Lake Maggiore

Lake Maggiore is one of the most beautiful destinations in northern Italy, whose western shore lies in Piedmont, the eastern shore in Lombardy, and the north is in the Ticino region of Switzerland for 20% of its surface.
With 65 kilometres of shores and 212 km² of surface area it is the second largest lake in Italy after Lake Garda.
Located at 193 metres of altitude, towards the north it sinks between increasingly high mountains.

The landscapes are pleasant, with shores planted with fig trees or olive trees, a mild climate in summer, and its many luxurious villas equipped with beautiful gardens.
Off the seaside town of Stresa, the superb Borromean Islands is the most fascinating place on the lake. They took their name from the powerful family that reigned over the region. They are reached by boat, with an idyllic journey on the lake. Once there, one discovers the superb gardens, in a setting surrounded by the waters that offers unique perspectives. In particular, on Isola Bella was built the sumptuous Borromeo Palace in the 17th century accompanied by a richly laid out and decorated park.
Among the small towns on the shore, Stresa is a charming resort that has structured itself for welcoming high-end tourism from all countries.

In summary, the western shore of Lake Maggiore is the densest in attractions, monumental gardens or villas. Beaches there are rare and often private, sometimes owned by the hotels. Towards the north and Cannobio, the crowds are smaller, with less bustle and traffic, as well as more beaches to relax on.
Regular boat services allow not only to reach the islands, but also to cross from one shore to the other with your vehicle to avoid going around, and to discover for example on the eastern shore the Rocca d’Angera or the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso. This shore, less rich in architectural heritage, however has more beaches.

Below is an overview of the places one encounters around the lake, find the full article on the page What to see around Lake Maggiore

Western shore, Stresa and the Borromean Islands

• Stresa is the main seaside resort of the lake, elegant and chic, facing the beautiful Borromean Islands that are easily reached by boat in a few minutes.
  Besides the villas, restaurants and luxury hotels, there is a beautiful promenade on the shore, paths on the heights, and the Villa Pallavicino with its vast garden and its animals. A cable car also allows you to reach Mount Mottarone and its panorama, passing through the Alpinia botanical garden halfway up.
  Stresa
• The Borromean Islands are an archipelago of three main lake islands that have long charmed travellers, including Isola Bella with the Borromeo Palace and its pyramid-shaped terraces planted with enchanting gardens, Isola Madre with its peaceful and rich botanical garden, and Isola dei Pescatori with its excellent trattorias which is inhabited all year round. The first two islands can be reached every day from late March to late October.
  Borromean Islands

• The Villa Pallavicino , at the southern exit of Stresa and facing the lake, is a neoclassical palace with a superb English garden and its zoo spread over 18 hectares, which serves as a refuge for around forty species of animals, mammals and tropical birds, such as flamingos, parrots, llamas, Tibetan goats, or macaques. which are free in the area called Lombardina.
• The Villa Taranto , located in Verbania, has a botanical garden overlooking the lake. It is one of the most beautiful sites of Lake Maggiore, especially from spring to summer, with more than 20000 varieties of plants, flowers, trees, shrubs and aquatic plants, from the region or elsewhere such as the Amazon.
  Verbania is opposite Stresa on the other side of the small Borromean gulf, with the historic centre of Intra, and beautiful walks along the shore.
• One can reach Mount Mottarone located at 1419 metres of altitude, which offers a superb panorama over the lakes, by road or more conveniently and spectacularly by the cable car departing from the bottom of Stresa, from the shore of Lake Maggiore in Stresa (Station Lido Stresa).
• Arona is near the southern end of the lake and the Mercurago Lagoons Nature Park, with an old historic centre, and 2 km away on a hillock is the Colossal Statue of Charles Borromeo. Inaugurated in 1698, it reaches with its base 35 metres in height. One can climb up to the head and look through the holes.
• The Alpinia Garden, at 800 metres of altitude, is a stop of the cable car leading from Stresa to Mottarone. It gathers nearly 2000 species.
• A few kilometres west of Lake Maggiore, Mergozzo has a pretty little quieter lake, with beaches and a small centre.
• Cannobio which is at the north of the lake, has a very pretty historic centre, a beautiful shore, churches and a small valley.
• A few kilometres south of Cannobio, Cannero Riviera is a pleasant village with its small beach and its promenade, and especially offshore the two remains of the Castles of Cannero which emerge on islets.
• From a beautiful terrace overlooking the lake, the Sacred Mount of Ghiffa is a Sanctuary of the late 16th – 18th centuries in the heart of a nature reserve.
• Locarno is a Swiss town at the north of the lake, and an important tourist destination, around its pretty Piazza Grande with its palaces, arcades and alleys. 
• North of Stresa, Baveno is a village with beautiful views over the islands, and a charming religious complex of Saints Gervaso and Protaso.

Eastern shore

• The historic centre of Angera preserves alleys and palaces of the period. It is dominated by a rock where the Rocca Borromea , the largest castle on the lake, largely medieval, with beautiful historic rooms, and which houses an important doll and toy museum.
• The Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso is one of the most beautiful and interesting sites of Lake Maggiore, a monastery on the side of a cliff dating back to the second half of the 12th century.
• From Laveno a cable car reaches the surroundings of the summit of Sasso del Ferro located at 1000 metres of altitude. Inland is the rich Villa della Porta Bozzolo. It is also the pier to reach the other shore at Verbania.
• Luino is close to Switzerland and especially known for its Wednesday international market.

Take a boat trip on Lake Maggiore

There are several types of boat services: classic steamboats, hydrofoils for fast travel, ferries to transport cars. They frequently connect the Italian coastal localities of the lake, managed by Navigazione Lago Maggiore.
From late March to mid-October, there are regular tourist services, connecting Laveno to Verbania, passing through the three Borromean Islands.
One can also take a cruise to discover the north of the lake where it narrows between increasingly steep mountains, in Swiss Ticino. There are three daily boats connecting the main towns of the south of the lake to Locarno, but more from Luino on the eastern shore.

Other places

• Sesto Calende is located at the southern end of the lake, with its small archaeological museum on the local prehistoric Golasecca culture, and the Romanesque abbey of San Donato from the 11th century.
• Western shore: Meina is 4 km north of Arona with pretty villas, and further north Lesa has several small beaches. At Belgirate 8 km south of Stresa is the Chiesa Vecchia with its 16th-century frescoes.
  The Lake Orta is a charming little lake on the other side of Mount Mottarone, a true tourist destination, first for the medieval village of Orta San Giulio at the foot of a Sacred Mount.
• Eastern shore: Ranco is 4 km north of Angera, with its quiet beaches. Then Ispra  preserves old lime kilns and a pretty promenade. Laveno-Mombello further north has a tourist harbour and a pier for vehicles, as well as a cable car link to Sasso del Ferro. To the north, after the small village of Porto Valtravaglia, Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca attracts for its water sports and others.

Suggested itinerary

You certainly need several days to properly enjoy Lake Maggiore. A weekend is a minimum, knowing that it takes some time to cross from one shore to the other, especially by vehicle. However, there are several crossing options for pedestrians, as well as a vehicle link between Verbania (16 km north of Stresa) and Lavello (not far from the Hermitage of Santa Caterina at 6 km, and 21 km north of the Rocca d’Angera).

First day
The western shore is to be preferred, first with a day in Stresa to visit the Villa Pallavicino (tickets) with its garden and its zoo, then of course the Borromean Islands. You can possibly have lunch on the Isola dei Pescatori. If you have the time, make a stop at Baveno.

Second day
You can then spend another day visiting Arona and its colossus (half an hour by train from Stresa), possibly Baveno just north of Stresa to enjoy its elegant Lungolago.
In Verbania you can visit the Villa Taranto, then whether you are by car or not, take the ferry for a visit of the eastern coast with the hermitage and if it is early enough the Rocca d’Angera.
From Verbania, you can reach the hermitage by passenger boat (in 15 min) or Angera (in 1h). There are also links between the hermitage and Angera, less frequent.
An alternative to the crossing, you can stay on the western shore and go north as far as Cannobio, for example by taking the boat for a two-hour journey (from Stresa, Verbania or for example Baveno), and enjoy the crossing. In Cannobio before visiting the town, the shore and on the way if you are by car pass in front of the emerged castles.

Map

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Information

• Wikipedia page: fr.wikipedia.org
• Tourist portals: www.in-lombardia.it, www.lelacmajeur.com, www.visit-lakemaggiore.com
• Borromean Islands: www.isoleborromee.it