And the answer is, Yes! Switzerland is close indeed, about 30 minutes by car to the Sempione Pass to the north or about an hour to Locarno by car along the lake. But if you don't have a car, or if you want the convenience of relaxing with an organized tour, here are three excellent options for seeing Svizzera, one by train, one by boat, and one by bus.

By Bus
Tomasucci Travel in Stresa runs their Zermatt/Matterhorn tour each Monday:

Zermatt and the Matterhorn
The Ossola Valley winds its way gracefully up towards the Alps and away from Lake Maggiore, leading you to the famous Simplon Pass. At the highest point of the Pass, the Belvedere View Point, there are unbeatable 360° panoramic views of the Swiss and Italian Alps. Onwards and upwards through Brig (with its Stockalper castle), Visp and along the Matter Valley leading you further into the heart of the Alps.

At Taesch you will take the rack and pinion railway up to Zermatt itself. Situated at 5,315ft above sea level, Zermatt is surrounded by some of the most famous peaks in the Alps: the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, the Gornergrat and no less than twelve “4,000’s” – peaks over 4,000m.

Going to or returning from a dinner on Isola Bella or Isola dei Pescatori, after ferry hours.

Traveling with a group large enough to make a water taxi more cost-effective.

Wanting to visit locations not on normal ferry routes.

Personalized, romantic sunset journeys.

Ah, l'amore... Because it's Valentine's Day, let's visit the Giardino d'Amore, the Garden of Love, at the Palazzo Borromeo on Isola Bella. This particular area is found on the fifth tier of the famous ten-tiered garden. If you have not visited the gardens yet then maybe a little background is in order. The Borromeo gardens are considered one of the finest examples of Italianate Baroque landscaping. What does this mean? As opposed to our modern concept of gardens and parks consisting of open lawns and terrains of natural hills, the idea in the 17th century was to create a completely manmade work of art from the earth. Therefore it was shaped, molded, dug out and piled up. Natural elements were used as materials, and plants were often kept trimmed and coerced into elaborate shapes. We still see some topiaries and planned gardens today, but back then, they ruled...

Although the painting (called L'ultima cena, or, Il Cenacolo in Italian) itself is instantly recognizable, many people may not know that its location is quite simple, small, and unassuming. Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church and Dominican convent in central Milan, commissioned in the late 1400s by the dukes of the Sforza family. The Last Supper, which Da Vinci painted for them and finished in 1498, covers the back wall of the convent’s dining hall.

You want to do some bicycle riding while you're in Stresa. But you're nervous about riding on the narrow, shoulderless roads. Or you don't want to attempt the downhill mountain trails. Then read on, this one's for you! Andrea, Stresa's 'go to' cycling guy, has sent me a couple of videos of one of his most popular bicycle tours. This one is great for those who don't have a lot of cycling experience, who don't want anything too strenuous or too long; it's even great for older children.

The path begins in Fondotoce at the Isolino camping compound and ends in Mergozzo. (If you're new to this blog search and see how much we LOVE Mergozzo!) To begin the path in Fondotoce you can ride there (about 20 minutes from Stresa on bike and yes, along the main road), or perhaps be transported to the starting point. But from this point on the path is completely offroad and mostly flat, traveling along the bank of Lago Mergozzo all the way to the small town of Mergozzo at the top of the lake. When you reach Mergozzo take a break at the birreria or one of the other spots for a short time before returning to Fondotoce. This giro, trip, traveling at a slow pace and stopping now and then for a photo, should take about two hours roundtrip to Fondotoce, about three hours roundtrip in beginning and ending in Stresa.