Guides & tips

Plan your trip like a local

Honest answers to the questions travellers ask us most.

A white passenger boat with a few people on deck crossing turquoise water, with a lakeside town and a jetty behind it

Borromean Islands from Stresa: Which Hop-On Hop-Off Ticket, and How Much Time?

Hop-on hop-off boat tickets from Stresa to the Borromean Islands start at €8. Which islands each one covers, what stays extra and how to plan the day.

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Aerial view of a ruined medieval castle on a small rocky island, calm blue lake, green mountains and a village on the far shore

Cannobio on Lake Maggiore: Sunday Market, Boat from Locarno and What to Book

Cannobio’s lakefront market runs on Sundays from 8 am to 3 pm. How to reach it by boat from Locarno, what to expect at the border, and the few tours that start here.

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Aerial view of Isola Bella with its terraced garden and white palace, mountains rising behind the lake

Is Isola Bella Worth It? Palace and Garden Entry, Hours and Who Should Skip Inside

Isola Bella’s palace and garden ticket costs €27 for adults. What it covers, the opening hours, the rules on strollers and bags, and when the boat alone is enough.

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Aerial view of a green, wooded island with an orange-roofed villa and a small boat leaving a wake, hills across the lake

Isola Madre or Isola dei Pescatori: Which Borromean Island Is Worth Your Time?

Isola Madre has a botanical garden and a €23 ticket; Isola dei Pescatori is a fishing village with no entry fee. How the two differ and which to add to Isola Bella.

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A herd of spotted fallow deer grazing on a sunlit lawn under tall trees

Lake Maggiore with Kids: Boats, Deer and a Doll Museum, and What to Skip

A family plan for Lake Maggiore: Parco Pallavicino with free-roaming animals, the Doll and Toy Museum at Rocca di Angera, boat days, child prices and where strollers are not allowed.

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A small white passenger boat crossing turquoise water in front of a lakeside town with a landing stage

From Milan Malpensa Airport to Stresa: Bus, Train, Transfer or Car?

Four ways from Malpensa to Stresa on Lake Maggiore: the Alibus shuttle at €14 that must be booked a day ahead, a train with one change, a private transfer and a car.

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Monastery buildings with arcades built against a rock face above the water, with a forested slope behind

Santa Caterina del Sasso from Stresa: Public Boat, Car or Private Cruise?

The hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso costs €5 to enter and clings to a cliff above Lake Maggiore. How to get there from Stresa, the stairs, the hours and the private cruise.

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A lake island lit up at dusk, orange sky reflected on calm water and dark mountains behind

Sunset on Lake Maggiore: Is the Stresa Sunset Cruise Worth €250?

The Stresa sunset cruise costs €250 per group of up to 10 for one hour. Sunset times by month, what it does and does not say, and cheaper ways to see the light.

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Palace façade and tiled-roof houses around a small harbour with two boats, under a bright blue sky

All Three Borromean Islands in One Day: All-Inclusive Ticket or Single Tickets?

Seeing all three Borromean Islands costs €52 per adult with single tickets or €60 with the all-inclusive boat ticket. The sums, the opening hours and the trade-offs.

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Formal terraced garden with a long water channel, a bronze statue, lawns and flower beds in purple and yellow, a villa among trees and snowy mountains behind

Villa Taranto in Verbania: Is the Botanical Garden Worth a Separate Trip?

Villa Taranto’s botanical garden in Verbania: autumn hours that shorten, ticket prices by age, free wheelchairs, dogs, and what the day-trip tickets from Milan do and do not say.

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Nearby

Other places in the region — same approach, their own tours:

Lake Maggiore tours from €15 · available today

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