Italy / Milan, Turin, the Lakes & Verona / Lake Maggiore (Stresa & the Borromean Islands)Lake Maggiore (Stresa & the Borromean Islands)
Island Palaces and Gardens on the Long Alpine Lake
The long lake west of Como, its northern tip in Switzerland: Stresa, on the Piedmont shore, faces the Borromean Islands a few minutes away by boat. Isola Bella holds the Borromeo family's baroque palace and its terraced gardens, Isola Madre a botanical garden with peacocks, and Isola dei Pescatori a fishermen's village of lanes and lake-fish restaurants. Across the water are the Villa Taranto gardens at Pallanza; the Santa Caterina del Sasso hermitage clings to the cliff on the far shore. Trains from Milan take about an hour; Malpensa airport is about 45 minutes by road. The island palaces and gardens open from about late March to early November; the lake towns stay open all year, quieter in winter.
Highlights
- Isola Bella's palace and terraced gardens
- Isola Madre's botanical garden and peacocks
- Lunch on Isola dei Pescatori
- Villa Taranto gardens at Pallanza
- Santa Caterina del Sasso hermitage on the cliff
- Lake boat to Cannobio
- Stresa's lakefront promenade
Things to do
- Isola Bella: the Borromeo palace and its terraced gardensApr–OctMorning · 3h
- Isola Madre botanical gardenApr–OctAfternoon · 2h
- Lunch and a stroll on Isola dei PescatoriAfternoon · 1h 30m
- Villa Taranto gardens at PallanzaApr–OctMorning · 2h 30m
- Santa Caterina del Sasso hermitage on the cliffAfternoon · 2h 30m
- Stresa lakefront at sunsetEvening · 1h 30m
- Lake boat north to Cannobio's lakeside old townMorning · 5h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: April – June, September – October
Worth knowing
August Peak: Italians on Holiday
August, and the week of Ferragosto (15 August) above all, is the busiest time on the coasts, lakes and islands: rooms cost the most of the year and sell out, beaches and beach clubs fill, ferries and trains to the coast are booked solid, and roads jam. Book rooms, ferries and trains months ahead, or come in June or September.
Worth knowing
Borromean Palaces Closed in Winter
The palaces and gardens of Isola Bella and Isola Madre open from about late March to early November; in winter they are shut, the island boats run less often and some lakeside hotels close. Stresa itself and the boats to Isola dei Pescatori keep going. Check the opening dates before planning a trip round the islands.