Top Lake Maggiore Cultural Tours

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.

Experience the beauty of Italy’s Lake Maggiore during this half-day private 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.

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.

Island-hop at Lake Maggiore and discover the tiny Borromean Islands with this 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.

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.

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.

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 will take a shuttle boat for a short ride 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.

Hello, I am Micaela, an official local guide. This is a very special tour that will enable you to visit isola Bella accompanied by your expert private tour guide that will show you the sumptuous Borromeo palace with its treasures and isola Bella's amazing gardens. The private cruise around isola Madre and Fishermen's islands at the end of the private guided tour to enjoy the views will make this tour even more exclusive, something that you will be able to cherish for long!

Visit the Borromean Islands of Lake Maggiore with your own private guide, and enjoy transport by private 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 Bella, but you can upgrade to visit also the botanical gardens of Isola Madre, if you wish.

A half-day tour by private taxi boat to the two jewels of lake Maggiore accompanied by an expert private guide to enjoy more the visit to these incredible islands. Your licensed local guide will show you an opulent palace dating back to the 17th century with its baroque garden on Isola Bella. You will then discover another villa in country style on Isola Madre built in the 16th century and a charming garden full of exotic plants, flowers, trees and peacocks.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lake Maggiore is a land of enchantment, whose coastlines are dotted by small, charming villages, art treasures, majestic castles and gorgeous gardens. In the middle of it lay the Borromean Islands, who has been chosen through the centuries by wealthy families, especially the Borromeo, for their leisure residences. This private cruise will take you to Isola Bella, seat of a fairy palace and a terraced botanical garden, then to Isola dei Pescatori, the only permanently inhabited one, where you may enjoy a good seafood lunch. Then, reaching the cliffs and woods of the lake eastern coast, you will find as a hidden jewel the Hermitage of Santa Caterina, a monastery built sheer on the waters, overlooking the lake with an astonishing view.

Be enchanted by the beauty of this place, intact for 400 years. I'll show you the beautiful rooms, all furnished with antiques, and lead you through the Italian gardens full of flowers and exotic plants of great rarity, which grow thanks to the particularly mild climate of the Borromean Gulf.