Everyone goes to Como. Lake Maggiore is the next one west, it’s bigger, it has three islands covered in baroque palaces and botanical gardens, and it costs meaningfully less. It also has roughly none of the George Clooney tourism.
If Como has started to feel like a queue with a view, this is where you go instead.
The Borromean Islands are the whole point
Three small islands in the Gulf of Borromeo, off Stresa, owned by the Borromeo family since the 1500s. They’re each completely different and you can do all three in a day.
Isola Bella is the spectacular one. The family turned a rocky outcrop into a baroque palace with a ten-terrace garden that rises out of the water like a wedding cake. White peacocks wander the top terrace. It shouldn’t work and it absolutely does. Around €20 for palace and garden.
Isola dei Pescatori is the fishermen’s island — the only one still permanently inhabited, about 50 residents, one street, tall narrow houses and restaurants along the water. No entry fee. This is where you eat lunch.
Isola Madre is the biggest and quietest, with an eight-acre botanical garden that’s been growing since the 16th century. Ancient wisteria, camellias, more peacocks. Fewer visitors than Bella and better for an unhurried hour.
Getting to them
Public ferries run from Stresa, Baveno and Verbania. A day pass covering all three islands is roughly €16 to €18 and is much better value than the private boatmen who’ll approach you on the promenade quoting per-trip fares.
Buy the ferry ticket at the official kiosk on the Stresa waterfront. The private boats aren’t a scam exactly, but they’re two to three times the price for the same crossing.
Order: Isola Bella first thing before the crowds, Pescatori for lunch, Madre in the afternoon. That’s the sequence that works.
A detail that catches people out: the ferry timetable thins considerably outside July and August, and the last boat back from Isola Madre can be earlier than you’d assume. Photograph the return times at the kiosk when you buy the pass. Being stranded on a botanical garden is a nicer problem than most, but the water taxi back will cost you more than the whole day’s ferry pass did.
Stresa is the base
A belle époque resort town on the western shore, with grand hotels from the era when this was where northern Europeans came to be seen. Hemingway set part of A Farewell to Arms at the Grand Hotel des Îles Borromées, and you can still stay there if you’d like to spend the money.
The promenade is the main activity. Gelato, a drink, the islands sitting out in the water in front of you.
Take the Mottarone cable car up to 1,491 metres for a view over seven lakes and, on a clear day, Monte Rosa. There’s also a bobsled run and mountain bike hire at the top if the view alone isn’t enough.
The rest of the lake
Verbania — across the water from Stresa, and home to Villa Taranto, one of the great botanical gardens of Europe with 20,000 plant species. Best in April and May for the tulips and rhododendrons.
Cannobio — near the Swiss border, a lovely medieval old town and a Sunday market that’s been running since 1291.
Santa Caterina del Sasso — a monastery built into a cliff face on the eastern shore, reached by boat or 268 steps. Extraordinary and free.
Angera — a properly imposing medieval castle at the southern end with a doll museum inside, which is an odd combination that somehow works.
Locarno and Ascona — the northern fifth of the lake is in Switzerland. Palm trees, higher prices, a different currency, and Locarno hosts a well-regarded film festival in August.
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How it compares to Como and Garda
Maggiore — the islands and gardens are the draw. Quieter, cheaper, more spread out, more old-money resort than glamour.
Como — the most dramatic scenery and the most crowded. Bellagio in August is genuinely unpleasant.
Garda — the biggest, warmest, best for families and watersports, with a theme park and a more holiday-resort feel.
If you want gardens and calm, Maggiore. If you want the postcard mountains, Como. If you’re travelling with kids, Garda.
Eating
This is Piedmont and Lombardy, so: risotto, lake fish (perch, whitefish, agone), and missoltini, air-dried shad, which is an acquired taste and locals love it.
The lunch on Isola dei Pescatori is the meal to plan for. Prices are higher than inland but not outrageous — €25 to €40 for a proper lunch with wine, sitting on the water.
Nearby wines: Ghemme and Gattinara from the Piedmontese foothills, both Nebbiolo-based and much cheaper than Barolo.
Practical bits
Getting there: Milan Malpensa airport is 45 minutes from Stresa, which makes this one of the easiest Italian lakes to reach. Trains from Milan Centrale to Stresa take about an hour.
You don’t need a car if you’re staying in Stresa and using ferries. You do if you want to explore the eastern shore and the Swiss end.
Two to three days covers it. One day is enough for the islands only.
Season matters a lot. The islands’ palaces and gardens close roughly late October to late March. Going in winter means a lake with the main attraction shut. April to October, and ideally May for the gardens.
FAQ
Can I do it as a day trip from Milan? Yes, easily. Train to Stresa, ferry to the islands, back in the evening. It’s one of the better day trips from Milan.
How much for the islands? Around €40 to €50 per person for the ferry pass plus entry to Isola Bella and Isola Madre.
Is it worth it if I’ve done Como? Yes, they’re different enough. Maggiore is about gardens and islands rather than lakeside villages.
Best month? May for gardens in full flower, September for weather and fewer people.
Do I need to book the islands? No, ferry and entry tickets are bought on the day. Restaurants on Pescatori are worth booking in August.
Which shore should I stay on? The western (Stresa and Baveno) for ferry access and choice. The eastern shore is quieter and needs a car.
