Borromean Islands Hop-On Hop-Off Ferry Tour from Stresa
Milan, Italy
Rating: 
Trip Type: Day Cruises
Duration: Varies
Spend a day island hopping around the Borromean Islands with a 1-day hop-on hop ferry ticket around Italy’s Lake Maggiore. Departing from the lakeside town of Stresa, create your own sightseeing schedule using the ferry as transport. See the elegant island palace and formal gardens of Isola Bella, admire the lush vegetation on Isola Madre and stroll along the charming promenade of the tiny Isola dei Pescatori. Enjoy lake views as you cruise between them and spend as little or as long as you like at each island.
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Spend a day island hopping around the Borromean Islands with a 1-day hop-on hop ferry ticket around Italy’s Lake Maggiore. Departing from the lakeside town of Stresa, create your own sightseeing schedule using the ferry as transport. See the elegant island palace and formal gardens of Isola Bella, admire the lush vegetation on Isola Madre and stroll along the charming promenade of the tiny Isola dei Pescatori. Enjoy lake views as you cruise between them and spend as little or as long as you like at each island.
Make the most out of your day by arriving in Stresa in early morning. The first ferry leaves at 8am and departures continue every half an hour throughout the day until the evening.
Step aboard the comfortable ferry and try to nab a window seat if you can. From there, peer out over the breathtaking Lake Maggiore and the forested hills and dramatic mountain peaks that rise beyond the shimmering lake’s edge. You are free to hop on and off the ferry as much as you please, so you can create a sightseeing itinerary to suit your preferences.
Choose to stop first at Isola Bella and pay an entrance fee to explore the sumptuous and ornately decorated 17th-century palace that dominates the island. See the home where the noble Borromeo family lived and entertained. Admire tapestries, fine paintings and antique furniture, all displayed in lavishly gilded, rococo rooms. Afterward, wander around the well-tended formal gardens. Look out for the two white peacocks strutting their stuff amidst the fountains, flowers and topiary.
When you’re done on Isola Bella, head back to the harbor and catch the next ferry to Isola Madre. Wander through Isola Madre’s English-style gardens at your leisure, strolling among colorful blooms, which include azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and wisteria. You might also visit the 16th-century villa house on the island, where you can explore a collection of period rooms and an exhibit of small puppet theaters.
Use your ferry ticket to continue on to Isola dei Pescatori, the only island that is inhabited year-round. Stop for a bite to eat at one of the island's fish restaurants (own expense) or wander around the quaint fishing village, which retains its old-world charm.
Feel free to revisit any of the islands’ during the day as your ticket is valid for as many journeys as you please during the 24-hour period, but be sure to catch the last ferry back to the mainland in early evening.
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