Best of · BUS AND BOAT TOURS IN ITALY
The good bus and boat tours in Italy sell their front seats first and the great ones sell out entirely. Below: the 4 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Use a one-day boat pass from Stresa to visit Isola Madre, Isola dei Pescatori, and Isola Bella at your own pace. Expect quick crossings, free time on each island, multilingual crew, and recorded commentary. Palace and garden tickets, food, and a small cash landing fee cost extra.
“This is a helpful service which allows you to visit all three islands in a flexible way.”
From Baveno, Summer Boats carries you between Isola Madre, Isola Bella, and Isola dei Pescatori. Spend free time at each stop, visit gardens and palaces at your own cost, and return by boat the same day. Boats run from 9:40 AM to 11:40 AM, with returns until 5 or 6 PM.
“I would definitely visit the Borromean Islands again. Very varied so worth seeing all three. Lots of places to eat. I wish I had bought the queen perfume while I was there! Wonderful perfume. Boats amazingly efficient. Booked in advance.”
Use a one-day hop-on hop-off boat ticket from Stresa to Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Bella. Explore the fishing village, eat beside Lake Maggiore, then visit Palazzo Borromeo and its gardens at your own cost. Boats run back to Stresa, though departure times can need checking.
“Puntualità e cortesia del capitano! Migliorerei il punto di incontro e attesa della barca a Stresa perché i soliti furbi (italiani con bambini e ragazzini!) si infilano in coda arrivando all’ultimo e rubando il posto a chi era già lì. Non facciamo una bella figura con gli stranieri. Basterebbero due transenne così si può creare una coda corretta”
From Stresa’s Piazza Marconi, use a shared boat service to visit three Borromean Islands in one day. See Isola Madre’s gardens, eat beside the water on Isola dei Pescatori, and tour Isola Bella’s palace and terraces. Palace admission and a small island landing fee cost extra.
“No information about the tour and the extra costs associated with the castles/palaces on each island. We really enjoyed Isolar Bella but only found out after visiting the first Island. The hop on hop off boats didn’t turn up when scheduled so waited for near an hour for pick up. My advice would be to pick an island on the day and go to it. Pay for a ticket to go there and back. We spent 3 hours at Isolar Bella which was well worth the visit.”
A loop, an open deck, a night run or a whole day on the coach.
