Good food, glorious surroundings and beautiful relaxed swimming - Lago d'Orta

The beautiful, glossy Lago d’Orta is situated in northern Italy and is west of Lake Maggiore. This weekend tour is based at the Hotel l'Approdo, on the shoreline of Lago d’Orta. Lago d’Orta may be one of the smallest and least-known of northern Italy’s sub-Alpine lakes, but it certainly combines Italian style with stunning swimming. An ideal long weekend for an individual, couple or group looking to spoil themselves with good food, beautiful surroundings and glorious, relaxed swimming. The weekend will finish with a swim around the island of Orta San Giulio (pictured). The Basilica di San Giulio and the monumental old seminary (1840s) on the island were transformed into a Benedictine monastery in 1976. Getting to Lago d’Orta is easy – flights are available from London to Milan Malpensa at very reasonable prices (flight time approximately 2 hours), following which we would recommend a simple one-hour taxi transfer for you and your group.

USEFUL INFORMATION:

Duration: four days (Fri - Mon) - although please ask if you would like us to organise additional nights at the hotel for you
Water temperature: 18 - 21˚C (wetsuits advised, depending on the temperature you are used to comfortably swimming in)
Daily swimming distance: Distances build from 800m to 2km
Swimming ability: You should be comfortable swimming up to 1km in a pool or in open water. The swims will often be in close proximity to the shoreline (the exception being the crossing to St Julian Island and to Pella) and escorted by a safety boat.
Are non-swimmers welcome? Non swimming partners are welcome to join the tour and make the most of the spectacular scenery, and a 10% discount will be applied to their booking. For safety reasons partners may not be able to join the safety boat.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?

Accommodation at the Hotel L’Approdo (see accommodation tab)
Breakfast
Guides
All swims
One-to-one swim coaching and video analysis
SwimQuest swim cap & gift
Boat safety cover
VAT

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED?

Travel
Lunches and dinners
Purchase of any alcohol
Wetsuits and fins (if required)
Single supplement of £368 if you would like a room of your own

hotel l'approdo

Your accommodation for this long weekend is at the 4*, lakeside Hotel l’Approdo. Nestling peacefully in the green of the mountains and surrounded by the blue waters of Lake Orta, Hotel l’Approdo enjoys a fine lakeside location. Amenities include a 25 meter swimming pool, lakeside decking sunbathing area, sauna, whirlpool and a range of massages (on request).

ROOM CHOICES

Twin / double share rooms are allocated as standard, however if you would like to reserve a room of your own, a £368 supplement applies.

Address:

Corso Roma 80, 28028 Pettenasco, Italy

ITINERARY

N.B. All swim activities are planned with safety at their heart. Open-water swimming is always governed by the weather to ensure your safety. As a result, planned swims may need to be changed, depending on the prevailing weather conditions at the time.

Daily Swims

Two swims each weekend day that you are welcome to join or opt out if you prefer. Each swim will be in close proximity to the shoreline (the exception being the crossing to St Julian Island and to Pella) and escorted by a safety boat, giving you the chance to relax and enjoy your surroundings. There really is no better way to take in this stunning north Italian landscape.

Friday

Once everyone has arrived, our guides will host a welcome at the L’Approdo Hotel and carry out the mandatory safety briefing. At the briefing we will discuss the itinerary for the weekend - please bring along details of your travel insurance. If there is sufficient time we will have a short acclimatisation swim in the lake before dinner.

Saturday

After breakfast, we will swim from the hotel, around the edge of the lake in the beautiful bay created by the headland. The swim guides will do some filming which will be used for video analysis to help you develop your stroke if you wish. You'll have some free time between swims today to relax and grab some lunch. Then after lunch we will attempt a slightly longer swim down towards the south end of the lake. There will be shorter swim options for those with tired arms.

Sunday

Today we swim across to the picturesque St. Julius Island, swimming past the Basilica di San Giulio and finally exiting the water via some stone steps, and drying off before lunch in a restaurant on St Julian Island, much deserved after all that swimming! You'll have time for a quick look around the lanes before we are back in the water swimming from our lunch spot on St Julian Island, round the back of the island and across back towards our hotel to complete the day's adventures.

Monday

An optional early morning swim by the hotel (as some guests may have to depart to catch onward flights home), followed by breakfast and check out and leave for onward journey home.

GETTING THERE

The nearest airport is Milan Malpensa. Once at Milan Malpensa, there are taxis available and the best option is to share the cost between your swim group, we will introduce you via email a couple of weeks before your trip. Taxis are approx. €110.00 each way and the journey will take approx. 1 hour 15 mins.

WHAT TO PACK?

2 swimming costumes
Wetsuit (compulsory unless otherwise agreed with SwimQuest office) - - our Partners at Zone3 offer a wide range of wetsuits, including the eco Yulex natural rubber range HERE and you get 20% OFF all full price Zone3 products with code : SWIMQUEST
Swim fins (optional)
2 pairs of swim goggles – one clear and one tinted
Tow float (required) - if you haven’t got one yet, you can purchase from our online shop here
Rash vest (optional) - available from our online shop here
Towel(s)
Small daypack/rucksack to use for your personal equipment/clothing during the day
Sandals/aqua shoes/flip flops – for getting wet
Insect repellent – lemon based non-Deet repellents are good from Life Systems
Fleece or warm jumper, tracksuit trousers/sweat pants
Warm coat, warm hat, post-swim clothing
Sun hat, sun cream and glasses
Travel insurance (see below)

travel Insurance

For this tour all guests will require comprehensive travel insurance. Please ensure you have adequate travel insurance before the tour, including cover for all the activities you plan to participate in. If you are in doubt that an activity is covered, you will need to contact your travel insurance provider for advice on cover. Fogg Travel Insurance are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and are used to covering escorted open water swimming trips. If you wish to book travel insurance through Fogg, you can do so here. All guests will need to bring a copy of their insurance details with them, and will be expected to show policy details to the guides at the mandatory safety briefing.

READY TO BOOK?

We’re excited about meeting you on tour. To book your trip, simply click 'BOOK NOW' for your chosen trip below. A deposit of 30% is required to secure your place, and the final payment is due 10 weeks prior to departure. Payments can be made by debit/credit card or by bank transfer. If you are not yet ready to book and require more information, please click 'ENQUIRE'. Once you have complete the form, Sarah (our bookings co-ordinator) will be in touch to help you with any additional requirements.

LAGO D'ORTA | 5-8 SEPTEMBER 2025 | BOOK NOW | ENQUIRE

In booking with us, you accept our terms and conditions, which can be found here. If at any point you have any questions, feel free to contact us:

Sarah Broadley | +44 7917 033670 | sarah@swimquest.uk.com
Charlie Beere | +44 7563 389238 | charlotte@swimquest.uk.com
Alice Todd | +44 7825 301443 | alice@swimquest.uk.com

Travel Insurance

As a SwimQuest guest, you are required to have in place travel insurance that covers you for all activities you will be taking part in during your trip. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fully covered for these activities.

Whatever travel policy you decide on, you will need to bring a copy of your current Certificate of Insurance to the safety briefing at the start of your SwimQuest holiday. Your swim Guides will need to take a note of your insurer, policy number and the number to call in case of an emergency claim.

Please note, if you are a UK resident and eligible for free health cover via the NHS, you do not need to take our a travel insurance policy for our UK based trips. You may still wish to take out insurance to cover you for events such as trip cancellation, luggage and personal liability.

If you are travelling from the US or another country, we suggest you use a travel insurance comparison site based in your own country in order to decide on a suitable policy.

You can find more information on our Insurance page.

Columbus Direct offers three levels of cover Bronze, Silver and Gold, with differing levels of emergency medical, cancellation and baggage so you can choose the cover to suit your needs. All levels of cover include over 150 sports and activities covered as standard including open water swimming within 12 miles of shore (you will not be swimming more than 12 miles away from the shore on SwimQuest Holidays).

You will also benefit from free airport lounge access if your flight is delayed for 1hr or more*. Optional cover is available including Gadget, Winter Sports and Cruise, along with cover for many pre-existing medical conditions subject to online screening. Columbus Direct offer single trip cover up to 85 years old and annual multi trip cover up to 74 years old.

*The policyholder can register both themselves and up to four additional travelling companions for Columbus Direct’s Airport Delay service. They will then be eligible to receive free airport lounge access in the event a delay of one or more hours is announced for their flight. View terms and conditions here