Hotels in

Varese

40 properties found

Varese is known as the Garden City for the parks and villas that surround it, beginning with Palazzo Estense and its eighteenth-century gardens modelled on Versailles. Above the town rises the Sacro Monte, a UNESCO site, while the lake of the same name is ringed by a twenty-eight kilometre cycle path.

Hotel (21) Free WiFi (39) 8+ Very good (34) 4 stars (11)

40 properties found

Bed and Breakfast
9.5
Varese · Lombardy

Locanda Vecchia Osteria

An intimate bed and breakfast in the heart of Varese, with an in-house restaurant and bar, rooms with private bathroom, and a historic square right below the windows.

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Guest House
9.3
Varese · Lombardy

Varese Suites

A guest house in the historic heart of Varese, just steps from the Basilica of San Vittore, with air-conditioned rooms, private entrances and free WiFi for guests seeking a quality city stay.

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Guest House
9.3
Varese · Lombardy

DedaGuesthouse

Elegant guest house in the historic centre of Varese, with air-conditioned rooms, balconies or terraces and an in-house gym, just steps from monuments and restaurants.

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Bed and Breakfast
9.3
Varese · Lombardy

B&B Villa Giuli

A bed & breakfast with a garden in Varese, close to Villa Panza, with free private parking and rooms carefully designed for a peaceful stay.

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Guest House
9.2
Varese · Lombardy

BB Cadore casa vacanze

A family-run guest house in the heart of Varese, a short walk from the train station and the historic centre, with air-conditioned rooms and private bathroom.

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Bed and Breakfast
9.2
Varese · Lombardy

B&B Villa Liz Varese

A family-run bed and breakfast in Varese, with garden, terrace and views over the surrounding hills, ideal for those seeking tranquility close to the city centre.

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Guest House
9.1
Varese · Lombardy

Repubblica Di Oz Rooms

Guest house in the historic heart of Varese, set in a nineteenth-century courtyard, with individually decorated rooms, breakfast served in the room and free private parking just steps from the station.

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Bed and Breakfast
9.1
Varese · Lombardy

Invilla B&B

Invilla B&B is a family-run guest house in Varese, with a garden, free private parking and breakfast with vegan and gluten-free options, just steps from the historic centre.

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Where to stay in Varese

Varese lies between Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano, in a pre-Alpine belt of hills and woodland. The nickname Garden City dates from the late nineteenth century, when it became a holiday destination known across Europe and filled with public and private parks. Its present shape, however, was set a century earlier: in 1765 Maria Theresa of Austria granted the town as a personal fief to Francesco III d’Este, duke of Modena and governor of Austrian Lombardy.

Palazzo Estense and the villas

It was Francesco III who had the Palazzo Estense built between 1766 and 1773, to a design by Giuseppe Antonio Bianchi, extending an existing villa. Modelled on Versailles and Schönbrunn, with gardens laid out in 1787, it earned the town the nickname of little Versailles; today the palace houses the town hall and the gardens are open to the public. Nearby, Villa Menafoglio Litta Panza, run by the FAI, holds the contemporary art collection assembled by Giuseppe Panza di Biumo.

The Sacro Monte

At 883 metres, the Sacro Monte di Varese is one of the nine complexes making up the UNESCO site of the Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy, inscribed in 2003. The Via Sacra climbing to the sanctuary is punctuated by fourteen chapels, each dedicated to a mystery of the Rosary; work began in the second half of the sixteenth century with the support of Saint Charles Borromeo. It can be walked along the devotional route or reached by the historic funicular.

The lake and the surroundings

Lake Varese is ringed by a twenty-eight kilometre cycle path and holds the Isolino Virginia, one of the prehistoric pile-dwelling sites recognised by UNESCO, reachable by boat. Behind the town stretches the Campo dei Fiori regional park. Malpensa is a few kilometres away: those with awkward flight times will find alternatives in our guide on where to stay near Malpensa. Milan is an hour by train, and Lake Maggiore half an hour. For more there is our guide on where to stay in Varese; a regional overview is in where to stay in Lombardy.