Lake Maggiore, Italy - heaven on earth. Excursion to Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore) from Milan

Not far from Milan are located famous lakes Italy, where you can watch an impressive panorama: the mirror-like surface of transparent and clean lakes against the backdrop of the towering peaks of the snow-capped Alps.

In the valley of the lakes, the climate is so mild and comfortable that it is in no way inferior to the Mediterranean - everything blooms here all year round, palm trees grow, wide sandy beaches, olive and orange groves, ancient architecture and a leisurely, measured pace of life in the local towns and villages.

Many generations of connoisseurs of the beauties of nature came to the lakes of Italy to admire the splendor of the water surface framed by bed castles buried in the crowns of centuries-old trees - Tchaikovsky, Byron, Wilde, Napoleon. For many hundreds of years, people have drawn inspiration from the beauties of the Mediterranean nature.

All three lakes of northern Italy are very different, and it is impossible to answer the question which one is more beautiful or where it is better to go. Each of them is unique in its own way, with its own unusual flavor.

We offer a day trip trip to the lakes from Milan- to order excursions [email protected] , +393349504510

It features panoramic views, the distance between the shores of this lake is the smallest, and therefore the opposite shore is clearly visible. It is believed that this lake is for aristocratic recreation, wealthy people from all over the world buy villas here and move on personal boats. Arkady Novikov, for example, bought a villa from Gianni Versace for 40 million euros, in addition to this, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and others have residences here.

• Excursion to the most Big city on the lake with the same name - Como.
• Combined shopping program in Fox Town and a visit to the city of Como.
• A trip to the most Beautiful places on the lake - the Larian Triangle - the towns of Varenna, Bellagio, Mennagio.

LAKE GARDA

Exactly this big lake Italy, famous for its thermal springs and the unusual turquoise color of the water. People go to this lake not only to enjoy amazing views and many interesting sights, but also to relax and improve their health. On the banks of the Garda for tourists there are also beach-type hotels. The nature of the lake is unique - flowering trees, lemon groves, palm trees and olive plantations - landscapes change one after another.

• Excursion to Desenzano
• Excursion in Sirmione
• Combined program on Lake Desenzano + Sirmione
• Tour Milan - Desenzano - Sirmione - Verona - Milan
• Tour Milan - Sirmione - Verona - Venice - Milan

LAKE MAGIORE

This majestic lake is partly located in Italy and partly in Switzerland. The resorts of this lake are luxurious recreation areas with alpine flowering parks. "Sell your last shirt, but visit Lake Maggiore," Stendhal once said. Visit the city of Stresa and the Borromean Islands to diversify your impression of Italy.

• Trip to the city of Stresa
• Stresa + Borromean Islands - Isola Madre, Isola Pescatore, Isola Bella.

In addition, next to Milan isLAKE LUGANO. Despite the fact that this lake is located in Switzerland, it is closer than Garda and Maggiore and further than Como.

Italy is famous for its brevity of architecture, the peculiar beauty of narrow streets and magnificent squares. But the real pearl of this amazing country, without visiting which it is impossible to fully understand the culture of Italy - these are magnificent lakes located near Milan.

Lombardy has always attracted tourists from all over the world. - because these places are beautiful at any time of the year. Just two hours by car, and you get from noisy and crowded Milan to the wonderful world of the Italian Middle Ages and lush greenery untouched nature. Picnics on a soft carpet of summer greenery and winter walks along snow-covered paths will not leave anyone indifferent.

By beauty Lake Maggiore can be safely called the most picturesque in Italy, it is for its magnificent views and captivating beauty that it has become famous all over the world, although in Russia not all even experienced tourists have heard of it. More famous Italian lakes- Como and Garda. Indeed, the Russian speech in the resorts of Maggiore was extremely rare, we traveled all over it up and down, on the water on a boat and on land on bicycles and a mountain train, admired the views of the sea surface, climbing into the mountains, and lying near the coast on sun loungers. So we had a real rest, managed to see a lot, and lazily lie by the pool.

They didn’t swim in the lake itself, it was somehow cool on our coast, although people were seen swimming on other beaches. Maggiore is the longest in Italy, but inferior to Lake Garda in area, Maggiore is also quite deep - more than 200 m deep. The climate is very mild, subtropical plants grow here all year round. There is no intense heat in summer, although in the afternoon in July-August the air temperature reaches +30 .. +33 degrees, however, the light breeze coming from the lake is very refreshing, but there are no strong winds. bathing season short-term due to the low water temperature of the lake about +20 degrees in July-August. During the winter in the region, the lake helps support more high temperatures characteristic of the Mediterranean climate.

If Lake Garda is preferred by young people, then older vacationers go to Maggiore, mostly wealthy Europeans - French, British, Germans, and also a lot of Swiss, of course, due to proximity, and there are a lot of natural blue-eyed bright blondes, especially among children, t .e. they more or less successfully manage to keep the purity of the race. Also, the Italians themselves come to rest on Maggiore, their speech is melodious and emotional, pleasant to hear. In general, I concluded, especially against the backdrop of a recent trip to London, although I liked the capital of the Kingdom of Great Britain, but the Italian-Spanish countries, their cities, culture, cuisine, languages ​​​​and climate are somehow closer to me for relaxation.

Lake Maggiore is located in northern Italy, on the border with Switzerland, which also captured a piece of the lake, but most of it still lies on Italian territory. It is convenient to get to the lake from Milan, from which it is only 85 km. Trains run directly from Milano Central station to Stresa station, the journey takes 1 hour. Upon arrival from Milan, we were fascinated by the beauty of the area - a picturesque greenish-blue lake, shrouded in lush fragrant vegetation and carefully surrounded by mountains. Sometimes the shores of the lake and the mountains are covered with a translucent haze, as if intending to hide its priceless treasures, and sometimes all the brightness and diversity are generously revealed to the eye.

Written by Anna Skvortsova

To be honest, Milan I don't really like it. But, despite this, as well as the fact that I was there already 4 years ago, the circumstances were such that I found myself there again. Firstly, tickets bought with miles from a Miles & More Citibank credit card, and secondly, the very height of the magical summer Sales (from July 6 to September), well, a couple of personal reasons, which I won’t mention, were the reason for the trip.

Milan, of course, is associated primarily with fashion and shopping. In fact, shopping in Milan is not a cheap pleasure, even despite the discounts, so I recommend not to waste your fuse and go for it to the most famous Italian outlet - Serravalle, where all famous brands are collected at very interesting prices.

But everything is in order. Initially, 6 days were planned for the trip, 2 of which my friend and I planned to spend in Milan, the rest 1 day each on Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore ) , Lake Como (Lago Como), Serravalle Outlet (McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Serravalle) and lastly, for a day, stop by Genoa to see an Italian friend. As a result, 1 day in the outlet was not enough for us, and without the slightest regret, we sacrificed the second day of Milan in favor of shopping in Seravalle.

Actually, this time we were not going to do a lot of shopping (most recently there was Azure Birch after all), so we thought how else to diversify this trip and the choice fell on the famous northern lakes. The most famous 3 are Como, Garda and Maggiore. The last one is the least promoted among tourists, but friends recommended it to us as the most beautiful, and we never regretted it. Como, of course, is the most famous, so it was a must to see it. But it makes sense to go to Lake Garda only by car, by train from Milan it takes as long as 5 hours, so we will probably visit it next time.

Day 1-2 - Serravalle Outlet

So, looking at the map the night before the trip, it became clear that Maggiore is located very close to the Malpensa airport, where we arrive, and 2 times further from Milan, so the idea was born to rent a car for the day and drive to the lake on the first day immediately after arrival. We did not take into account one factor - the weather. Having landed at the Malpensa airport, Italy met us with rain and wind, there was definitely nothing to do on the lake on such a day. But the car was already prepaid, so we had to urgently change plans and we went .... shopping in Serravalle!

A little about car rental. Since there were two of us, we took a Fiat 500 "bug", it certainly would not have been enough for more people, 2 suitcases barely fit, but it was just right for us. The baby cost us 47 euros per day, excluding gasoline, booked on the website www.rentalcars.com per day. Take care of the navigator in advance, renting it is an extra overpayment of money. We had Navitell downloaded to the tablet - a free trial version for 29 days, as well as NavFree Italy for insurance in Iphone. An important tip - before leaving the airport parking lot along the intended route, put the current point on the navigator so that you can easily return the car to this point (unless, of course, you return the car in another place). We did not do this and in the evening we traveled around the terminals for a long time in search of this parking lot. Another important piece of advice that we missed a lot - do not delay the final refueling of the tank (you need to return the car with a full tank) for the last 20 km before the airport. For some reason, it turned out that near the airport all gas stations are exclusively self-service, accepting only cash and not giving change. I do not advise you to use them, we lost a lot of time with them figured out. And so driving in Italy was quite pleasant, it took about 1.5-2 hours to Serravalle from the airport, but it was a forced step, because. didn't work out with the weather. In general, it’s easier to get to the outlet from Milan either by a special bus (zaniviaggi.it) or by train to Arcvata Scrivia station, and then 2 bus stops.

Day 3 - Lake Maggiore (Lago Majorre).

Just 40 minutes by train from Milan and we are in the town of Stresa, located right on the shore of this lake. The Alps do not descend directly to the foot of the lake, but slightly at a distance, leaving a place for the city, because of this it seems very cozy.

It is worth spending the whole day in the city, there is something to see. Firstly, a very beautiful embankment, along which you can walk at the very beginning, just along the road from the railway station to the port. In the port, you can take a boat (there are many of them) and go to explore the nearest islands. There are 3 of them - Bella (Isola Bella), Pescatori (Isola dei Pescatori) and Madre (Isola Madre). If you want to get to all 3 lakes, you need to arrive early, by 10 am (Isola Madre is located further than the rest of the islands). But if you, like us, enjoyed the Milanese on a Saturday night nightlife, then you can go to 2 islands (Bella and Pescatori), boats that go every half hour. The islands are charming and leave an insanely pleasant impression.

Pescatori- a picturesque island with a population of 50 people, which used to be inhabited only by fishermen, and now there are a lot of nice cafes, restaurants and a couple of hotels. Wander through the narrow little streets, admire the view of the lake and the mountains from the piers and drink a glass of Aperol Spritz - and then you can move to Bella Island.

This is the island on which the villa of the Barromean princes is located - an ancient family, whose descendants are still alive today - as well as a stunningly beautiful garden, striking in its unusualness. From the water, the island resembles a pyramid - these are the terraces of the garden, which in the 17th century ordered to break for his wife Isabella, Charles III Barromeo. The villa and the park are a must-see, and the excellent cafe on the territory of the museum will help refresh your energy for the cultural program.

Returning to Stresa after visiting the islands, we immediately rushed to the funicular, and not in vain, the last rise at 17.00. You should definitely get on the funicular, because the view from 1500 m to the lake and mountains is simply impossible to describe in words. Having risen on the funicular up, we realized that this was not the very top. A carousel lift leads to the peak, which has already been closed. Having smiled a little at the guy who was discussing this lift, we still managed to climb the peak. And it was worth it - breathtaking beauty. Back to the funicular, we went down on a bobsleigh, which rolls along the rails, like on a roller coaster. Feelings are sharp, but it's worth going down at least once!

Day 4 - Milan

Day 4 we decided to spend in Milan. The most beautiful and famous place- it's Milanese Cathedral Duomo. That's where we went in the morning. An attempt to rent bicycles was unsuccessful - despite the number of bike rental stations, the system is not designed for tourists, a complicated registration procedure is needed. And the lack of bike paths and the abundance of paving stones did not motivate to this type of movement. Therefore, walking was not difficult. On the way to the Duomo, we could not pass by ... the most famous shops in Milan - Galleries of Vittorio Emmanuel. It is beautiful here as in a museum, and not only thanks to the shop windows - the floor of the gallery and the dome are so beautiful that you can spend for a long time and get double the fun. Restrained from the impulse to shopping, we went to the Duomo. We couldn’t get inside - in short shorts / skirts and with bare shoulders, pious strict Italian church ministers did not let us in. But on the other hand, we climbed to the very top of the cathedral, climbed the stairs - it costs less than the elevator, and at the same time it’s useful for the figure. From the roof you can enjoy a stunning view of the cathedral itself - its snow-white carved spiers, statues of saints and countless gargoyles. Surprisingly, this is probably one of the few cathedrals that you need to climb not for the view of the city, but for the view of the cathedral itself. It took us about an hour to visit the Duomo, we wanted to feel the energy of the cathedral and not run anywhere.

But the scorching sun nevertheless lured us into the shade and we went to drink the best, in my opinion, Italian cocktail for the daytime - an apperol syringe, on the terrace located directly opposite the cathedral - on the roof of the 7-storey La Rinascente department store overlooking the Duomo . There are many cafes and bars, all about the same, choose any where there is space. In Italy, for every alcoholic drink in the daytime and in the evening, you will get snacks as a bonus - you call it Appericena - very pleasant and convenient, if you are not too hungry, then dinner can also be replaced.

Where else can you go for an aperitif? Bamboo bar Upstairs Armani Hotel. Here, the Duomo is also visible from the windows, inside everything is very simple and stylish, and at the same time a wonderful atmosphere. And there is a beautiful Bellini!

Martini Bar by Dolce&Gabbana— the place is simpler in every way, but the martini cocktails here are the best I have ever tried!

If you like democratic bars, then take a look at the street Corso Como, it is teeming with people. Although I liked only one - Corso Como 10. This is a bar that I would recommend going to if you want to chat at a table over a glass of something before a wild party. Hidden from the noisiest street of the city Corso Como behind a powerful door, getting into this bar, you find yourself in a completely different world - a cozy courtyard with trees with lanterns makes it unusually cozy and attractive.

Another secret spot, a bar with a completely inappropriate name in my opinion Blenderino Burger Bar, discovered by us quite by accident from the windows of a taxi in which we were already driving home. In fact, it turned out, according to local residents, the best cocktail bar in Milan. It's also close to Corso Como, a tiny bar with an owner who makes some of the best cocktails in the world!

If we talk about clubs, none of them were delighted, maybe due to the fact that out of the two times in Milan, both fell on holidays or pre-holiday days, when the Milanese leave the city. However, you can check this on your own experience by going to 2 clubs that are considered the best and are located opposite each other - this Just Cavalli and old fashion.

Day 5 - Lake Como (Lago Como)

Returning to the daytime pastime, I will tell you about our 5th day - it was devoted to exploring the coast of Lake Como (Lago Como). We were not very lucky with the weather and perhaps this left its mark on the perception, so I advise you to look at the weather forecast more closely when you get ready. It takes about an hour and a half by train from Milan to the city of Como. In Italy, it is generally very convenient to travel by train - they go often, regularly and quickly. And if you take a bottle of wine and cheese with you on the road, as we did, then it flies especially quickly. The main thing is not to forget to validate the ticket (validators are located in front of each platform). the fines are very high and not worth the risk. If you do not have time to buy a ticket at the station, you can also buy it from the controller, though at a more expensive price.

Having reached the town of Como, we immediately reached the pier and, since it was starting to rain, we decided not to walk, but to take the outgoing speedboat to Bellagio (I knew this name only thanks to the famous hotel in Vegas, so I really wanted to see, in honor of which that's what they named him).

In general, from the harbor of Como, you can take walks to almost any lakeside town. The boat trip to Bellagio takes an hour, during which you can enjoy the views of the lake and its surroundings. If you are not limited by time, then you can get off at any stop, some places were very attractive, but we only had time to explore Bellagio and the way back. I had to leave them for my next visit. The landscape differs from the shores of Maggiore in that the slopes of the mountains almost closely adjoin the lake and the lake seems to be squeezed between them in a vise, although it may have seemed so because of the clouds that hung menacingly over the lake. When we got to Bellagio, the weather improved for a while and we enjoyed strolling through the narrow little streets of this town.

The Afisha-World guide, which I use on all trips, recommended visiting Villa Melzi (VillaMelzi d'Eril). This estate, built by the governor of Napoleon, did not particularly impress us, especially compared to the villa on Lake Maggiore, and the fact that only the garden, museum and tomb were available for inspection.

Wet in addition to this under the oncoming downpour, we fled to the cozy bar Princess Bellagio, where we spent the rest of the time until the boat left. Well, in order to look at the same landscape on the way back, it was not boring, a bottle of white wine and cheese snacks were also not forgotten by us.

Milan is not only the fashion capital of the world. This Italian city is full of incredible attractions. Medieval architecture, luxurious shops, narrow winding streets, delicious ice cream... And from the roof of the famous cathedral you can see the panorama of the whole city! All this attracts many tourists. But after seeing the city enough and walking through the famous shops, most tourists ask themselves: “Where to go from Milan?”

There is a lot to see in Bergamo. For five kilometers stretched historical walls surrounding Old city and medieval architecture located in it. You can also get to the upper part of the city by funicular. Here are the Cathedral of St. Mary Maggiore and the Colleoni Chapel. The surroundings of the city are also noteworthy, the hills of which stretch right up to the distant Lake Como.

This is a wine region. Here you can taste award-winning wines. You can even meet wine producers and they will talk about the process of making this drink. And in the boutique of the winery you can buy something special.

And if you cross the border, you can visit the Swiss city of Lugano, admiring the picturesque Alps along the way.

Garda is the largest and most famous lake in Italy. It can be reached by train, which passes through the beautiful countryside of Lombardy. Here you can not only take a cruise on the lake, but also visit the coastal cities of Sirmione and Desenzano.
Sirmione is considered the pearl of the lake. Tourists will be interested to see the fortress, the Roman villa and the caves of Catullus. And in the port of Desenzano is an impressive medieval castle.

Photo: By Janericloebe, from Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Photo: HarryFabel/pixabay (CC0 Creative Commons)

Photo: meinesterampe/pixabay (CC0 Creative Commons)

Shakespeare's Verona certainly deserves attention. Walking along the ancient streets of the city, immortalized in his play, you can see Juliet's balcony. But not only Shakespeare's heroes glorified Verona.
The Roman amphitheater, built in the first century AD, has been preserved here. And in the center of the city Mercato Square is interesting.

Genoa, the largest port in Italy, attracts tourists with its monuments and the old town, which is partly listed world heritage UNESCO.
walking along coastline, you can get to the colorful villages of Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. Here you will see fishing boats swinging on the water.

Who would have thought that only a few hours drive from Milan are the glorious Alpine landscapes of Interlaken? Once on the train, after some time you will find yourself in another world. You will be surrounded high peaks, mountain lakes and gorgeous green countryside.

Photo: BazzaBoy/pixabay (CC0 Creative Commons)

Vacation in Italy. Excursions from Milan to Italy. Lakes of Northern Italy. One day tour, excursion to Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore) from Milan. Book an excursion

Individual excursion, a trip to Lake Maggiore. The magic of northern Italy In the north of Italy there are several unique, incomparably beautiful lakes, mostly of glacial origin. One of these lakes is Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore). If you are staying in Milan and want to take a break from the bustle of the city, you can book an excursion with us to Lake Maggiore, which is located just an hour from Milan on the border with Switzerland. One part of the lake is located on the territory of Italy, the other - on the territory of Switzerland.

A feature of the lakes of Northern Italy is that they are all mostly mountainous, surrounded by the Alps, their the purest waters are melted glaciers. Thanks to these features, the climate on the lakes is mild, the air temperature is on average plus 22 - 23 degrees all year round, and Lake Maggiore is no exception in this sense.Thanks to the mild climate, the area around the lake is nature of incredible beauty, and lush tropical vegetation confirms this.Forests, botanical gardens, flowers - all this is simply mesmerizing!

I don't want to leave these places. and a relaxing holiday on Lago Maggiore is the perfect option for those whose eyes want to rejoice natural beauties, for those who want to breathe in the crystal clear air of the Alps, for those who want to enjoy Italian cuisine, deservedly considered one of the best in the world, in one of the cozy restaurants on the lake. Lake Maggiore is shaped like a snake (the lake is about 60 km long and up to 370 m deep).

We propose to start our walk from the city of Stresa, where we will arrive from Milan. Then on a boat you can visit three islands (these are the so-called Borromean Islands): Isola Madre, Isola Bella, Isola Pescatore. Each of these islands has its own characteristics: on one of them there is a magnificent villa - a kind of architectural masterpiece, on the other - incomparable beauty Botanical Garden, and on the third one you can have lunch in a magnificent fish restaurant, which is located on the shore of the lake and admire its views.

Then, by boat, tourists return to the city of Stresa, and here you can stroll along its beautiful promenade, admire the natural views of Lake Maggiore again and drink a cup of fragrant Italian espresso in one of the many cafes and bars, of which there are a great many.

About Lake Maggiore. Sights of Lake Maggiore. We travel on our own! Lake Lago Maggiore is the second largest in Italy after Lake Garda, it belongs to the lakes of Lombardy and is located in the middle of the Lombard Alps, in Piedmont. From Milan - it's only 90 km! If you wish, you can also get to Lake Maggiore from Milan by train - from the railway station (Stazione Centrale). Lake Maggiore is a prestigious holiday destination with famous resort towns Stresa, Anjera, Arona. Stresa is perhaps the most popular international resort in the area.

In this city there are several beautiful old villas built by Italian aristocrats. Stresa is famous for its annual international festivals classical music. Above the city of Stresa (at an altitude of about 800 m) there is a botanical garden (over 4 hectares) with numerous beautiful plants, mostly characteristic of this place.

There are more than 1000 different types of them here! There are also plants that were brought from Japan and China. The crystal clear air of the Alps and the beauty of trees, shrubs, flowers and herbs - all this leaves an unforgettable impression on tourists.The Borromean Islands - there are only four of them, but you can visit three of them, because. one of the islands is a private property, closed to the public.

Borromeo is a famous aristocratic family in Italy, Charles Borromeo was a popular bishop. This family owns the islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre. The artificially created natural landscapes of these islands are incomparably beautiful. In addition, you can visit the Borromean Palace with a collection of dolls and ceramics, museums. In general, every step taken on this fertile land pleases and delights!

Absolutely all tourists as our practice shows, they are satisfied with such a short trip and return to Milan with pleasant impressions and memories. Such a walk costs 270 euros. It is advisable to book the tour in advance.We will be happy to offer you other excursions in Milan and from Milan to other cities in Italy. Our tour offers are detailed . Excursions can always be combined with shopping, as many tourists do. I wrote in detail about shopping in Milan and its features . We are waiting for you in Milan!