Hotel Villa Cipressi Restaurant In Varenna

Fantastic place with a stratospheric view

Excellent. For comfort, especially the rooms overlooking the lake. The rooms are small, but the place is worth staying in for two days. The breakfast was very good and sufficient. The visit was on November 21, 2025.

We didn't stay overnight, but we visited the Christmas garden: the outdoor botanical garden has been embellished with beautiful and unique Christmas-themed light installations, truly beautiful and impressive. We then had a snack at the fully equipped Christmas-themed bar. Prices are a bit steep, but that's okay. The place is truly stunning, and the Christmas-themed initiative is truly enjoyable.

I'll start by saying I'm talking about the Christmas garden, not the hotel. It's beautiful and charming, but be very careful and check the reviews carefully before going. Adult admission is €10, children's admission is €5, and parking is impossible to find unless you pay. That said, don't expect to explore a children's Christmas village. It takes 10 minutes to walk around. The park is very beautiful, the atmosphere is lovely, and the lights are just as spectacular, but very dim, as you'll see from the photos that are always the same. Absolutely don't expect to bring children to a Christmas park. We went on Thursday evening to avoid the crowds. Maybe it was a bit too much to experience the magic of Christmas? I don't know, but there was nothing in Varenna, so outside the park, there was nothing to explore or see (even though Varenna is very pretty). The stalls? Three at the entrance: one selling chocolate, one selling popcorn, and one that, forgive me, I didn't see what it was selling. At the entrance, on the left, there's a small bar with a room selling Christmas items, very small, very beautiful... unbeatable in terms of prices. I'm posting a few photos because the lights are beautiful, the background music is lovely, and the gate onto the lake is equally beautiful. But again, don't expect to be able to spend a few hours there with children. Maybe keep an eye out later. Very nice for a couple looking to spend an evening after dinner in a charming place, but nothing else.

Yesterday I visited the park with my daughter, which was decorated for Christmas, but I was honestly a little disappointed... I thought the videos they posted were advertising something really beautiful, but in five minutes you take a couple of photos, see the lake and a few lights, and that's it! Aside from the €10 ticket price, I don't think it was well spent, and the bar inside is really exorbitant!

We visited the Christmas decorations and botanical gardens. It was brilliant! Fair price Very nice views of the Como lake from the garden. The decoration are impeccable. Fantastic experience in Varenna, highly recommend

We were here for a wedding, and it’s hard not to enjoy this hotel simply for its incredible location and atmosphere. The rooms were on the smaller side and the service was just okay, but overall we still had a good experience. It does feel like the property relies a bit on its setting rather than refining everything else, but as long as you go in with that expectation, it’s perfectly serviceable.

While we weren't hotel guests, I'll share my wife and I's overwhelmingly positive impressions of the Christmas Garden event, currently held in the gardens of the Villa Cipressi hotel. It was a truly fairytale atmosphere, absolutely delightful for children aged 5 to 85. The sunset shots were particularly evocative, allowing us to appreciate the magical atmosphere surrounding the hotel gardens. The bar's themed offerings were excellent, with prices that weren't cheap but definitely more than in line with the location. In short, a memorable experience just a stone's throw from home.

Incredible gardens, decorated for Christmas, just enter to see the gates of heaven, and it was worth it.

Open 8-6pm daily Entry: €10 Valena is easily accessible by ferry to other towns on Lake Como. If you are driving, there is parking nearby, just a few minutes' walk from the villa.