Top Lake Maggiore Cultural Tours

Every Sunday and Monday Leave urban Milan for the day and spend some time at picturesque Lake Maggiore, located in Italy's Lake District. Explore the chic town of Stresa, learning about the area's history from your guide and perusing the shops. Then hop on a boat for a cruise around the lake, and take in the scenery of the water and surrounding mountains. Visit Isola dei Pescatori, where you have free time to explore, and then explore Borromeo Palace in Isola Bella, before making the return trip to Milan.

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.

Visit the Borromean Islands of Lake Maggiore with your own private guide, and enjoy transport by motorboat just for your group plus a tour of Isola Bella’s 17th-century palace. Perfect if you want to understand the lake’s history and avoid the tourist crowds, the experience offers everything you need to explore the islands with ease. The standard tour includes stops at Isola Pescatori and Isola Madre, but you can upgrade to visit the botanical gardens of Isola Madre, if you wish.

Spend a morning or afternoon at Lake Orta, and see the highlights of its charming village and lake island with your own private guide. After you hear the history of Orta San Giulio’s medieval houses on a stroll, you’ll step aboard a boat to cruise over the serene lake to Isola di San Giulio. Wander the cobblestone streets to the Roman Catholic basilica, then choose to stay on the island to explore more at your own pace or return to Orta San Giulio with your guide.

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.

Savor the beauty of Lake Maggiore during the golden hour with this private sunset cruise. Set off from Stresa just as the sun begins to dip below the horizon and admire the picturesque towns, historic villas, and sumptuous gardens dotting the shore as you slowly cruise past. Sip prosecco and snap photos of the lush Borromean Islands and soaring Alpine peaks on the horizon before heading back to the harbor.

Island-hop at Lake Maggiore, and discover the tiny Borromean Islands with a hop-on hop-off ferry ticket. Use the 1-day pass to venture out from Stresa, and spend your day sightseeing as you wish. Step onto the shores of Isola Bella, home to the Borromeo family ‘palazzo’; wander amid the houses of pocket-sized Isola dei Pescatori; and admire the greenery of Isola Madre where botanical gardens beckon.

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.

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.

Lake Maggiore is famous for its lakeside towns, villas, and gardens, but these headliners are best seen from the water. With this boat tour, cruise along the shoreline to admire the fishing villages and aristocratic estates backed by rolling hills and snow-capped Alpine peaks. Take in the lake’s jewel-like islands and opt to dock and explore on land or spend your entire mini cruise savoring the views from on board.

Experience Bellagio, a setting known as the most beautiful of Lake Como’s clutch of shoreline towns, on a day trip from a neighboring lake. With pickups from hotels in Stresa and Baveno on Lake Maggiore or Orta San Giulio on Lake Orta included, the day trip offers ultimate convenience for a lazy day out on the glamorous Italian lake. You’ll have free time to wander the narrow streets of Bellagio, followed by a visit to Como town where shops, cafes, and impressive architecture await.

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

Discover isola Bella, the jewel of lake Maggiore, on a unique private tour. Explore the sumptuous Borromeo palace and the incredible gardens on this lovely island in a peaceful atmosphere in the late afternoon ( but morning option is also possible). An experienced local tour guide will meet you in Stresa at your hotel ( if centrally located) or at the pier in Stresa to reach isola Bella by private boat and discover all its beauty at a lovely time of the day when most of the crowds have usually gone. Your private boat will tour around isola Bella to enable you to enjoy beautiful views of the spectacular 17th-century gardens built on ten levels and see the whole palace from the boat. Your personal guide will show you the richly decorated rooms and the grottos telling you more about the founders and owners of isola Bella's fairy-tale palace and will then take you on a guided stroll through the lovely gardens and the tiny village on the island. You will then head back to Stresa mainland.

Lake Maggiore is Italy’s second-largest lake, dotted with lush islands and surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Swiss and Italian Alps. With this tour, set out from Stresa to discover the lake by boat, admire the views as you cruise past beautiful gardens and lakeside villas, and hop off to explore the Borromean Islands of Isola Madre, Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Bella.

Visit the Angera Fortress (Rocca di Angera) the best way, on a private day trip from your Lake Maggiore or Lake Orta hotel. You’ll travel in comfort alongside your personal group, and have free time to explore the well-preserved fortress and its museum of antique dolls. Ample time to explore Arona town and see the towering Statue of St. Charles is also factored in. Just note that entry fees to all sites are extra.

The Borromean Islands are one of the highlights of Lake Maggiore, but the logistics of visiting all three in one day can be complicated. On this private tour, visit Isola Bella, Isola Madre, and Isola dei Pescatori with a boat and guide to admire their historic villas, lush gardens, and charming lanes. Stop for lunch (at your own expense) on Fisherman's Island before the boat trip back to Stresa.

Discover the romantic Piedmont village of Orta and the nearby lake island of San Giulio on a private tour with a local guide. You’ll hear the history of the bustling little town that sits on the shore of Lake Orta, discover the must-see sights around Piazza Motta, and enjoy a walking tour around the island. Just note that boat crossing is payable on the day.

Discover this enchantment island still belonging to a noble family, with a private tour guide. Admire the fantastic halls still all furnished and cross the rooms of the grottoes until you get to the Italian gardens. Reach the highest part of the garden and admire the view of Stresa and the lake. Relax on a beautiful 30-minute lake cruise.

Experience the beauty of Italy’s Lake Maggiore during this half-day tour to Isola Bella and Fisherman’s Island. This private excursion leaves from the villages of Stresa where you board a boat to Isola Bella. Explore the island’s Italian-style garden before heading to Fisherman’s Island for a walking tour of the quaint village. This tour is inclusive of a private tour guide, all entrance fees are to be paid on site.

Enjoy a panoramic mountain train ride traveling from Italy to Switzerland. Along the way, discover villages, such as Santa Maria Maggiore, which is well known for being a winter sports destination and for its Christmas markets. Travelers recommend sitting on the left side of the train to Santa Maria Maggiore and on the right side from there to Locarno.

Lake Maggiore’s Borromean Islands are particularly captivating in the quiet off-season months without the summer heat and crowds. Take in the three islands in a few hours with this guided tour from Stresa. Hop on a private water taxi to Isola Bella for a stroll through the village and a glimpse of Palazzo Borromeo. Then stop to explore Isola dei Pescatori on land before passing Isola Madre on the return cruise.

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.

Verbania is the chief town of the district around lake Maggiore; Pallanza, one of its centers, hosts the City hall and some of its most remarkable attractions. Among these, the outstanding Museum of Landscape, located in Palazzo Viani- Dugnani, keeps a vast collection of paintings, sculptures and photographs related to the culture and history of Lombardy and Piedmont. This private tour will lead you to discover these collections and, after a pleasant walk, to experience a visit to Villa Taranto botanical gardens: a unique 18 hectares park created by a Scottish traveller, featuring rare plants, trees and flowers from all over the world. Two different ways to witness the wonders of the landscapes of Lake Maggiore, which you will surely remember for long.

The surroundings of lake Maggiore are the homeland of some of the most prestigious Italian gastronomic specialties: varieties of cheese like the "Bettelmatt" are the natural match for elegant yet full-bodied wines like Nebbiolo, the king of Piemontese vines. This exclusive tour will lead you to discover some of these mouth-watering treasures: starting form Stresa, where you'll have an espresso or a cappuccino, together with a sweet specialty in a historical tea room. The following stage will be a cheese seasoning cellar, where you'll have a tasting matched by some varieties of wine. Finally, you'll reach Gattinara, a charming small town which has given its name to a fine red wine based on Nebbiolo grapes: the Gattinara DOCG. A guided tasting of this nectar will be held in an historical local winery.