Sign in with Facebook- Join for free
- Sign In
Sign in with FacebookLatest Stresa hotel reviews
Pro
A beautiful little Italian town on a glorious lake
Con
Can really fill up with hordes of tourists
In a nutshell
This was a part of Italy I would like to see more of.
riorich55 Says: On our first morning in Stresa I suggested we get up early and take a sunrise stroll to the lakefront to catch the sun rising over the surrounding mountains. Several years ago we did a similar sunrise opportunity outside of Charleston, South Carolina and that turned out so...
ettiewyn Says: The Isole Borromee - Isola Bella, Isola Pescatori and Isola Madre - are Stresa's main attraction. They are three small islands that can easily be reached by boat from Stresa. They were named after the House of Borromeo, the family still own part of the islands today.Isola...
ettiewyn Says: When we arrived at the shore of the lake, we were fascinated by the wonderful views. Unfortunately it was very cloudy, so the view was not as far as it usually might have been, but it was still amazing to see this large lake surrounded by the mountains. It looks so large,...
Hotel Residence La Luna Nel Porto
1 Review and 140 Opinions This is a "hotel residence" overlooking Lake Maggiore. It is at the southern end of the town, but...
4 Reviews and 208 Opinions We stayed at the Bristol in Stresa for 8 nights and hated to leave. The hotel is very clean, great...
Ristorante Pizzeria Mamma Mia: Popular Ristorante-Pizzeria
riorich55 Says: On our first night in Stresa we walked through a good portion of the main part of town and window shopped at a number of stores and looked at what various restaurants had to offer. A few of the places were closed (it was a Sunday evening) but it appeared that the one with...
Trattoria due Piccioni: Trattoria due Piccioni - Part 2
riorich55 Says: Ok, a little bit more about the restaurant.I would say that the entire restaurant had about 15 or so tables. There were only 3 other occupied when we arrived at 9:00 p.m.The motif is interesting with a number of items from the 1940's and 1950's scattered throughout.I really...
ettiewyn Says: If you want to go to Stresa from Milan by train, you can either take a fast EC train, or a slower regional train. Because of budget reasons, we opted for the regional train. A one way ticket for one adult is 7,40€ and the journey takes about an hour. You can buy a ticket at...
Boat to the Borromean Islands - Navigazione Laghi
ettiewyn Says: From Stresa, you can take a boat to the Borromean Islands, and to many other destinations on Lago Maggiore. There are different boat companies, but Navigazione Laghi is the biggest and as far as I know the only one going to all three islands.There are different tickets...
Acqua di Stresa: The scents of the lakeside gardens
Manara Says: Acqua di Stresa (Stresa water) is the name of the perfumery shop, but also of a line of perfumes sold here. Contrary to what it my seem, this is not an old traditional product. In fact it all started in 2002 with a scent based on osmanthus flower. Afterwards it was followed...
Enoteca La Cambusa: Wines and much more
Manara Says: This is supposed to be a wine shop, and in fact you will find a wide choice of wines and spirits there, but even from outside you will realise it has much more to offer. In fact you can find there spices, herbs, balsamic vinegars and foods. By the way, the owners are fluent...
Manara Says: The origins of Stresa are very old. For many centuries it was just a fishermen's village, but at Napoleon's time there were already several villas in this area, all belonging to aristocrats.More villas were built in the second half of the 19th century, by tycoons of the...
Manara Says: Italian laws state that civil weddings can be celebrated only in the town hall, or another building chosen by the municipality specifically for the celebration of weddings. In Stresa, the Town Hall is not a very interesting or romantinc building, as you can see from the...
It Was So Nice We Were Tempted To Stay
riorich55 Says: I kind of thought from the research that we had done that we would enjoy Stresa and the surrounding Italian Lakes region. I was just hoping that the weather would cooperate.After spending a cloudy overcast day in Riomaggiore the day before and on most of the train ride up to...
riorich55 Says: This was something I found interesting. A scale right near one of the public squares near the waterfront. Who uses this? For what reason? Do they want to find out how much they've gained or lost on their holiday (vacation)?Are they actually weighing their options? Can...
riorich55 Says: We see periodic reviews here on VT from New Members who usually don't come back, but have found us and now are venting about a bad experience they've had at a hotel.I usually do enough research before I stay anywhere, so I've never really had a bad experience in the last 25...
riorich55 Says: My main walking shoes through 2 trips to Europe in 2008 and 2012 and countless other hikes through various parts of the United States makes these probably my all time favorite shoes.After reaching the 1/2 way point of our 18 day 2012 European trip we arrived on a Sunday...
Helpfulness
The entrance to the harbour area at Carciano is formed by a small wooden bridge, and when we arrived and crossed the bridge, we were approached by a man in a white uniform who had positioned himself at the other end. He spoke to us very quickly and wanted to sell us a boat ticket to Isola Bella and Isola Pescatori, talking so much that I could hardly understand him. At first I thought this was the boat ticket I had planned to buy, but then I realized that I had planned to visit all three Isole Borromee, including Isola Madre, and not only two of them. I said so, but he told me that Isola Madre was not good anyway, but that the other two were much better.
All this seemed very strange to me, but when I saw a sign saying Navigazione Laghi at the other side of the small harbour and recognized the emblem from the website I had researched before, I was sure that the ticket this man tried to sell me was not the ticket I wanted, but that I wanted a ticket of the other company, and despite the protest of the "captain" we quickly walked away, earning many words and angry glances.
I am quite sure that the boat ticket he tried to sell is not bad, I later saw the boat he had shown us, and if I understood it right they take you to Isola Bella and Isola Pescatori for 10€, which is a good price. If you actually only want to visit these two, the ticket might be good, but make sure this is really what you want. I enjoyed Isola Madre a lot and was glad I went there and was not caught unaware and persuaded to buy the ticket for only two islands.
As we started our boat ride at Carciano and not at Stresa, I don't know if these men are waiting for tourists in Stresa, too.
My advice is to do your own research and compare the prices and different boat companies before you go, and then decide on the basis of what you want to do and see!
Fun Alternatives: Navigazione Laghi is the biggest boat company at Lago Maggiore and they go to all the three Isole Borromee, as well as many other destinations on the lake, as far as Locarno in Switzerland. A free circulation ticket costs 16,90€ and allows you to roam around the lake as much as you want for one day.
Updated Aug 8, 2012
ettiewyn Says: There are several statues and memorials along the lakefront, but this one caught my interest because it includes a horse. I am always interested in memorials including animals, so I had a closer look and discovered that it is dedicated to the Alpini, the mountain soldiers....
ettiewyn Says: When we walked from the train station to the lakeside, we came across a small church hidden at a little street. Apparently it is not used as a church anymore, but was converted to a family home. I was quite astounded because I had never seen this before - I have often seen...
Manara Says: One of the fascinating things about this lake is its climate, which is very mild for an area that is at the foot of the Alps. Due to this fact, it is possible to enjoy the view of the Alps with their snow caps while basking in the sun amid palm trees.
ealgisi Says: The most common European emergency number 112 (following Directive 2002/22/EC: Universal Service Directive) and also standard on GSM mobile phones. 112 is used in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,...
Sponsored Links
I wasn't impressed by Stresa, except for the magnifcent villas which can be seen all around, especially up on the hills. Stresa is also known as the "pearl of the Lake" but to me, just to mentioned,...
There is something old-style in holidays by a lake. It reminds of novels by Edth Wharton and Henry James. It is especially true in this town, with its palatial hotels from the late 19th century or the...
Stresa - a beautiful town at Lago Maggiore
In August 2012 I visited Milan for five days with my mom. It was my very first trip to Italy, and we wanted to do one or two day trips from Milan to see a little more of the region and get another...
A week spent in a place that gave beautiful lakes, mist-shrouded mountains and luscious gardens. A place of quiet contemplation and great beauty.
Build your own Stresa page
Sponsored Links
Comments