Tags
cable car, Cable car Stresa - Alpina - Mottarone, chair lift, Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori, Isola Madre, italy, Lago Maggiore, Lake Biandronno, Lake Maggiore, Lake Mergozzo, Lake Monate, Lake Orta, Lake Varese, LakeComabbio, Photography, Stresa, travel
Within about a 10 minute walk from our hotel, La Fontana Hotel in Stresa, is the Stresa- Mottarone Cable car. We headed off on foot just after breakfast to take the 9.30 cable car which departs from the Piazzale Lido Station and goes up the side of Mount Mottrarone. The ride took about 20 minutes each way and gave us a fabulous bird’s-eye view of Lake Maggiore, the Borromean Islands, the Po Valley, and the Alps
Once we reached the station at the top, we then took the chair lift up to the 4,895-foot summit.
The cable car runs every 20 minutes everyday during the summer from 09.30 to 17.40 with an hour break for lunch.
The cable car ride is about 20 minutes followed by a chair lift to the top of the mountain however you can walk from the cable car station at the top to the summit which will take another 15 minutes. If you are fit, you can walk all the way and if you miss the last cable car for the day you will need to walk back down.
The views in June were spectacularly clear with all the lakes visible from that height. Snow was still on the high alps. The towns in the valley are also clearly visible. What a vista!
From the summit you can see 7 lakes. Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta, Lake Mergozzo, Lake Varese, Lake Comabbio, Lake Monate and Lake Biandronno
The cable car has a mid station at Alpino where you can alight and take a mainly flat pleasant walk to visit the Alpine Gardens. Once again, the scenery along the way is gorgeous. The gardens cover an area of approximately 40,000m2 with wonderful panoramic views. The Alpine gardens are well worth a visit They were a welcome break for us.
The Alpine Gardens are 300m from the Alpino mid-way station and are open everyday April to October. Adults costs € 4 and children 4-12 years cost € 3.
After spending a delightful hour or so in the gardens we then found a great little restaurant close to the cable car station and enjoyed some lovely local cooking.
If you love nature, walking and enjoy beautiful views, or you are just looking to relax, take a trip up the mountain in the cable car.