This has to be a "must do" if visiting Lake Maggiore. The house is simply amazing with is decorations and pieces of art. The garden is well worth a visit in it's own right. There is a very nice cafe at the end where we had a reasonably priced lunch....apart from the cover charge ( which to be is an Italian con !!!) We thought we had been conned when we bought our tickets to get there as we approached the ticket office I thought we were buying tickets for the public ferry but actually purchased tickets from a private boat company but I think they were the same price and it was a good service. Don't expect much else though the "original fishing village is souvenirs shops and restaurants.

Called in here as part of an excursion to Lake Maggiore. Isola Bella is on an island so you arrive only by boat. The gardens are beautiful as are the white peacocks which reside here. Worth a visit, it is quite breathtaking.

Amazing palace. So much to see with multiple rooms and the grottoes, you need time to take it all in, maybe around 90 mins. There are some spectacular tapestries at the end of the visit. The gardens are very original but not huge so we took less time here. The cafe was chaotic with very slow poor service. We left before being served. They wouldn't let us buy 2 cups of coffee and 2 glasses of wine at the counter and just carry them out ourselves.

Isola Bella is too wonderful for words. What an unexpected gem. The ferry trip there from Stresa is lovely. The palace is remarkable, steeped in history and beauty. The terrazzo floors are spectacular, the high domed ceilings, hand painted walls, room after room filled with furniture, treasures and art, all perfectly preserved. The gardens are breathtaking. This is a must see and great for the whole family.

We visited this place with a tour group so we had our own guide. The castle is amazing and still privately owned. The grounds are awesome. There are a lot of steps up and down and it was very hot 95 degrees. Bring water. Good for photos

The main attraction on this island is the palace. This will definitely split opinion with everything done to excess- why have one painting when the entire wall can be covered by them. There are some nice grounds as well but the overall admission fee felt a little steep particularly as you will pay another fee on the next island.

There is a good website, so I will just say that this villa is stunning. Getting there from Stresa is very easy - plenty of boats running very frequently. We paid 26.50 euros for the boat ride and the villa, or 29 euros gives the option to do Isola dei Pescatore as well - you then just hop on the boats when you are ready. Pescatore is the Isle of the fishermen and there are good fish restaurants. More expensive down where the boats land, but we had a good lunch for two for 26 euros in a small restaurant away from the front - and added a litre of excellent rose wine for 12 euros!

What an amazing island and visit. It is a must-see. We spent a day (6 hours exactly) visiting the beautiful palace and the gardens. We also had a quick lunch/snack at the Caffetteria Torre Noria. The highlight of our visit was the Palazzo Borromeo with the famous Berthier gallery with more than 100 paintings, the throne room, and above all the 6 grottoes. These 6 rooms were built for the summer. The decoration made of stone incrustations, black marble slabs, and stuccos in the form of shells, turtles, and sea divinities, is just outstanding. The Baroque Italian-style gardens are just amazing. The parterres are filled with beautiful flowers, cedars, lemons, palm trees, peacocks, and more. From my personal point of view, you need a whole afternoon to visit Isola Bella, especially if you like painting, furniture and history. My only negative comment is the audio guide which kept constantly reloading. The system is not working properly.