As part of my mega six-week trip traveling all throughout northern Italy, I spent almost a week based in Como, right on the shores of Lake Como. This gorgeous lake attracts tourists from all over the world and, being so massive, has so many things to see and do all the way around.
One of my favourite days while at Lake Como was our day spent in Varenna. Varenna is based on the western side of Lake Como, sort of nestled right in the middle of the upside-down "Y" shape of the lake, right where the two legs split off.
Varenna is a very popular destination thanks to the two beautiful villas and gardens that are open for visiting here. It's the perfect spot for a little day trip from wherever you are based around the lake. I wouldn't recommend staying here as it is quite busy and you might not find it super relaxing. Plus, a day is plenty to see Varenna.
By car: We drove to Varenna. There is not a ton of parking available and so we had to wait outside the parking garage for a few minutes until someone left, becaues it was full. There is a multi-tiered parking garage right across from the two villas which is the one I recommend. There is also some outdoor parking in a lot next to the ferry terminal but it's small and quite busy.
By ferry: You can also reach Varenna by public transport. Most popular is to arrive by ferry. I strongly suggest booking your ferry to Varenna in advance as they are almost always sold out.
By train: There is also a Trennord train station in Varenna, about 15 minutes walk from the villas.
We had a delicious pizza lunch followed by really yummy gelato in Varenna... as you do in Italy. I can highly recommend the ALMA Bistro, situated right on the lake with excellent service, for your lunch and then popping just down the promenade for the popular gelateria, Riva Gelateria, for your dessert and gelato fix.
ALMA Bistro
Riva Gelateria
We truly loved our day visiting the Villa Monastero and can wholeheartedly say it is worth the money.
It seems to also be a very popular destination for engagement and wedding photoshoots; we saw many couples wandering around in full wedding finery with their photographers. It is worth noting that if you wish to visit the Villa Monastero purely for the purposes of a photoshoot, particularly one relating to your wedding, then there is (at the time of writing) a €300 per hour fee for two people plus a photographer to access the grounds. This is quite a steep fee, but regardless, I saw many people taking advantage of this! Personally, I found it too busy with the "regular" tourists to want this sort of a place as my engagement photo location - instead I suggest spending that money on a nice villa hotel and using their grounds for your photos, instead.
The Villa Monastero was built in the 12th century originally as a convent. Its last private owner was the Milanese De Marchi family who, in 1936, handed over the keys to the gorgeous lakefront villa property to the province of Lecco for the benefit of the public. Having supported botanical research, the property was intended to continue to serve that purpose for the public, with the exceptional botanical gardens of the villa being home to more than 900 exquisite species, open since 1940. You are free to wander through the whole botanical garden, stretching along the water of Lake Como. An additional cost also gives access inside the Villa Monastero itself, which is small and gorgeous, with a super neat bathroom. Worth a wander!
→ Buy your tickets to visit Villa Monastero in advance.
You can also buy tickets on-site when you arrive, like we did. There are lots of different combinations of tickets depending on what you want to visit, including the option to combine them with the nearby Villa Cipressi's gardens.
We bought a combined ticket for both the botanical garden and villa of Villa Monastero as well as the gardens of the Villa Cipressi. The inside of the villa is now the Hotel Villa Cipressi.
Built starting in the 1400s, the Villa was originally part of the Serponti family estate. It was owned by a number of private families, until 1980 when it was purchased by the Municipality of Varenna to be used for the benefit of the public. This now includes a hotel, events centre and botanical gardens.
→ Buy your tickets to visit the botanical gardens of Villa Cipressi in advance.
You can also buy them on-site when you arrive, like we did. There are lots of different combinations of tickets depending on what you want to visit, including the option to combine them with the nearby Villa Monastero.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
