Visiting Villa del Balbianello in Lenno is just a ferry ride or water taxi ride away from from Como. Once arriving in Lenno walk over to the group water taxi station to catch a ride to Villa del Barbianello. We waited about 20 minutes for the boat which seats 12 and we were numbers 13 and 14 so we had to wait for the next one which took about 15 minutes. Upon arriving at the Villa del Balbianello dock, we purchased tickets for the garden only since it was an hour wait for a tour of the interior of the buildings. This tour would have taken about another 45 minutes. Keep in mind that the Villa del Barbianello is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays and Tuesdays are crazy busy. The garden was lovely and so were the vistas. We spent about 45 minutes walking through the garden. We returned to the dock and stood in line for the group water taxi where we were numbers 13 and 14 again. The group water taxi is 5 Euro per person each way, but it’s 7 Euros per person if you purchase a round trip ticket when you board in Lenno. If you’re a Star Wars fan, notice the residence of Senator Padmé Amidala on the “planet of the lakes.” Naboo, in the “Episode II – The Attack of the Cones” from 2002.
If you’re a James Bond fan, you may notice that in the Daniel Craig “Casino Royale,” bond did his recovery period from being tortured here. Villa del Balbianello is worth your while to visit while visiting Lake Como. If you have purchased a day pass for the ferry, make sure you budget your time wisely because the last ferry starts to head back to Como relatively early (about 6 PM) and arrives in Como about 8 PM. After leaving Villa del Balbianello, take the ferry to Villa Carlotta in Termezzo.
