Official Information
Official site: https://terreborromeo.it/en/isola-bella
Online tickets: https://terreborromeo.it/en/ticket
Address: Isola Bella, 28838 Stresa (VB), Italy – access by boat from Stresa and nearby towns on Lake Maggiore.
Map: View on Google Maps
Opening Hours
Open seasonally from roughly mid March to early November, usually daily from around 10:00 until late afternoon (last entry between 16:00 and 17:00 depending on period). Closed in winter. Exact dates and times are listed each year on the official site.
Isola Bella is the most famous of the Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore, transformed from a rocky outcrop into a floating baroque fantasy by the Borromeo family. A visit to the island is a paid, two-part experience: the richly decorated Palazzo Borromeo and the multi-tiered Italianate gardens that step up behind it like a stone ship. Inside the palace, visitors move through frescoed ballrooms, galleries hung with paintings and tapestries, and intimate private apartments that showcase centuries of aristocratic life. Downstairs, cool grotto rooms lined with pebbles and shells offer a whimsical contrast to the formal salons above. Outside, the gardens are a masterpiece of terraced design, filled with fountains, statues, citrus trees and formal parterres. White peacocks wander among the staircases and balustrades, and viewpoints frame ever-changing perspectives on the lake and the alpine foothills. Even on busy days, it is usually possible to find quieter corners, especially if you head to the upper levels or visit earlier in the morning. Tickets for Isola Bella can be bought on the official Terre Borromeo website, either as a single-site option or as part of combination passes with Isola Madre, Rocca di Angera and other Borromean properties. Boat transport is paid separately via the lake’s public ferries or private taxi-boat operators. Because capacity on the island is managed but significant, advance booking is recommended mainly on peak weekends and public holidays. Most visitors allow at least two hours for the palace and gardens, longer if combining Isola Bella with other islands in the same day. As a paid cultural attraction, it rivals the most ornate villas on Como and Garda, and for many travelers it is the highlight of a Lake Maggiore stay.