Villa Taranto in Verbania: Is the Botanical Garden Worth a Separate Trip?
Updated October 20, 2026 · 5 min read
Villa Taranto is worth a separate trip if gardens are the point of your visit, and not if you have only one day for the Borromean Islands. It lies in Pallanza, part of Verbania on the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore, and the lake ferry has a stop called “Villa Taranto” right before the entrance. The garden says a visit takes about one to two hours. It sells tickets online until 8 November (after that only at the ticket office), and children under 6 enter free.
Getting there
The garden’s own FAQ names the boat: the Lake Maggiore ferry service stops at “Villa Taranto”, directly before the entrance. None of the hop-on hop-off listings we link to in our other guides names Villa Taranto as a stop, so plan the garden as its own trip and look up the ferry timetable for the crossing and the times.
Two day-trip listings from Milan include the garden in their description:
| Offer | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| From Milan: Lake Maggiore Rail Trip to Villa Taranto Gardens | €57.50 per person | 4.0 from 1 review |
| From Milan: Train to Lake Maggiore, Cable Car & Aperitif | €70 per person | 4.4 from 5 reviews |
Both take the train to Laveno, where the ferry is near the train stations. The second lists a ferry to Intra, then Villa Taranto, Pallanza, Isola Madre and Baveno, and a panoramic cable car for an aperitif. Neither description says whether the garden admission is included or how long you get inside, so read the booking page before you compare them with a ferry and a ticket bought yourself. With one and five reviews, the ratings tell you very little.
There is also a private garden tour of Villa Taranto at €219 per person for two hours, with no reviews yet. The garden itself offers a free app for self-guided visits and says licensed guides are available by arrangement, so a private tour is a choice for people who want a guide, not a requirement.
Hours and prices
In autumn 2026 the garden’s hours shorten. The times below are last admission; the gate closes an hour later. From 21 September to 18 October last admission was 5.30 pm (opening at 9 am), from 19 October to 1 November it is 4 pm (gate closes 5 pm), and from 2 to 22 November it is 3 pm (opening at 10 am, gate closes 4 pm). After that the garden opens only on 23, 27, 28, 29 and 30 November and from 4 to 8 December, again with last admission at 3 pm. From 9 November tickets are sold only at the garden’s ticket office, and until 8 December you can walk only the designated “safe routes” marked on a map there.
Because of those restricted routes, special prices apply from 9 November to 8 December:
- adults from 27: €11.50
- ages 12 to 26: €7.50
- ages 6 to 11: €2.50
- groups of 20 or more: €11 per person
Children under 6 enter free, and so do visitors with a disability plus one carer. Prices change during the year, so look at the ticket page for your date. Tickets are not refunded once bought.
Access and rules
The garden says a paved cobblestone path gives access to many areas and that free wheelchairs are available if you book ahead on +39 0323 404555. The map shows a recommended route for visitors with reduced mobility. Call before you go; this is the garden’s own statement and we cannot confirm it.
Dogs are allowed on a short leash at all times. Picnics are allowed in 15 designated areas, which makes the garden easy for families with a packed lunch.
Villa Taranto or Isola Madre?
Both are botanical gardens. Isola Madre costs €23 for adults; Villa Taranto’s published adult price for 9 November to 8 December is €11.50, but that covers only the restricted routes of those weeks, and its in-season rate is on the ticket page. The difference is also the setting. Isola Madre needs a boat and comes with a palace and the island’s opening hours; Villa Taranto is a garden on the shore with its own ferry stop. The listing describes terraced gardens, fountains and rare plants with views over the lake. If you are choosing one garden, pick by how you travel: Isola Madre if you are already on the islands, Villa Taranto if you want a quieter half day away from the boats. For the islands, start with the three-island day.
Who should go
- Garden lovers with half a day free: yes, and check the opening hours first.
- Families: the prices for children are low and picnics are allowed, but ask about strollers on the cobblestone paths.
- Visitors in November: from 2 November last admission is at 3 pm, so go in the morning; from 9 November you buy the ticket only at the ticket office.
- Anyone with one day only: spend it on the islands; see Borromean Islands tours.
More gardens and villas are listed under palaces, villas and gardens on Lake Maggiore.
The verdict
Go to Villa Taranto on a day without the islands, buy the ticket for your date (online until 8 November, at the ticket office after that), and arrive early in autumn. For a tour from Milan, check what the rail trip includes before you book.
