A short break is something I won’t say no to. So when the invitation arrived for friends’ wedding at the Lago Maggiore in Northern Italy, I immediately started to make the plans. It was not going to be a first time trip to the Lago Maggiore. Both my husband and I had visited the Italian lakes on family holidays. But funny enough, none of us had the chance of visiting the Isole Borromee. The Italian wedding provided the perfect excuse for a long weekend taking in these islands. They are tucked away in the middle of the lake make a perfect day’s excursion, provided you plan your visit well.
The Isole Borromee are a group of five picturesque islands, three of which can be visited. The name of the group refers to the House of Borromeo, an aristocratic bankers family from Milan. They acquired the islands in the 16th century and effectively controlled the region. Descendants of the family still own Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola San Giovanni today. The Borromeo family built mansions and exquisite gardens on these islands. Those on Isola Bella and Isola Madre can be visited. Isola San Giovanni is closed to the public as members of the family still stay on the island.
Getting there & practical tips
Travelling to the Lago Maggiore
If you are travelling to the Lago Maggiore and visiting the Isole Borromee from abroad, you are probably flying to Milan. Since the Lago Maggiore is only a 45 minutes’ drive according to Google Maps and the road network is extensive, renting a car might sound like the logical option. However, I’d advise against it. The motorway from Milan to the Lago Maggiore is permanently packed with day trippers and other holiday makers and the road and villages around the lake are not built to cater for a large amount of cars. Travelling by car means you are likely to spend a lot of time in traffic jams and a lot of money paying for car parks.
A much better option is the train. The Italian rail network is extensive and TrenItalia provides a comprehensive overview of timetables and options. Don’t bother buying tickets online. Getting them in the station at the vending machines or desk is very easy and local trains don’t need to be booked. The train took us in one hour from Malpensa airport to Arona at the Lago Maggiore in one hour (with one interchange at Busto Arzisio).
Getting to the Isole Borromee
Like all the large Italian lakes, the Lago Maggiore has a waterbus, calling at the major towns and points of interest, which is perfect for visiting the Isole Borromee. Navigazione Laghi provides a comprehensive time table and all the practical information. Tickets are affordable and prices vary according to the destination and whether you want to be able to hop on and hop off. Tickets can be bought on spec at the counter next to the pier in each station.
Don’t underestimate the size of the lake – we were on the ferry for 90 minutes before we reached the first island, so you need to plan your day carefully and check timetables if you want to cram all three islands in one day. The ferry ride was very enjoyable, by the way, so we didn’t mind the journey at all.
Where to stay at the Lago Maggiore
There are many options for accommodation around the Lago Maggiore. We stayed in Angera (a short ferry ride from Arona) since this was closest to the wedding venue. Angera is a pretty town where you can easily spend a day visiting the old castle Rocca di Angera, wandering around the narrow streets and hiking the vineyards and lakeside. We stayed in the small, family-run Hotel Pavone.
If you want to minimise travel time to and from Milan, Arona is the logical option. You’ll get nice views of the lake, Angera and Rocca di Angera, but the town itself is busy and noisy (it’s the main commercial centre at the Lago Maggiore).
Another nice option is Stresa, a cute little town with high-end lakeside hotels. The advantage of staying in Stresa is that you are very close to the Isole Borromee. Where we travelled 90 minutes by boat from Angera, travel time from Stresa will be 30 minutes at most.
Finally, there is Pallanza. This town seems somewhat less popular, but it is the closest you can get to Isola San Giovanni. So even if visiting the island is not possible, from Pallanza you can get a nice view of it.
Day trip itinerary for the Isole Borromee
Even though they are not huge, you need to plan carefully around the ferry timetable if you are planning on visiting the Isole Borromee in one day. The ferry coming from Angera or Stresa calls at the islands in the following order: Isola Bella – Isola Superiore – Isola Madre. However, we decided to change around the order and visited Isola Superiore last. The reason for this was that Isola Bella and Isola Madre have a palace and gardens for visiting and we wanted to have plenty of time for these.
Unlike transport, entry fees to the palaces and gardens on the Isole Borromee are pretty steep. We bought a combi ticket for Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Rocca di Angera (which we visited the next day) and paid 28 euros each.
Isola Bella
Isola Bella, occasionally referred to as Isola Inferiore, was our first stop and the island where we spent most time. The majority of the island is taken up by the palazzo and gardens, but there is also a labyrinth of small streets packed with shops and cafés. Originally, these streets were home to fishermen and their families, but today nobody lives on the island. We spent close to three hours on Isola Bella.
Isola Madre
We hopped back on the ferry around lunchtime and went straight to Isola Madre (skipping Isola Superiore, which is the next boat stop).
The palazzo and gardens are all there is on Isola Madre (no village or houses), but that is enough to make it worth the stop. Of the three islands, this was my favourite, probably because it was quieter and felt more remote than the others and the palace and gardens had a more homely feeling compared to Isola Bella. The palazzo at Isola Madre is a lot smaller than the one at Isola Bella and we went round it fairly quickly. The gardens however are larger and the total visit took over two hours (we could have spent longer, but the ferry timetable didn’t allow for that).
Isola Superiore (dei Pescatori)
This is the only one of the Isole Borromee that is not privately owned and actually inhabited. A fishermen’s village at the outset, the island now mostly thrives on tourism. There is a hotel and a few guesthouses and a choice of restaurants. Isola Superiore was our last stop before returning to Angera. We walk around the island in less than half an hour and sat down in a seaside café before taking the last ferry back. We spent only an hour in total here and, unless you want to sit down for a meal, that’s enough.
