Lago Maggiore (the Verbano, the ancient Roman name for the second largest Italian lake: 213 km², 372m maximum depth, at 193m altitude, extending 65km from the southern shore at Sesto Calende to the Swiss canton of Ticino, crossing the national border at Porto della Ronco between the Italian province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and the Swiss Ticino): the Italian lake that crosses a national border and whose specific character (the combination of the sub-alpine vegetation of the lake shores (the camellias, the rhododendrons, and the magnolias that the specific lake microclimate (the moderating influence of the large water mass on the alpine cold) allows to survive the northern Italian winter), the Baroque island gardens of the Borromean Islands, and the specific Italian-Swiss cultural mixture of the northern shore and the Swiss southern shore of the lake) distinguishes it from the purely Italian cultural character of Garda and Como.
The Lago Maggiore circuit: the complete lake circuit (the road around the perimeter of the lake, approximately 200km of driving, plus the ferry crossings for the island visits) covers three distinct cultural zones: the Italian western shore (the Stresa area with the Borromean Islands and the Verbania area with the Villa Taranto botanical garden), the Swiss northern and eastern shore (the Locarno-Ascona zone in the Italian-speaking Swiss Ticino (the Swiss canton whose Italian cultural identity produces the specific Italian-but-Swiss mixture of the Locarno film festival and the Ascona outdoor markets)), and the Italian eastern shore (the Luino market, the Cannobio village, and the specific Piedmontese-Lombard border that the eastern Maggiore shoreline marks).
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Lago Maggiore: Islands, Garden, and Swiss Shore
Stresa and the Borromean Islands
Stresa (the western shore resort town, the Grande Hotel des Îles Borromées where Hemingway set A Farewell to Arms (1929, the specific Stresa hotel described in the novel as the place where Lieutenant Henry and Catherine Barkley begin their retreat), the lakefront promenade, and the ferry service to the Borromean Islands): see the Isola Bella guide for the complete island visit description. Stresa practical: the ferry service (Navigazione Lago Maggiore, navlaghi.it) operates from the Stresa pontile with services to Isola Bella (10 minutes), Isola Pescatori (15 minutes), Isola Madre (30 minutes), and continuing to Pallanza and Verbania. The full island circuit by ferry (the day ticket covering all three islands): approximately €16 in 2026.
Lago Maggiore: tours & tickets
Compare guided tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips for Lago Maggiore.
See availability & prices →Compare tours on Viator →We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.Villa Taranto, Verbania
Villa Taranto (the botanical garden at Verbania-Pallanza, the 16-hectare garden created by the Scottish captain Neil McEacharn from 1931 to 1952 with the specific plant collections (7,000 species, including the specific Vittoria amazonica (the giant Amazon water lily) in the heated greenhouse, the dahlia collection (300 varieties), and the specific Italian woodland understorey of snowdrops, narcissus, and tulips in the March-April spring sequence) that McEacharn assembled from his global plant collection contacts): open daily April-October 8:30-18:30. Admission approximately €12. Villataranto.it for the 2026 seasonal flowering calendar.
Locarno and Ascona (Swiss Shore)
Locarno (the Swiss Ticino city at the northern tip of Lago Maggiore. Piazza Grande (the specific flat lakeside piazza where the Locarno Film Festival screens its outdoor films in August, the largest outdoor cinema screen in Europe, 26m × 14m, capacity 8,000 viewers), the Madonna del Sasso sanctuary (the 15th-century pilgrimage sanctuary on the rock above the city, the funicular access, the lake view), and the specific Swiss-Italian urban character of Locarno that the Ticino Italian culture produces): the Locarno Film Festival (the last two weeks of August, the primary Swiss film festival, the second largest Italian-language film event after Venice).
Q&A: Lago Maggiore
Is Lago Maggiore better visited from the Italian or Swiss shore?
The Italian western shore (Stresa, Verbania, Cannobio) is the conventional base for the standard Lago Maggiore visit, the Borromean Islands access, the Villa Taranto, and the specific Italian lake culture. The Swiss Ticino shore (Locarno, Ascona) is the more specifically interesting base for the visitor who wants the Italian-Swiss cultural mixture (the Swiss efficiency, the Italian warmth, and the specific Ticino food culture (the grotto restaurants, the specific Ticinese stone-built restaurants in the chestnut woodland that serve the polenta, the brasato, and the risotto with the local Merlot del Ticino)). For the 5-day visit: two nights Stresa (Borromean Islands), one night Verbania (Villa Taranto), two nights Locarno or Ascona (Swiss shore and film festival if August) is the optimal distribution.
Internal Links
- Lago Maggiore: Isola Bella nel Dettaglio
- Laghi Piemontesi: Maggiore e Orta nel Confronto
- Laghi Italiani: Maggiore nel Circuito
- Fotografare Lago Maggiore: Isole e Giardini
- Lago Maggiore in Aprile: Le Camelie in Fiore
- Come Arrivare al Lago Maggiore: Treno da Milano
- Locarno Film Festival: Agosto sul Lago
