Lake Maggiore Travel Guide

The beauty of Lake Maggiore is revealed at first glance: / Lake Maggiore Travel Guide

Surrounded by high rock faces in the north and lined with pretty little towns on the shore, everyone, from hikers to connoisseurs, will find a suitable spot.

Translated, Lago Maggiore means “biggest lake”. In fact, it is only the second largest of the lakes in northern Italy after Lake Garda. With its 212.5 square kilometers it is still quite impressive. And a real insider tip. In terms of scenic diversity and Mediterranean charm, Lago Maggiore can definitely keep up with Lake Garda – but is far less crowded than this in the main season. And therefore also significantly cheaper in terms of hotel prices. Provided you vacation on the Italian and not the Swiss part of the lake. But that shouldn’t prove too difficult, since more than 80 percent of Lake Maggiore is in Italy. But the Swiss side is also beautiful and has a lot to offer.

The best tips for a holiday on Lake Maggiore

One of the most beautiful places on the Italian side of Lake Maggiore is the town of Arona on the southern shore. Arona is ideal for vacationers who like to swim and hike, but also like sightseeing and culture. There is, among other things, a medieval old town, lidos, museums, a beautiful promenade and a small harbour. The mountainous area offers wonderful hiking opportunities and excursion destinations worth seeing.

From the lakeside promenade, tourists have great views of the next major attraction, the 10th-century hilltop fortress of Rocca di Angera. It served as the residence of the Visconti and the Archbishop of Milan and was destroyed by Napoleonic troops towards the end of the 18th century.

Other particularly beautiful places in the Italian part of Lake Maggiore are Verbania with the botanical garden worth seeing, Stresa with the offshore Borromean Islands, which you should definitely cross over to, Angera with the medieval castle and Luino with the well-known weekly market. The hermit and pilgrimage monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso Ballaro, which is spectacularly built into a steep slope, is impressive.

Tips for the Swiss side of Lake Maggiore / Lake Maggiore Travel Guide

Almost 20 percent of Lake Maggiore belongs to the Swiss canton of Ticino. In addition to Ascona, the small towns of Ronco Sopra Ascona and Brissago on the west side and San Nazarro on the east side are particularly recommended. But the other, mostly tiny towns on the shore of the lake on the Swiss side are also worthwhile destinations.

You definitely have to go to the Brissago Islands in Lake Maggiore. The islands in front of the municipality of the same name are something like the island of Mainau for Lake Constance. Full of Mediterranean flowers is the larger island of San Pancrazio, which has a large botanical garden. The department store millionaire Max Emden built a villa and an orangery as well as the harbor in the 1940s. The little sister island, called Isola Piccola, is natural.

In addition to its beautiful location, Brissago itself is known above all for the cigar factory that rolls up “Brissago originale” there. Also in the municipality is the Swiss part of the Sacri Monti, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003. For some reason, the Swiss part was forgotten by Unesco, which makes it just as valuable above Lake Maggiore as the neighboring, larger Italian parts. From the Unesco statement: “In addition to their symbolic and spiritual value, they possess remarkable beauty, since they are masterfully integrated into a natural and landscaped environment such as hills, forests and lakes. They also contain very important works of art in the form of murals and statues.”

A must: by boat across Lake Maggiore

An example: From the port in Arona, you can take the excursion boat across Lake Maggiore. The Navigazione Laghi ferries run hourly every day between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. All passenger ports on the lake as well as Isola Bella and Isola Madre are called at. A trip to Locarno on the north bank in Switzerland takes just under two hours from Arona and costs around 30 euros. For visitors to Isola Bella and Isola Madre, there is an additional entrance fee of around 20 euros. If you want, you can also charter a motor boat or a sailing boat in Arona or rent a pedal boat.

The ships can of course be taken from any location, the prices vary depending on the route.

Getting there / Lake Maggiore Travel Guide

By plane to Milan-Malpensa or Bergamo, from there by train to the southern shore of the lake. Alternatively by train via Zurich and the Alps to Locarno on the north shore of the lake. From Bellinzona, the Gotthard railway runs along the entire eastern shore of the lake.

Lake Como Travel Guide: Como Tips
Lake Bafa in Didim
Lake Garda Travel Tips: Everything you should know about a holiday on Lake Garda