Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio) Tours & Tickets
- Como-Brunate Funicular Railway (Funicolare Como-Brunate) Tours & Tickets
- Brera Art Gallery (Pinacoteca di Brera) Tours & Tickets
- Poldi Pezzoli Museum (Museo Poldi Pezzoli) Tours & Tickets
- Sforza Castle (Castello Sforzesco) Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Milan, Italy
- Da Vinci's Last Supper (Il Cenacolo) Tours & Tickets
- Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano) Tours & Tickets
- Sforza Castle (Castello Sforzesco) Tours & Tickets
- La Scala (Teatro alla Scala) Tours & Tickets
- Bernina Express Tours & Tickets
- Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie Tours & Tickets
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Tours & Tickets