Varese & Sacro Monte
Private Day Trip from Milan
The chapels of the UNESCO Sacro Monte, the contemporary art of Villa Panza and the view over Lake Varese, all under an hour from Milan. Door-to-door by private Mercedes, 8 hours, fixed price from €600 per car.
Book this day trip
Lake Varese & Sacro Monte · private and tailor-made
Book this day trip
See the price for your car now, then send the request: we confirm the driver and send a secure payment link. The itinerary is yours to change: tell us your stops in the notes.
- CarsMercedes E-Class up to 2 guests, V-Class up to 6
- Pick-upYour hotel in Milan, or Malpensa, Linate, Bergamo (+€60)
- PaymentNothing now: we confirm, then send a secure link
Varese from Milan: a holy mountain, a villa of light and a lake
Varese is a prosperous town of villas and gardens about 60 km north-west of Milan, with the Campo dei Fiori ridge behind it and Lake Varese below. Few foreign visitors come, yet within a few kilometres it has two remarkable places. The Sacro Monte is a 17th-century pilgrims’ way of fourteen chapels climbing to the hilltop village of Santa Maria del Monte, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2003. Villa e Collezione Panza is an 18th-century villa on the Biumo hill whose rooms hold a celebrated collection of contemporary art. Under an hour by motorway, it is one of the shortest day trips from Milan.
By private car the day moves easily between the three: up the mountain road to the sanctuary, across town to the villa, down to the shore of the lake. You can walk the chapel path uphill and let the car meet you at the top, so nobody has to walk it twice. Villa Panza is closed on Mondays and booking is strongly recommended, so we plan the day around your visit. The price is per vehicle, not per person: from €600 with an E-Class for two, from €680 with a V-Class for up to six.
Varese Day at a Glance
Varese Day Trip Itinerary
An easy 8-hour day with short drives between the mountain, the villa and the lake.
Tailor-made, always. This itinerary is our suggestion only: every MilanobyCar day trip is tailor-made. Change the stops, the order and the timing as you like, or tell us your own plan in the booking notes.
Your driver, your local insider. Our chauffeurs are not licensed tour guides and do not guide you inside museums or sites, but they know these places well from years on the road: ask them for the best viewpoints, where to eat, where to stroll and how to avoid the busiest spots. If you would like a licensed guide, we can book one for you.
Pick-up at your hotel in Milan
Your driver meets you in the lobby at the time you choose. The day can also start from Malpensa or Linate arrivals, with your luggage kept safely in the car.
The chapel path of the Sacro Monte
Your driver drops you at the first chapel, at the foot of the Viale delle Cappelle. The cobbled way climbs about 2 km past fourteen chapels dedicated to the Mysteries of the Rosary, built from 1604, with frescoes and life-size statue groups, to the sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte.
Santa Maria del Monte
The small village around the sanctuary, at about 800 metres, with lanes, a view over Lake Varese and the lakes around it, and a coffee before the car collects you at the car park at the top. If you prefer not to walk, the car can take you straight up the road.
Lunch in Varese
Lunch in town or in the hills: risotto, lake fish and Lombard dishes, or something lighter before the villa. Your driver can suggest a place and book a table.
Villa e Collezione Panza
An 18th-century villa on the Biumo hill, run by FAI, the Italian National Trust, with an Italian garden and the Panza collection of contemporary art: rooms of coloured light by Dan Flavin, works by James Turrell and Robert Irwin, and many more. Closed on Mondays; booking strongly recommended.
The shore of Lake Varese
A short drive down to the lake: a flat shore of reeds and meadows with a cycle path, and the Isolino Virginia, a prehistoric pile-dwelling site listed by UNESCO in 2011, just off the western shore. Or, instead, the formal gardens of Palazzo Estense, the town hall, in the centre of Varese.
Back to your hotel in Milan
Door-to-door return, or drop-off at Malpensa, about 30 minutes from Varese.
Varese Day Trip Prices — 8-Hour Private Car
Prices are per vehicle for the whole 8-hour day with 150 km included, whatever the number of passengers. Saturdays and Sundays +20%, major holidays +50%, airport pick-up +€60. Extra hours €75 with the E-Class, €85 with the V-Class, bookable in the form below.
- •Door-to-door from your Milan hotel
- •English-speaking chauffeur
- •8 hours · 150 km included
- •Door-to-door from your Milan hotel
- •English-speaking chauffeur
- •8 hours · 150 km included
- •Executive luxury sedan
- •English-speaking chauffeur
Included in the price
- ✓Private Mercedes and English-speaking chauffeur for the whole day
- ✓Door-to-door pick-up and return in Milan
- ✓Fuel, motorway tolls and parking for the car
- ✓Bottled water on board
- ✓Child seats on request, free of charge
- ✓Driver waiting while you visit, and a lift to the top of the Sacro Monte
Not included — paid separately
- ✕Villa Panza tickets
- ✕Museum tickets at the Sacro Monte
- ✕Meals and drinks
- ✕Licensed local guide (bookable on request)
Milan to Varese: The Route
About 60 km north-west on the A8 Milano–Laghi motorway to its end at Varese, 50 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. The road up to the Sacro Monte starts on the northern edge of town.
Varese Day Trip from Milan — FAQ
Varese by private car or by train?
Trains from Milan Porta Garibaldi reach Varese in about 50 minutes, but the Sacro Monte, Villa Panza and the lake are spread around the town, and the funicular to the Sacro Monte runs mainly at weekends. By car you move between them in a few minutes, and nobody has to walk the chapel path twice.
What makes Varese worth a day from Milan?
It combines things you rarely find together: a 17th-century devotional landscape of chapels and frescoes on a mountainside, a major collection of contemporary art in an 18th-century villa, and a quiet lake with a prehistoric island. It is green, uncrowded and close to Milan.
How much is a Varese day trip?
MilanobyCar charges a fixed price per car: from €600 for two passengers in a Mercedes E-Class and from €680 for up to six in a V-Class, for 8 hours with 150 km included, plus fuel, tolls and parking. The exact price for your date appears in the booking form.
Book Your Varese Day Trip — Private Mercedes from Milan
8 hours, English-speaking driver, door-to-door. Sacro Monte, Villa Panza and the lake, in the order you like.
or call +39 335 821 0912