5 Best Villas to Visit in Lake Como: Most Beautiful Spots

Lake Como is my favourite part of Italy. It is situated in Northern Italy and is surrounded by the Alps. Which is why the fresh air and the panoramic views are guaranteed. And for those of us who love culture travel, Lake Como is full of beautiful villas you can visit and explore. In this blog post I am sharing my favourite and 5 best villas to visit in Lake Como.

I’ve ranked them from the best and most beautiful ones downwards. I mean, they are all stunning, but this list is made in order of how I liked them (a lot of people share the same opinions though, especially for the first one).

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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📖 Planning a trip to Lake Como? Check my Lake Como Itinerary: How to Spend 2 Days in Lake Como blog post.

Villa del Balbianello

About Villa del Balbianello

Visiting Villa del Balbianello is a must have when you’re in Lake Como. It is the most beautiful villa I have ever seen!

Villa del Balbianello is located in Lenno and was built at the end of the 18th century by Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini on the site of an old Franciscan Monastery. In the 19th century, after Cardinal’s death, Villa del Balbianello was inherited by his grandson Count Luigi Porro Lambertenghi.

Later, the villa was purchased by Marquis Giuseppe Arconati Visconti, who made some improvements to its gardens and the loggia. Unfortunately as the family declined, the villa was neglected.

In 1919, Villa del Balbianello was purchased by Butler Ames, an American soldier and businessman. He restored it and returned its original glory and beauty. In 1974 Ames’s heirs gave the villa to the famous entrepreneur and explorer Guido Monzino. He decorated the villa with artefacts and souvenirs he got from his travels and expeditions. Monzino died and donated Villa del Balbianello to FAI (Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano).

Today Villa del Balbianello is also used as a wedding venue and a filming location. The two very famous movies were filmed in Villa del Balbianello. You can spot Villa del Balbianello in some scenes from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones by George Lucas and Casino Royale, James Bond with Daniel Craig. 🤩 I don’t know about you, but I love visiting filming locations.

📖 Read my Villa del Balbianello & Star Wars: Visiting Filming Location blog post.

General Info & Tips for Visiting Villa del Balbianello

💡Firstly, and most importantly, if you plan on visiting Villa del Balbianello, you have to buy your tickets well in advance!

Basically, if you want to see the interior of the villa + the gardens, you need to get your tickets at least one month in advance.

If you’d like to explore the gardens only, then you need to get the tickets at least 2 weeks in advance.

Once they’re sold out, there’s no chance for you to see the villa at all on your own, which is why it’s super important to plan ahead. I have personally made that mistake and was unable to see the interior, but luckily I could at least explore the gardens (I did buy mine about 2 weeks ahead of my visit FYI).

The only other way for visiting Villa del Balbianello if the entry tickets are sold out is to join a guided tour.

Villa del Balbianello is NOT open all year round and NOT on every day. It is open to visitors from mid-March to the end of November from 10 am to 6 pm (last entrance is at 5 pm!).

Also, it is NOT open on Mondays and Wednesdays.

📖 Read my How to Get to Villa del Balbianello – Exclusive Guide blog post that covers in depth guide on how to visit Villa del Balbianello from major Lake Como towns. It is not as easy as it seems, but I’ve got you covered with this guide!

Best Tours for Visiting Villa del Balbianello

In case the general tickets have sold out or you want to join a guided tour to visit Villa del Balbianello, here are the best ones you can book.

Villa Monastero

About Villa Monastero

Varenna is my favourite town in Lake Como, not Bellagio as it is to many other people. Varenna is quieter, smaller and feels more local, but is equally gorgeous.

Therefore, it is no surprise that my 2nd favourite villa in Lake Como is Varenna’s Villa Monastero.

It also has an interesting history. It was initially the site of the ancient Cistercian women’s monastery that was built at the end of the 12th century. Due to decline the monastery was bought by the Mornico family in 1569. They rebuilt it and turned it into a villa, which was owned by them for more than 3 centuries.

In 1862 the house was sold to the engineer Pietro Genazzini of Bellagio, but he was forced to sell it in 1869 due to financial issues. The new buyer was Carolina Maumari. Over the course of centuries the villa was passed from one owner to the other until 1939 when the De Marchi family, who owned it at the time, donated it to the public.

Villa Monastero therefore became a public property and a museum opened to the public (I’m personally so happy for this decision).

General Info & Tips for Visiting Villa Monastero

Villa Monastero is open daily from the beginning of April to the end of October (the museum will be closed every Monday in April, May, and September).

The opening times in the peak season are 9:30 am – 8 pm and 10 am – 5 pm in the low season (the last admission is 45 minutes before the closing time!)

If you ask me now why didn’t we go inside the villa to see it too, I wouldn’t know what to answer because I honestly forgot the main reason. I regret this decision now, but nevertheless, the gardens themselves are gorgeous. They are actually the best and most beautiful of all the villas in Lake Como, at least to me.

✅ It is better to buy tickets in advance, but not necessary as with Villa del Balbianello. If you want to visit Villa Monastero, Villa Melzi and Villa Carlotta (which are all on this list of best villas to visit in Lake Como), then consider getting a combo ticket that covers the entrance to all these 3 villas + ferry rides. You can also buy the tickets on the spot separately.

To visit Villa Monastero, you need to take a ferry to Varenna (if not staying there) or you can drive there, especially if you’re staying in less popular towns like Lecco.

From the ferry port, you need to walk about 11 minutes to reach the villa.

Best Tours for Visiting Villa Monastero

You can visit Villa Monastero on a guided tour too. Here are the best ones to consider.

Villa Melzi d’Eril 

About Villa Melzi

Villa Melzi d’Eril in Bellagio is one of the best villas to visit in Lake Como.

Villa Melzi was built as the summer residence of Francesco Melzi d’Eril, vice president of the Italian Republic founded by Napoleon in the early 1800s.

Opposite to the other 2 villas, Villa Melzi is a private residence, therefore you can only visit the gardens, which are so beautiful and romantic.

General Info & Tips for Visiting Villa Melzi

Villa Melzi is open from the end of March to the end of October and on every day.

The opening times are from 10 am to 7 pm (last admission at 6:30 pm!).

We actually came there 45 minutes before the closing time and it was a perfect decision. Maybe also because the storm was coming, so other people were already leaving, but in the end, it felt like it was only me and my husband exploring the gardens. We saw 3-4 other people and that was it.

We did get caught up in the storm, but we were hiding inside this little temple above until it passed.

✅ As for the tickets, if you want to visit Villa Monastero, Villa Melzi and Villa Carlotta (which are all on this list of best villas to visit in Lake Como), then consider getting a combo ticket that covers the entrance to all these 3 villas + ferry rides. You can also buy the tickets on the spot separately.

To visit Villa Melzi, you need to take a ferry to Bellagio (if not staying there) or you can drive there, especially if you’re staying in less popular towns like Lecco.

From the ferry port, you need to walk about 22 minutes to reach the villa.

Best Tours for Visiting Villa Melzi

Here are some of the best tours you can book to visit Villa Melzi.

📖 Read my 9 Best Photo Spots in Lake Como: Instagrammable Places blog post.

Villa Carlotta

About Villa Carlotta

Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo is surely one of the most beautiful villas to visit in Lake Como.

It was built in the late 17th century by the wealthy banker Giorgio Clerici as a summer residence.
In 1801, it was purchased by Giovanni Battista Sommariva, a politician and art collector. He transformed the villa into a cultural gem by adding a rich collection of sculptures and artworks, including masterpieces by Canova and Thorvaldsen.

In 1843, Sommariva’s heirs sold the villa to Princess Marianne of Prussia, who gifted the residence to her daughter Charlotte.

Villa Carlotta’s history took an interesting turn during and after World War I. Unlike other properties owned by foreign nationals in Italy, the villa was not confiscated by the Italian state when Italy entered the war in 1915. Instead, it was placed under the management of an administrator, with the Swiss Consulate overseeing the interests of its owners during the war.

Things changed in 1921 when the financial administrator of Como Province declared the villa as property of the Italian state, citing its national significance. Plans were made to auction it in 1922, but thankfully this never happened. Local supporters, led by Senator Giuseppe Bianchini and the Rotary Club of Milan, fought to protect the villa. Their efforts resulted in the establishment of the Ente Villa Carlotta, a charitable foundation created by royal decree in 1927, which still manages the villa today.

General Info & Tips for Visiting Villa Carlotta

Villa Carlotta is open from mid-March to the end of October and on every day.

The opening times are from 10 am to 7 pm (last admission at 6 pm!).

The ticket for Villa Carlotta includes both the gardens and the interior with the art collection.
The gardens were my favourite part as there’s a lot of exotic plants and trees. There was even a section with bamboo trees and at some parts we felt like we were somewhere deep in the forest.

The views from the villa are gorgeous, which all goes to prove that Villa Carlotta is undoubtedly one of the best Lake Como Villas.

✅ As for the tickets, if you want to visit Villa Monastero, Villa Melzi and Villa Carlotta (which are all on this list of best villas to visit in Lake Como), then consider getting a combo ticket that covers the entrance to all these 3 villas + ferry rides. You can also buy the tickets on the spot separately.

To visit Villa Carlotta, you need to take a ferry to Tremezzo (if not staying there) or you can drive there, especially if you’re staying in less popular towns like Lecco.

From the ferry port, you need to walk about 6 minutes to reach the villa.

Best Tours for Visiting Villa Carlotta

Here are some of the best guided tours for visiting Villa Carlotta you can take.

Villa Cipressi

About Villa Cipressi

Villa Cipressi is located in Varenna, only 2-3 minutes walk from Villa Monastero, so it’s quite easy to combine both of them in a single day.

The main difference between Villa Cipressi from all the other villas is that Villa Cipressi is actually a luxury hotel today. That means that you can book a stay there and enjoy everything it has to offer.

✅ CHECK THE PRICES HERE

The villa was built between 1400 and 1800. Over the centuries, it passed through several wealthy families, including the Serponti, Andreossi and Isimbardi families, each of whom added to its charm.

In the early 20th century, the property passed into the hands of Sir Astley and Sir Salton, until it came to the publisher Accame, the last owner before its acquisition in 1980.

As mentioned already, currently the Villa Cipressi is mainly owned by the Municipality of Varenna and other minor public entities and managed by R Collection Hotels.

General Info & Tips for Visiting Villa Cipressi

The main reason why I put Villa Cipressi on the last place of this list of best Lake Como Villas to visit is mainly because your visiting experience would depend on luck.

Why on luck? Well, Villa Cipressi also hosts weddings and other events too. And on the day we were visiting, there was a wedding happening, which meant that we could only visit the gardens partially. And with no surprise, the most beautiful and popular garden area was privatised for the wedding. And I came for that particular part of the gardens because I do suck for instagrammable places (there, I said it lol).

But, what also annoyed me is that they charged us the full price for the gardens even though we could only walk around half of it.

With that, if you’re planning on visiting, the best is to buy the tickets at the entrance, but before you do, ask them if you’d have the access to the full gardens or if some event is happening.

Villa Cipressi is open daily, but the times vary throughout the year. The safest bet is to visit between 11 am and 4 pm.

To visit Villa Cipressi, you need to take a ferry to Varenna (if not staying there) or you can drive there, especially if you’re staying in less popular towns like Lecco.

From the ferry port, you need to walk about 9 minutes to reach the villa.

Best Tours for Visiting Villa Cipressi

While there are no particular tours for visiting Villa Cipressi, like with other villas on this list, here are some of the best Lake Como tours you can book.

Google Map of Best Villas to Visit in Lake Como

Where to Stay in Lake Como

📖 Check out my Top 12 Hotels in Lake Como with Beautiful Lake Como View for more.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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