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Lake Maggiore questions...

Hello Fellow Travelers,

I will be spending 5 nights in Lake Maggiore in September and would like to explore some of the lakeside villages/town.

I will not have a car and will rely solely on public transportation (ferries, buses & trains)

I plan to take the Lago Maggiore Express from Stresa to Locarno one day.

Here are my questions:

  1. Once I arrive to Locarno (on the Centovalli railway), I read that I could spend time in Ascona
    (instead of Locarno) before taking the ferry back to Stresa, is this
    correct?

  2. Is it better to take the Lago Maggiore Express on a weekday instead of on the weekend?

  3. If I buy the two day ticket, can I travel up & down the lake the following day? Including going to Cannobio & back?

  4. If I want to attend the Sunday Mass at Santa Caterina del Sasso Church at 16:30, how will I get back to Stresa if the last ferry departs at 17:25?

  5. If the answer to #3 is no, is there a roaming day ticket for the northern part of the lake that will allow me to visit several lakeside towns?

  6. I may consider visiting Lake Orta as a day trip (via bus), if time permits, is it worth it?

Thanks everyone!

Priscilla

Posted by
3648 posts

We enjoyed Lake Orta very much. On a day trip you can wander about charming Orta San Giulio, have a nice lunch, and take the short boat ride out to the island. The interior of the basilica there has some 15th c. frescoes and a much older carved black marble pulpit. There is also a restaurant on the island (or was in 2000) where we had lunch, on our second visit to Lake Orta.

Posted by
1054 posts

I did 4 days in Stresa this past September. For a nice pre dinner drink checkout the rooftop bar at Hotel De Palma overlooking the lake. You can use the bar if you're not staying there. Sunset was amazing.

  1. You have to check the ferry schedule for your trip. When you get to Locarno you would take the next ferryy to Ascona and spend time there. So you will have to check the ferry times from Ascona back to Stresa. We stayed in Locarno after our train ride and walked around town, up to the church at the top of town and had a nice lunch.

  2. We did a weekday and it was still packed. The Centovalli Railway portion was nuts. The line was long and there were no seats that we waited an hour for the next departure. The train is small and you can't stand. You need to have a seat. Honestly I wasn't impressed with the whole Centovalli Railway leg what they called Scenic. You saw few gorges and smaller mountains. You can see better in other parts of Switzerland. I thought it was over-rated. On my next visit to Lake Maggiore i'll just take the ferry around the lake and enjoy the lake towns.

  3. I bought a one day ticket so I can't answer that, but you can email one of the ticket places around the lake. When I was in town the staff at Tomassucci were real helpful with information and tickets. You can even purchase from them for the same cost as the Ferry ticket office. In stress the store is across the street from the ferry ticket office. Email them and ask the 2 day question do. http://www.stresatravel.com/Tomassucci_Web/ferries.htm#.WP1kilKZORs

  4. You'd have to leave mass early to make that ferry. You can maybe take a regular taxi around the lake or you can see the cost of a private water taxi. There was a bunch around stresa. I'm not sure if they go across the lake or only out to the Bormeo islands. We didn't make it across to Santa Caterina on this trip. You can ask the same folks in #3 that question to or google some water taxi's and see if any come up.

  5. You can ask the folks in #3 that question too.

  6. It's an easy trip. It takes a connection thought. We didn't haven't time for Orta but that will be another trip.

Posted by
5312 posts

Rosalyn,
Thanks for your suggestions! Lake Orta sounds great!

Robert, Thanks for your input! Now I'm wondering if I should skip the Centovalli Railway and just enjoy the lake towns instead.

I will email the staff at Tomassucci with my ferry ticket questions, thanks for giving me their contact information!

Posted by
1054 posts

Priscilla there are some video's on youtube that you can see for the railway that users posted. read the trip advisor reviews too that people posted.

Posted by
134 posts

Hi Priscilla, We didn't think the Centovalli railway was all that scenic either, but we loved our stay in Stressa. We took the boat ride to the islands around the lake and got off at each one and explored. There is also a lift that goes up the mountain that has fantastic views. The walkway along the lake at Stressa is beautiful, full of flowers and wonderful views.
I know you will love it, Teri

Posted by
5312 posts

Thanks Robert!
I will check the YouTube videos and decide if the Centovalli Railway is worth it or not.

Teri,
Thanks for your suggestions!
I'm actually staying in Baveno, just North of Stresa, and plan to visit the islands and hopefully some of the other charming lakeside towns too. :-)