Varese

Varese is a pleasant hillside town located a few kilometers from the Swiss border, with a strong tourist vocation developed already at the beginning of the twentieth century when the realization of quick connections to Milan, recreational and guest facilities, pointed at a place it between the resorts of European call.
The city offers a cozy historic centre, stunning views of the namesake lake and the Alps and plenty of opportunity for outdoor and indoor activities. Not far away from Milan, Como, lake Maggiore and the major swiss cities such as Lugano, Locarno and Bellinzona, Varese is a perfect base for visiting other centres and sites in Northern Italy and Switzerland.

By plane

The nearest airport is Milano-Malpensa that can be reached in 20 minutes by car. There's a well served railway connection to Varese via Milan.

By car

Autostrada dei Laghi A8 from Milan.
Coming from Switzerland exit in Mendrisio and drive to Varese going through the customs of Stabio-Gaggiolo

By train

The "Servizio Ferroviario Regionale" connects Varese by train to other major cities in Lombardy and Switzerland (Canton Tessin). Services are provided by Trenitalia and Trenord railway network.

Varese is small enough to get around on foot, and many of the streets are pedestrian-only. Nevertheless if you want to reach and visit towns and villages spread over the area, such as Sacro Monte and S. Ambrogio Olona, we would advise you to use the public transport network, that comprises several lines. Some are mostly within city limits (Urbani) and some are Extraurbani (crossing city limits). Buying a ticket at newstands and bars before boarding is better, otherwise you can buy it on board at the same price of €1.40 for 90 minutes .
Taxis can be found on the main roads or reserve at phone number +39 0332 241-800
Prior to or during your visit to Varese, you can look at the local Convention & Visitor's Bureau site, which has all the local news and events that are happening around the city.

• Centro storico

• Palazzo and Estensi Gardens with Villa Mirabello

  Residence of Francis III of Este during his Signoria, granded him by the lordship of Maria Teresa of Austria. The palace was built by the architect Giuseppe Bianchi between 1766 and 1771. The parterre of the gardens (Italian style, French influence) is spectacular. The park hosts Villa Mirabello, a Tudor style building, today the seat of the Archeological Museum.

• Villa e Parco Augusta

• Villa e Parco Recalcati

• Villa e Parco Torelli Mylius

• Ville Ponti e Villa Panza

  In Biumo Superiore, in the noblest of the ancient "Castellanze", there are Ville Ponti, a complex of two villas, one in Venetian style (XVI century), the other in neoclassical, both of them used as congress centers, surrounded by a magnificent english park. Just in front the entrance of Ville Ponti, there is Villa Panza, architectonic masterpiece dating back to the first XVII century Lombard style. Its marvellous façade ovelooking the garden is an evidence of the neoclassicla period. Today the Villa hosts an important contemporary art collection.

• Castello di Masnago e Parco Mantegazza

• Villa e Parco Toeplitz

• Palace Grand Hotel

• Sacro Monte

  One of the nine "sacri monti" in the Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont which were inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2003, the Sacro Monte of Varese is a devotional complex located in "Parco del Campo dei Fiori", a natural reserve 6km north of the city. It consists of fourteen chapels that were constructed between 1604 and 1623. The devotional path ends at the shrine of Santa Maria del Monte, a XVI century complex whose origins go back to the V-VI century AD, as attested by the archaeological excavations in the crypt recently opened to the public.

• Museo Baroffio al Sacro Monte

• Casa museo Lodovico Pogliaghi

• Schiranna and lake of VareseThe "Lido of Schiranna" is one of the most pleasant places of the lake, a few minutes from the city centre of Varese. The park is a moment of leisure and it's a really quiet and reserved place that allows you to disconnect from daily monotony. Absolutely not to lose a visit to "Isolino Virginia", regarded as one of the most important Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, from 2011 added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• UNESCO World Heritage SitesVarese and its Province host four major UNESCO World Heritage Sites, two of them in the city territory, the Sacro Monte and the Alpine Prehistorics pile-dwellings on the lake of Varese. In addition, few kilometers from the city, in Gornate Olona, you can visit the Archeological area of Castelseprio-Torba, part of the UNESCO's patrimony of the "Longobards in Italy. The centres of power (568-774 A.D.)" and the Saint Georges's Mount, a transnational UNESCO World Heritage site (CH-I), one of the most important fossil deposit in the world.

Swimming & Ice-skating

• Palaghiaccio

  phone: +39 0332 241-300
  address: via Albani, 33

• F. Fabiano

  phone: +39 0332 831-450
  address: via Copelli, 7

• Club Laguna Blu

  phone: +39 0332 281-919
  address: via Garoni, 7

• Relais sul lago

  phone: +39 0332 310-022
  address: via Macchi, 62

• Robur et Fides

  phone: +39 0332 284-475
  address: via Marzorati, 51

Racing

• racecourse Le Bettole

  phone: +39 0332 280-489
  address: viale Ippodromo, 27

Hiking, Alpinism and Skiing

• CAI-Club Alpino Italiano

  phone: +39 0332 289-438
  address: via Speri della Chiesa Jemoli, 6

• Sci Club Escuriosnisti Campo dei Fiori

  phone: +39 0332 242-438
  address: via degli Alpini, 1

Rowing

• Società canottieri Varese

  phone: +39 0332 321-098
  address: via dei Canottieri, 21

Events

Varese offers quite different events from music to cultural festivals, religious feasts, white nights, cinemas open air and exhibitions throughout the year.

• "Stagione Musicale Comunale"
• "Tra Sacro e Sacro Monte"
• "Varese Estense Festival"
• "Festival dell'Utopia"
• "Di terra e di cielo"
• "Nature Urbane"
• "Terra & Laghi"
• "Cortisonici"

Many major labels and designer boutiques (Versace, Hermes, Stefanel, Swarowsky, etc.) can be found in Corso Matteotti, the city centre pedestrian main road. High street brands can be found in the adjacent streets and squares, such as piazza Monte Grappa, piazza Carducci and piazza Giovine Italia.
There are some large undercover shopping centres. "Le Corti" in piazza della Repubblica host sports, shoes, clothes, make-up and electrical stores, as well as the "Centro Commerciale Belforte", a vast supermarket discount with cafés and restaurants in the outskirts towards Como and the Swiss border.

You will be spoiled for choice when eating out in Varese. From small pizzerie to top-end restaurants, you can be sure to find a place that suits your budget and taste.
Most places to eat are open daily. Some may close one day a week, but this varies. Times may be susceptible to change depending on the season.

Mid-range

• La locanda di Bacco

  phone: +39 0332 220-202
  address: Via G. B. Castelli

• Vecchia Trattoria della Pesa

  phone: +39 0332 287-070
  address: Via C. Cattaneo, 14

• Al Mattarello

  phone: +39 0332 830-788
  address: Via F. del Cairo, 26

• Bologna

  phone: +39 0332 234-362
  address: Via Broggi, 7

• Osteria del Centenate

  phone: +39 0332 236-422
  address: Via Centenate, 15

Splurge

• Ristorante Palace Grand Hotel

  phone: +39 0332 327-100
  address: Via L. Manara, 11

• Tana d'Orso

  phone: +39 0332 320-392
  address: Via Mottarone, 43

• Il Gestore

  phone: +39 0332 236-404
  address: Viale Aguggiari, 48

A multitude of bars and cafes are situated in the city centre. In the summer your best bet is just to wander in and otherwise, if you want to get away from the busy tourist spots, you can find quaint little bars towards the lake and in the district area of , close to Villa Panza and Villa Ponti. At you'll find different bars and very elegant restaurants, from whose terraces you can admire a spectacular view that embrace Alps, lakes and pianura Padana. A stop even just for a coffee is recommended for exemple at Hotel al Borducan and Ristorante Albergo Colonne. Tasty dishes can be enjoyed even at Ristorante Milano or Ristorante Montorfano at the end of via Sacra and, in piazzale Pogliaghi, a few minutes on foot from the centre of Sacro Monte, at Trattoria Il Ceppo.
In summer enjoy gelato, an excellent Italian ice cream. The quality mark "gelato artigianale" indicates gelaterie that produce their own ice creams, without industrial processing. Bakeries are open every day, you can enjoy great and inexpensive bread-related food, such as pizza and focaccia. You can find a bakery almost everywhere in Varese, and is a good alternative to bars for a fast lunch.

Budget

• Al sei rooms

  phone: +39 338-577-73-07
  address: Via Speri della Chiesa Jemoli, 6

• Villa Adriana

  phone: +39 0332-212-234
  address: Via Virgilio, 59

• Casa Lory

  phone: +39 348-242-59-20
  address: Piazza Milite Ignoto, (S. Ambrogio)

Mid-range

• Hotel Ungheria

  phone: +39 0332-264-325
  address: Viale Borri, 98

• Hotel Europa

  phone: +39 0332-280-170
  address: Piazza Beccaria,1

• Albergo Ristorante Bologna

  phone: +39 0332-232-100
  address: Via Broggi, 7

• Albergo Sacro Monte

  phone: +39 0332-821-078
  address: Via Bianchi, 5

Splurge

• Hotel Colonne

  phone: +39 0332-220-404
  address: Via Fincarà, 37

• Relais sul lago

  phone: +39 0332-220-404
  address: Via Macchi, 61

• Hotel di Varese

  phone: +39 0332-237-559
  address: Via Como, 12

• Palace Grand Hotel

  phone: +39 0332-327-100
  address: Via manara, 11

• City Hotel

  phone: +39 0332-281-304
  address: Via Medaglie d'Oro, 35

• Art Hotel

  phone: +39 0332-214-000
  address: Viale Aguggiari, 26

• Luino and Lake Maggiore
• Orta San Giulio
• Milan
• Como and Lake Como
• Lecco
• Bergamo
• Lugano (CH)
• Bellinzona (CH)
• Locarno (CH)