Stresa

Hey, Carol, nice old town...beautiful Lago di Maggiore. Less glamorous (and congested) than the more popular Cuomo. Take the cable car 5,000 feet to the top of Monte Mattarone...alpine strudel served up there! Also, a ferry to Isola Bella. For our Stresa itinerary last summer, copy and paste this link:

http://moltogentileitalia.blogspot.com/2008/09/itinerary-13-night-summer-trip-to-italy.html

(scroll down to days nine and ten of our trip, for details about sites in Stresa, our hotel, and some nice restaurants; the hotel was perfectly situated near the main square)

For my travel article on the town of Stresa itself, copy and paste this link: http://moltogentileitalia.blogspot.com

Have a great trip!

I loved Stresa, just returned to it for an overnight last €
summer. It is a small town, with not a lot going on, nice for a peaceful night or two at most. The boat which takes you around to the 3 islands is a nice way to spend part of a day. Last trip I stayed at Hotel Elena; 55€ last summer; nothing special, quite small, but I loved sitting on the little balcony overlooking the neighborhood square and people-watching, with a glass of wine from the bar downstairs; also very nice breakfast.

I loved Stresa, just returned to it for an overnight last summer. It is a small town, with not a lot going on, nice for a peaceful night or two at most. The boat which takes you around to the 3 islands is a nice way to spend part of a day. Last trip I stayed at Hotel Elena; 55€ last summer; nothing special, quite small, but I loved sitting on the little balcony overlooking the neighborhood square and people-watching, with a glass of wine from the bar downstairs; also very nice breakfast. Oops - I'll try again!

Carol,

YES, I believe Stresa is worth a stop! I'll be there in a few weeks, so will have further information then.

First of all regarding places to stay, check the Italy Guidebook for listings. There are a few in different price ranges.

Gio provided some great tips on things to do. I'm going to review the link in his post again shortly. As well as visiting the Borromeo Islands, you might also consider a trip to Locarno on the beautiful Centovalli Railway. I've done that in the past and the scenery is fantastic. Then take the boat back to Stresa. The details are listed in the Guidebook.

Happy travels!

If you are in the area then yes stop by it is very tranquil and a good one night stop to an from Milans airports. However if you have a choice, I suggest Varenna on Lake Como, another great 1-2 day stop nr Milan Malpensa Airport.

I stayed at Hotel Elena in August 2011 and it was the perfect budget hotel for me. A big enough room, comfortable bed, private bathroom with shower, balcony. Very quiet. A nice bar downstairs for breakfast and cappuccinos and an easy two minute walk to the lake front and ferry landing. The ideal way to end a trip to Italy if you are departing from the Milan airport. It was a cheap bus ride from Stresa to the airport, no problems. I recommend Hotel Elena for budget travelers.