On Lake Como a taxi is a small, local affair: a limited number of licensed cars per town, usually booked by phone or through your hotel rather than flagged in the street, and priced by the meter or agreed before you set off. App rides exist but depend on which cars happen to be nearby. A pre-booked Elly8.net driver costs more for a single short hop, from US$90 an hour in a business sedan with a 3-hour minimum, but the price and the time are fixed before the day.
The right choice changes with the trip. For a ten-minute ride from the pier to your hotel, a local taxi is fine. For a dinner forty minutes away on the other shore, or a day of villas, a car that waits for you is in a different category. This guide takes the common trips in turn and says plainly which option we would pick.
Can you get a taxi on Lake Como?
Yes, but plan for it. The lake towns have licensed local taxis and hire cars with drivers, in small numbers, usually reached by phone or through a hotel. Fares run on the meter or are agreed in advance. App rides appear in some towns. In summer and late in the evening, cars can be scarce, so book anything time-critical ahead.
That scarcity is the main thing visitors from North America underestimate. On the lake you are not in a city with cars circling; you are in a string of villages on a narrow shore road, and the nearest free taxi may be in the next town.
See Lake Como prices and reserve
The four ways to get around, side by side
| Option | How the price works | Availability | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local taxi or hire car with driver | Meter, or agreed before departure | Limited; book by phone or through the hotel | Short hops, pier to hotel, a one-off ride |
| App ride | Set by the app at the time of request | Depends on cars nearby | Flexible travellers in the larger towns |
| Public boats and the car ferry | Per-person tickets, set by the operator | Scheduled; seasonal timetables | Crossing the lake between the central towns |
| Elly8.net driver by the hour | US$90 to US$180 an hour, 3-hour minimum, fixed | Booked ahead, flight and boat times tracked | Evenings out, villa days, hotel moves, groups |
Local taxis: how they work on the lake
Italian law recognises two kinds of licensed car with driver: the taxi, which waits at ranks and works on a municipal tariff, and the NCC (noleggio con conducente), a hire car with driver booked in advance (Law 21 of 1992 on Normattiva). On Lake Como both are local businesses licensed by their towns, and in the smaller villages there may be only a few cars.
What that means for you:
- Book by phone or ask the hotel. Reception desks keep the numbers of local drivers and can call one for you. Do not assume you will find a car waiting outside a restaurant at 11 p.m.
- Ask the fare first. We could not find a single published lake-wide taxi tariff online, as Milan publishes for its taxis, so confirm whether the ride is on the meter or at an agreed price before you set off.
- Expect the meter to keep running in traffic. On a summer Saturday the shore road can be slow, and a metered ride costs more when it is.
For short rides, a local taxi is often the sensible choice: from the pier to a hotel up the hill, or between two neighbouring villages. It is when the distances grow that the economics change.
Uber and app rides on Lake Como
Uber publishes city pages for several lake towns, including Bellagio and Varenna, and says the app can request rides there, including local taxis through the app. In Italy, app rides come from licensed professionals, either premium hire cars with drivers or taxis, not from private motorists, so do not expect the low-cost tiers you use at home.
The practical issue is supply. In Milan there are many licensed cars; in a lake village there are few, and whether one appears when you tap depends on what is nearby at that moment. App prices are set at the time of request and can rise with demand. For a flexible ride in daylight from a larger town such as Como, an app can work. For a fixed dinner reservation or the last ride of the night from a small village, we would not rely on it. See chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft for the general comparison.
The boats: often the best way across
The public operator, Navigazione Laghi, runs passenger boats between the lake towns and a car ferry across the centre of the lake linking Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Varenna and Menaggio (Navigazione Laghi timetables). For crossing the lake, the boat is frequently faster than any car, because the roads go round the water rather than across it.
Two caveats. The boats run to a timetable that changes with the season, so check the time of the last boat of the evening before you book dinner across the water. And services are sometimes suspended: in autumn 2026 vehicle service was suspended at the Varenna and Menaggio piers for works, with passengers still using the terminals (Navigazione Laghi notices). Check before you plan an evening around a crossing.
Trip by trip: what we would choose
Distances below are routed estimates from the public OSRM routing engine, except Cernobbio to Bellagio, which comes from our Lake Como fact sheet.
| Trip | Road distance and clear-road time | Our pick |
|---|---|---|
| Pier to a hotel in the same village | a few minutes | Local taxi, or walk |
| Como town to Bellagio | about 30 km / 19 mi, about 36 min | Pre-booked car, or the boat by day |
| Cernobbio to Bellagio for dinner | about 36 km / 22 mi, about 46 min | Evening package with a waiting chauffeur |
| Cernobbio to Tremezzo | about 28 km / 17 mi, about 39 min | Pre-booked car or local taxi booked ahead |
| Tremezzo to Bellagio by road, no ferry | about 61 km / 38 mi via Como | Boat across; car only if the ferry is not running |
| A day of villas on the western shore | several stops | Full-day or hourly chauffeur |
| Bellagio to Malpensa for a flight | about 78 km / 48 mi, about 87 min | Fixed airport transfer, from US$320 |
Dinner in another town. This is the classic case. Getting there is easy; getting back at 11 p.m. from a village with two taxis is not. The evening out and event night package covers it: from US$450 in a business sedan, US$575 in a business SUV and US$725 in a First Class Sedan, up to US$900 in a Sprinter, with the chauffeur waiting while you eat. The chauffeur follows local rules on passengers and alcohol in the vehicle. See event transportation.
A day of villas. A local taxi for each leg means calling a new car at every gate. An hourly chauffeur at US$90 an hour in a business sedan, or the full-day chauffeur from US$665, stays with you. The private highlights tour, from US$360 in a business sedan to US$720 in a Sprinter, works as a loop of the lake towns. See hourly chauffeur and private city tours.
A hotel move. For two people with light bags across the water, take the boat and ask the hotels about the luggage. For a family with suitcases, a car is simpler; our explainer on Lake Como transfers for first-time visitors covers hotel-to-hotel moves and pier hand-overs.
Arriving and leaving: taxi, app or a fixed transfer
The longest rides of a Lake Como stay are the airport runs, and this is where the difference between metered and fixed is largest. Milan's taxis have fixed fares only on certain routes, such as Malpensa to Milan; a taxi from Malpensa to the lake runs on the meter, with motorway tolls on top (Comune di Milano, taxi service). An Elly8.net transfer from Malpensa to Bellagio and the lake towns is fixed at US$320 in a business sedan, US$420 in a business SUV and US$835 in a Sprinter, per vehicle; from Linate, US$315 to US$820. The fare is the same in either direction.
For a full comparison of the arrival, read the Malpensa to Lake Como private car vs train guide, and for flying in from the US or Canada, our Lake Como airport transfer guide for North American travellers.
Three evenings, three answers
A couple in Bellagio, dinner in Bellagio. Walk. The village is small, and a taxi would spend longer finding a place to stop than driving you. If the restaurant is up the hill, ask the hotel to call a local taxi for the return.
A family of five in Cernobbio, dinner in Bellagio. The drive is about 46 minutes each way on a clear road, the return is late, and five people do not fit in one ordinary taxi with a child seat. We would book the evening out package in a Business SUV, from US$575, with the chauffeur waiting through dinner and fitted seats for the children.
Four friends in Tremezzo, dinner in Varenna. By water this is a short crossing on the public boats; by road it is a long way round. If the timetable has a boat back after dinner, take the boat both ways and keep the money. If it does not, book a car for the return only through the web booker, and the desk will plan the route for the hour, by car ferry where it runs or by road.
When the taxi or the boat is the better choice
To be fair to the alternatives, a pre-booked car is not always worth it:
- Short hops within a village are a walk or a quick local taxi.
- Crossing the lake by day is usually faster and more pleasant by boat.
- One or two travellers with no fixed time can use local taxis and the boats for most of a stay.
- A single ride you can book an hour ahead in a larger town, at a quiet time of year, is a reasonable job for a local taxi.
When a pre-booked driver wins
A pre-booked car is the right call when:
- The ride is late at night from a small village, after the boats have stopped.
- The schedule is fixed: a dinner reservation, a villa entry time, a wedding or a flight.
- You are four or more, with luggage or children who need fitted seats.
- You want to know the price in advance, in US dollars, with no meter running on a slow shore road.
- The day has several stops and you do not want to find a new car at each one.
Vehicle capacities: a Business Sedan or First Class Sedan carries three passengers and two large bags, a Business SUV or First Class SUV six and six, and an Executive Sprinter twelve and twelve. On the narrow lake roads, a sedan or SUV is the most manoeuvrable; see the fleet.
How to book a driver on Lake Como
- Pickup and drop-off. Enter the hotel, pier or restaurant, and the time; for airport runs, add your flight number.
- Vehicle. Choose the class for your party.
- Reserve. Book a published package or airport fare on the Lake Como prices, or use the web booker for anything else. Confirmation comes by email.
Rides on Lake Como are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, with refunds to the original card.
For everything else on the lake, see our Lake Como car service and chauffeur vs taxi. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is there Uber on Lake Como?
Uber lists several lake towns, including Bellagio and Varenna, and says rides and local taxis can be requested through the app. In Italy, app rides come from licensed professionals. How many cars are actually nearby in a small village varies a great deal, so do not rely on the app for a fixed time or a late return.
How do I find a taxi in Bellagio?
Ask your hotel to call one, or book by phone in advance. Local taxis and hire cars with drivers are few, and in summer and late in the evening they can be fully booked. Confirm whether the ride is on the meter or at an agreed fare before you set off.
Is a taxi cheaper than a private driver on Lake Como?
For a short single ride, usually yes. For a dinner in another town with a return late at night, a villa day or an airport run, a fixed-price driver often costs less overall and removes the risk of no car being available. Elly8.net hourly rates start at US$90 in a business sedan, with a 3-hour minimum.
Is the boat faster than a car between Bellagio and Tremezzo?
Usually, yes. Bellagio and Tremezzo face each other across the water, and by road without the car ferry the drive goes round through Como, about 61 km (38 mi) by our routed estimate. The passenger boat crosses directly, on the operator's timetable.
Can a driver wait while we have dinner?
Yes. The evening out and event night package, from US$450 in a business sedan, includes the chauffeur waiting while you eat and driving you back. It is the simplest answer to dinner in another lake town after the last boat.
Are prices per person?
No. Every Elly8.net price is per vehicle. A Business SUV takes up to six passengers and a Sprinter up to twelve, for one fixed price.
