The most beautiful towns on Lake Maggiore
Picturesque old towns, famous sacred buildings, Italian flair: the towns of Lake Maggiore
Picturesque towns on Lake Maggiore around Cannobio
A vacation on Lake Maggiore at Lakeview Cannobio Camping & Resort offers diverse opportunities to gain lasting impressions and fall in love with the region. Here, we introduce you to particularly beautiful towns and villages near Lakeview Cannobio that are always worth a visit: on the Italian side in Piedmont and Lombardy, and on the Swiss side in Ticino.
Towns on Lake Maggiore at a glance
- Cannobio: our hometown, old town directly on the lake
- Cannero Riviera: about 10 minutes from Cannobio
- Ascona (Switzerland): about 20 minutes
- Locarno (Switzerland): 20 to 30 minutes
- Verbania: approx. 35 minutes
- Feriolo, Baveno, and Stresa: just under an hour
- Luino: about an hour by car, faster by water taxi
- Laveno-Mombello: by car ferry from Verbania-Intra
- Arona: a good hour, at the very south of the lake
Cannobio
Let’s start at home: Cannobio is the northernmost town on the Italian western shore, right on the border with Switzerland. The old town with its narrow alleys reaches down to the lakeside promenade, where the large weekly market takes place every Sunday. Particularly worth seeing are the Santuario della Pietà pilgrimage church directly on the lake and the Orrido di Sant’Anna, a gorge at the entrance to the Valle Cannobina, just a few minutes from the town.
Cannero Riviera
Just about ten minutes south of Cannobio lies Cannero Riviera, a small village with lemon and orange trees that bears “Riviera” in its name thanks to its mild climate. The lakeside promenade invites you for a stroll, and off the coast between Cannobio and Cannero, the Castelli di Cannero lie in the lake. The weekly market in Cannero is on Fridays.
Stresa
Stresa is a beautiful small town on Lake Maggiore, just under an hour from Cannobio. From Stresa, you have a lovely view of the Borromean Islands.
Stresa is located on the Borromean Gulf of Lake Maggiore. The town is first mentioned in history books in the tenth century, though the area was most likely settled much earlier.
A walk along the main street or the lake shows that Stresa has managed to preserve its aristocratic style. Highlights include the Villa Ducale, the oldest in the city, where Antonio Rosmini, a great Italian thinker, resided, and the Villa Pallavicino, whose park preserves the region’s flora and fauna.
They say you haven’t truly been to Stresa until you’ve climbed the small mountain behind the town, Mottarone. The cable car to Mottarone has been out of service since 2021 (as of 2026), but you can reach the top by car or on foot. Many meters below, but still with a view of the city from above, is the Sky Bar of Hotel La Palma.
From Stresa, you can visit the Borromean Islands by tourist boat, a must for vacationers interested in palaces and magnificent gardens.
Ascona, the pearl of Ticino
Ascona, reachable from Cannobio in about 20 minutes, is considered the “Pearl of Lake Maggiore.” The sunny, welcoming atmosphere makes this historic and colorful village unique. Ascona belongs to the Swiss canton of Ticino and is located near the mouth of the Maggia, in a magnificent bay on the northern side of Lake Maggiore.
The sheltered location ensures an almost Mediterranean climate, and Ascona is a great starting point for discovering the lake and the Ticino valleys. The historic center, called the “Borgo,” is the ideal place to have a coffee and stroll among the numerous shops in search of a fashionable piece. However, the symbol of Ascona is certainly the beautiful lakeside promenade with its colorful facades, palm trees, benches, and numerous bars and restaurants. From here, you can also reach the most important destinations on Lake Maggiore by boat, such as the Brissago Islands.
Locarno
2,300 hours of sunshine a year and a church built after a Marian apparition: that is Locarno, the city on the northern shore of Lake Maggiore with the mildest climate in Switzerland. Depending on traffic, it is 20 to 30 minutes away from Lakeview Cannobio and always worth a visit!
The typical Mediterranean trees, such as palm trees or lemon trees in the heart of Locarno, characterize the city’s atmosphere. The heart of the city is the Piazza Grande, which is known everywhere thanks to the “Locarno Film Festival” held there every year in August. The square is also the meeting point for all the narrow alleys of the old town, and every Thursday is market day. On the edge of Locarno’s historic center lies the 12th-century Castello Visconteo, about one-fifth of which is still preserved in its original state. Magnificent palaces house art collections, and ancient arcades invite you to shop. Above Locarno, in Orselina, is the Madonna del Sasso pilgrimage church, a sanctuary originating from a Marian apparition. The church is the city’s main attraction and offers a fantastic view of the city, the lake, and the mountains.
The Lido Locarno, overlooking Lake Maggiore, offers an extraordinary variety of leisure activities for adults and children, with various indoor and outdoor swimming pools, slides, whirlpools, a children’s playground, as well as a fitness area and a wellness center with a spa.
Baveno
This beautiful town on Lake Maggiore (just under an hour from Cannobio), also known for its pink granite quarries, is a popular excursion destination, especially for foreign tourists who fill the numerous campgrounds in the area during the summer season. From the lakeside promenade, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Borromean Gulf and the Lombard shore as far as Laveno Bay.
In the historic center of the village, just a stone’s throw from the waterfront, is Baveno’s church square with the parish church of Saints Gervasius and Protasius (Chiesa dei Santi Gervasio e Protasio) and a baptistery. On the side of the square is a portico with beautifully decorated arches and some lovely frescoes. The local tourist information office is also located on this square. Classical concerts are regularly held in the parish church.
Baveno is famous for its pink granite from Monte Camoscio. Many famous buildings around the world were built with granite from this quarry. On the lakeside promenade, opposite the harbor, stands Villa Branca: it was built between 1871 and 1872 in a style that imitates English Gothic. The villa is surrounded by greenery and is notable for its size; the park also contains an artificial castle ruin built in 1882–1883.
Laveno-Mombello
The cozy atmosphere of Laveno-Mombello is created by the azure lake, the green of the wooded hills, and the striking profile of the mountain with its rocky cliffs above the water. This is a very romantic place where you can hike up the ridges on countless paths while admiring magnificent panoramas. The bucket cable car is a very special experience: you ride in open buckets from Laveno up to Monte Sasso del Ferro and enjoy a wonderful view from there reaching far beyond Stresa. Read more on our page about the Laveno cable car.
Laveno is one of the best-known and most visited places on the Lombard shore. On the evening of August 15 (Ferragosto), a large fireworks display takes place on Lake Maggiore off Laveno, usually around 10:30 PM. Numerous leisure captains use this grand display to marvel from their boats on the lake. From Cannobio, it is best to drive to Verbania-Intra and take the car ferry to Laveno; the crossing takes about 20 minutes.
Verbania
The provincial capital, about 35 minutes from Cannobio, is the city with the most accommodation options. The large harbor testifies to the importance this city has always had for shipping; the car ferry that connects the Piedmontese city of Verbania with the Lombard shore at Laveno also departs from here. As the city is closely linked to the art of gardening, numerous events dedicated to camellias, azaleas, orchids, and tulips take place during the blooming season. The most famous is the botanical garden of Villa Taranto in Pallanza.
In Verbania, you will also find a variety of shopping opportunities: large supermarkets as well as fashion and handicrafts in the narrow alleys of the Intra district (more on this on our Shopping at Lake Maggiore page). Insider tip: In the Casa del Dolci next to the church in Intra, you will find the best dolci (sweet pastries) for miles around!
Luino
Luino is located just a few kilometers from the Swiss border on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, between 193 and 630 meters above sea level, and is about an hour’s drive from Cannobio. It is the largest city on the Lombard side of the lake and lies at the mouth of the Tresa.
The impressive rows of trees around the old town give the city something special. These trees were planted in the days of Napoleon. Luino was an important industrial location for decades, especially for textiles. In recent years, however, many of the old industrial sites have been redeveloped. The lakeside promenade has since become a very beautiful place, attractively redesigned with cafes and playgrounds.
However, Luino is best known for the weekly market that takes place every Wednesday. It is the largest weekly market on Lake Maggiore. From Cannobio, you can reach this market easily by scheduled boat or much faster by water taxi, which docks at the beginning of the Cannobio promenade and can also be booked there.
Feriolo
Feriolo, a district of Baveno, is a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer months. The village is particularly popular because of the many nearby campgrounds. In the evening, the village comes to life as camping guests head to one of the restaurants in the village or eat an ice cream at a gelateria. From the lakeside promenade in Feriolo, you have a beautiful view of Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands.
However, Feriolo is an ancient village that was already inhabited in Roman times. The remains of Feriolo Castle serve as a reminder. In 1867 and 1868, two disasters occurred in the village. First, in 1867, during the construction of the new harbor, part of the village sank into Lake Maggiore during a landslide. The remains of the vanished houses still lie at a depth of about eighteen meters today. A year later, the village was hit by the next disaster: during the great flood of 1868, the village was largely underwater. The water level of that day can still be seen on the village church. The water level at that time was about seven meters higher than normal.
Arona
Arona is located at the very south of Lake Maggiore, a good hour from Cannobio. The city is best known for the “Sancarlone,” one of the largest walk-in statues in the world: the copper statue of Saint Charles Borromeo is about 35 meters high including the pedestal, and you can climb up inside to the head. The old town with its pedestrian zone and the Piazza del Popolo directly on the lake invite you to stroll, while the Rocca di Angera sits enthroned on the opposite Lombard shore. The weekly market in Arona is on Tuesdays.
All these towns are easily accessible from Cannobio, where we’re located on the lake. You can stay with us in a mobile home on Lake Maggiore, in a vacation apartment in Cannobio, or at a pitch for campers and tents.
Questions and answers
The most beautiful places include Cannobio, Cannero Riviera, Stresa, Baveno, Verbania, Arona, and Luino on the Italian side, as well as Ascona and Locarno in Swiss Ticino. Laveno-Mombello and Feriolo are also worth a trip.