Hotel Olivedo Varenna

Hotel Olivedo Varenna opened in 1896 and is still run by the same Italian family — a clean white stone building sitting straight on the Lake Como waterfront. On Booking.com, couples rate the location 9.8/10, the highest in Varenna, and the overall score lands at 9.0/10 across several hundred guests. The phrase that comes up again and again in reviews is a feel you don't get anywhere else — a building over 130 years old, balconies over the lake, and a breakfast many call the best of the whole trip. This is the kind of place where most guests write that they'll come straight back next time they're on the lake.

Rooms and decor

Rooms in the 19th-century building keep a classic Italian look — dark wood furniture and heavy curtains that lean romantic rather than minimalist. Many have a private balcony opening onto Lake Como and the Alps behind, and reviewers describe them as clean and old-style but very comfortable. Every room has air-conditioning, a flat-screen TV and free Wi-Fi. The rooms that face the pier have the best views but can catch the early ferries, so light sleepers should ask for a higher floor or an inside-facing room — you trade a little of the view for a quieter morning.

Food and amenities

The feature guests talk about most is the home-made breakfast — croissants baked fresh every morning, Parma ham with Lombardy cheese, boiled eggs, bread, and free-flowing cappuccino. More than a few reviews say it beats the breakfast at hotels charging twice as much, and that it was the part of the day they wanted to stretch out longest. There's no pool and no spa here, so set expectations around character rather than facilities — but the lakeside restaurants of Varenna are all within walking distance. The team draws steady praise for being helpful and for pointing guests toward the right local walks and day trips.

Location and getting there

The location is excellent for Varenna: the ferry pier is 200 m away, and Varenna-Perledo station, with direct trains to Milan Centrale in about an hour, is a short walk. That makes it an easy base for doing Bellagio (a 15-minute ferry across the water), Menaggio, and a day trip into Milan all from the same room. The Varenna Lovers Walk, the prettiest lakeside path on Lake Como, starts right outside the door, so the first stroll of the day takes no planning at all.

Things to know before booking

Three honest caveats. The pier-facing rooms carry early-morning boat noise — ask for an inside-facing room if you're a light sleeper. There's no pool and no spa, so this is a stay for people who want a real family-run heritage hotel rather than a full-service resort. And like most of the lake, the hotel closes for winter (roughly November to March), while parking in tiny Varenna is tight — confirm directly if you're driving in.

Our take

Hotel Olivedo suits couples and travelers who love a genuine slice of Italian history — especially anyone who rates a great breakfast, a location next to both the ferry and the train, and the feel of a real family-run hotel over chain polish. At rates starting around $230 a night, it lands well above its price for the experience you get, and the 9.8/10 couples' location score tells you exactly why people keep coming back.