destination360.orgPLACES / PEOPLE / STORIES
Visit the gardens of Villa Carlotta, Lake Como

Nature & Hiking

Visit the gardens of Villa Carlotta

Lake Como · Lombardy

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Nature & Hiking
COUNTRY
Italy
REGION
Lake Como · Lombardy
DURATION
Half a day
DIFFICULTY
Easy walking on garden paths, with some slopes.
BEST TIME
Spring for the flowering; the garden is open March to November.

ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE

Villa Carlotta is the 20-hectare garden and villa at Tremezzo on the lake’s western shore, the most celebrated garden on Lake Como. The garden was laid out in the 19th century and holds a famous collection of rhododendrons and azaleas that flower in spring, along with a bamboo grove, a fern valley, a cedar avenue and a water garden. The villa itself, built in the 17th century and rebuilt in the 18th, holds a museum of sculpture — including works by Canova and Thorvaldsen — and art collected by its owners. The garden is at its peak in April and May, when the azaleas flower, but it is worth visiting through the season.

WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE

What you’ll experience

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

THE EXPERIENCE IN DETAIL

What it’s really like

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

HIGHLIGHTS

Moments worth savouring

01

The azalea and rhododendron flowering — the spring display that draws visitors from across Europe, at its peak in April and May.

02

The Italian garden — the formal terraces and fountains beside the villa.

03

The villa museum — the sculpture collection, including Canova’s Palamedes and Thorvaldsen’s works.

04

The bamboo grove and the fern valley — the exotic plantings in the garden’s wilder sections.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Good to know before you go

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

Access
Reach Villa Carlotta by steamer to the Tremezzo landing, or by road; the garden is open from March to November.
Best Time
April and May for the azaleas; mornings for the quiet.
Context
The villa sits at Tremezzo on the western shore, opposite Bellagio, a short ferry crossing away.

MAP & LOCATION

Visit the gardens of Villa Carlotta

Visit the gardens of Villa Carlotta, Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy

45.9911, 9.2769

Open in OpenStreetMap

ATTRACTIONS NEARBY

Pair it with these sights

Bellagio, Lake Como
Town

Bellagio

The village at the point where the lake’s three arms meet, known as the “pearl of Lake Como” — a cluster of pastel houses, cobbled lanes and lakeside villas on the promontory opposite Varenna.

View attraction
Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como
Historic House

Villa del Balbianello

The 18th-century villa on a wooded promontory at Lenno, with terraced gardens and the museum of the explorer Guido Monzino — one of the lake’s most beautiful and most filmed villas.

View attraction
Varenna, Lake Como
Town

Varenna

A fishing village on the lake’s eastern shore, with a waterfront promenade, the medieval church of San Giorgio and the gardens of Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi.

View attraction
Como, Lake Como
Town

Como

The town at the southern tip of the lake’s western arm — the lake’s principal town, with a medieval centre, a Gothic cathedral and the funicular up to Brunate for the panorama.

View attraction

MORE EXPERIENCES

More to do in Lake Como

Cruise the lake by steamer, Lake Como
Scenic & Viewpoints

Cruise the lake by steamer

A ride on the lake’s public steamers, the way the lake was meant to be seen — the villas, the gardens and the villages passing from the deck, with the Alps above.

View experience
Walk the Greenway del Lago di Como, Lake Como
Nature & Hiking

Walk the Greenway del Lago di Como

A 10-kilometre lakeside path along the western shore between Colonno and Cernobbio, passing through villages, villas and olive groves — the most accessible walk on the lake.

View experience

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Trattoria San Giacomo — a beloved local trattoria in Bellagio for lake fish and risotto, no reservations

02

Ristorante La Vista — the terrace restaurant at Hotel Albergo Milano in Varenna, with lake views and refined cooking

03

Al Prato — a quiet garden restaurant in Bellagio for modern Italian cooking, book ahead

04

Vecchia Varenna — a canal-side trattoria in Varenna for traditional lake cooking

05

Gatto Nero — a family-run restaurant on the Brunate hill above Como, with the view and the cooking to match

Explore destination

HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Grand Hotel Tremezzo — a grand lakeside hotel at Tremezzo with a floating pool and gardens, opposite Bellagio

02

Hotel Florence — a charming hotel in the centre of Bellagio, with a garden and a restaurant

03

Albergo Milano — a family-run hotel in Varenna with lake-view rooms and a terrace restaurant

04

Hotel Du Lac — a simple, well-placed hotel on the Varenna waterfront, good value

Explore destination

NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Milan

Milan

Lombardy

Bergamo

Bergamo

Lombardy

Lake Maggiore / Stresa

Lake Maggiore / Stresa

Piedmont

INTERESTS

Explore by what you love

HikingMountaineeringBeaches

PART OF

Keep exploring

The atlas goes on — more attractions, destinations and stories from every corner of the world.