Luxury Riva Tour — the Clooney Experience

There is a reason George Clooney, and before him Brigitte Bardot and the Agnellis, chose a Riva for Lake Como. Carlo Riva's mahogany runabouts — built an hour away in Sarnico since 1842 — are the most beautiful motorboats ever made, and on this lake they are not museum pieces: they are your afternoon.

What the experience is

You board a gleaming wooden classic — or a modern Riva — with a professional skipper, and the lake becomes a film set. The engine note alone is worth the price of admission; then comes the part where you cruise past Villa del Balbianello with a glass of Franciacorta while other tourists photograph your boat. These tours are as much about being on a Riva as about where it takes you: the varnished mahogany, the chrome, the white leather. Every stop is a photo; every arrival at a pier is an entrance.

Real prices for 2026

Experience	Boat	Price 2026
Classic wooden boat tour, 2 hours	Riva-style classic, up to 6 guests	from €720 per boat
Classic wooden boat tour, 3 hours	Riva-style classic, up to 6 guests	€1020–950 per boat
Riva Rivale 52, 4 hours	Modern Riva flagship, up to 10 guests	€5,760 per boat
Riva dinner tour, evening	Rivale 52 + restaurant transfer	€6,360 per boat
Proposal / photo session, 90 min	Classic wooden boat	€840–900 per boat

All Riva experiences include professional skipper, fuel, and a bottle of quality sparkling wine. The Rivale 52 adds a hostess, full bar setup and swim platform time.

What is included

• Professional skipper in full dress — these crews have driven heads of state and Hollywood
• Champagne or Franciacorta chilled on board, with proper glasses
• Planned photography stops at Villa del Balbianello, the Comacina channel and Bellagio
• Hotel-pier pickup across the central lake, from Como to Bellagio
• On evening tours: sunset timing and a reserved waterside table if you add dinner

Where it goes

The classic two-hour route runs the Tremezzina: Villa Carlotta's gardens from the water, a slow pass under Villa del Balbianello's loggia, Isola Comacina, then the crossing to Bellagio for the golden-triangle panorama and back past the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Four hours on the Rivale 52 opens the whole lake: south to Villa Oleandra at Laglio (the skipper will tell you exactly which villa is Clooney's and which stories are true), the Orrido di Nesso waterfall, and a swim stop in water your boat will be the best-looking thing in. Departure piers include Como, Cernobbio, Tremezzo, Bellagio and most hotel jetties by arrangement.

When to book — and who it is for

Riva boats are few and their calendars are short: for June to September, book 3–6 weeks ahead; for a specific date like an anniversary or proposal, earlier. The honest truth about who should book this: if you love boats, design or photography, it is worth every euro — a Riva on Lake Como is a once-ever experience. If you mainly want to see the villas, a classic private tour from €285 shows you the same lake. And if the Riva is for a proposal, tell us: we coordinate flowers, photographer and the exact sunset minute, because these boats have hosted more yes-es than any restaurant on the lake.