Water taxis and private hire
Motorboats with a skipper, for places the public boats do not reach and for after the last sailing.
Water taxis are motorboats with a skipper, often wooden, run by private operators. They take you from one point of the lake to another on routes and at times set trip by trip.
You book them for a single trip or by the hour, and the price, which is per boat, is agreed before you board. Some operators also run tours at fixed times. Under Italian law the water taxi is a non-scheduled public service, like taxis and chauffeur-driven hire: every boat must hold a licence or authorisation from a municipality, and whoever drives it must be on the official drivers' register. It serves where the public boats do not go and once they have stopped running: for reaching Villa del Balbianello from the Lido di Lenno, crossing from Ossuccio to the Isola Comacina, or getting back in the evening after the last sailing. From the lake you also see the villas that are not open to visitors, such as Villa Pliniana at Torno.
How it works
- Main basesComo, Lenno, Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio; for the Isola Comacina, Ossuccio.
- BookingYou book with the operator, for a single trip or by the hour: agree the total price, duration, route and departure pier before you set off.
- Villa del BalbianelloFor the Balbianello the water-taxi service leaves from the Lido di Lenno and lands at the villa's own landing stage; you may also arrive on any other private water taxi you arrange yourself.
- Isola ComacinaThe Isola Comacina is reached by water taxi from Ossuccio, or on the scheduled boats.
- Driving a boat yourselfA boating licence is required above 30 kW (40.8 metric horsepower), and also at or below that power if the engine exceeds the displacement limit for its type. To operate a motorboat up to ten metres long without a licence, you must be at least sixteen. Jet skis always require a licence.
- Large groupsFor large groups, Navigazione Laghi charters its own ships when they are not on scheduled service, on a route agreed in advance.
Good for
- Reaching Villa del Balbianello from the Lido di Lenno in five minutes, instead of a kilometre uphill on foot
- Crossing to the Isola Comacina from Ossuccio, the village opposite it
- Getting back from one shore to the other in the evening, after the last sailing
- The villa circuit in the hour before sunset, from the side of the lake they face
- Seeing from the water the private villas that are not open to visitors, such as Villa Pliniana at Torno
- Groups and families: on private hire the price is per boat, not per person
Watch out for
- Trips are cancelled when the lake is rough: if you have a time to keep, such as a villa entry, have an alternative on land ready.
- The water taxi to the Balbianello is not run by FAI: it is a paid service, booked with the operator and subject to availability.
- The Balbianello visit is booked separately, with FAI: book your entry before the boat, and check the days the villa is open.
- Book your evening return before you set out, and agree the pier where the boat will meet you.
Where to board
The other modes
- Boats and ferriesScheduled boats, hydrofoils and car ferries: from Como to Colico, from Lecco to Bellagio and from shore to shore across the centre of the lake.
- By trainTrains from Milan and Switzerland to Como, and from Milan to Lecco, Varenna and Colico along the whole eastern shore.
- By busScheduled buses serve the shores the railway does not reach, starting with the western shore, and climb into the valleys.
- By carA car is useful for getting up into the hills; along the shore the roads are narrow, except for the expressway on the eastern side.
- Funicular and cable carThree public lines that climb in a few minutes from Como, Argegno and Lecco to upland villages and meadows.
- By bicycleRoad climbs in the Lariano Triangle and cycle paths on the upper lake; on the Regina you ride in traffic.
- On footMule tracks and historic routes from village to village, with a train, bus or boat to bring you back.