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 13 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.”
Ride Rome’s Tiber River between Isola Tiberina, Castel Sant’Angelo, Ponte Sisto, and Piazza del Popolo. You get a one-hour round trip, multilingual smartphone audio, and hop-on hop-off access, but high river walls limit some views and open-deck seating is limited.
“Brak informacji o której godzinie będzie statek. "Już za chwilę" mocno przeciągnęło sie w czasie, bo jak się okazalo zaloga przeciez ma przerwę obiadową o której nikt nie poinformował. Po wyruszeniu w rejs, kapitan jeszcze przy pierwszym postoju wyskoczył na kawę do kolegi w porcie. Nic nie widać w trakcie rejsu bo są wysokie mury wzdłuż rzeki. Nie polecam atrakcji”
This one-day boat pass links Stresa with Isola Bella and other Borromean Island stops. You choose when to get off and return, with boats roughly every 30 minutes, recorded multilingual commentary, and free time to visit the palace and gardens at your own cost.
Spend eight hours exploring Capri with a licensed guide, fast ferries from Naples, minibus transfers, Anacapri, Capri, Augustus Gardens, and a one-hour gozzo boat ride past caves, bays, and the Faraglioni.
“Day long tour offered a glimpse into Capri. I chose a boat trip around island which was well worth it. Also took the lift to top of Capri rather than eating a restaurant lunch. Our guide was efficient, knowledgeable, and helpful.”
From Stresa, ride a modern boat between two Borromean Islands at your own pace. Choose Isola Bella with its palace and terraces, Isola Madre with gardens and peacocks, or Isola dei Pescatori with lakefront restaurants. Boats return about every 30 minutes.
“très belles îles et très pratique cette activité en bateau qui nous dépose et peut nous récupérer tous les 30 min, ça nous laisse gérer notre temps sur les différentes îles. même si on a choisi que 2 îles pour débarquer, on nous débarque quand même sur le 3 ème...à nous de choisir d'y descendre ou pas... il faut juste bien regarder sur quelle île on arrive pour éviter de perdre 30 min pour rien si on y débarque alors qu'on n'avait pas prévu de la visiter 😅 plus de taxe de débarquement de 0,50 € par personne, mais une taxe destinée au service de police de la ville correspondant…”
Use one 24-hour ticket for Rome’s sightseeing bus and Tiber River cruise. Stop near the Colosseum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Castel Sant’Angelo, and more, with audio commentary in English, Spanish, German, or Italian.
“I have very bad experience with the validation of this activity. I had combo trio snd the lady in the bus refused to issue a ticket for me. She told I should ''change the ticket" in the river. So, I whent on the river boarding plase, of course the people there told me they can not CHANGE my ticket. So I went back, waited another bus to come. That time yhe agent inside the bus was very clever znd polite. He issued the combo ticket based on the bar code I presented and everything was fine then. But I lost long time with this first attempt to go in the…”
Spend a day crossing Lake Maggiore between Stresa and Isola Pescatori on a flexible boat service. Hop off for the island’s fishing village, craft stalls, seafood restaurants, and lake views, then continue when ready. A private boat option is also available.
Take a one-day boat circuit from Stresa to Isola Madre and Isola Bella, with a possible stop at Isola dei Pescatori. You set your own pace, but boats follow a loose public timetable rather than a fixed schedule. Entrance fees and the island landing tax cost extra.
“Departure was fine. The kiosk to the left of the NAVIGAZIONE ISOLE BORROMEE building will give you a dock colour to go to. Small speedy taxi boat to Madre. Be aware seeing this island costs 20 Euros pp. It was worth it and we had a lovely time. No swimming possible on Madre. Boat to next island was a short wait in the shade. It stops at Pescatori but we didn't have that in our itinerary. It looked good for swimming and had several restaurants. Bella was the most tourist friendly with many shops, restaurants, a pleasant shady stroll, easy family swimming. You can pay 23 euros pp for the…”
From Stresa, ride a modern boat to Isola Pescatori and Isola Bella. Use the hop-on, hop-off service for a full day of island walks, lake views, local food, and shopping. English and Italian audio commentary is included, while palace admission, meals, and island landing fees cost extra.
“Pas cher. En bateau. Plusieurs arrêts. Plusieurs heures. Solution économique”
Spend a full day using the Lake Tours boat service from Stresa to Isola Pescatori. You get a scenic ride, time for narrow lanes, San Vittore church, island shops, and lake specialties at local restaurants. The €10 fare excludes a small €0.50 landing tax.
A loop, an open deck, a night run or a whole day on the coach.
