Italian Lakes Orta & Maggiore

The Italian Lakes: Orta & Maggiore

 

The Maggiore express & Borromeo Islands

 

9 days 12^th April 2026

 

Lake Orta is a hidden gem in the serene and beautiful Northern Lakes of Italy, and our base from which we explore the equally serene Lake Maggiore. We are also including a fabulous day out on the Centovalli Railway with the Maggiore express, finishing the day with a 3-hour boat trip from the Swiss shores of Maggiore back to Stresa. Other highlights include the beautiful Borromeo Islands trip and the fabulous Villa Taranto Gardens

 

Tour Itinerary

 

Sunday – Our door-to-door service takes you to our luxury coach and we head down to Folkestone for our Eurotunnel crossing to Calais, we continue to Saarbrucken in Germany for our overnight stop. Time to settle in before dinner.

 

Monday – We leave Germany and continue south over the Vosges mountains, through Switzerland, to the Alps and the Gotthard pass to arrive in Lake Orta late afternoon greeted with a glass of Prosecco!

 

Tuesday – Your first free day today and an opportunity to explore the local area. The public ferry stops directly outside our hotel so visiting the capital, San Giulio with its delightful medieval centre, cobbled streets, galleries, and local crafts, is made easy if you wish.

 

Wednesday – Today we travel to Lake Maggiore and the main resort of Stresa with its lovely lakeside setting facing the beautiful Borromeo Islands. We are hiring a boat to take you across to the largest of the islands: - Isola Bella, with its Palazzo stately palace and elegant gardens. You may wish to visit the palace or simply enjoy refreshments in one of the little cafes before we continue by boat to ‘Isola dei pescatori’, ‘The fisherman’s Island’ for an opportunity for lunch and to browse the many little shops and stalls on this, the only island that is actually inhabited.

 

Thursday – Today is the highlight of our tour to enjoy the delights of the Maggiore Express and boat trip back to Stresa. We begin our day departing Stresa by train up to Domodossola. We then transfer you to the scenic high-level railway, the ‘Centovalli’. This 60-Kilometre-long track leads across the dizzying heights of viaducts, past deep ravines, and thundering waterfalls, through sunlight chestnut forests and fertile vineyards, tunnels, and hairpin bends. The train takes approx. 2 hours and brings us to Locarno, a bustling town on the Swiss shores of Lake Maggiore. You will have plenty of time to relax, have lunch and explore this lovely town before our departure by boat from this Swiss corner of the lake back to Stresa. This boat trip lasts approx. 3 hours, so plenty of opportunity to enjoy the glorious scenery while on-board.

 

Friday – This morning we are returning to beautiful Lake Maggiore for you to have time to enjoy the lovely town of Stresa, home to luxurious villas, pretty piazzas, and grand hotels. The morning is yours to enjoy the local market today, before we visit the famous Villa Taranto gardens, created by a Scottish gentleman and now owned by the Italian government, these gardens are wonderfully landscaped with terraces, lotus and lily ponds, waterfalls and over 20,000 species of rare and exotic plants.

 

Saturday – Your second free day to enjoy Pettenasco and our hotel on the water’s edge of the lake. There is an outdoor swimming pool and lakeside grounds to relax by if you wish.

 

Sunday – Sadly, we say goodbye to Italy and make our way back to our overnight hotel with suitable stops on the way. Welcome drink followed by dinner on arrival.

 

Monday - We leave Saarbrucken and make our way back up to Calais and our Eurotunnel crossing, once back in the UK we head to Wiltshire and our waiting taxis early evening after a memorable holiday.

 

Your Hotel

 

4* Hotel Giardinetto - Pettenasco – Lake Orta

 

Located on the waters edge, this family run hotel enjoys such a close lakeside location that you can feed the lake fish from the restaurant terrace! Set in a quiet location the hotel offers a mix of modern and traditional styles, with the restaurant offering views straight on the lake. All bedrooms are en-suite with TV, and hairdryer. There is an outdoor swimming pool and the public ferry stops directly at the hotel.

 

Price Includes

 

• Luxury Coach Travel with Extra Leg Room

• Home Pickup, Full Hostess Service

• Eurotunnel Crossing

• 8 Nights Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

• Welcome Drink in Main Hotel

• Train from Stresa to Domodossola

• Maggiore Express Train Ride on the Centovalli Railway

• Boat Trip from Locarno to Stresa

• Entrance to Villa Taranto Gardens

• Boat Trip to Borromeo Islands

• 9 Days £1,249.00

• Single Supplement £150 (Limited)

• Double for Sole Use