We're heading to Stresa(among other places) in July and were looking forward to doing the cable car and the Alpyland Alpine Coaster. Seems the cable car is closed for the year :-( Does anyone know without the cable car, if we can still do the coaster? Is there another way to get to the top of the mountain?
Thanks!
Will you have a car? If so you can drive to the summit. If you won't have a car you could check with the TI to see if there is some kind of bus or shuttle replacing the cable car while it's out of commission.
Yes, we will have a car. We'll be able to drive up the mountain and park there no problem?
Thanks!
From the Alpyland website:
"You can also reach Alpyland by car. There is free parking near the top station of the Mottarone cable car and at other points around the top of Mottarone. Please note that the last stretch of road is owned by the Borromean Family and there is a toll payable."
Check with the TI in Stresa about the driving routes up the mountain and how much the toll is.
jeremy,
If the Cable Car is going to be closed for the year, I'd be very surprised if they don't have some kind of alternate transportation arranged (perhaps a Bus). However, as the others have mentioned you should be able to drive to the area at the top of the Cable Car and park. From there you can take a Chair Lift to the top of the mountain (unless of course it's also shut down). As I recall, there's a small hotel/cafe there (Albergo Ristorante Eden) close to the Chair Lift station. There's also an older derelict hotel, which should have been demolished or renovated long ago. You can also drive to the mid-point station of the Cable Car, which is where the Alpine Gardens are located.
Looking down from the other side of the summit, there's another area with what looks like a large hotel, parking lots and a couple of the type of slides that are often seen at amusement parks, where people sit on a mat and then slide to the bottom. If you want a view of that, I can perhaps post a photo. From that side, there's a trail that leads to the summit.
Great, thanks everyone for the info. Since we'll have a car it sounds like driving is the way to go. Ken - if you have any pictures, I'd love to see them!
Thanks!
jeremy,
These few photos may give you an idea of the layout on Mt. Mottarone.
THIS photo is looking down from the summit, away from Stresa. The green slide (whatever it is?) is on the left side and parking in the centre.
THIS photo shows the top Cable Car terminal and the hotel. The chair lift terminal is behind me. The roof of the derelict hotel can be seen in the trees on the right side. This may have been demolished by now?
THIS photo shows the chair lift and some of the scenery in the background, including Stresa.
These photos are a few years old, so there may be some changes but these will provide an idea of the layout.
