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Lake Garda/Maggiore-your 6 fav ferry stops?

Planning our stops is pretty difficult...everything is so beautiful! .first time to the Lake district...beauty, atmosphere, fun....Your experiences?

Posted by
2300 posts

I’m confused. Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore are separate lakes. Are you looking for 6 favorite stops at each lake? Where are you staying?

Posted by
173 posts

We are staying at both...four nights at each...Stresa or Baveno a base then Bardolino

Posted by
32519 posts

my favs are the three Borromean islands, Baveno and Stresa.

I'm sorry that that is only 5 - I don't have a sixth.

Posted by
11055 posts

Maggiore- The three islands, Stresa,
Ranco

Garda- Malcesine, Saló

Posted by
827 posts

Garda - will you have your own car? If so, then Santuario Madonna della Corona. Not directly on the lake but well worth the small detour. Malcesine is lovely. On the opposite side of the lake from Malcesine is the Strada della Forra - awesome road up the mountain and beautiful waterfalls.

Posted by
827 posts

Maggiore - Laveno, with the cable car & the Villa Taranto gardens across the lake. I spent a bit of time in Locarno at the northern end a number of years ago and enjoyed it immensely.

Posted by
367 posts

Lake Garda - so many great places. We stayed at Norbole at the north end and it was stunning. I couldn't stop taking pictures

Posted by
32171 posts

annemarie,

On Lago di Garda, a couple of spots that come to mind.....

  • Peschiera del Garda (where I stayed) - a scenic smaller town, although not many museums or other sites to visit.
  • Limone sul Garda - mid lake area, a bit on the touristy side but also very scenic. This is one description of Limone.... "Probably one of the most picturesque towns of Lake Garda is Limone sul Garda, or simply Limone. Its colorful buildings and extremely picturesque waterfront area look like a real-life postcard."
  • Malcesine - on the opposite shore and a bit south of Limone. A very scenic town and there's a cable car to Mount Baldo which is a nice excursion.
  • Sirmione - I wasn't overly impressed and won't be going back there.

On Lago Maggiore, a couple of spots......

  • The Borromeo Islands, especially Isola Bella. I thought the mansion provided an interesting glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous. The ornate garden is well worth seeing! Isola dei Pescatori is very small but has some nice restaurants, so a good place to have lunch beside the lake. There's a small church there with some beautiful decorations.
  • Locarno (CH) - You might enjoy taking a trip on the scenic Cento Valli Railway which goes from Domodossola to Locarno. Spend the day touring the city and then return to Stresa by Ferry in the early evening. It stops at many of the towns along the lake. While in Locarno, you can tour the beautiful Madonna del Sasso Franciscan Monastery, or take the cable car up the the mountain to Cardada - https://www.cardada.ch/en/cardada-summer . It's a bit expensive but of course that's normal for Switzerland. Since you'll be changing countries, don't forget to take your Passport.
Posted by
15043 posts

I think you got some great choices above already.

I might add that Lake Garda may not have ferry service as frequent as you might like and I don't remember if they have fast hydrofoils, however from Bardolino see if you can drive or take a bus to Malcesine (a bit north). Malcesine is great to visit, plus it has several boats crossing across to Limone, or also private organized excursions by boat. Limone is also my favorite.
I actually also like Sirmione, which is the most visited town in the lake, however some people (including Ken) are turned off by the enormous crowds of tourists during peak tourist season or on weekends. You might be able to enjoy more if you are not traveling there during those times.

For Lake Maggiore, besides what others have suggested, I recommend the small town of Cannobio, which I consider the quaintest town on Lake Maggiore. It's a bit north compared to Stresa (just south of the Swiss border) so by ferry it might take a bit of time. It's on the same side of Stresa so it's probably much faster to drive (or bus).

The official public Ferry schedules for the 3 major lakes is below. I don't think the summer schedule is out yet however.
https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/

In addition to the official public ferries there are also a myriad of private companies that offer boat tours and excursion at prices that are very competitive and sometimes even cheaper that the public ferries. Just take a look when you are on the ground.
Stresa offers a lot of choices, since it's the tourist hub of Lake Maggiore.

And don't forget Lake Orta, and the town of Orta San Giulio on that lake. It's a very short drive away from Lake Maggiore (30 min drive from Stresa to Orta, or 50 min by bus). There is also the possibility of going by train but it takes too long as it involves a a longer route with a change at Premosello, on the way to Domodossola.

Posted by
173 posts

A ton of choices, Roberto. Not going til 2022, but doing research every day and many of these places have come up. will have to find tune as I cannot see all of them.
Thanks, everyone!

Posted by
32171 posts

Roberto,

"I don't remember if they have fast hydrofoils"

They certainly did when I was there several years ago, as that's how I travelled back to Peschiera from Limone. The dock for the Ferries was in Peschiera so after they dropped off the last group of passengers for the day, they put the boat "in the barn" for the night. I sat downstairs next to a window so I could watch the "wing" coming out of the water.

As I recall, there are also Aliscafi on Lago Maggiore, travelling between Stresa and Locarno.

https://www.visitgarda.com/it/traghetti-lago-garda/