Italian Lakes Discovery Tour

Experience the best of the Italian Lakes on this eight-day small group tour, staying on Lake Maggiore and Lake Como.   

5 – 12 May 2024 
5 – 12 September 2024

5,450 AUD per person (double/twin-share)
6,400 AUD per person (solo traveller)

Travel in style and comfort, waking up each morning to stunning lake views from your hotel rooms in Cannobio and Bellagio. You’ll have a full-time tour leader to look after you and ensure you can relax and enjoy the trip.

Your tour begins on Lake Maggiore, staying at the pretty town of Cannobio and exploring the famous Borromean Islands, nearby Lake Orta and Lake Lugano in Switzerland.

Your second base is Bellagio, the “pearl” of Lake Como, where you stay in a charming lake-front hotel in the centre of town. On Lake Como, you visit the famous villas and pretty towns along the lakeshore and take a trip into the Valtellina.

Like all our tours, there is plenty of free time to relax, no really early starts, and all meals are in restaurants chosen for their authenticity and quality.

The minimum group size is six and the maximum is twelve.

• Visit the stunning Borromean Islands
• Visiting pretty Lake Orta, a quiet, smaller lake off the usual tourist track and wandering the quaint streets of Orta San Giulio
• The views over Isola San Giulio from the Sacro Monte
• Private boat trip around central Lake Como
• A private guided tour of Villa Carlotta and Villa Balbianello on Lake
• A short stop in Lugano in Switzerland
• Day trip to the Valtellina including a visit and tasting at a historic winery
• Authentic meals in carefully selected restaurants (3 dinners, 3 lunches) with wine included

Itinerary 

Day 1 – Arrive on Lake Maggiore
You can meet the tour group at Milan Malpensa airport or Milano Centrale station on the first afternoon for the transfer north to Lake Maggiore and your first base in Cannobio (or arrive under your own steam).
Check-in to your lake-view room and start experiencing the magic of Lake Maggiore!
Meet your tour leader for welcome drinks and dinner.
Overnight: Cannobio (D) 

Day 2 – The Borromean Islands
The Borromean Islands, still owned today by the Borromeo family, were the original project of Cardinal Carlo Borromeo, a 17th Century Archbishop of Milan who set out to create a floating cornucopia of style and beauty. You’ll visit the stunning villa and gardens on Isola Bella in the morning and travel across to Isola Pescatori for lunch. Return to Cannobio in the afternoon, and there is free time for the rest of the day.
Overnight: Cannobio (B,L) 

Day 3 – Lago d’Orta
Your mini-coach and driver will pick you up at the hotel this morning for the short drive to Lago d’Orta, one of the lesser-known and prettiest of the Italian Lakes. You will start the visit in the main town of Orta San Giulio, where there is time for a coffee before you take a boat across to the island of San Giulio to visit the impressive Romanesque Basilica from the 9th Century.

There is free time for lunch by the lake before an afternoon visiting the Sacro Monte, a shrine to San Francesco set above Lago d’Orta with beautiful views.
Overnight: Cannobio (B)

Day 4 – Lake Lugano and on to Bellagio
You check out of the hotel in Cannobio this morning and travel north along the shores of Lake Maggiore. You will slip over the border into Switzerland and stop for coffee in Lugano, the pretty Swiss town on Lake Lugano.
A short drive will take you back into Italy and to the lake-side town of Porlezza where you’ll stop for lunch on the lakeside.
Drive on to Bellagio, the pearl of Lake Como and check-in to your lovely lake-front hotel.
Overnight: Bellagio (B.L)

Day 5 – Central Lake Como
You begin the day in style with a private boat tour of the central lake, seeing many of the towns and villas from the best vantage point, the water. The boat tour will finish in the town of Varenna, on the lake’s east shore. The afternoon is free time to wander around Varenna or return to Bellagio. A ferry ticket from Varenna to Bellagio is provided so you can make your own plans for the afternoon.
Meet the group for dinner together in Bellagio.
Overnight: Bellagio (B,D) 

Day 6 – The Valtellina
You’ll leave the shores of Lake Como behind this morning to visit the Valtellina, famous for its pretty mountain scenery, cheese and wine production. You’ll have the chance to learn more about, and try, the latter when you visit a historic winery.
You’ll stop for lunch at a local trattoria before returning to Bellagio in the afternoon.
Overnight: Bellagio (B, L)

Day 7 – Villas of Lake Como
Today you will ride the ferry, heading across the lake to visit a couple of the most charming of the aristocratic ville that sprung up along Como’s shores across the centuries. Your day will include a visit to Villa Carlotta, with its spectacular gardens in the morning. After a short break in the pretty town of Lenno for lunch, you’ll visit Villa Balbaniello, immortalised as the location of Darth Vader’s marriage in the more recent Star Wars trilogy, but with a longer and very illustrious heritage. From Lenno you head back to Bellagio for a well-earned dinner on the hotel’s terrace overlooking the lake (weather permitting).
Overnight: Bellagio (B,D)

Day 8 – Departures
This morning it’s time to pack your bags and leave the Italian Lakes, hopefully with plans to return! Your transfer arrives at  Milan’s Malpensa airport by 12pm and at Milano Centrale by 1pm for your onward travel. If you need to arrive at the airport or station at a different time, please get in touch with us before booking any tickets.
Overnight: N/A (B)

Now that my holiday has come to end (as I await my flight home at the airport) I just wanted to send a quick note .

I have been on many big bus tours in the past- I will never go back to that!  This trip has opened my eyes to this new way of travelling – it is great!!

The places we visited on this trip were truly beautiful and breathtaking vistas.  There was a great balance of guided tour vs free time.  The hotels were nice as well – and the location can’t be beat!!

I guess most of all, Anna Maria helped to make this a great trip.  She is very knowledgeable on the area but most importantly, always took care of us.  I also had dinner with her on 2 separate occasions (the single ladies, as we called ourselves – with B) and that was nice as well.

So, thanks again for this great trip.  I will most definitely recommend you guys for anyone interested in this type of vacation, including myself when I come back to Italy.

Nadia, Italian Lakes Discovery Tour, 2023