Funivie Del Lago Maggiore

We took the bucket lift from Laveno to the top of the mountain. (10 Euros each return, well worth it for a stunning, fun ride). The views are amazing. We went into the restaurant which was not very busy and sat by the edge looking over at the lovely view of Lake Maggiore. There was a man playing a guitar which added to the atmosphere. (A real 'bottle it ' moment). The food was excellent and was not expensive, especially considering the location of the hotel and the view. Our waiter was so friendly. He enjoyed practising his English on us. He was without doubt the friendliest waiter we encountered during our trip to Italy. He really helped make our lunchtime experience even better. Shame we did not get his name. There is a snack bar on the other side of the hotel, but this restaurant was so worth paying the extra.

Gorgeous view of the lake and mountains. I was absolutely terrified on the way up. I had some funivia spritzes at the top to fortify me for my way down. Definitely helped. Definitely a must do if you are in lago maggiore.

The start point is a short walk uphill from the ferry terminal and there's limited car parking but probably no chance on a weekend so may have to park in town. You need to collect a ticket from the office to display on your dash if parked outside. Lift operators are very friendly as they'd like you to leave a tip in the money jar as you exit on return but there's no compulsion. You can choose either an enclosed or open lift bucket (2 persons per bucket so no overcrowding!! most opt for open if weather good as you get much better views trip takes about 20mins each way to just below the summit (about 1200metres . There's a couple of cafe/restaurant options at the top and you can also climb further up towards the summit. Noticed a hang glider platform/jump off point but there was no activity the day we visited. You get fantastic views across to the Swiss Alps and back towards Milan plus of course lakes Maggiore/Varese/Monate/Camabbio. Fares are very reasonable at 10e or 7e senior per adult and overall I'm really glad we took the opportunity to take this trip and in my opinion so will you. Remember to take binoculars if you have them.

Io capisco che siate l’unico ristorante in cima, e ve ne approfittiate Capisco anche che la vista è così bella che vi sembra possa giustificare dei prezzi che non si trovano neanche in centro a Milano. I prezzi, comunque, non sarebbero un grosso problema se uscissi dal ristorante avendo mangiato bene… la qualità è appena sufficiente. Insomma, rapporto qualità/prezzo decisamente bocciato. La foto che vi mostro è il pesce persico. Ho dovuto cercarlo nel piatto… alla modica cifra di 19€! Signora, risparmi il tempo per la mia risposta, non torno più a prescindere dal suo invito

My wife and I traveled to this restaurant using the buckets . We were very happy with this restaurant. We stopped in for expresso and a light lunch. Service was excellent, the food was quite nice, and the prices were reasonable . Couple our pleasant experience at the ristorante to the incredible views and the bucket ride up the mountain. All-in-all, an amazing experience.