Varenna: Villa Cipressi Gardens Entry Ticket on Lake Como
About This Experience
Villa Cipressi is Villa Monastero's next-door neighbour on the Varenna lakefront, and this ticket buys the garden. The villa itself is now a hotel, so the rooms are not part of the visit — what you get is the terraced botanical garden that steps down to the water beside it.
It is a smaller, denser garden than Villa Monastero's: cypresses, magnolias, agaves and native Lake Como planting terraced on several levels, with benches and viewpoints at each turn. You can stay as long as you like within opening hours, and reviewers consistently describe it as the better of the two for photographs.
The one thing to know is the queue, and it is not a queue for the gate. Villa Cipressi's ornamental lakeside gate has become a photo landmark — the so-called Gates of Heaven — and a line forms in front of it that has nothing to do with getting in. Several visitors report walking past it entirely and finding the rest of the terraces close to empty. Go early if you want the shot; go any time if you want the garden.
Children under fourteen enter free and do not need a ticket booked for them. It is also worth checking Villa Monastero's combined ticket before you buy this separately: €27 covers both gardens plus Villa Monastero's house museum, and €25 covers both gardens alone.
Highlights
- A terraced botanical garden stepping down to the water, immediately next door to Villa Monastero
- Cypresses, magnolias and agaves on several levels, with lake views from every terrace
- Stay as long as you like within opening hours — the ticket is untimed
- The ornamental lakeside gate, Varenna's most photographed frame
- Under-14s enter free, with no ticket needed
What's Included
- ✓ Entry to the Villa Cipressi botanical garden
Not Included
- The villa's interior — Villa Cipressi operates as a hotel and the building is not open to garden visitors
- A guide or guided tour
- Villa Monastero, which is a separate ticket next door
What to Bring
- Comfortable shoes — the garden is terraced, with steps between levels
Good to Know & Caveats
- The villa is a working hotel; this ticket covers the garden only.
- The queue you will see is for photographs at the ornamental lakeside gate, not for entry. You can walk straight past it into the rest of the garden.
- Opening hours run roughly 09:00–19:00 from May to September, 09:00–18:00 in April and October, and weekends only in early March.
- Children up to fourteen enter free and need no ticket.
- Villa Monastero sells a combined ticket that covers both gardens for €25, or both gardens plus its house museum for €27 — cheaper than buying the two separately.
Not Suitable For
- Visitors hoping to see inside the villa, which is a hotel
- Anyone who needs step-free access throughout — the terraces are linked by stairs
Meeting Point
The Villa Cipressi entrance on the Varenna lakefront, immediately next door to Villa Monastero — the two gardens share a wall.
What Travelers Say
Rated 4.5/5 by 300 verified GetYourGuide travelers.
excellent,garden absolutely beautiful,Gates to heaven was stunning,long queue to get pictures but absolutely stunning and worth the wait
— Loreta, August
Very nice and beautiful garden. We had an admission ticket for just the garden, and this was beautiful. Perfect place for photos and a nice long hike. Definitely worth your money. There was just a huge line at the gate, but we had already seen this online and therefore expected it, so we just skipped it.
— Meike, August
The villa is now a hotel so the entry was only for the gardens. The whole garden was very well maintained and the views of Lake Como from the various terraces was spectacular. We were at a loss as to why people were queuing for photos in front of a gate as the views from all of the gardens was lovely. Worth visiting especially if you are into plants.
— Allison, August
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you go inside Villa Cipressi?
No. The villa runs as a hotel and this ticket covers the botanical garden only. If you want a house museum in Varenna, that is Villa Monastero next door.
Why is there a queue?
For a photograph, not for entry. Villa Cipressi's ornamental lakeside gate — often called the Gates of Heaven — draws a line of people waiting to be photographed in it. Visitors regularly report walking past the line and finding the rest of the terraces quiet.
Is it better than Villa Monastero?
It is different rather than better. Villa Cipressi is smaller, steeper and more photogenic; Villa Monastero is nearly two kilometres long, holds over 900 species and has a house museum. If you have half a day, the combined ticket lets you not choose.
Should I buy the combined ticket instead?
Very likely. Villa Monastero sells a joint ticket at €25 for both gardens, or €27 for both gardens plus its house museum, against €13 for each garden bought alone. See our combined tickets guide for the full arithmetic.
Do children need a ticket?
Not under fourteen — they enter free and you do not need to book a ticket for them.
