Unique Lake Maggiore Half-Day Trip from Milan

The landscape and views of lake maggiore is truly stunning, the gardens were beyond my expectation. I give the destination a 5/5. The day trip was efficient but I would prefer more time on Isola bella and less time in the streets of Stressa, which was quaint shopping. Palace guide was excellent.

This was a well organised tour. The bus was very comfortable and I liked the fact that we were taken home by a different road to give us a view of the lake. The tour leader was helpful although he said his name so quickly I didn't pick it up and he perhaps needed to give clearer instructions about how to find the meeting point on Isola Bella and the guide we had at the villa on Isola Bella was full of information. We were given a good amount of free time on both islands. The day was full but not too long.

We unfortunately had a rainy and cold day for this trip. Our group was small 9 total and our tour guide was by far the best of the 4 Viator tours we took while in Milan. The boat ride was choppy due to the weather and as the boat is small, it sadly doesn't allow for a view of the lake while on board. The Palace was beautiful and tour informative and the gardens gorgeous despite the rain. I would love to go back and actually enjoy this trip in warmer, dryer weather. I'd have give this trip more stars if it weren't for the weather which is unfortunately not predictable.

My husband and I had a wonderful time on this trip. It was a packed day, leaving promptly from Milan for Lake Maggiore. Our first stop was Isola Bella for a tour of the amazing Borromean Palace and gardens. It was really beautiful, despite the overcast weather. The peacocks were a big delight. We had lunch on a nearby island Fisherman's Island and it was fairly crowded for the holiday weekend. We managed to get a good table on the water to enjoy our lunch. Then we were back on the mainland for some strolling in Stressa before getting back on the bus for Milan. Our tour guide Carlos was wonderful! He was a great source of information and truly loved the area.

The weather was dismal, raining like cats and dogs as we left Milan however, Carlos, our guide, was very positive, saying that we need only to venture into the rain to walk through the gardens of the Palace Borromeo, which, even when raining, is worth doing. How right he was! The one and a half hour bus trip up to Lago Maggiore was a wonderful expose' of the history of Lombardy, narrated, of course, by Carlos, whose knowledge was amazing. The driver was excellent, as well, especially in the very slippery conditions. Once we arrived at Stressa, Lake Maggiore still raining, we quickly got on to our boat and headed out into the lake to Isole Bella we had a fascinating tour of the Castle Borromeo, where our guide, Emmanuela, took us through this amazing place. She, like Carlos, was absolutely brilliant with her knowledge of the castle and Borromeo family. This tour lasted about an hour and covered the bottom two floors of the Castle - and caves underneath - because the family still use the upper floors. So, these are, of course, out of bounds. We were then able to venture out into the gardens and walk around the stunning gardens - huge lemons, grapefruit and ancient azaleas and other trees - for about an hour. In the rain! But - totally beautiful! We then went back to our boat and went across to Fishermans' Island Isole Pescetore for lunch, at a family owned restaurant that Carlos had recommended and booked for our group. On the way over to the island we took a vote and decided to have a two hour lunch rather than one because of the weather! What a wonderful experience lunch was and not at all expensive the quality of the fresh lake fish offered was amazing and enjoyed by all who partook. After lunch we returned to Stressa for an hour of free time. Due to the weather still raining, most of us found a wine bar or cafe and chilled out until our bus arrived and we started back to Milan. My wife, Susan, and I cannot speak highly enough of Carlos and Emmanuela and the tour company, Zani Viaggi. We highly recommend this trip. If you can do it on a sunny day it will be a fantastic experience, if not a sunny day, it is still worthwhile on a wet one.

We are a family of 2 adults and our 11 year old son who love visiting Italy and immersing ourselves in its beauty. This tour was always on our wish list so on our visit to Milan, we decided to book this tour before we left. We did the tour on 2nd October 2016. Our driver was Domenico, our Guide was Carlo and again the tour company was Zanni Viaggi. We caught a small ferry boat to Isole Bella village and had a tour of the villa and its gardens, then were given free time to enjoy the gardens at leisure and wander about the island. It was beautiful and the white peacocks at the gardens are beautiful and very tame. The gardens were still lovely at this time of year and we captured some amazing video and photographs. From here we caught another ferry to Isola Pescatori and had a superb seafood lunch which was not included in the tour, but you could book with the tour guide and go as a group. We decided to do this as we really wanted to sample the fish that were caught in the lake. We were not disappointed, the seafood was divine and the servings very large, and the prices were excellent. From here we boarded the small fishing boats again and headed back towards Stresa and we were given some more free time to wander about this lovely town. We will be returning here definitely because the people and the scenery was beautiful. We were staying at an apartment in Milan and purchased a ceramic gift for our apartment host, and purchased another one for ourselves to remind us of this visit. We then reboarded our tour bus and drove along the lake for a lakeside panorama which was lovely and scenic. The day was quite cloudy so visibility wasn't as good as the day we did Lake Como, but you could still not miss how gorgeous this area is. We loved the small fishing island as well and hope to return to this area and spend some time just boating around the lakes and their little islands and absorbing the culture. If you want to have a relaxing day and sample some lovely local seafood then I highly recommend this tour. It is suitable for adults and children and is a very relaxing and laid back day so would suit all ages.

Lunch on Isola Pescatore looking back at Stresa, and touring Isola Bella and the ride there: all that made the trip worth while.

Brought as a present for my partner. A really amazing day. Wonderful memories and loads of photos.

We had a really enjoyable time. The coach was comfortable, the guide was good and the trip was well-planned. It lasted just about the right amount of time too. The Borromeo Palace was extremely interesting and we had a very good specialist guide there. Stresa was a delight and the islands well worth a visit. All in all, this trip represented good value for money and we were please we had done it.

beautiful lake and the islands we stopped at were lovely.