diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-certificatemanager/lib/certificate.ts b/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-certificatemanager/lib/certificate.ts
index caaf9fd3717a0..34c18c1861159 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-certificatemanager/lib/certificate.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-certificatemanager/lib/certificate.ts
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ export class Certificate extends CertificateBase implements ICertificate {
 
     // check if domain name is 64 characters or less
     if (!Token.isUnresolved(props.domainName) && props.domainName.length > 64) {
-      throw new Error('Domain name must be 64 characters or less');
+      throw new Error(`Domain name must be 64 characters or less, got ${props.domainName.length}: ${props.domainName}`);
     }
 
     const allDomainNames = [props.domainName].concat(props.subjectAlternativeNames || []);
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-certificatemanager/test/certificate.test.ts b/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-certificatemanager/test/certificate.test.ts
index 389d31e1c09aa..4121f4d436cfc 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-certificatemanager/test/certificate.test.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk-lib/aws-certificatemanager/test/certificate.test.ts
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ test('throws when domain name is longer than 64 characters', () => {
     new Certificate(stack, 'Certificate', {
       domainName: 'example.com'.repeat(7),
     });
-  }).toThrow(/Domain name must be 64 characters or less/);
+  }).toThrow(/Domain name must be 64 characters or less, got 77: example.comexample.comexample.comexample.comexample.comexample.comexample.com/);
 });
 
 test('does not throw when domain name is longer than 64 characters with tokens', () => {