On the Italian shores you can rent a licence-free motorboat by the hour or the day; in the Swiss part around Locarno and Ascona the licence-free boats are smaller. The rules differ between Piedmont, Lombardy, Switzerland and Lake Orta: here is which applies where, which boat to pick, and what the companies below charge.
A summary, not legal advice. Each country enforces its own part of the lake. The rental company briefs you before you leave, and its rules and the local ordinances apply.
Up to 40.8 hp, for a family or a small group. Enough to reach the Borromean Islands or the next town. The usual choice for a first time.
No more than 6 kW, about 8 hp: slower, for a gentle trip along the Locarno and Ascona shore.
Bigger engines for longer crossings on a long lake. You show your licence when you pick it up.
Someone else drives: no licence, no rules to learn across three regions and two countries, and they know where to stop.
Two thermal winds: the Tramontana from the north in the night and morning, the Inverna from the south in the afternoon. Bareboat if you can sail, otherwise with a skipper.
The lowest price published by the 15 companies below that list theirs, for the whole boat. Fuel is not always included.
| Boat | 2 hours | Half day | Full day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence-free · 14 | from €150 | from €140 | from €190 |
| With licence · 2 | — | — | from €440 |
| Electric · 1 | — | — | from €200 |
| With skipper · 3 | from €350 | from €260 | from €400 |
| Sailing boat · 1 | — | from €170 | from €240 |
28 places
Dormelletto 1Belgirate 1Stresa 2Baveno 2Verbania 2Ghiffa 1Oggebbio 1Cannobio 2
Dormelletto · Piedmont shore
Boat dealer and nautical school that rents 5.5 m licence-free open boats with 40 hp Honda engines for up to seven people, plus fishing boats.
€150 for a half day, €220 for a full day, fuel extra
Season: April–September
Languages: IT · ENBelgirate · Piedmont shore
Belgirate marina and sailing school that rents sailboats, motorboats, inflatables and canoes and runs 3-hour skippered sailing outings.
Stresa · Piedmont shore
Stresa motorboat consortium that runs island hops to Isola Bella, Pescatori and Madre and offers private taxi-boat transfers to the Borromean Islands.
Island tickets from €8; private taxi boat on request
Languages: IT · ENStresa · Piedmont shore
Stresa motorboat consortium that runs half-hourly boats to the Borromean Islands and excursions, and also hires out its boats with a driver.
Baveno · Piedmont shore
Rents licence-free motorboats from the Feriolo di Baveno pier for half days, full days and a two-hour golden-hour slot, with suggested routes to the Borromean Islands, Santa Caterina del Sasso and the Cannero castles.
From €180 for a half day, fuel extra
Season: June–September
Languages: ITBaveno · Piedmont shore
Baveno motorboat consortium that runs scheduled hops to the Borromean Islands and offers exclusive-use boats with a driver, transfers and event boats.
Island tickets from €8; private boats on request
Languages: IT · EN · DE · FRVerbania · Piedmont shore
Boatyard and dealer Nautica Bego rents licence-free 40 hp open boats, a party boat, a jet ski and licensed Cranchi and Marinello boats, with a skipper on 48 hours' notice, from Verbania and Cannero Riviera.
Licence-free boats from €210 per day
Languages: IT · EN · DEVerbania · Piedmont shore
Private boat service with a driver for tours, taxi transfers, events and night cruises on motorboats for up to 60 people.
Ghiffa · Piedmont shore
Rents licence-free motorboats (Marinello Eden 18, Jolly Winner, Bayliner E6, Numo 5.50) from the Hotel Ghiffa pontoon.
From €140 for a morning (4 h)
Languages: IT · EN · FR · DEOggebbio · Piedmont shore
Lakeside residence that rents licence-free 40 hp and 25 hp motorboats, pedal boats, canoes, kayaks and SUPs from its own beach and jetty.
Season: April/May–September
Languages: IT · EN · DECannobio · Piedmont shore
The camping resort's private beach rents a licence-free 40 hp motorboat for up to six people, plus pedal boats, kayaks and SUPs, also to non-guests.
From €220 for 4 h, fuel extra
Languages: EN · DE · IT · NLCannobio · Piedmont shore
Rents licence-free 40 hp boats (Eden 18, Artemide 17, Fisherman 17) from Cannobio's old harbour, with a short briefing before departure.
Sesto Calende 2Angera 1Ispra 1Leggiuno 1Laveno 2
Sesto Calende · Lombard shore
Rents a licence-free Joker 580 RIB (5.8 m, 40 hp, up to 10 people) from its marina at Lisanza, by the half day or full day.
Licence-free RIB from €150 for a half day (fuel extra)
Languages: IT · ENSesto Calende · Lombard shore
Rents licence-free 40 hp boats, RIBs and sailboats, bareboat or with a skipper, from the Errepi Nautica base on the Lisanza point.
Licence-free boats from €150 for a half day in low season (fuel extra)
Languages: ITAngera · Lombard shore
Boatyard in Angera that rents licence-free 40 hp boats, licensed motorboats, jet skis and boats with a skipper, up to a Riva Aquarama and an 18-person Alena 56.
Licence-free boats from €290 a day (fuel extra); boats with skipper from €800 a day
Languages: ITIspra · Lombard shore
Rents licence-free 40 hp Marinello Eden boats (5.3 m, up to 7 people) from Ispra and can deliver the boat to other piers.
Licence-free boats from €149 for a weekday morning (fuel extra)
Languages: ITLeggiuno · Lombard shore
Yamaha service centre at Reno di Leggiuno that rents a licence-free Capelli Cap 18 (6 people) and a BSC 57 RIB (8 people), both with 40 hp engines.
Licence-free boats from €180 for a half day (fuel extra)
Languages: EN · ITLaveno · Lombard shore
Rents seven licence-free 40 hp boats for up to 8 people from a shop near the Laveno lakefront and runs skipper-led tours to the Borromean Islands.
Licence-free 40 hp boats from €200 for a half day (fuel extra); skipper tours from €350 for 2 h
Season: May–September
Languages: EN · IT · DE · FRLaveno · Lombard shore
Sailing school at Cerro di Laveno that rents keelboats and dinghies, bareboat to trained sailors or with an instructor or skipper.
Sailboat from €170 for a half day; with skipper from €260
Languages: ITMuralto · Swiss shore
Rents pedalos, SUPs, water bikes, licence-free 8 HP boats and larger motorboats that need a licence, from the Muralto lakefront in Locarno bay.
Licence-free 8 HP boat from CHF 50 for 1 h; pedalo CHF 26 for 1 h
Season: mid-March–mid-October
Languages: IT · FR · EN · DEMuralto · Swiss shore
Private boat charters with a skipper, a shared lake cruise, sunset aperitifs and fondue cruises, all from the port of Muralto.
Private 3 h tour with skipper CHF 550
Languages: ITGambarogno · Swiss shore
Boatyard in Vira Gambarogno that rents 200–350 HP motorboats for 8–12 people, with a skipper on request.
From CHF 400 for a half day (licence needed, fuel extra); skipper CHF 50 per hour
Languages: DE · ITAscona · Swiss shore
Rents licence-free 8 HP motorboats for up to 7 people and pedalos for up to 4 on the Ascona lakefront promenade, opposite the Osteria Nostrana.
Licence-free 8 HP boat from CHF 65 for 1 h; pedalo from CHF 15 for 30 min
Season: March–October
Languages: IT · EN · DEAscona · Swiss shore
Sailing and motorboat school in Ascona that rents licence-free and licensed motorboats and sailboats, and runs boat trips with a skipper.
Licence-free 8 HP boat CHF 220 for 3 h, fuel included; licensed motorboats from CHF 450 per day
Languages: IT · DE · ENOmegna 2Orta 1Pella 1
Omegna · Lake Orta
Beach club on Lake Orta at Omegna that rents licence-free open boats, a cabin boat and Whaly RIBs, and delivers boats anywhere on the lake.
Licence-free boats from €130 for 3 h
Season: All year (on reservation)
Languages: EN · ITOmegna · Lake Orta
Rents small licence-free boats from Omegna on Lake Orta, with a web app for GPS tracking, an SOS button and audio guides.
Licence-free boats from €110 for 3 h, fuel included
Languages: ITOrta · Lake Orta
Consortium that runs the boat service between Orta and Isola San Giulio and also hires out boats with a driver, on request.
Pella · Lake Orta
Boatyard in Pella, across from Orta and Isola San Giulio, that rents licence-free 20 hp and 40 hp boats, an electric boat and kayaks.
Licence-free and electric boats from €160 for 5 h
Languages: ITNo places match these filters. Try the whole lake or any language.
Yes. In the Italian part, in towns such as Stresa, Baveno, Verbania, Arona or Luino, you can drive a boat with up to 40.8 hp (30 kW) without a licence, within 6 nautical miles of the shore. In the Swiss part the limit is 6 kW, about 8 hp. Jet skis always need a licence.
Yes, but a small one. Swiss law applies there: without a licence you may drive up to 6 kW (about 8 hp), from the age of 14. Bigger boats need a licence or a skipper.
Within 150 m of the shore, 10 km/h everywhere on Lake Maggiore, and only to come in or leave. Further out: 45 km/h on the Piedmont side; 27 knots by day and 10 at night on the Lombardy side. On Lake Orta, 20 knots by day and 4 at night.
Yes, with its own rules: keep out of the 100 m band along the shore except to come in or leave, at 7 km/h at most; 20 knots by day and 4 at night elsewhere. Big boats (over 6 tonnes or 3.5 m wide) are not allowed, and jet skis are banned between Isola San Giulio and the east shore.
Lake Maggiore has two local winds. The Tramontana blows down the lake from the north through the night and into the morning; in the afternoon the Inverna blows up the lake from the south. Both are most regular on clear, settled days.
Listings are compiled from providers’ own websites and tourist boards. Missing a place, or is something wrong? Add your event
sources: normattiva.it, fedlex.admin.ch, fedlex.admin.ch, arianna.cr.piemonte.it, arianna.cr.piemonte.it, regione.lombardia.it, arianna.cr.piemonte.it · checked 2026-10-25.