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The "LeNord" trains depart right in the center of Milan, at the Cadorna station, the one you are interested in, the "diretto" (direct) to Laveno stops also at the Bovisa-Politecnico station in Milan, and in the small town of Saronno before reaching Varese, and then Laveno, a nice little town on the Lombard side of Lake Maggiore. The train you can use for this trip departs from Cadorna at 7:50 (7:58 at Bovisa, 8:13 at Saronno and 8:46 from Varese). Check the LeNord site for up-to-date scheduling information to make sure that the schedule didn't change. |
Once in Laveno you walk few steps from the train station to the ferry landing station, and in a few minutes you board the ferry to Intra, where at 10:30 you find a boat that takes you to Stresa - Carciano on the other side of the Lake, arriving in Stresa at 11:20. A cableway leaves at 11:30, giving you the time to visit the Botanical garden as well as having lunch at the intermediate station "Alpino", and then taking you to the summit of the Mottarone mountain.
MOTTARONE
The Mottarone, situated between Lake Maggiore and Lake d'Orta, is considered one of the most beautiful natural balconies in the whole Piedmont and Lombardy. The visitor's eye is struck by the summit of Monte Rosa and by the seven lakes (Lake Maggiore, Lake d'Orta, Lake Mergozzo, Lake Varese, Lake Comabbio, Lake Monate, Lake Biandronno) lying in a natural basin. The Cableway Stresa-Alpino-Mottarone leaves from Piazzale Lido, in the hamlet of Caroiano di Stresa, .
It takes 20 minutes to reach an altitude of 1.491 meters above the sea level and brings 40 people per cage. For nature lovers, 300 meters from the intermediate stop of the cableway in the hamlet Alpino there is the Botanical Garden Alpinia extended for about 40.000 square meters, with over 800 different species and from which you can enjoy an incredible view of Lake Maggiore and over the Borromean Islands.
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For your trip back you can go on the same itinerary backwards leaving Stresa - Carciano at 4:40 PM, and arriving in Milano at the Cadorna station at 8:11 PM. In alternative, from Stresa, a lively town you can visit in a few hours, you take a "Trenitalia" (state railroads) train to Milan. (see the Trenitalia.it site for train schedules). Trains run from Stresa until 8:13 PM. Since they run on the Piedmont side of Lake Maggiore, on a very different route than the "LeNord" route, you will arrive at a different station in Milan, either the Porta Garibaldi or Stazione Centrale, and you will not stop in either Varese, Saronno or Milano Bovisa. If you are doing the entire trip, including the jorney back, with "LeNord", ask at the customer service desk or ticket counter of the LeNord Cadorna station for a single ticket that includes the train, the ferry, the boat and the cableway. |
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You can also hire a private guide for all the trip, call Myriam Gulla at 0331-958121 or mobile phone 347-7856903 to make arrangements.
Other day trips from Milan without a car:
Bergamo Alta
Borromee Islands on Lake Maggiore
Villa Taranto on Lake Maggiore
Isola Comacina on Lake Como
Lecco and Bellagio by boat
Como and Bellagio by boat
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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