Lake Maggiore, Orta & the Matterhorn

Just as our desire to explore and experience new lands is timeless, so too is the beauty of an Italian Lake holiday, unfailingly delighting visitors for centuries.

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Stresa

You should arrive at the airport to take your flight from your selected airport, and on arrival you transfer to the delightful town of Stresa on the peaceful shores of charming Lake Maggiore.

Day 2: Lake Maggiore & Borromean Islands

Unmistakably Mediterranean in character, Maggiore’s shores are lined with oleanders, palms and deeply aromatic verbena with the still waters reflecting the azure blue sky above.

Just offshore is one of the real gems of northern Italy, the stunning Borromean Islands, once owned by a Milanese Count who, in the 17th century, created the most amazing ‘belle époque’ villa here of which we have a guided tour this morning.

Isola Bella, as it is called, is a stunning achievement, with its staterooms crammed with fine furniture, sculpture and art with intricate parquet flooring and elegant pastel-coloured plasterwork and frescoes adorning the high ceilings, it’s simply stunning.

Day 3: Centovalli Railway

Long and relatively narrow, Lake Maggiore beautifully straddles the Swiss-Italian border and this morning you enjoy a totally different view of the lake as we take a private boat to Cannobio, where you will have some free time before joining the coach to continue into Switzerland, to the chic resort of Locarno, nestling below the towering peaks of the Alps.

During our journey you will see ever-grander snow-capped mountains, their colours gently changing from pinks to greens and blues, as the sun, arcing across the sky, casts its ever-changing shadows. You snatch tantalising glimpses of lakeside life with the locals going about their daily lives, whilst birds of prey soar on the numerous thermals and colourful wildfowl rise and fall as the boat’s wake radiates from the stern.

Locarno is staunchly Swiss, but the twisting lanes and alleys of the historic centre bear more resemblance to Tuscany than Zurich, lending it a real charm enhanced by a fascinating history encapsulated in the mighty castle dominating from above.

After some free time, we board the narrow gauge Centovalli train for a spectacularly scenic ride as it winds its way through wild, romantic landscapes, pure mountain cascades, vines, chestnut woods and villages clinging to the mountainsides.

Named after the so called ‘hundred valleys’ through which it passes, the train features specially designed panoramic carriages so you can sit back, enjoying the scenery in all its glory as it winds its seemingly impossible way around the valley sides. From Domodossola we return by coach to Stresa.

Day 4: Lake Como

This morning we explore another of Northern Italy’s most famous lakes and one of its most attractive too. Described by Wordsworth as ‘a treasure the earth keeps to itself’, a favourite of Shelley, Lake Como has attracted visitors for centuries in search of relaxation, culture and inspiration. The famous ancient Roman, Pliny wrote of its luxuriant beauty, and it has inspired some of the best works of greats such as Verdi and Rossini to name but two.

You will be free to explore Como as you wish. Renowned for its lakeside parks, grand hotels and the Villa Olmo, Como town has been home to many eminent Europeans including Napoleon, Archduke Ferdinand and Garibaldi, the ‘father of modern Italy.

Day 5: Free Day

Today you can choose to relax in the hotel, perhaps take a swim in the pool or explore Stresa’s many delights. The lakeside exudes an ambience of classic ‘belle époque’ gentility, owing its origin to the days of the ‘Grand Tour’ when Europe’s 19th century aristocracy, having crossed the border from Switzerland, experienced their first taste of Italy. Literary aficionados may like to take a drink at the bar of the Grand Hotel featured in Hemingway’s ‘A Farewell to Arms’, and frequented by the likes of George Bernard Shaw and Charlie Chaplin.

Day 6: Zermatt & The Matterhorn

Today the views will take your breath away. We firstly climb the foothills of the Alps then cross the Swiss frontier and head into the high Alps themselves. We take the Simplon Pass, once used by the Romans to control their northern provinces with the first actual road constructed by Napoleon.

Zermatt is iconically Swiss, a car-free jumble of chalets and ancient wooden farm huts strewn along the valley floor, towards pastures alive with the sound of cowbells and dramatic cable cars and soaring footpaths weave ever upwards to the majestic amphitheatre of the surrounding lofty summits.

Day 7: Lake Orta

On our final day we experience one of the tour’s real highlights. Orta is probably the prettiest of the Italian lakes, yet one of the least well-known. You’ll understand why it’s regarded as something of a hidden gem, as there’s an exceptional atmospheric charm that’s immediately discernible. Surrounded on three sides by deep blue water, the romantic lakeside village of Orta San Giulio has so far avoided the tourist hordes. Its pebble-studded lanes and stepped alleys – lined with a myriad traditional food shops selling the gorgeous produce for which Italy is renowned – lead down to the shore and a main square. You’ll adore the village’s medieval architecture of picturesque buildings with shuttered windows in typically Italian shades of ochre, magenta and light blue, which create a kaleidoscope of colour. 

Day 8: Return home 

Today you are transferred to the airport, at the appropriate time, for your return flight home after a memorable and relaxing tour.