Lake Maggiore – Lake Orta – Centovalli Express train

• Package for pre-established groups of at least 40 people
• Price per person: from € 350

What’s included:

• Coach travel and transfers within a 200 km area from Bergamo
• 5 days / 4 nights tour
• 4 nights in half board: overnight stay, breakfast and one meal included
• Entrances for: Isola Bella, Isola Madre, Villa Taranto
• Private boats to: Borromean Islands, San Giulio Island
• Ticket: Сentovalli express (train + boat line)
• Legal insurance
• DOCUMENT REQUEST: identity card valid for expatriation

Day 1: Arrival

Arrival at the hotel on Lake Maggiore, welcome drink, dinner and overnight stay

Day 2: Stresa: Borromean Islands

After your hotel breakfast buffet, meeting with the tour guide and transfer by private boat to Isola Bella, the most famous of the Borromean Islands. Visit to the 17th century palace, rich in artistic and historical heritage, and its park, a masterpiece of Italian-style garden, arranged on ten terraces overlooking the lake. Free time for shopping and visiting the island.

Boarding with private boats to Isola dei Pescatori, an ancient medieval village with its picturesque streets and houses and the characteristic church dedicated to San Vittore. Possibility to have lunch “à la carte” in one of the typical restaurants of the island, famous for its fish specialities.

Free time to visit the island. In the afternoon transfer to Isola Madre to visit the largest of the Borromean Islands. The island is now a huge botanical garden where peacocks and pheasants live freely. Interesting is the visit of the Palace, of sixteenth-century origin, inside which have been reconstructed environments of the time. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 3: Botanical Garden, Villa Taranto and Lake D’orta

After breakfast buffet, departure with your tour guide to the magnificent botanical garden of Villa Taranto, one of the richest botanical gardens in Italy, among the major tourist attractions of Lake Maggiore. Transformed in 1931 by Captain McEacharn, it has over 20,000 varieties of plants, some very rare, imported from all over the world. The garden covers an area of 20 hectares and is crossed by 7 km of avenues; the spectacular blooms follow one another continuously from April to October.

After visiting the botanical garden, departure for Lake Orta. Free time for lunch. Guided tour of the small medieval village of Orta. Piazza Motta, open towards the lake just in front of the island of S. Giulio, has always been the heart of the town with its “Palazzotto” dated 1582. The centre of the village is characterised by 16th and 17th century houses which, with their small wrought iron balconies, bear witness to the typical local craftsmanship of the time.

The visit continues with the transfer, on private boats, to the island of S. Giulio, known for its Romanesque basilica founded, according to tradition, by S. Giulio himself at the end of the fourth century, several times enlarged and completely rebuilt between the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The adjacent nineteenth century palace houses a community of Benedictine nuns. Return to Orta with private boats and return to the hotel by private coach. Dinner and overnight stay

Day 4: Centovalli Express and Locarno train (Switzerland)

Departure from the hotel and transfer by private coach to the city of Domodossola. Here, board the characteristic “Centovalli” train and continue for a pleasant panoramic journey of an hour and a half through the Vigezzo Valley, also known as the “Painters’ Valley”, through wild and uncontaminated nature, through spectacular waterfalls, enormous precipices, woods and vineyards, passing through the locality of Re, famous for its sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna del Sangue (Our Lady of Blood). Continuation of the train journey to the Canton of Ticino (Switzerland) to Locarno, a city overlooking Lake Maggiore, home of the famous film festival. Guided tour of the city. Free time for lunch and free afternoon dedicated to shopping. Return by liner from Locarno to Entra (about 2 hours by boat) and transfer by private coach to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 5: Departure

After breakfast buffet, departure.

Technical organization: DESTINAZIONE SOLE

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