Villas around Lake Como
Lake Como is famous for its stunning scenery and beautiful lake side villas with botanical gardens. Most of the villas around Lake Como are in private hands and cannot be visited, with the exemption of private events. Luckily some of the most impressive villas are open to the public.
When travelling to Lake Como visiting one of the villas will probably be on your to do list, but what if you do not have a lot of time? Just don’t know which one to visit? Or are you struggling with which one is worth it? In this guide you can read about the most beautiful villas and botanical gardens we visited and which one we would recommend.
Villa Monastero in Varenna
Villa Monastero is an amazing villa around Lake Como that includes a wide botanical garden and a museum that collects four centuries of history. Casa Museo is articulated in 14 different rooms, furnished and decorated according to the eclectic taste of the second half of the 19th century: they contain ancient vestiges and testimonies of the monastic life. Villa Monastero’s botanical garden is structured in terraces. The botanical garden is quite long and narrow. From every point of the garden you will experience an epic view over Lake Como.
Opening times
The opening time of the villa and botanical garden is from 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM everyday of the week.
Cost
There are different ticket prices. Entrance to the Botanical Garden and the House Museum has the following breakdown of ticket prices:
- For adults: €13,00
- For kids under 14: free
- For young adults between 15 and 25: €7,00
Entrance to only the Botanical Garden has the following breakdown of ticket prices:
- For adults: €10,00
- For kids under 14: free
- For young adults between 15 and 25: €5,00
Tickets for the Botanic Garden and the House Museum can be purchased online through Vivaticket. There is also the option to buy a cumulative ticket with Villa Cipressi. This ticket cannot be purchased online. We bought the cumulative ticket at the tickets desk by villa Monstero. The price for one adult is €22,00.
How to get there
The villa is located in the in the very center of Varenna. If you come by ferry the station is about a 10 minutes walk to the villa. If you arrive by car you can park directly across the villa at Parcheggio Multipiano, a big parking garage.
Hotel Villa Cipressi in Varenna
The historic hotel of Villa Cipressi is made up of three stunning buildings. The oldest dates back to the 1400s, the second was built in the 1600s, and the third was constructed in the 1800s. It is a prestigious complex of ancient buildings and beautiful gardens, the villa is placed in a privileged position. It is next to Villa Monastero and together represents the worldwide famous Conference Center of Varenna.
Opening times
The garden opens every day in high season from 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM. The garden is closed during private events or for garden maintenance activities. Check the website for the latest opening times and dates.
Costs
There are different ticket prices. Entrance to the Botanical Garden and the villa has the following breakdown of ticket prices:
- For adults: €10,00
- For kids under 14: free
- For young adults between 15 and 25: €9,00
How to get there
The villa is located in the outside of the city centre of Varenna next to villa Monastero, so the same travel options apply as Villa Monastero in Varenna.
Villa Carlotta in Tremezzina
Surrounded by a wide botanical garden, Villa Carlotta was named after the once mistress of the Villa and is home to a museum that collects works by Canova and Hayez. This was – in my opinion – the best villa and botanical garden experience. The botanical garden is really wide and with different paths to walk ranging from 40 tot 90 minutes. This garden felt as one of the most peaceful places to be. The bamboo part of the garden impressed me the most.
Opening times
The opening time of the villa and botanical garden is from 10:00 AM – 7:00PM everyday of the week.
Costs
There are different ticket prices. Entrance to the Botanical Garden and the villa is always combined and has the following breakdown of ticket prices:
- For adults: €15,00
- For kids under 5: free
- For students between 6 and 18: €6,00
- For students between 19 and 25: €10,00
How to get there
Villa Carlotta in Tremezzina is in the middle of the town next to the popular hotels Grand Hotel Tremezzo on the left, and Royal Cadenabbia on the right. This villa even has its own ferry stop. Just hop off at the ferry, take the pedestrian crossing over the motorway and you arrived at your destination. If you arrive by car there is a parking lot named Parcheggio gratuito Villa Carlotta across from the villa.
Villa Balbianello in Lenno
Take a stroll around the gardens and visit the interiors of Villa Balbianello. This location is used frequently for weddings, events and even the film set of Star Wars. Not that I saw the movie… I just trust Maarten that the scenes in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (2002) are really shot here. The difference of this villa and garden compared to the other ones is that the complex is known for the terraces. The main terrace with its big arches is a sight to be seen.
Opening times
The opening time of the villa and botanical garden is from 10:00 AM – 7:00PM everyday of the week.
Costs
There are different ticket prices. Entrance to the Botanical Garden and the villa is always combined and has the following breakdown of ticket prices:
- For adults: €15,00
- For kids under 5: free
- For students between 6 and 18: €6,00
- For students between 19 and 25: €10,00
How to get there
This villa has its own ferry stop. Just hop off at the ferry and walk directly into the villa. The second way to reach this villa is to walk from Lenno to the gate of the property, and take the walking path up to the villa. The walk from Lenno to the gate is approximately 5 minutes. From the gates to the villa is a steep way up, this took us around 10 minutes. The third way to get to the villa is buy using the boat shuttle service of the villa. Just before you reach the gate of the property you will see a sign and a small gate that gives you access to the shuttle. A one way trip is €4,90 per person.
Villa Melzi in Bellagio
Experience a fascinating walk in the gardens of Villa Melzi, a perfect balance between architecture and natural beauty. Villa Melzi was built between 1808 and 1810 for Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Duke of Lodi and Vice President of the Italian Republic during the time of Napoleon. Architect Giocondo Albertolli designed a beautiful neoclassical villa, sober with simple lines, which was used by Melzi as a summer residence near Lake Como until his death.The beautiful garden was the first English garden on Lake Como. The beautiful park with beautiful plants and flowers, including rhododendrons, cypresses, azaleas and sequoias, is crossed by winding paths along a slope.
Costs
Tickets include entrance to the neo-classical Chapel, the museum and the park with its interesting sculptures and stupendous azaleas and rhododendrons.
- For adults: €8,00
- For kids under 11: free
- For groups of 15 or more: €6,50
- Two day ticket: €11,00
Day tickets are valid for one full day and allow visitors to enter and leave the Gardens without limitations over the course of the day.
Opening times
The opening time of the villa and botanical garden is from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM everyday of the week.
How to get there
Villa Melzi and Botenical garden is reachable by ferry. The stop of the ferry is Bellagio. From the ferry follow the road to the right along the promenade. This will lead you to the villa after a short 10 minute walk.
Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni and Gardens in Bellagio
One of the oldest and most elegant hotels on Lake Como, the neo-classical Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. The park that belongs to the villa is one of the lesser known. The park of Villa Serbelloni is a natural park that covers almost the entire promontory of Bellagio and extends for about 50 acres. Access is allowed to a maximum of 60 people per day and only through guided tours.
Costs
Tickets include entrance to the neo-classical Chapel, the museum and the park with its interesting sculptures and stupendous azaleas and rhododendrons.
- For adults: €10,00
- For children under 6: free
- For children between 11-13: €5,00
Opening times
The opening time of the villa and botanical garden is from 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM from Tuesday till Sunday.
How to get there
Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni and Botenical garden is reachable by ferry. The stop of the ferry is Bellagio. From the ferry follow the road to the left along the promenade. This will lead you to the villa after a short 5 minute walk. This villa is on the direct opposid side of Villa Melzi.
Villa d’Este in Cernobbio
A private villa, an ideal location for luxury weddings, business meetings, photoshoots, television and film footage. Located on the shores of Lake Como, one of the most romantic in the world, Villa d’Este is surrounded by a wonderful private park of ten hectares. The villa was built in the second half of the sixteenth century for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio, powerful secretary of state of Pope Gregory XIII. Nowdays the villa is only open to hotel guests, but the gardens are open on request.
The best time to visit the villas
Being an early bird generally helps to beat the crowds at sights. While visiting the villas this is surtenly true. There always will be people visiting the villas no matter the weather. Therefore we would recommend visiting the villas at opening time. Our experience is that there will be less people and we even had the place to ourselves for some time at some of the villas.
Which villa would you recommend?
Every villa and garden has its own charm, so there is not one villa that is nicer, prettier or more worthy to see than the other. We do think that the best gardens are to be found at Villa Balbelianello, Villa Melzi and Villa Carlotta. Villa Monestero and Villa Carlotta are worth the visit for the for the architecture and the lake views.
