More about: 8 Best Lago di Como Cruises in Italy
No visit to Lake Como would be complete without a boat trip on its waters. The best view of its beautiful villages and the surrounding Alps is from the lake itself. With this in mind, there are many organised boat tours and trips to get around and enjoy everything Lake Como has to offer.
If you've already seen all the attractions of Milan, a visit to the lake is one of the best excursions you can take if you're travelling to the Italian city. And to make this excursion as fruitful as possible, you should complete it with a boat trip. Here is all the information you need about the different boat trips available on Lake Como.
1. Full day trip from Milan with cruise on Lake Como
Experience an unforgettable day in one of the most beautiful landscapes in northern Italy with this excursion from Milan to Lake Como, including a cruise. This full-day tour combines bus, ferry and boat rides, with stops in fairytale villages such as Bellagio and Cadenabbia, a panoramic cruise on the lake and a guided tour of Como. All accompanied by a professional guide in Spanish and English.
From the very first moment, the experience is designed to help you discover the best of Lake Como in complete comfort. You will visit historic villas and lakeside gardens and have time to stroll around and enjoy the atmosphere of places such as Bellagio, the famous "Pearl of the Lake".
On the boat trip to Como, you will see the lake in all its splendour, surrounded by mountains and stately architecture. And when you arrive in the city, a walking tour of the historic centre awaits you, with gems such as the Gothic Cathedral of Como. A complete experience that combines nature, history and culture in a single day.
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- Price: From £99
- Duration: 10 hours
- Transport: Bus, ferry, panoramic boat and walking tour
2. Combined tour: Swiss Alps, cruise on Lake Como and visit to Lugano
This excursion from Milan to the Alps, Lake Como and Lugano is perfect if you want to combine the best of Italy and Switzerland in a single day. In small groups and accompanied by a guide, you will travel through alpine landscapes, take a funicular ride through the Swiss Alps, and enjoy a cruise on Lake Como, stopping at charming villages such as Torno and Cernobbio.
The experience starts early with a trip to the Alps, where you can marvel at the panoramic views and enjoy a Swiss chocolate aperitif. Then, you'll descend to Lake Como for a peaceful cruise on its waters, enjoying the colourful houses that dot the shores and the mountainous profiles that surround it.
To end the day, you'll visit Lugano, already in Swiss territory, where you'll have free time to stroll through its elegant streets, visit galleries or sit in front of the lake for a drink. An ideal excursion if you want to discover different landscapes and cultures in a varied day.
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- Price: From £112
- Duration: from 9 to 11 hours
- Transport: Bus, funicularrailway, boat and walking tour
3. One-hour boat trip on Lake Como
For those looking for the most economical option and with less time available, you can choose to book an excursion to Lake Como. From the city of Como, there are tours lasting just one hour that cover part of the lake.
It stops at less crowded villages such as Tavernola, Cernobbio, Moltrasio, Torno and Urio. Although less well known than others such as Bellagio or Varenna, these villages are just as beautiful and have the advantage of being less crowded.
With this tour, you can get off at any of these stops, although if you stay on board, you will cover the entire distance between these villages in just one hour. This gives you enough time to see much of Lake Como. The great advantage of these tours is that they are much cheaper than other options, starting at approximately £8 per person.
Details of interest
- Price: from £9.
- Duration: 1 hour.
- Means of transport: boat.
4. Private boat trip on Lake Como
Lake Como is synonymous with luxury. Not surprisingly, it is home to luxurious villas, some of the best hotels in the world and the place chosen by many celebrities for their holidays. And, therefore, there are also luxury options for a boat trip on its waters, as well as, of course, booking an excursion to Lake Como at a more affordable price.
You can hire a small private yacht with a skipper on board to explore the lake in style. There is a wide range of prices depending on the boat, extras and duration, but generally the minimum is around £200 per hour. The minimum includes the skipper, drinks and meals on board, as well as a tour of the lake with the option of stopping for a swim.
This experience is more suitable for very special occasions, but it is the best way to immerse yourself in the luxury that surrounds Lake Como.
Details of interest
- Price: from approximately £200.
- Duration: booked by the hour.
- Means of transport: small private yacht.
5. Recreational sailing trip on Lake Como
Not all the experiences you can book to discover Lake Como are focused on tourism or luxury. There are also experiences for leisure and fun on the water, and on Lake Como you can hire sailing boats that are ideal for this purpose.
These boats have two skippers who will navigate the lake and take you to the best spots for swimming and a day of relaxation and fun away from the more touristy routes.
Prices usually start at approximately £125 per person for half a day. However, it is also possible to hire the boat for a whole day. In addition to the skippers, these trips include drinks and lunch on board, although these are limited. If you decide to go for this option, don't forget your swimsuit, sunglasses and, above all, your desire to have fun.
Useful information
- Price: from approximately £125.
- Duration: half-day or full-day options available.
- Means of transport: sailing boat.
6. Another option: sail on Lake Como with a voucher
Another option we have for taking a trip on Lake Como, in addition to booking your excursion to Lake Como, is to purchase a pass valid for a whole day. The boats depart from the town that gives the lake its name, Como, located on the southernmost shore of the lake and closest to Milan, making it the "gateway" to the lake. Most of the boats and tours that interest us depart from its port.
At the ticket offices located on the pier in Como, you can buy passes that will allow you to move freely to the town of Varenna, located more or less in the central part of Lake Como, stopping at many of the towns between these two locations.
This type of ticket allows you to travel around the lake freely, choosing where to get off and stop to admire the villages. In this case, it is important to check all the timetables in advance on the official Lake Como transport website.
Useful information
- Price: £25 per day or £72 per week.
- Duration: Depends on the destination you choose. From Como to Varenna, around 1 hour.
- Means of transport: Boat.
How to book a boat trip on Lake Como
There are two options for booking a boat trip on Lake Como. You can either book in advance online or buy tickets at the ticket offices located at the piers where the boats depart.
For guided tours and private boats, the best option, and the only one in most cases, is to book online. To take a regular boat with stops in different towns, you can easily buy your ticket at the ticket office.
However , especially in summer, when it is high season and demand is very high, it is advisable to book your Lake Como cruise tour in advance online to avoid queues and waiting times.
Tips for taking a boat tour on Lake Como
To get the most out of a boat trip on Lake Como, it is advisable to bear a few things in mind:
- If you visit the lake in summer, bear in mind that it is a very touristy area and it gets very crowded. Keep this in mind when booking your excursion to Lake Como from Milan, buying your tickets or booking a hotel if you are staying in the area.
- Temperatures in summer are very high, so sunscreen, sunglasses and a swimsuit are almost essential.
- As there are dozens of villages worth visiting in the area, it is advisable to decide what to see in Lake Como in advance and plan a route to find the tour that best suits your tastes.
Which villages should I not miss on Lake Como?
If you've already seen all the attractions in Milan, I recommend booking an excursion to Lake Como from Milan. The villages in this area are widely regarded as the most beautiful in Italy.
The list is very long, so you'll need several days to see them all. As we don't always have that much time, I'll make things easier for you by providing a link to a list of the 10 most beautiful villages around the lake.
To sum up, if you have to prioritise a few , I recommend visiting Bellagio and Varenna. They are two of the most beautiful and also the most accessible. Off the beaten track, Nesso is a real hidden gem and one of the most picturesque. Whichever you choose, you won't be disappointed.