COMO BOAT TOUR FIELD GUIDE
Lakeside Lunch on Lake Como: Villas, Botanical Gardens and a Waterfront Meal
A four-hour boat tour from CS Boats srl that cruises past Lake Como’s grand villas, includes a visit to Villa Melzi (or Villa Carlotta) and a lakeside lunch at a restaurant of your choice.
Lakeside Lunch on Lake Como: Villas, Botanical Gardens and a Waterfront Meal.
This compact cruise threads the narrow fingers of Lake Como, bringing you close to the region’s most iconic villas and their terraced gardens before pausing for a relaxed lunch on the shore and a guided stroll through Villa Melzi’s neoclassical botanical park; guests may alternatively choose a visit to Villa Carlotta.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
A parade of Lake Como’s iconic lakeside villas
The captain narrates the façades and waterfront gardens as the boat cruises past the most majestic villas on the lake, offering close-up views only possible from the water.
Villa Melzi’s neoclassical botanical park
A lakeside visit to Villa Melzi lets you walk paths lined with prized trees and classical ornamentation—one of the lake’s most celebrated gardens—and is included as the standard shore stop.
Lakeside lunch at a restaurant you choose
The tour includes a dedicated stop for lunch on the shore; guests select a lakeside restaurant to dine at during the scheduled break.
What the day feels like
What the four-hour outing feels like
The rhythm is easy: a narrated cruise past waterfront palaces, a calm harbor pause for a lakeside meal, then a short on-shore visit through Villa Melzi’s botanical park (or Villa Carlotta if you prefer)—all compacted into a four-hour window that balances sightlines from the boat with time ashore.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this tour suits—and who should reconsider.
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
The full experience lasts approximately four hours.
Bring sun protection and light layers for the lake breeze; beverages are allowed in plastic containers (no red wine, no glass). Food is not allowed on board.
Smoking and fishing on board are strictly prohibited; personal items left aboard are the guest’s responsibility. Swimming or diving from the boat is forbidden without the captain’s permission and prohibited in the Nesso area.
The tour includes a stop for a lakeside lunch at a restaurant chosen by guests, plus a visit to Villa Melzi’s botanical park or, alternatively, Villa Carlotta.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
How long is the Lakeside Lunch tour?
The tour lasts approximately four hours.
Is food allowed on the boat?
No—food is not permitted on board; the tour schedules a stop for lunch at a lakeside restaurant of your choice.
Can I bring beverages on board?
Yes—beverages are allowed but only in plastic containers; red wine and glass containers are not permitted.
Are pets allowed?
Animals are not permitted on board except for service animals.
Can guests swim from the boat?
Swimming or diving from the boat is forbidden without the captain’s authorization; swimming is specifically prohibited in the Nesso area, and any guest who chooses to swim does so at their own risk.
Can I choose which villa’s gardens to visit?
Yes—the standard visit is to Villa Melzi’s botanical park, but guests may alternatively choose a visit to Villa Carlotta.