Stresa - Lake Maggiore

Old Dec 28th, 2007, 06:50 AM
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Stresa - Lake Maggiore

Seek B&B or guest house in Stresa. We will not have car, so walking to shops and eateries is important. Never been to Italian Lakes region before and learned Maggiore is closer to Malpensa than Como region. Is there much of a compromise? In Sept. '08, we have but 2-3 days and want to maximize trip. Also, is late nite public transport available form Malpensa to Stresa?

Thank you for comments. Am new to Fodor's Forum and getting familiar with how to use site.
jordangreen is offline  
Old Dec 28th, 2007, 07:20 AM
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Hi Jordan. Are you familiar witb the Tripadvisor and Venere websites ? As well as personal recommendations on this site, a lot of us find the reviews on those sites useful too. You can book some hotels through Venere too, although it's always worth cross-checking the price with the hotel's own website.

Can't comment on Stresa myself as I have opted for Lake Garda & have been resarching Malcesine !
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Old Dec 28th, 2007, 08:37 AM
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There's a thread at tripadvisor about public transportation between Stresa and Malpensa: http://tinyurl.com/ytn8ww. Options include bus or bus/taxi to Gallarate and then train.

If you go to Lago Maggiore, you can take a boat trip to the Borromean Islands, which look beautiful.
Mimar is offline  
Old Feb 21st, 2008, 10:34 AM
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Hello,
We spent 5 nights at the Hotel Elena in Stresa last May- wonderful! Right on the main square- though not noisy. Nice breakfast, little bar, balconies and affordable. The boats to all 3 islands are fabulous! Also, the train through the mountains to Locarno, then return by boat is quite an amazing day! But, don't miss lake Como, especially Varenna.Check the Trenitalia web site for trains.You will have to go through Milan Central Station.
SMB- Indiana
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Old Feb 21st, 2008, 11:09 AM
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Stresa and Maggiore are in the same astounding league as Como and Lake Como IMO - stayed in both and loved both

But which one is closer to Malpensa is just a matter of Stresa being a bit closer - direct buses from either Stresa or Como to Malpensa Airport

However on Como most folks stay in a smaller town than Como - Bellagio, etc. and this makes a longer trip by public transport as you first must go to Como i think.
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Old Feb 21st, 2008, 11:55 AM
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Personally I found Lake como much more beautiful than Stresa. I only had a couple of days in each (two seperate trips) but felt it was still pleasant and relaxing. I took a bus from Malpensa to Como, then the boat to Belagio and varenna (where I spent the night), next day boat back down to Como, spent a few hours there and bus back to Malpensa. In Stresa we took the train from Malpensa, spent a day and evening and left the next day by train for Switzerland. You probably can't go wrong with either one but if I had to choose I'd definitly pick como.
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Old Feb 21st, 2008, 02:59 PM
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We liked Albergo Rigoli in Baveno very much. It is a 3-star-hotel with reasonable rates. It has some advantages:

- Baveno is a perfect location with excellent boat service to Isola Bella and the other islands.

- Albergo Rigoli is one of the very few hotels with direct beach access. Most hotels have the road between hotel and beach. Rigoli is very quiet.

- The restaurant is good and they have a nice bar.

- Everything is walkable in Baveno from Albergo Rigoli.

http://www.hotelrigoli.com

Sorry, cannot comment on public transport. We rented a car at Malpensa. But Baveno is on the main road. There should be a public bus.
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Old Feb 21st, 2008, 03:01 PM
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I loved Stresa and the Borromeo islands. We had an enjoyable stay at the Hôtel Italie et Suisse.
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Old Feb 21st, 2008, 06:38 PM
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jordangreen,

We visited Lago Maggiore a few years ago. Trained from Milano Centrale which took about an hour. Walked from the station at Stresa and took the public boat service to Isola dei Pescatori where we stayed at Hotel Verbano.

Hotel Verbano is the only hotel on the tiny island and we loved the hotel and their restaurant.

Really enjoyed visiting the other islands, seeing the gardens. We also took the boat up to Villa Taranto to see the botanical gardens there.

Our visit was in mid-May and we had a wopping thunderstorm the first night. Then sunny, warm days the rest of the visit. No rain, gorgeous views.

The only catch of staying on the isola was arranging a private boat back to Stresa for the early am train. We wanted to leave before the public boats began service.

Loved Maggiore and Stresa. Hope this helps.

Buon viaggio!
Dayle is offline  
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