Does anyone know the best way to rent a boat at lake como. We are staying in Bellagio and there are 8 of us. We could also take two boats. Do we need to book this in advance or can we rent one at the marina. We are going in July
Lastly can we rent a small motor boat and do we need a license for that?
Do it! A few years ago we stayed in Varenna and rented a small motor boat. I don't think we needed any kind of boating license, maybe just ID. They gave us a (cartoonish) map of all the villas along the lake. The boat was clean, newish, and well powered. It was a highlight of our stay. You could ferry over there for the day if not available in Bellagio. You will need to rent 2 boats for 8 people I believe. Varenna Rent A Boat.
https://varennarentaboat.com/fleet-our-boats-to-discover-lake-como/
You can also rent in Mennagio. You don’t need a boaters’ license for up to 7 people which is why you will need two boats for 8 people. But you do need a drivers license as I recall so make sure you take two.
We were going to rent in 2021 when we went in August. My son who was going to be driver wanted to wait until we got there. By the time we decided, there was nothing available. We ended up renting at Lake Garda when we made a day trip from Verona later in our trip. It was great fun and would recommend highly. None of us own boats but he had driven a rental boat in the Florida golf a few times.
So it is a bit risky to wait till you are there I think. But there was availability still just before we left which means you have some idea about the weather which is advantage of waiting.
Thank you both. I do see boats available in Varenna and we wanted to go there to see that town anyway. We did what a captain but may just rent them and drive around ourselves. With these smaller boats can you see a lot of the lake and is gas Included?
Gas was included with our price but you should be clear when you rent.
How much you can see depends on how long you rent it. For sure, you can see more using the ferry in the same amount of time but is a totally different experience.
Enjoy!
edited to add: We rented at Lake Garda for only 2 hours because that is what they had available. We were given a map and told several options for 2 hours. I am sure that it is the same for places on Lake Como. You could contact a place and ask about what you could do in a rental period which I recall was generally four hours.
Trish, if you go to the varenna boat booking site, there are also captained tours, and they can pick you up in Bellagio for an extra 50 euros (cheaper than a round trip train/ferry for 8!). They have a variety of tours and you can book ahead of time.
Have fun!
