Hi Nicola. It’s an absolutely amazing way to see the lake. Truly beautiful. Unfortunately, it’s extra to go on these boats – not included in the cost of the hotel room. And it’s not cheap. There are other more affordable options with other private boat companies that would be great too, but these classic speedboats from Venice are pretty special. We always look at what we’re doing when it’s a media experience and ask ourselves if we would be happy spending our own money. With this experience, we’d definitely go on the Ruy on our own dime.
Hope this helps – and there are some other options linked further down this post too if you want to shop around.
Safe travels – Jim

Hi Sherry. First of all, congratulations on your 45th anniversary. That’s amazing!
Glad you enjoyed the video. It was a lot of fun to make! Lake Como is a perfect place to celebrate such an auspicious moment – and even better if you can share that with friends.
Three nights would definitely give you a feel for the lake. We spent two there this trip and we saw more of the area than we have before. And if you link that in with a bigger trip, being able to unpack and relax for three full nights would be lovely.
As for the boat ride, yes, there are cheaper options available around the lake, especially going from Varenna and Bellagio. The difference is the boats at the Tremezzo are the most beautiful; imported from Venice and restored original 1960s Riva speedboats. They’re reserved for Tremezzo guests, so you need to be staying there to ride in them.
Tours in these boats are pricy, but if you can split the cost between you and your friends, it becomes more manageable.
Otherwise, I’ve put some links into this post with info on other boat tours you can do. Here they are:
Taxi Boat Varenna
Taxi Boats Barindelli
Tasell
And this site shows you some price breakdowns too.
There’s also a water plane tour you can do over the lake which caught our eye last time we were there. We didn’t have time to do it that trip, but it looks amazing and is surprisingly affordable too.
Last of all, I thought you might like to look through our guide on Lake Como, which covers a lot of the questions other readers have asked us over the years. Might be of some help to you. 🙂
But let me know if you have any other questions about your trip. We’d be happy to help.
Cheers – Jim

Hi Teresa. It’s just incredible there, isn’t it? And you’re absolutely right – I think we could go there every year and never get bored of the place. So glad our tips have been helpful – have a wonderful time back on Lake Como. Jim

Hi Kristy. So glad you enjoyed our story and found it helpful. What a place to celebrate your 30th anniversary – congratulations by the way. I can only imagine what the rest of your trip will be like. The Tremezzo is a simply stunning place to stay on Lake Como. You’ll have the best time. And the boat ride is absolutely worth it. All the best to you and yours too. Have a lovely trip. Up the reds! 😉