Lake Orta
Private Day Trip from Milan
Orta San Giulio, its lakeside square and the island of San Giulio a few minutes away by boat, with the UNESCO Sacro Monte on the hill above. Door-to-door by private Mercedes, 8 hours, fixed price from €600 per car.
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Lake Orta & Orta San Giulio · private and tailor-made
Book this day trip
See the price for your car now, then send the request: we confirm the driver and send a secure payment link. The itinerary is yours to change: tell us your stops in the notes.
- CarsMercedes E-Class up to 2 guests, V-Class up to 6
- Pick-upYour hotel in Milan, or Malpensa, Linate, Bergamo (+€60)
- PaymentNothing now: we confirm, then send a secure link
Lake Orta from Milan, the small lake west of Maggiore
Lake Orta is a narrow lake in Piedmont, just west of Lake Maggiore and much smaller and quieter. Its main village, Orta San Giulio, sits on a peninsula on the eastern shore: a square open to the water, Piazza Motta, with the 16th-century Palazzo della Comunità on arcades, steep lanes of old stone houses, and the island of San Giulio facing it a few hundred metres offshore. On the wooded hill behind the village is the Sacro Monte of Orta, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy. At about 85 km from Milan, it is one of the gentlest day trips from Milan.
The historic centre is closed to visitors’ cars, so everyone parks outside the village. Your driver drops you at the car parks at the entrance to Orta, a five-minute walk above Piazza Motta, and in summer a small tourist train links them with the square and the Sacro Monte. The rest of the day is on foot and by boat, at your own pace, and the car is waiting when you are ready to leave. The price is per vehicle, not per person: from €600 with an E-Class for two, from €680 with a V-Class for up to six.
Lake Orta Day at a Glance
Lake Orta Day Trip Itinerary
A gentle 8-hour day on foot and by boat, with lunch by the water.
Tailor-made, always. This itinerary is our suggestion only: every MilanobyCar day trip is tailor-made. Change the stops, the order and the timing as you like, or tell us your own plan in the booking notes.
Your driver, your local insider. Our chauffeurs are not licensed tour guides and do not guide you inside museums or sites, but they know these places well from years on the road: ask them for the best viewpoints, where to eat, where to stroll and how to avoid the busiest spots. If you would like a licensed guide, we can book one for you.
Pick-up at your hotel in Milan
Your driver meets you in the lobby at the time you choose. The day can also start from Malpensa or Linate arrivals, with your luggage kept safely in the car.
Arrival in Orta San Giulio
Drop-off at the car parks at the entrance to the village, a short walk down to Piazza Motta; between spring and late summer the tourist train makes the same trip. Coffee on the square, then the lanes up towards the parish church.
Boat to Isola San Giulio
Boats leave Piazza Motta about every 15 minutes in season and the crossing takes 5–10 minutes. The island is tiny, about 275 metres long: the Romanesque Basilica of San Giulio, the abbey of the Benedictine nuns who live there, and a single lane around the island lined with short reflections on silence.
Lunch on Piazza Motta
Back in Orta, lunch on the square or in one of the lanes behind it: risotto, lake fish and Piedmontese cheeses, ideally at a table facing the island. Your driver can suggest a place and book.
The chapels of St Francis
About 20 minutes uphill on foot (or by the tourist train in summer) to the Sacro Monte: twenty chapels begun in 1590, with frescoes and life-size statue groups telling the life of St Francis of Assisi, in a park with views down to the island.
Back to your hotel in Milan
Door-to-door return, or drop-off at Malpensa, about 45 km from Orta. With an extra hour you can stop in Stresa on Lake Maggiore, about 30 minutes away, for a drink by the water.
Lake Orta Day Trip Prices — 8-Hour Private Car
Prices are per vehicle for the whole 8-hour day with 150 km included, whatever the number of passengers. Saturdays and Sundays +20%, major holidays +50%, airport pick-up +€60. Extra hours €75 with the E-Class, €85 with the V-Class, bookable in the form below.
- •Door-to-door from your Milan hotel
- •English-speaking chauffeur
- •8 hours · 150 km included
- •Door-to-door from your Milan hotel
- •English-speaking chauffeur
- •8 hours · 150 km included
- •Executive luxury sedan
- •English-speaking chauffeur
Included in the price
- ✓Private Mercedes and English-speaking chauffeur for the whole day
- ✓Door-to-door pick-up and return in Milan
- ✓Fuel, motorway tolls and parking for the car
- ✓Bottled water on board
- ✓Child seats on request, free of charge
- ✓Driver waiting while you visit the village and the island
Not included — paid separately
- ✕Boat to Isola San Giulio
- ✕Tourist train
- ✕Meals and drinks
- ✕Licensed local guide (bookable on request)
Milan to Lake Orta: The Route
About 85 km north-west: the A8 towards the lakes, the A26 towards Gravellona Toce, then local roads along the southern end of the lake to Orta San Giulio. Around 1 hour 15 minutes each way.
Lake Orta Day Trip from Milan — FAQ
Lake Orta by private car or by train?
Trains from Milan to Orta-Miasino station usually take about two hours with a change in Novara, and the station is about 2 km uphill from the lake, so you still have a walk or the tourist train at the end. By car you are at the edge of the village in about 1 hour 15 minutes, door to door, and you can add Stresa or end the day at Malpensa.
What makes Lake Orta worth a day from Milan?
It is small enough to see in one unhurried day and has none of the traffic of the bigger lakes. The view from Piazza Motta to the island, the silence of the lane around Isola San Giulio and the chapels of the Sacro Monte make it a calm, very Italian day, and the village keeps much of its 16th- and 17th-century look.
How much is a Lake Orta day trip?
MilanobyCar charges a fixed price per car: from €600 for two passengers in a Mercedes E-Class and from €680 for up to six in a V-Class, for 8 hours with 150 km included, plus fuel, tolls and parking. Boat tickets are extra. The exact price for your date appears in the booking form.
Book Your Lake Orta Day Trip — Private Mercedes from Milan
8 hours, English-speaking driver, door-to-door. Orta San Giulio, the island and the Sacro Monte at your own pace.
or call +39 335 821 0912