Small-Group Lake Como: Bellagio, Varenna, Hidden Gorge & Boat
Description
Discover the must-sees of Lake Como — the dreamy villages of Bellagio and Varenna — and a hidden gem no other tour reaches: the dramatic Bellano Gorge. Wander the narrow cobblestone streets of Bellagio and Varenna, with ample free time to explore Villa Melzi, enjoy lunch at a waterfront restaurant, and take in the views. Skip the lines and crowds with priority boat access. Explore Bellagio, Varenna, and Bellano on a walking tour with your guide in a small group of no more than 15 — while guiding larger groups of 25+ is banned by law in Bellagio. In summer, you can stay longer in Bellano and enjoy a refreshing swim in Lake Como, weather permitting. The beach is small and rocky, with deep water close to shore.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Visit Varenna, one of the most photographed villages on Lake Como. Stroll along the scenic lakeside promenade, explore the old town streets, and enjoy free time to discover viewpoints, cafés, and small local shops. Your guide helps orient the visit so you can make the most of your time.
Explore Bellagio at your own pace, one of the most scenic villages on Lake Como. Stroll along the lakeside promenade, climb the stone stairways of the old town, relax in quiet piazzas, or enjoy a coffee with lake views. You may also choose to visit Villa Melzi Gardens or browse small local shops. Free time is unhurried, allowing you to enjoy Bellagio calmly without rushing.
Cruise past the lakeside town of Menaggio, enjoying beautiful views from the water as you continue toward the next stop.
Walk through the Bellano Gorge (Orrido di Bellano), a natural canyon carved by rushing water over thousands of years. Follow elevated walkways fixed to the rock walls, passing waterfalls, narrow passages, and dramatic views directly above the river below. The visit is fully walkable and well maintained, making it easy to explore while enjoying a unique natural setting. After the gorge, take time to visit Bellano, a calm lakeside village with a local atmosphere, far from mass tourism. This stop adds a quieter, natural experience that most Lake Como day trips do not include.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Note: This 10-hour tour includes travel time—round-trip train ride and boat cruise
- Minimum age: 6 years. No strollers allowed
Reviews(777)
Lovely small group tour (8 people the day I went) to Lake Como, with the express train to Varenna, ferry to Bellagio, fast boat (aliscafo) to Bellano and the Orrido di Bellano (gorge), and express train back to Milano. Najma was an excellent guide - friendly, informative, kept an eye to make sure the whole group was keeping up, and gave wonderful recommendations with options for what to do with our free time. The whole day was well organized and thoughtfully planned out. For us, it was a perfect introduction to and overview of Lake Como that left us wanting to come back to spend a whole week at the lake, exploring more in depth. Would definitely use Abroads for another tour in the future. Thanks Najma!
The whole experience is amazing highly recommended. Chiara our guide was very helpful, informative and took care of every detail. She made our trip more than amazing. She is very passionate about her job and she knows the history by heart. In addition the most amazing part that she took care of all the bookings so it was hassle free for us from train tickets, ferry and boat. In addition she gave us a lot of tips and tricks that made the experience easier and smooth. Would definitely recommend her and Abroads tours.
Very nice tour with Chiara as a guide. The explications were very clear and the tour was really lovely with beautiful landscapes.
Fantastic guide, Chiara "the wolf" Luppo. Very knowledgeable and attentive. She made the long visit of 10 hrs very easy. It's the only way to go, as you have first class train tickets and skip the line ferry passes. The lines to buy ferry passes were really long but we didnt had to wait with Chiara. . Chiara accompany us the whole day, giving great info about the places with audio headphones so we didn't loose a single detail. We arrived to Varenna and had free time until the ferry to Bellagio. Then free lunch time and a ferry the Bellano were we ended the day with a visit to the waterfalls in the Gorge. Finally took the train back to Milano Centrale. I hope you get assigned Chiara. She is a local guide and knows the area vwey well.
Highly recommended and well worth the money. I was hesitant to pay the premium price and honestly thought if it's worth it. It was worth every penny. All the communication was super easy through Whatsapp. They sent us meeting location well in advance, confirmed that I was coming and made everything super easy. We had "skip the line" tickets for all the ferries, which is an absolute must at peak season. There is no chance I woould've wanted to stand in the line with a 35C degree heat. Our tour guide Andy super friendly and outgoing. He made sure everyone in our group know what's going to happen throughout the day, where our meeting points are in every location. He had so much knowledge about every spot and its history and was also an awesome guy to talk to. When told him about my Italian itinerary he gave me recommendations to each place, where to eat, what to see and how to get around. For a solo traveller this was like a goldmine. Andy and the team made my Lake Como day trip unforgettable and what is most important to me, super easy. I could not recommend him enough.
We loved our excursion to Lake Como with Najma! It was a very balanced day: explanations, free time, travel, crowds, and quiet. We really appreciated avoiding the lines and the time lost on boat transport. The small group encouraged interaction and was really pleasant. A big thank you to our friendly guide!
The tour was very informative, the guide Najma is very nice and wonderful, she guided the group very carefully. She knows how to manage and alternate between the free time and the guided time. I love this tour and enjoyed the day. I recommande this tour with Najma
The program was perfect for a first visit to Como Lake, with a good time balance between free time and guided walks. NAJMA is very knowledgeable and kead the group very professionally. The information was clear and her recommendations provided multiple options to make the experience enjoyable for everyone. The boats used were actually the public ferry and speed boats, but we always skipped the line. The visit to the gorge in Bellano was a great discovery. Would surely recommend.
Our trip to Como was fantastic, and our tour guide Chiara is very nice, knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about the area’s history, culture, and beautiful scenery. The tour was well organized, informative, and engaging, with plenty of local recommendations. We never felt rushed and had enough time to enjoy each stop. We highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Como. Thank you for such a wonderful experience! Thanks Chiara!
From beginning to end this was a wonderful small tour. Easy to find at Milano Centrale, they took care of all the tickets - and we never had to wait in a queue to get on a ferry. We loved Kia our tour guide, she is a life long Lake Como local. Gave wonderful historical facts, knew where to get the best pictures. Gave wonderful suggestions for buying souvenirs, think silk, leather, & gelato. The Orrido di Bellini Gorge is an easy climb up stairs and circle arounds to a church - I did it with a rolled ankle and it was worth it. At each stop you had plenty of time to go explore or just sit and enjoy the view. We did a little of both and didn’t miss a thing in our opinion. Just book it!
