Villa Monastero is a stunning villa located in Varenna, a village on the eastern side of the Lake Como. It's one of my favourite places in Lake Como and where I keep going over and over again.

The villa is beautiful to see, but the reason I love to visit this place is for its stunning botanical garden. It has vegetation from all over the world and it features statues, temples, and fountains contributing to the beautiful scenery.

Villa Monastero is an absolute must-see on Lake Como. I can get enough of the gorgeous views of the lake from here. I love spending hours strolling through it and finding new perspectives to photograph the lake and enjoy the beautiful scenary.

I recommend getting the ticket that includes both the villa and the garden of Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi, which is practically the villa next door. It's absolutely worth it, and you also save some money by purchasing the combined ticket.

If you have only one day on Lake Como, in my opinion, the best part to visit is Varenna, where you can visit two stunning villas and a picturesque village.

Ticket: Villa Monastero usually gets quite a long line to buy the ticket. What I always do, since I want to see Villa Cipressi as well is going to Villa Cipressi first. There the line is should be shorter (depending on when you visit) and by buying the combined ticket with Villa Monastero, you can basically skip the long line.

When then you have to visit Villa Monastero, even tough there is a line, enter the door and show the ticket you bought in Villa Cipressi, they will let you in right away.

(!) The villa in January and February 2025 is only opened on weekends, starting from March is opened every day.

The garden has always construction works going on, so depending on when you visit, some parts of the garden might be closed. I'll update on this shortly! :) But even though some parts might be closed, it's still worth to visit it, trust me!

By the way, take a look at the link below to check the opening hours of the villa. They can always change them, so definitely have a look before planning a visit.