Weekly markets on Lake Maggiore

The Italian markets are known worldwide. While in the past they mainly served to supply the locals with all the essentials, today the weekly markets on Lake Maggiore are also a major tourist attraction. Anyone visiting Lake Maggiore should not miss out on a visit to the market. The smells and impressions are hard to describe and absolutely worth seeing.

Weekly market in Luino

Every Wednesday, one of these large weekly markets takes place in Luino, a small town on the Italian side of Lake Maggiore. The market in Luino is the largest weekly market on Lake Maggiore. Almost the entire part of Luino facing the lake is transformed into a huge weekly market with hundreds of stalls. The cafes in the town center invite you to simply sit back and watch the lively hustle and bustle over a leisurely cup of coffee. The market in Luino is the most popular, best-known, largest, and most-visited market on Lake Maggiore. If you visit in the summer, be prepared for chaos: limited parking meets huge crowds. We recommend traveling by public boat, taxi boat from Cannobio, or public transportation.
The taxi boat departs from the first dock in Cannobio—located just before the large parking lot at the Lido. There is a ticket booth directly across from the dock. During peak season, it is recommended that you purchase your tickets 1–2 days in advance to ensure you get a seat.

Weekly market in Cannobio

On Sundays, there’s a similar, slightly smaller market in Cannobio, also on the Italian side of the lake. The weekly market in Cannobio is probably the most beautiful on the entire Lake Maggiore: the entire lakeside promenade in Cannobio transforms into a large marketplace on Sundays starting at 8 a.m. In the Lido Cannobio parking lot, food vendors sell fresh Italian specialties. You’ll find meat and cold cuts, cheese, pasta, fruits and vegetables, and even sweets (“dolci”) there. Along the promenade, you’ll find mostly clothing and leather goods. Parking in Cannobio is very limited, and the crowds are enormous, especially in the summer: You should therefore arrive at the market very early—by 9 a.m. at the latest—or be prepared for heavy traffic and a long search for a parking spot. Before 9 a.m., you can usually still find a spot in the large parking lot at the soccer stadium.

Weekly market in Intra / Verbania

On Saturdays there is a market in Intra / Verbania, it is almost as big as the one in Luino, but usually not as crowded. Here, too, a large part of the city center is transformed into a huge marketplace. The large parking lot in the city center mainly houses the food stalls, while the clothing vendors are spread across several streets in the old town. The great advantage of the weekly market in Verbania / Intra: even in the height of summer, you can often find a parking space there and, due to its spaciousness, this market is not quite as crowded as the markets in Cannobio and Luino.

Tips for visiting a weekly market on Lake Maggiore

Luino as well as Cannobio and Intra can be reached by car, which is less pleasant, especially in summer, because the roads are usually very crowded and parking spaces in the small villages are scarce anyway. The easiest place to find a parking lot is in Verbania / Intra, but even here you should plan for a somewhat longer walk. Depending on where you stay, you can also arrive by boat, all these places are accessible by public boat line. Luino is also served by a cab boat from Cannobio on Wednesdays, which is definitely the easiest and most time-saving option for guests of the Lakeview Camping Resort.

The cab boat takes less than half an hour from Cannobio to Luino, takes you back at fixed times and is also not as crowded as the scheduled boat in the high season. No matter which boat you choose, you can combine the market day with a boat trip across Lake Maggiore on the crossing to Cannobio, which is an additional fun excursion, especially for children. Neither the cab boat nor the scheduled boats are particularly expensive anyway, only the lugging of the extensive purchases at the weekly markets on Lake Maggiore leads to a somewhat more arduous journey home.

Lakeview guests can easily reach the weekly market in Cannobio by “Bimmelbahn”, which picks our guests up in the morning and brings them back at lunchtime. This trip is also a special vacation experience, especially for children.

From clothing to household items, shoes and leather goods to original Italian food – ham, cheese, oil, fruits and vegetables, you will find everything your heart desires at the Italian weekly markets. Be sure to visit the market in Intra, Cannobio or Luino to taste the food offered by the vendors, it’s worth it! And: compare prices, especially with food such as cheese, ham, salami there are often big differences. For high-end and expensive items such as leather jackets (which are usually of excellent quality and often attractively priced!), be sure to negotiate the price. What you will be quoted first is usually the tourist price, there is usually a lot of leeway here. At the latest when you refuse the purchase and want to go further, the sellers usually adjust the price again significantly.

When visiting the weekly markets on Lake Maggiore, especially at the height of summer, remember to take plenty of water with you. Although the market stalls offer some shade, it often gets very hot. Please also make sure to store valuables safely. Although we are not aware that the weekly markets on Lake Maggiore are a particular focus of thefts, many people in a confined space naturally invite pickpockets.

Overview of the markets on Lake Maggiore:

Sunday:
Cannobio from 8.00 – 13.00

Monday:
Baveno from 8.30 – 14.00
Santa Maria Maggiore from 8.00 – 13.00

Tuesday:
Arona from 8.00 – 13.00
Ascona from 10.00 – 17.00 (May to October)
Laveno from 7.30 – 17.00
Lugano fish market from 7.30 – 14.30 (Piazza Riforma)

Wednesday:
Gravellona Toce from 8.00 – 14.00
Luino from 8.30 – 17.00
Orta San Giulio from 8.00 – 13.00

Thursday:
Angera from 8.00 – 13.00
Locarno from 9.00 – 17.00
Omegna from 8.00 – 14.30
Premeno from 8.00 – 13.00

Friday:
Cannero Riviera from 8.00 – 12.00
Maccagno from 8.30 – 13.00
Verbania – Pallanza from 8.00 – 12.00
Stresa from 8.00 – 13.00

Saturday:
Verbania–Intra from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

All dates are subject to change; some markets are not held in late fall and winter.