lago maggiore

Having wisited all the lakes located in Northen Italy, Lago Maggiore has turned to be the first choise for me when planning a trip to the area. It is smaller than many others ans less busy as well in terms of tourism. Food is great in the area. In summer time you can swim in the lake. Water is nice and fresh as the lake is very deep.

Worth the drive to visit this beautiful landscape. Shops in Stresa during the winter months are closed between 1200 and 1500. Get a boat ride and visit the isole

Great place to visit and enjoy a trip on the many ferries. Easy to get about without always using the car. Many typical places to eat.

Surrounding the shores of the lake are beautiful villas, mountains, and lovely towns. Some of the hotels were truly amazing. Great shops and restaurants were everywhere. It was fun taking the boats to Isola Bella and Isola Pescatori.

Lake Garda was larger and Lake Como had most expensive villas however Lake Maggiore was charming with lovely towns, islands and mountains. Stresa where we stayed was idyllic. There is plenty to do including taking a boat to the Borromeo's Isola Bella island and the Fisherman's island.

This is my favourite of all the Italian lakes. There is so much to see and do, from visiting the Borromeo Palaces of Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Angera to the bucket ride up the mountain at Laveno. All the bus, train and ferry services are easy to use for visiting the villages round the lake. Lake Orta is a an hour's bus ride away, or you can take an organised tour. I used Viaggi Tomassucci Travel on the lakefront in Stresa for coach trips to Zermatt, the 3 Lakes and tickets for the Centavalli train ride to Locarno. Barbara, the guide on the coach trips, was a mine of information. Excellent drivers.Allow plenty of time to enjoy the Borromeo palaces, Isola Bella and Isola Madre, to the full. The palaces are very large and lots to look at. Bella's gardens are amazing. The Rocca Angera at the bottom of the lake is also worth a visit as is St Catherine's Monastery.Isola Pescatori is full of restaurants in between Bella and Madre. Or you can stay on the island, which I did - wonderful experience.Malpensa is the nearest airport to the lake and there's an Alibus connection from there - 12 euros each way to Stresa. It took an hour. There are other stops on the lake. It has to be booked online beforehand. Study the ferry timetables to get maximum value from your tickets (there is a week day seniors rate!). The hydrofoils may be fast, but they are enclosed, so you don't get the views. Can't wait to go back!

Everything very pretty there! The lake, the islands, the small towns and villages! Just go and enjoy of all this!

A beautiful lake surrounded by mountains with easy access to Milan and Switzerland. Lots of small towns to visit around the lake. The islands are also worth a visit.

Isola Madre is a botanical delight and very uncrowded and a visit of over an hour passed in a flash! Isola Pescatori is over commercialised and half an hour allowed me to wLk around the whole shore and explore some little alleyways. Isola Bella is a "one-off"! What an exercise in elaboration, manicured grounds and OTT indulgence. Must be seen to be believed! But absolutely no regrets about my visit!

This lake is a marvel, especially the Borromea islands, and also each balneary station, such as Stresa and Verbania. A lot of charm everywhere

What a lovely place to be!! The lake is fantastic, you can do so many things around!!First of all, there are superb villages here. We stayed in Baveno, a lovely and quiet village and in Stresa, a nice and lively town, very touristic. Both have fine hotels to stay. The ferries (public and touristic as well ) are very easy to find and to catch, and you can combine the scheduled routes quiet well to visit 2-3 places during the day. The prices are reasonable enough. In the lake, the Borromeo Palace in Isola Bella is worth a visit ( about 12 euro the entrance). It has very beautiful gardens, where you can have a coffee break.Isola Pescatori is another beautiful, tiny island, with nice backstreets and lovely restaurants. Worth spending 2-3 hours here.Another lovely place is the Monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso Ballaro. Its a beautifully restored monastery, with lovely church (if you are lucky enough you can hear the monks singing and praying). Its very easy to go there from Stresa, there are directly boats 5-6 times per day , the last one at 4.15 pm, and you can return until 6 pm.Also I enjoyed going around the lake, visiting Lugano, Locarno etc. If you have your own car, you can select any spot... All are lovely!!

One of the great lakes in Italy. You can go on foot, take a bike, a boat and see the sites. There a re benches everywere. A nice way to relax is to watch the clear blue water and the animal live that Lake Maggiore can offfer you.

Lovely lake, lovely villages. Boat trips can be done to beautiful islands. Village Intra, Stresa and Arona are lovely. Milan within 1 hour by car. Torino 1,5 hour by car.

Travel up and down the lake so see a fantastic range of villages and towns - each one so different. We stayed in Cannero - really beautiful and perfect for a holiday - but only 4 shops. Cannobio is gorgeous old town with beach and shops. Locarno seems so much bigger than the other places and a bit full on by comparison. Stresa has big old hotels from the mid 1800's - faded elegance. The 3 islands off Stresa are definitely worth a visit for culture, history and elegance.

The 3 Isla Borromees are a really great one day "cruise". The ferries run In a counter clockwise circle, one every 20 minutes and stop at Stresa and Pallanza. I prefer staying in Pallanza away from the more touristy Stresa with the latter's great big, traditional hotels all in a narrow strip along the railroad line. Palalnza, in contrast offers a more authentic Italian village ambience and has much fewer tourists (especially less than super crowded Bellagio on Lake Como. The islands are all different: one has a large palacio and garden, the next is Fisherman's Island - probably the most interesting and the best for lunch. Another day trip from Stresa is the Lago Maggiore Express. It departs from Stresa, goes north to Domodossola, then east on aother train to Locarno, Switzerland. Here you can experience the cultural difference between Italy and Switzerland, striking. Locarno is at the north end of Lago Maggiore and here you are meet by a large ferry that crusessouthward down the Lake to Pallanza and Stresa.