Santa Caterina del Sasso from Stresa: Public Boat, Car or Private Cruise?
Updated October 20, 2026 · 5 min read
For most visitors, the best way to Santa Caterina del Sasso is the public boat from Stresa or Arona, then the short climb from the landing. The hermitage is a medieval monastery built into a cliff above Lake Maggiore, in Leggiuno on the lake’s Lombard shore. Entry costs €5 for adults. The only GetYourGuide offers in our listings are private cruises: the private cruise from Stresa towards Santa Caterina del Sasso costs €150 per group of up to 10 for 40 minutes, with 4.0 stars from 13 reviews. That suits a group that wants the view from the water; it is not the cheapest way to reach the door.
Three ways to get there
| Way | What the operator says | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Public boat from Stresa or Arona | Several runs a day, according to the timetable of the lake navigation service | Ticket, set by the boat company |
| Car | A large car park a few metres from the ticket office | Check the car park |
| Private cruise from Stresa | 40 minutes, sailing past villas towards the hermitage | €150 per group of up to 10 |
By public boat
The hermitage’s own site says it can be reached by boat from Arona or Stresa, with several runs a day, according to the timetables published by the lake navigation service. From the landing, you climb about eighty steps. Timetables change with the season, so check the operator’s current timetable before you plan around a departure and a return.
By car
From the car park above the hermitage there are two ways down: a scenic staircase of 268 steps, or a lift, which the operator says is reached near the car park. The operator gives the distances to the car park as 22 km from Varese, 78 km from Milan by the A8 and A26 (exit Vergiate–Sesto Calende) and 42 km from Lugano. It does not give a distance from Stresa. According to the operator, the lift ticket costs €1; the lift is free for people with reduced mobility and a companion.
By private cruise
The private cruise from Stresa is described as a scenic cruise past historical villas with a 360-degree view of the lake, sailing towards the hermitage. The description does not say that the boat lands and that you can go in. If you want to enter the building from the cruise, ask the operator before you book. A second listing, the cruise from Stresa to the Hermitage of Santa Caterina, costs €450 per group of up to 6 for about 45 minutes and has no reviews yet.
Tickets and hours
The operator’s prices:
- adults: €5
- reduced: €3, for people over 65, residents of Varese province and groups of at least 15 paying visitors
- members of the Italian heritage trust FAI: €4
- visitors under 18: free
The hermitage is open every day. From 16 March to 14 October, and from 16 December to 6 January, it is open from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm, with the last entry at 7 pm. From 15 October to 15 December and from 7 January to 15 March, the weekday hours are 1.30 pm to 6 pm, with the last entry at 5.30 pm; on Saturdays, Sundays and weekday public holidays it is open from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm. In the low season, a weekday morning visit does not work.
During Mass the church is closed to visitors: at 6 pm in the summer season, and in the low season at 5.30 pm on weekdays and 6 pm on weekends. Dogs may go up to the foot of the staircase and into the garden, but not into the monument itself.
What to expect
The operator calls it the most visited monument on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore. It is one building complex clinging to the rock, reached on foot. The stairs are the main effort: 268 steps from the car park, about eighty from the lake. If you have trouble with stairs, the lift near the car park exists; ask the operator how the route from the lift to the church works for you, because this article cannot tell you.
It is a place of worship run by a Franciscan fraternity, not a museum. Visit outside Mass times, and dress as you would for a church.
Who should book the cruise
Book the private cruise if you are a group that wants the cliff from the water and a boat to yourselves: at €150 for up to 10 it is €15 per person when full. It has only 13 reviews and a 4.0 rating, which is a lower score than the island tickets, so read them first. If you only want to visit the hermitage, the public boat or the car costs far less and puts you at the door.
More boat trips are listed under Lake Maggiore boat tours. For the islands off Stresa, see hop-on hop-off from Stresa.
The verdict
Go by public boat or car, pay the €5 at the door and allow for the stairs. Use the private cruise only if the view from the water, and a boat for your own group, is the point.
