Lake Maggiore Traveller Reviews

My husband and I spent six days hiking in the Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta region of northern Italy through On Foot Holidays. It was a terrific experience. The hikes were well-planned with beautiful views and a range of terrain and environments. The places we stayed ranged from a working farm (a wonderful experience with warm hosts and great food) to more traditional hotels which were wonderfully gracious and with their own personalities. One arranged for off-season kayaking on Lake Orta which was a highlight; another, on the top of Mottarone, had a nine table restaurant that is sought out by people both throughout the region including cities like Milan and Turin.

I cannot endorse On Foot highly enough. In the planning process, they were wonderfully responsive, knowledgeable and flexible. The travel package itself provides incredibly detailed directions, wonderful choices for lodging, comprehensive information for all logistics, and anticipates every potential question. On Foot even gave us the train schedule to Milan for use after our trip was over (even though outside the scope of their trip). And what is particularly cool about On Foot is even when you are going to an area known for tourism, they find a way to keep you somewhat off the beaten track so you feel more genuinely and directly connected to your surroundings.

We have now taken two on foot holidays. As two shall we say older ladies who are keen walkers but never seem to get round to doing all the walking we need to we relish our chance once a year to go away and just walk, oh and chat eat and drink. This year we chose walking lake maggiore and it was an exhilarating adventure of peaceful beech forest walks, island stays, and climbs to the top of the world. On foot organised it all for us and from previous experience we knew we would be challenged stretched and have to work our minds as well as our legs. They make a holiday for walkers of modest ability’s feel they have achieved something. Their walks don’t just take the path well travelled and we really enjoy this aspect on some walks we don’t see another person all day. At the end of the day a welcome home from home in accommodation local to the area all different adding to the adventure but all welcoming and of a good standard. We have never encountered any problems with any aspect of our holiday and on foot are extremely responsive to any email we have sent. We hope to use them again for another menopausal wandering.

On foot are an excellent company they are responsive to all of the questions and queries I bombard them with I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone who would like to try a walking holiday they understand that not everyone is an experienced walker but would still like to try a walking holiday

After a preliminary day exploring the islands in Lake Maggiore from our friendly and very comfortable hotel on Isola Superiore, we started up into the hills for our first, and most challenging, day of walking. The second day of uphill was perhaps my favorite, as the uphill portions were beautifully balanced out with long level sections through lush Beech forests,. The day ended at Mottarone, the highest point in our walk, featuring stunning views of surrounding lakes and mountains. After a superb dinner and very comfortable evening at Villa Pizzini in Mottarone, we enjoyed two days of gentle downhill pathways, again through Beech forests and the occasional meadow, to our final destination, Orta San Giulio, a beautiful historic town on the shore of Lake Orta. On the next day, while the rest of my group took off for the optional walk around a portion of Lake Orta, I opted to stay back and have a quiet day exploring the town and the surrounding area. The pedestrian walkway around the Orta San Giulio peninsula was especially lovely. Unexpected epicurean highlights of the entire trip included superb local fish (which I chose to indulge in almost every night, it was so delicious), often simply grilled or baked, and the excellent Piedmont red wines.

OnFoot were great communicators and provided excellent, clear materials for both preparatory and enroute experiences. I appreciated the way they stayed in touch and, with only one exception, the excellent accommodations and recommendations. I would definitely use them again - slightly more expensive than the operator we have used in the past, but well worth the extra cost given the materials, the communication, and the accommodations.

A six day walk from Lake Maggiore to Lake Orta. The route and hotels were chosen by On Foot.

We were recommended On Foot Holidays for walking in Italy by friends and were impressed by the pre-walk administration provided as well as the hotels chosen by them. The walking route details were first class so that it was almost impossible to take a wrong turn. Our baggage was transferred from hotel to hotel on a daily basis and this was done flawlessly.

Everything worked like clockwork, very detailed walking route notes, all accommodation excellent- warm, comfortable with fabulous food, outstanding. Provision of up to date ferry timetables was thoughtful and well used by us, ditto trains. The walking routes were varied and the mountain views were glorious- quite the best we have seen. ( and we are seasoned walkers). The On Foot guide in Italy phoned us the evening we arrived to introduce herself and also to ensure that we were aware of a diversion on one walk day due to a bridge down. It is so reassuring to know that we could contact her if there was any problem. We have travelled with On Foot a number of times because they are always friendly, helpful and efficient. It is also lovely to speak to the same familiar people whilst choosing and booking a holiday. As always, we loved it.

As above. Always give great advice pertaining to our walking ability, they know us through having booked with them about 8 times now. They are always helpful, friendly, knowledgeable about the area we are booking and always happy to discuss any queries. Totally efficient in every way. They are a brilliant company.

Walking from Lake Maggiore over the mountain to Lake Orta, by way of some excellent meals, hotels and views.

On Foot have been consistently helpful and well informed throughout the entire holiday process - from booking through to the actual holiday. Interestingly all the hotels and taxi companies that they used for the holiday were also extremely complimentary about them as a holiday partner.

Six days walking around Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta, staying in a variety of hotels with our baggage transferred from one hotel to the next.

We were provided with excellent information and support.

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Short walking holiday a deux. Easy logistics, amazing hotel and food, stunning scenery. Robust but doable walking.

Flexible as our needs changed, great recommendations on food, directions and guides totally on point. All we had to do was walk, chat and decompress.

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We had an excellent trip in the Lake District in Italy. It is tough to say what was the best part of the trip, the hikes on wonderful trails, the people we met, the fine dining or just traveling with friends.

This was our second trip with On Foot Holidays, the first one was Amalfi Coast. Two very different hikes but we loved them both. I am a stickler on details, especially transportation, getting to and from the airport and the ferry schedule. On advise from On Foot we took a bus from San Sebastion, caught a plane from Bilbao to Milan, caught a bus to Lake Maggiore and a ferry to Isola de Pescatore with no hang ups! They are a well oiled machine, willing to help out in any way possible. I would highly recommend using On Foot Holidays.

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Walking holiday around and between two Northern Italian lakes from the old grand tour circuit. Beautiful scenery, comfortable hotels, and a great two-night stop on top of a hill with an incredible restaurant/guest house. The track feels well-worn (no sense of being remote or away from other tourists), but for good reason - it was a lovely walk, and the lakeside towns are long-time tourist areas.

Everything went perfectly smoothly. All travel advice and route notes were excellent; everything as specified. We were treated well at all of our destinations, which speaks well of the tour organizer.