Anyone every visited Villa Balbianello? How can I get there or do I need to do this a travel agent? Can I hire a private boat to get me there and how much would it cost?

I have been there and it is awesome. And yes, we went by private boat, provided by the hotel Grand Hotel Victoria Menaggio. I think when you call there to reserve (mandatory), they may be able to provide info on how you can get there, without reserving a boat for the whole afternoon (which we did).<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

Rex-<BR><BR>I'm interested to know if how much you paid for the private boat and for how many hours. Were you able to see other villas on the lake as well.

It was fairly expensive - - I think $350 for a &quot;half day&quot;. We were aq group of sweven, so it seemed justifiable. That was down to Isola Comacina and back (from Menaggio), a 60-90 minute stop at Balbianello, then over to Ravenna, where we just sat at &quot;dockside&quot; and had a late afternoon lunch/wine stop (under an hour?) - - then he took us back to Menaggio (I think, or did he leave us at Bellagio, at our request? - - I have forgotten)<BR><BR>As I said, set up by our hotel. There must be other choices. And if you want to see Carlotta and other villas, I think you might want to do some exploring by rental car.<BR>

Is Villa Balbianello open to the general public or do you have to visit it with an arranged tour?

Open to the public, but &quot;appointments&quot; required. I'm just not sure what all are the options of how you can get there. I understand that all visitors must arrive by boat, even though logically, there MUST be some obscure road access hidden somewhere.<BR>