Top Lake Maggiore Half-day Tours

If you want to discover the Borromean Islands on a tour that offers a personal touch, look no further than this private day trip from Stresa. With a guide just for you and your group of family or friends, you’ll travel to the three chic Lake Maggiore islands: Isola Madre, Isola dei Pescatori, and Isola Bella. Hear the history of the baroque Palazzo Borromeo on a tour, get restaurant recommendations for lunch on Isola dei Pescatori, and wander the gardens of beautiful Isola Madre.

Discovering a treasure in lake Maggiore: the beautiful Borromean islands with their stunning palaces and gardens. Your tour guide will take you on a special tour that will enable you to step back in time. Paintings, tapestries, Murano glass chandeliers, portraits, period furniture, gorgeous views and beatifully maintained gardens will surprise you on these fabulous islands: isola Bella and isola Madre.

Experience the most that Isola Bella has to offer with this private tour of two of Italy's most famous islands. Visit the aptly-named Isola Bella (Beautiful Island) and Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman's Island). This private tour offers a morning or afternoon departure to best suit your personal needs.

Benefit from personalized attention and a flexible itinerary on this private tour of Lake Orta. With pickup in Lake Maggiore, Verbania, Baveno, or Stresa, you'll get private round-trip transportation that makes the trip convenient and relaxing. Explore the village of Orta San Giulio at your own pace, asking plenty of questions along the way and stopping at sites that interest you.

Step back in time and explore an old castle in Angera - the Rocca or fortress Borromeo - on lake Maggiore, still beautifully preserved, also housing an interesting antique dolls' museum.  Enjoy a stroll and free time in the pretty lakeside town of Arona and see the colossal statue of Saint Charles Borromeo, one of the highest in the world. A private tour to discover lovely corners of lake Maggiore!

Visit the fashionable Stresa and the amazing Islands on Lake Maggiore on a day trip from Milan. Set in Italy's beautiful Lake District just 1.5-hour drive from Milan, Lake Maggiore is surrounded by the majestic Alps and home to some of Italy’s most impressive gardens. After some free time for shopping in Stresa, you will take a two-hour panoramic boat cruise on the lake, visiting the Borromean Islands – Isola Madre, Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Bella. On the borders of Piedmont, Lombardy and Switzerland, Lake Maggiore, also known as Verbano is the second largest Italian lake. 

Lake Maggiore was a mandatory stage of the Grand Tour of Norther Italy, during the 19th century. A Scottish official and traveller, Neil McEacharn, was once bewitched by the beauty of theses surroundings and bought in 1930 a villa in Verbania. In a few years, he acquired a vast land around there and turned it into a gorgeous botanical garden. This private tour will allow you to discover the wonderful, rare plants kept in the 18 hectares-wide garden of Villa Taranto, in an amazing panoramic position. The most cheerful and colored way to enjoy the mild weather and the superb views of the lake.

Explore all the treasures hidden in a 17th-century palace on isola Bella and the quaint village on Fishermen's island with an experienced tour guide of lake Maggiore! You will be guided through the historic rooms of an amazing palace and will be shown spectacular gardens built on levels strolling through species of flowers and plants from all continents, surrounded by friendly peacocks. This will be a private tour just for you and your party

Cool, slow and delicious appetize on Lake Maggiore with fantastic and unique panorama for small groups

Arona, a beautiful town laying on the South-Western coast of lake Maggiore, gave birth in the 16th century to the future saint and bishop of Milan Carlo Borromeo. After a few decades from his death, a huge bronze statue dedicated to the memory of the revered citizen was built close to Arona and acted as an inspiration and a technical instruction for Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the designer of the Statue of Liberty in New York. This exclusive tour will lead you from the charming centre of Arona to the hill where you will be able to visit the statue and enjoy a view of the lake, definitely from its "point of view". Later on, you will be guided to a local seasoning cellar, where a full tasting of wine and local, delicious varieties of cheese will be served. A day between amazing art and taste.

Lake Orta is a small, quite unknown pearl, lying a few kilometers westwards of Lake Maggiore. Its chief town, Orta San Giulio and the close by isle of San Giulio create a unique, charming "lounge" on the lake coastline. The small alleys, the ancient churches and the enchanting landscapes merge together in a scene of rare beauty. This exclusive tour will allow you to enjoy the fascinating atmosphere of the coastline village by a pleasant walk; later, a short, relaxing cruise will take you to the isle of San Giulio, 400 metres offshore, where you will witness the remains of the medieval settlements, a majestic romanesque church and an 19th century seminary.

The two sides of lake Maggiore are amazingly different: Westwards, the sweet sines of the gulf on which Stresa and Baveno lay, in front of the charming Borromean Islands with their botanical gardens and villas. Eastwards, the deep waters in which high and wooded cliffs tumble down. This private tour will allow you to enjoy this beautiful diversity, taking you to the discovery of a hidden jewel, built sheer up on the water, close to the town of Laveno Mombello: the Hermitage of Santa Caterina, offering priceless works of art and a breathtaking view on lake Maggiore. This unforgettable experience will end with an exclusive aperitif, served onboard on your route back.

A half-day tour by private boat to the two jewels of lake Maggiore accompanied by an expert private guide to enjoy more the visit to these incredible islands. Your licensed local guide will show you an opulent palace dating back to the 17th century with its baroque garden on Isola Bella. You will then discover another villa in country style on Isola Madre built in the 16th century and a charming garden full of exotic plants, flowers, trees and peacocks.

The sunset on lake Maggiore paints the mountains around of amazing shades and fires up the water; at this time of the day, the blooming flowers in the garden of the Borromean Palace of Isola Bella become as one with the Sun reflections on the beautiful sculptures. This private tour will allow you to enjoy these unforgettable moments; after a short transfer by a fashionable vintage taxi-boat, a private guide will lead you across the island, which is actually a whole work of art; after a while, as the evening begins to fall, you will enjoy an exclusive aperitif in front of lake Maggiore.

The Northern basin of Lake Maggiore is shady, calm, charming in its own way. Here, at a short distance from the coast, lies a group of "floating castles": the so called Castles of Cannero, remains of ancient fortresses that give this corner of the lake a unique romantic allure. This pleasant cruise will allow you to breathe this unusual atmosphere and to enjoy a quiet aperitif on board; before of that, you will have the chance to stroll down the most extensive and ancient open air market of the district: the international market of Luino. An unforgettable day between the colored stalls and the silent reflections of a piece of history, in the middle of a lake.

Stresa, known as the pearl of lake Maggiore, stands in front of the Borromean Islands, which got their name by the ancient family who owned them since the 16th century. One one of these, Isola Bella, Carlo III Borromeo built a gorgeous baroque mansion, dedicated to his wife Isabella. This private guided tour will allow you to explore Isola Bella and the splendor of the palace and its garden; once back in Stresa, you'll have a walk on the cosy small streets of the town centre, until you'll reach a local winery for a mouth-watering aperitif, based on local wines, cold cuts and cheese.

This is a special wintertime tour, available also during the Christmas season, that will allow you to see two of the highlights of lake Maggiore also in the winter: the hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso and isola Bella. Using a comfortable private boat ( covered!) we will enjoy a cruise on lake Maggiore as far as the lombard shore where we will visit the fascinating hermitage of Santa Caterina with its 16th-century frescoed church. The church and the two convents were built on very steep rocks on the lake and the view iof this incredible site from the water is really impressive. We will then enjoy another boat ride to isola Bella. The interiors of Isola Bella's palace and the gardens will not be accessible this time of the year, but you will be able to admire the beauty of isola Bella through its picturesque village on a guided stroll with your private local guide. You will also enjoy a private boat tour around isola Bella to see the whole island with its terraced gardens.

Mount Mottarone stands upon the enchanting town of Stresa, reaching almost 1.500 meters upon sea level. A majestic massive, a natural viewpoint on the surrounding Alps, the soothing beauty of Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands. This exclusive tour will allow you to climb up the mountain by a cableway, to enjoy an easy but spectacular walk, close to the sky and in front of some astonishing views. Before reaching a typical hut, where you will have a mouth-watering lunch based on local specialties, you will be guided into Alpinia, one of the first and most prestigious alpine botanical gardens in Italy.

The two sides of lake Maggiore are amazingly different: Westwards, the sweet sines of the gulf on which Stresa and Baveno lay, in front of the charming Borromean Islands with their botanical gardens and villas. Eastwards, the deep waters in which high and wooded cliffs tumble down. A private cruise will take you across the lake, coasting the Islands, to reach by a cableway an amazing viewpoint on mount Sasso del Ferro, on the East coast. Here you will stare at the astonishing landscape of Lake Maggiore, the Borromean Isles and the Alps during a sunset in which the sun, the sky and the waters below will be as one. An exclusive aperitif will be served on a terrific terrace, where you will enjoy the quietness of the site.