Self-guided walking holiday at Lake Maggiore in northern Italy
This seven-night self-guided walking holiday invites you to explore the area around Lake Maggiore in northern Italy and Switzerland. Placed to the south of the Alps and to the north of the Po Valley, the Italian Lakes naturally possess a charming mixture of the vibrant coolness associated with the Alps but enlivened by the warmth of the South. This walking holiday takes you on a journey of discovery through a landscape of beautiful blue waters surrounded by picturesque fishing villages and wooded hillsides. Each walking route takes you to a different area of the lake offering waterfront promenades, grand villas, majestic mountains and historic towns with cobbled streets. Rest days are spent at leisure, exploring the highlights of Lake Maggiore at a relaxed pace and a visit to the iconic Borromean Islands is a must. Return to your charming hotel each afternoon to relax by the pool or in the tranquil courtyard before enjoying a delicious dinner. This holiday is suitable for travel from May to October with the summer months being preferable for better weather and regular public transport options around the lake.
Highlights
• 4 self-guided walking itineraries • Cannero Riviera • Locarno • Monte Cardada • Ascona • Laveno and Monte Sasso del Ferro • Stresa • Borromean Islands
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 7 nights.
From about
£1,545
Holiday Code FHIT25
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441266
Self-guided walking holiday at Lake Maggiore in northern Italy
You start the holiday by flying from London to Milan, then you collect your hire car from the airport and drive for about 75 minutes to reach your hotel in Cannero Riviera. If travelling by rail you will depart London the previous day and take the Eurostar to Paris. The sleeper train departs Paris at 7.15pm and arrives into Milan early the next morning. You change onto a local train to Stresa arriving around 9.30am. Alternatively, day-time trains take you from Paris to Lausanne on the beautiful Lake Geneva to arrive around 6pm. Stay overnight here and then travel by rail via the Simplon Pass and reach Stresa around 4.30pm. Collect your hire car and drive to Cannero Riviera where you spend the rest of the day exploring the hotel and its vicinity.
Your first self-guided walking day is a low-level route exploring the northern shores of the Swiss side of Lake Maggiore. The route is about 9 kilometres in total and is a good introduction to Lake Maggiore. Start the day by taking a ferry from Cannero Riviera heading north up the lake. Your first route starts in the lakeside town of Brissago perched between the lakeshore and steep mountains. Take some time to look around the oldest part of the village, admiring the beautiful Renaissance church of St Peter and Paul before heading off along the lakefront. The first two kilometres of the route take you along the walkway alongside the waterfront road to the small beach at Porto Ronco. From here the path rises up through the woods and leads you to the lakeside town of Ronco Sopra Ascona, with stunning views across the lake and Brissago Islands below. Continuing northwards along the shore you pass through the charming hamlets of Livurcio and Gruppaldo which marks the highest point of the walk. The next two kilometres take you gently downhill to arrive on the lakefront which you follow to Ancona. We recommend stopping here for lunch and looking around the old town where you will find the waterfront cathedral, Roman arches and Renaissance palaces. Catch the ferry back to Cannero Riviera for the rest of the day, relaxing before a longer day walking.
The second walking itinerary of this holiday stays locally around Cannero Riviera and the beautiful natural scenery found inland. The route today is about 8 kilometres and involves a substantial climb which is rewarded with beautiful views. The route starts by weaving its way uphill through the town to reach a beautiful wooded path leading to Trarego. You emerge out of the trees and take a break to explore this typical Italian village. We highly recommend walking up to the townhall and churchyard for incredible views of Lake Maggiore with Cannero below. From Trarego you now pick up a path which weaves its way southwards heading back downhill through the trees. You cross a couple of streams and reach the Rio Cannero. The path crosses this and leads you to the small hamlet of Oggiogno where you will find a bar and small church. Another two kilometres of steady downhill brings you back into Cannero Riviera and to your hotel on the lakefront promenade.
We include two rest days within this walking holiday, although of course you can choose to swap the days around as you please. We suggest using the first of these days to visit the beautiful Borromean Islands, the iconic symbol of Lake Maggiore. Perhaps use today to visit the sisters of Isola Madre and Isola Bella, known for their splendid palazzos and gardens which attract visitors from across the world. On Isola Bella guests will find terraced gardens full of flowers and exotic plants as well as the stunning Palazzo Borromeo, complemented perfectly by the English Gardens of Isola Madre where peacocks and parrots roam freely. Both islands are reached easily by boat from Cannero Riviera.
Your third walk takes you to the eastern shore of the lake and the town of Laveno. This is a pleasant lakeside town with a pretty centre of cobblestone streets and a picturesque marina. Use the town’s funicular to access the upper slopes of Monte Sasso del Ferro where today’s walk starts. The upper cable station gives fantastic views of the Varese lakes and Lake Maggiore far below. The 13.5-kilometre route takes you from the summer of Sasso del Ferro through the hamlets of Casere and Vararo. Have a look at the Church of San Bernardo and maybe have a drink in one of the local bars before continuing uphill to Monte Crocetta and Monte la Oecia, enjoying the incredible views of the surroundings. You now double back eastwards, following a path to the Pizzoni di Laveno where the landscape opens up with Verbania and Pallanza clearly visible on the other side of the water. The path leads you through the woods and back to Casere. It is possible to go back up the hill and return to the funicular station, however we recommend walking back down the path to Laveno harbour.
There are plenty of options to fill your second rest day on Lake Maggiore. Enjoy a relaxed breakfast at your hotel and then you might like to head back out onto the water to visit the Isola dei Pescatori, which is the only island that is inhabited all-year-around. The island’s ancient village has a long history as a fishing settlement and is a wonderful place to try delicious, freshly caught fish in the charming restaurants. Explore the narrow lanes which conceal little boutiques and the beautiful Church of San Vittore with its 16th century fresco and wooden figures of the fishermen’s patron saints, Peter and Andrew. After lunch, take the ferry to the nearby town of Stresa and walk along the waterfront promenade which is lined with belle-époque buildings – a legacy of the 19th century tourism boom in this area. The Stresa-Mottarone cable car gives beautiful views across the lake as well as the opportunity to visit the Botanical Gardens which feature species from across the world.
Your last full day of this walking holiday is spent high above the lakes in Switzerland. Start the day with a boat ride from Cannero to Locarno where you switch onto the funicular up the hill to the Sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso. This is one of Ticino’s most important religious and historical sites as well as having a large square where you can admire the views of the deep valley and surrounding landscape. After taking in the view you head to the cable car station which takes you up to Cardada where you start your walk. Make sure that you head to the panoramic viewpoint where information signs help to identify the various towns and mountains and then turn north up the gently ascending path to Cimetta, passing a couple of buildings on the way where you can stop for refreshments. You continue north from here, cutting across the hillside before ascending the peak of Cima della Trosa which stands at 1,869m and is marked by a simple wooden cross that makes a wonderful photo opportunity. The second part of the walk takes you gently downhill, across the bare landscape and then through the gentle woods of the Mergoscia River valley to the town of Mergoscia. This is a beautiful terraced village that spills down the green slopes to the small lake of Vogorno with a pretty church with stone clock tower. Stop off in one of the bars here for a drink and snack before heading back to Locarno on the bus. Have a last look around here before taking your final boat trip across the water and back to Cannero.
You enjoy a final breakfast at your hotel before starting your journey home. There are regular flights throughout the day between Milan and London giving you plenty of time to drive back to the airport before heading back to the UK. If travelling home on the sleeper train you don’t need to leave your hotel until the early evening, driving back to Stresa station and retracing your steps home via Milan and Paris, arriving into London at lunchtime the following day. If travelling home on day-time trains you leave Stresa around midday and take the train to Olten before changing north onto the Gotthard route to Zurich. Stay overnight here and continue on a direct train to Paris, returning to London around 5.30pm.
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 7 nights.
From about
£1,545
Holiday Code FHIT25
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
● 7 nights’ on half board in a double room with lake view at the Hotel Cannero in Cannero Riviera, Lake Maggiore
● Concierge service, regional helpful hints and walking notes
Call us on 01392 441266
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 7 nights.
From about
£1,545
Holiday Code FHIT25
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• 7 nights’ on half board in a double room with lake view at the Hotel Cannero in Cannero Riviera, Lake Maggiore
• Concierge service, regional helpful hints and walking notes
The journey and how you get there
There are flights with British Airways from London Heathrow to Milan Malpensa several times a day. From here it is a 75-minute journey by car to the hotel. Flights are also possible into Milan Linate airport.
Travel by rail from the UK using the Thello sleeper trains means leaving London on the Eurostar to Paris Nord at 1.30pm. Take a local taxi to Paris Lyon station and board the sleeper train at 7.15pm. Expressions Holidays include accommodation in a private twin cabin with basic wash facilities. Arrive in Milan at 6am and change onto a local hour-long train to Stresa where you collect your hire car. Return to the UK is undertaken via the same route.
Travel by rail from the UK on day-time trains involves a morning Eurostar to Paris and then switching onto the direct TGV-Lyria service to Lausanne, arriving around 6.15pm. Stay overnight in a convenient hotel near the train station and leave after breakfast the following morning. The direct train takes you through the Simplon Pass and arrives into Stresa around 4.30pm. We recommend returning along a different route, so you take the train to Olten and then north through the Gotthard Tunnel to Zurich. Stay overnight near the station and catch the 9.30am TGV service back to Paris. Switch onto the Eurostar and arrive back in London at 5.30pm.
Call us on 01392 441266
Self-guided walking holiday at Lake Maggiore in northern Italy
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 7 nights.
From about
£1,545
Holiday Code FHIT25
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• 7 nights’ on half board in a double room with lake view at the Hotel Cannero in Cannero Riviera, Lake Maggiore
• Concierge service, regional helpful hints and walking notes
The journey and how you get there
There are flights with British Airways from London Heathrow to Milan Malpensa several times a day. From here it is a 75-minute journey by car to the hotel. Flights are also possible into Milan Linate airport.
Travel by rail from the UK using the Thello sleeper trains means leaving London on the Eurostar to Paris Nord at 1.30pm. Take a local taxi to Paris Lyon station and board the sleeper train at 7.15pm. Expressions Holidays include accommodation in a private twin cabin with basic wash facilities. Arrive in Milan at 6am and change onto a local hour-long train to Stresa where you collect your hire car. Return to the UK is undertaken via the same route.
Travel by rail from the UK on day-time trains involves a morning Eurostar to Paris and then switching onto the direct TGV-Lyria service to Lausanne, arriving around 6.15pm. Stay overnight in a convenient hotel near the train station and leave after breakfast the following morning. The direct train takes you through the Simplon Pass and arrives into Stresa around 4.30pm. We recommend returning along a different route, so you take the train to Olten and then north through the Gotthard Tunnel to Zurich. Stay overnight near the station and catch the 9.30am TGV service back to Paris. Switch onto the Eurostar and arrive back in London at 5.30pm.
Call us on 01392 441266
Self-guided walking holiday at Lake Maggiore in northern Italy
About Italian Lakes
The Italian Lakes, whilst each one having its own characteristics and attractions, are a surprisingly fascinating location for a walking holiday. It is not just a landscape of pretty villages with colourful houses on the lake shores, standing in luxuriant gardens of palm and lemon trees, but above the lakes in the mountainous surrounds there is quite another world. Up in the hills you can enjoy the vast views over the lakes and mountains, but you are transported back to an earlier time with a terrain that bears witness to a religious, agricultural and industrial past that is far removed from the present-day lakeside. You will walk on ancient farm tracks, smuggling tracks, tracks through vineyards, footpaths through mountain meadows and through forests. In the distance you might catch sight of the snowy peaks of the Alps on the Swiss side of the border. You pass UNESCO heritage sites, war memorials, elegant villas, mediaeval towers and churches, historic hamlets and stone fountains. Then at the end of each day of exploration above the lake, return to your lakeside base where dining is usually al fresco in the summer months and a magical atmosphere is created with the lapping of the waters and the twinkling of the lights around the lake and in the hills above.