Borromean Islands from Stresa: Which Hop-On Hop-Off Ticket, and How Much Time?
Updated October 20, 2026 · 5 min read
For most visitors, the 3-island hop-on hop-off boat tour from Stresa is the sensible default. It covers Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Madre on one day, costs from €12 and is the most-reviewed offer for Lake Maggiore in our listings, with 4.4 stars from 4,794 reviews. Take a cheaper single-island ticket only if you already know you want one island and nothing else. Whichever you pick, it is a boat ticket: entry to the palaces and gardens is bought separately.
Five tickets compared
| Tour | Islands | From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stresa: 3 Borromean Islands Hop-On Hop-Off Boat Tour | Bella, Pescatori, Madre | €12 | 4.4 from 4,794 reviews |
| From Stresa: 3 Borromean Islands Hop-On Hop-Off Boat Tour | Bella, Pescatori, Madre | €15 | 4.5 from 1,006 reviews |
| Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Bella Hop-on Hop-off Boat | Pescatori, Bella | €12 | 4.6 from 370 reviews |
| Stresa: Madre & Bella Borromean Islands Boat Trip | Madre, Bella | €13 | 4.4 from 152 reviews |
| Stresa: Isola Bella Hop-on Hop-off Boat Tour | Bella only | €8 | 4.3 from 186 reviews |
The two three-island listings read almost the same. The cheaper one has more than four times as many reviews, so start there.
What the ticket includes, and what it does not
These are boat tickets for one day. The three-island description calls it a “1-day hop-on hop-off boat tour” and says you see the sights on the islands at your own pace. None of the descriptions says that palace or garden entry is included, and the Pescatori and Isola Bella listing says it outright: Palazzo Borromeo is “not included in the cost of the tour”.
Entry is sold separately. On the operator’s own site, the palace and garden on Isola Bella cost €27 for adults, and Isola Madre costs €23. What you get for that money is covered in Is Isola Bella worth it?.
One more thing to check before you pay: the landing tax. The description of the all-inclusive ticket states that its price includes the landing tax and that boats leave about every 30 minutes. The other descriptions mention neither. Look at the booking page of the ticket you choose, and expect to pay the tax on the island or at the pier if it is not included.
The three islands in one paragraph each
Isola Bella is the baroque one: a palace and terraced gardens built out of a bare rock, which the operator says resemble the prow of a ship when you approach from the shore. It is the island with the palace entry ticket.
Isola dei Pescatori is a fishing village with narrow lanes and lake-fish restaurants. It has no ticketed sight, which makes it the stop that still works when the gardens are closed.
Isola Madre is the largest of the three, a botanical garden with a palace at its highest point. It lies farther from Stresa than the other two, so it is the island that decides whether your day is relaxed or rushed. More on the choice between the two in Isola Madre or Isola dei Pescatori?
Plan the day around the opening hours
The boats are not the limit; the gardens are. In 2026 the palaces and gardens on Isola Bella and Isola Madre were open from 12 March to 8 November. Until 24 October, the last entry was 5 pm, with the palace closing at 5.30 pm and the garden at 6 pm. From 25 October the last entry moved to 4 pm. Both islands open at 10 am. Check the dates for your year before you plan around them.
That gives a simple rule. Put the ticketed islands first, and keep Pescatori for the end of the day, when it needs no ticket and no timetable. If you want both palaces, arrive on the first boats you can; that is a full day, not a morning. The combined ticket and the cost of each variant are worked out in all three islands in one day.
When a different ticket is the better buy
- You only want Isola Bella: the Isola Bella boat tour costs €8 and has 4.7 stars from 64 reviews, the better score of the two single-island listings at the same price.
- You want only the fishing village: the Isola Pescatori hop-on hop-off boat tour costs €9 and has 4.8 stars from 42 reviews.
- You want everything in one booking: the Isola Bella and Isola Madre entry ticket with boat transfer costs €64. Whether that beats buying boat and entries separately depends on the day; the sums are in the article linked above.
Other departures and ticket types are listed under Borromean Islands tours.
The verdict
Buy the 3-island hop-on hop-off ticket for €12, buy palace entries separately for the islands where you want to go inside, and decide on the day how many you can fit in. The ticket does not oblige you to visit all three; you can get off at two and be back in Stresa on time.
