We had stayed in Stresa once and decided it was to filled with tourists. When we stayed a second time we opted for Cannero riviera on the west shore of the lake. It's a small town mostly right along the water with a nice promenade but not a lot else, so very quiet. We stayed at Hotel Cannero with a nice dining room, nice pool and pleasant rooms. Ours faced the lake and had a small balcony where we could sit and read. Took a boat across the lake to Stresa area to tour Borromean islands easily. also took boat trip to nearby Cannobio which my notes saw was somewhat bigger than Cannero and had more shopping opportunities, so it might be a good base as well. All of my notes are quite complimentary of the Cannero hotel, though.

I agree with JulieVikmanis, that Stresa was teeming with people, and most were tourists from everywhere. I found the pace and the view and the ability to get about by boat very, very nice in Baveno, and wouldn't hesitate to return. We visited all of the Borromeo Islands on Lago Maggiore, as well as Stresa and other areas, and loved it!

BC

We stayed in Stresa and loved it - beautiful promenade, lots of restaurant choices and easy access to the Islands. But - we usually don;t like small towns (I am easily bored) and prefer upscale hotels.

So - it sort of depends on what you're looking for.

in Ocotber 2009, we stayed in an apartment above Stresa, so we were away from the congestion. I am looking at the area from Arona to just south of Stresa for our next trip in May 2011.

Stresa-Hotel La Palma

While in Varenna fellow travellers told us we'd hate Stresa; too touristy, busy etc. We were there in May and loved it - beautiful promenade, lots of restaurant choices and easy access to the Borromeo Islands. We stayed at Hotel La Fontana and were thrilled with our choice. I have pictures posted at
http://travel.webshots.com/album/577830917mUxbHH?vhost=travel and Stresa pictures start on page 14.

I do like Stresa, but we have been there in April and late Sep--not the tour bus season. Here are some images that may help---including lovely Lago Orta abouit :45 distant.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showgallery.php?cat=4173

Oh, Bob, thank you.
One of my favorite places in all of Italy, Orta wasn't bombed during WWII, so nothing there needed to be re-built. San Giuliano island was also really interesting, right off Orta.

BC

We stayed in Stressa for 1 night only, arrived via train (beautiful ride); stayed @ LaPalma & were upgraded to the largest suite in the hotel with a HUGE balcony overlooking Lake Maggiore....maybe that's why we have such pleasant memories of our stay there....it was early August--peak tourist season, but I don't recall it being a problem. There was a nice hustle/bustle to the town & the shops & restaurants were vibrant & active. We only wish we could have stayed longer & hope to some day, but it was only an alternative to staying near Milan airport for us...it was a wonderful way to end our trip to Italy & squeeze one last experience out before our early morning flight. It was less than 1 hour to the airport & there was a very convenient shuttle from the town.

I loved Stresa - small enough town and great lakeside esplanade - a concert band was playing at night - yes lots of tourists but so do the other places you mention attract loads of tourists and at least in Stresa it is big enough to escape the mobs. As usual tourists swarm to places for good reason - Stresa is beautiful set and there is a lot to do.

Hi Loc, we'll be at Maggiore for 2 nights also the end of September, this thread came up when I did a search.

I like the looks of Hotel Cannero, but since the main thing we want to do is visit Villa Taranto and the Islands, I'm thinking Stresa or Baveno look more logical.

Hopefully if we choose Stresa it won't be teeming with prople the last week in September?

Hmmmm another thread mentions

"The ferry ride from Stresa to Cannero is fantastic. The larger boats have bars, so you can have a nice afternoon drink on the way, or BYOB. A very relaxing way to travel"

Maybe Hotel Cannero might be fun

wrenwood,

Consider Baveno. But also check the dates of the Stresa music festival. I think it is over by the end of September.

When I stayed in Stresa, I avoided the touristy center by staying at the far end of the promenade near the cable car entrance. There is also a boat dock there where all the boats to the islands stop, plus a terrific bar/restaurant right (L'idrovolante) -- but alas, I didn't like my hotel (La Perla Nera). I'd stay in that part of town again, however, and I think there are other hotels right next to La Perla Nera if you end up not wanting Cannero or Baveno -- but you'd need to look at Tripadvisor.

I've been looking at Hotel Rigoli in Baveno, good reviews

I also emailed the Music Festival to find out if anything was going on when we are there, thanks for the heads-up!

Stresa could be very crowdy in hight season, I suggest better Baveno. It is very close to Stresa and very convenient for excursions to the islands. Another very nice small city is Cannobio, close to Switzerland where you can visit Ascona and Locarno, buy some chocolate and go to see the james bond 007 Goden eye dam ,250mt hight in Valle Verzasca. Impressive!
I live here, if you need something to know, just ask!

Hi LucyItaly, My fiance and I will be visiting Lago Maggiore for about a week at the beginning of March and are still figuring out where to stay. Given that you live there I was hoping to pick your brain a bit . We were originally considering Stresa, but we prefer small and scenic to hustle and bustle so I'm reconsidering that given the comments in this thread. On the other hand, I know that early March is 'pre-season' so maybe it won't be full of tourists like us? Are there any places to stay that would be particularly good at that time of year? How easy is it to get from town to town (and into Switzerland) without a car?

Thanks so much in advance (and thanks to anybody else in the thread with suggestions)! We believe that this will be a beautiful place for us to spend our Honeymoon, but have never been there so we're 'flying blind'.

Cheers

That time of year some hotels will be closed and the weather can be quite cold. I suggest you look at www.stresa.net and see what your options may be.

Thanks! I'll have a look. I'm more concerned about the hotels than the weather. We're prepared to some chilly nights, but are a bit worried that some of the more desirable hotels will be closed.

I see that both the La Palma and Regina Palace seem to be open then Both are very nice 4 star hotels in great locations on the lake promenade. It is easy to train to Stresa from Milano Centrale-about an hour trip. You may need to taxi from the station, but it is not far.

We were also wondering about whether or not the ferries between towns would be running and, if so, how frequently. For instance we were considering staying in Stresa for a few nights and then heading up to Cannobio and without a car were hoping to do this via ferries.

Unfortunately, our dates aren't flexible so we can't postpone a couple of weeks until everything is up and running for the season and these would be non-issues.

Thanks again for all your help!

Locals use the ferries as well. I suspect some will be running, just fewer.

Fantastic. Thanks!

To add to the mix, we loved Ranco on the SE corner of the lake . Stayed at the lovely Il Sole di Ranco.

One more (and hopefully final) question. On our last day in Italy we are flying out of Malpensa airport at 9:30am, so we would like to arrive at the airport at 7:00am. What is the most direct and most reliable way to get to Malpensa from Stresa at that time fo the morning?

Thanks again!