A honeymoon that belongs only to you: red sails, hidden bays and a skipper as your host – at a fixed price.
Honeymoon
The wedding is behind you. The speeches have been given, the last dance danced, the guests waved off. Now begins the moment you secretly looked forward to most: the first days as a married couple – just the two of you, with no programme, without anyone else's expectations. A honeymoon is more than a trip. It is the transition from bustle to togetherness, from organising to enjoying, from celebrating to arriving.
This is exactly where this article comes in. It shows you how to plan your honeymoon so that it truly belongs only to you – focused on intimate, unhurried moments instead of interchangeable resort experiences. Because many couples ask themselves the same question after the wedding: where should the trip go so that the honeymoon becomes as special as it deserves to be?
Striga Constanze offers private boat tours on Lake Maggiore – on a traditional gaff cutter, exclusively for you, with a skipper and at a fixed price. No entertainment, no strangers, no rigid daily programme. Instead: red sails over the water, hidden bays, flexible departure times and a route that follows your wishes.
The contrast to classic honeymoon destinations is clear. While crowded honeymoon hotels on beaches often promise luxury but offer little privacy, on a private gaff cutter you experience real romance: the sound of wind and water, the mountain backdrop of northern Italy, sunsets you don't have to share with a hundred other hotel guests.
80 percent of couples choose exotic destinations for their honeymoon – the Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka or destinations on the Indian Ocean top the list. But more and more newlyweds are discovering that a destination doesn't have to be at the other end of the world to be unforgettable. The most popular honeymoon destinations are often in tropical or Mediterranean regions – and this is exactly where Lake Maggiore positions itself as a strong alternative. According to Honeyfund, Italy currently ranks second among the most popular honeymoon destinations for 2026, directly behind classic long-haul destinations.
The 2026 season has already ended – which means couples marrying in 2027 can now plan their honeymoon in peace. The season at Striga Constanze starts on 1 March 2027, and reservations are possible right away. Anyone eyeing the best months, May to September, secures their preferred date early.
What makes Lake Maggiore so special as a honeymoon destination: a mild, humid subtropical climate with around 2,300 hours of sunshine per year and average temperatures around 15.5 °C. In summer the water temperatures rise to a pleasant 20 to 24 °C. Add romantic places such as Isola Bella with its baroque palace and gardens, the monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso spectacularly built into the rock face, the elegant promenade of Stresa and the quiet gardens of Pallanza. Picturesque sunsets over the water, views of snow-capped peaks and small Italian towns – this is not a paradise from a catalogue, but a place with real history and soul.
The lake is especially suited to couples who don't want more airport stress after the wedding. From Germany, Lake Maggiore is easily reached by car or train via Milan or Lugano – no long-haul flight, no jet lag, no lost suitcases. For newlyweds seeking calm, nature and an authentic Italian way of life, this place is a distinction for the start of your life together.
Matching tours
Bestseller€490
Private tour
Proposal€490
Private tour
Beginners€490
+ €20 p. p.Private tourA honeymoon on a traditional sailing boat feels fundamentally different from a stay in hotels or resorts. It's not about a product you book – it's about a transformation: from wedding stress into complete relaxation, from the noise of the celebration into the silence on the water, from everyday life into something you've never experienced before.
Core benefits of a honeymoon experience on the Striga Constanze
The boat belongs only to the two of you. No strangers at the next table, no entertainment at the pool, no queue at the buffet. On the gaff cutter you are alone with your skipper – ideal for intimate conversations, quiet moments and the intimacy that makes a honeymoon. Honeymoon hotels should guarantee calm and relaxation – on a private sailing boat that is a given from the first minute.
Red gaff sails, warm wooden details, quietly gliding across the lake: the Striga Constanze is a replica of a Northern European working boat, built in 1979 at Baumgartner, with 55.7 m² of sail area. This setting shapes every photo, every memory and the entire mood of your honeymoon. Not staged luxury, but real romance on the water. More about the boat.
You decide where the journey goes: the Borromean Islands, hidden bays near Cerro, the monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso or the mystical Castelli di Cannero. Every tour is put together to your ideas – flexible, spontaneous and without rigid excursion plans.
It's advisable not to plan every day of the trip completely. That's exactly what the Striga Constanze makes possible: no rigid departure times, free choice between 3, 4 or 7 hours of tour time. For couples who want to catch their breath after weeks of wedding planning, this time-out on the water is ideal.
From €490 for the whole tour, skipper included. Up to 8 guests at a fixed price, up to 12 on request. German couples spend an average of €4,000 to €5,000 on their honeymoon – a realistic budget has to cover flights, accommodation and meals. The boat tour as a honeymoon highlight fits any plan very well without blowing the budget.
Small towns, lakeside promenades, an aperitivo on board or a shore visit to a selected restaurant on the lakeshore: here you experience real Italian culture instead of resort monoculture. Cultural experiences are part of the honeymoon for many couples – on Lake Maggiore you get them quite naturally.
In 3 steps
Your honeymoon experience on the Striga Constanze needs no complicated organisation. From the first enquiry to the moment on the boat there are three simple steps – so you can concentrate on what really counts: your shared start to married life.
Send your enquiry via the contact form or directly by WhatsApp to +39 333 3802 383. Briefly describe what you have in mind: preferred date (e.g. May 2027), preferred time (sunset, morning), tour length (3, 4 or 7 hours) and rough ideas – a swim stop, special photo moments, maybe even a "proposal 2.0" on the water (ideas in the proposal article). Every enquiry is non-binding, and you'll usually receive a personal reply within 24 hours.
Your skipper makes concrete suggestions tailored to your wishes: a sunset tour with a view of Stresa and Isola Bella, a stop at Santa Caterina del Sasso, a swim stop near Pallanza. Planning a honeymoon requires coordinating both partners' wishes – which is why the skipper responds to individual ideas: music on board, a small aperitivo, time for photos or a combination with a civil registry appointment in Verbania or Varese. And if the weather doesn't play along? Free rebooking – so you take every worry about rain off your mind.
Arrival at the home port of Laveno-Mombello: a picturesque place with small jetties and a view across the lake. The skipper welcomes you personally, you step aboard over the jetty, and as soon as you cast off you leave everything behind. The trip leads along the coast, past historic villas and lush gardens. First photo stops, then quiet moments – just wind, water and you.
Optionally you head for an island, take a short shore visit, enjoy a lakeside restaurant or jump into the water in a quiet bay. A sundowner on the bow, looking at the lights of the lakeside towns, makes a stylish finish – or the start of further honeymoon days by the lake.
Traditional gaff cutter, red sails, just your group. 3, 4 or 7 hours.
from €490
for up to 8 guests at a fixed price, up to 12 on request
The difference
Luxury hotels offer special honeymoon packages, excursion boats promise sightseeing experiences, motorboat tours advertise speed. But all these offers follow a similar pattern: standardised, for many, on a fixed programme. Striga Constanze goes a different way.
Our special differences at a glance
Not every bridal couple wants to fly three weeks to the other end of the world. Honeymoons can also take place after the wedding – and they can be exactly as long or short as suits your life. Here is inspiration for how to shape your honeymoon around the lake.
2–3 nights in a hotel in Laveno, Stresa or Verbania, combined with a 3- or 4-hour tour as the highlight. Ideal for couples who marry in May or September and want a compact, intense experience straight away, without a long journey. This variant shows: even a short break can hold a whole lot of happiness. See also the short break on Lake Maggiore.
5–7 days on Lake Maggiore: exploring lakeside promenades, taking the cable car up Sasso del Ferro, visiting wineries, making day trips to Milan or Lugano. The 7-hour tour becomes an all-day experience with a swim stop, aperitivo and a restaurant visit ashore. Honeymoons should last at least 14 days for real relaxation – anyone with that time can easily combine the week by the lake with other regions of northern Italy.
Departure in the late afternoon, the sky turns golden, the sun sinks behind the mountains, and on the way back the lights of the lakeside towns reflect in the water. A candlelight dinner ashore rounds off the evening. This variant is perfect for lovers who want to deliberately stage the most romantic moment of their honeymoon – without kitsch, but with the best filter nature has to offer. To the sunset tour.
A professional after-wedding shoot on the gaff cutter: the traditional look of the boat, the backdrop of Isola Bella, Santa Caterina del Sasso and the changing light moods over the water offer the perfect stage for natural couple photos. No studio, no staged poses – instead real moments, captured in surroundings more beautiful than any backdrop on Getty Images. Striga Constanze offers its own wedding and engagement photoshoot as a tour format.
Most viewed
Bestseller€490
Private tourBestseller€490
Private tour
Team event€490
Private tour
Other providers
Striga Constanze
Mass experience
just your group
Engine noise
sound of wind and water
To-do-list holiday
holiday at your own pace
The choice of honeymoon destination depends on the couple's preferences. Think about whether your holiday should be more relaxing or adventurous – or both. Choosing the right travel style is crucial for the honeymoon.
Typical couples our honeymoon offer suits
The price structure at Striga Constanze is deliberately simple and transparent: one fixed price per tour for the whole private group, skipper included. No hidden surcharges, no per-person extras (up to 8 guests, up to 12 on request). Honeymooners should watch out for special offers in hotels – with the boat tour you know from the start what everything costs.
Price: €490 fixed price for the boat including skipper, for up to 8 guests, up to 12 on request.
Perfect for a short highlight: a sunset tour, an emotional stopover as part of a longer trip or the kick-off to your honeymoon. Typical route: Laveno – Santa Caterina del Sasso – back along the eastern shore with a view of the mountains.
Price: €690 fixed price, for up to 8 guests, up to 12 on request.
More time for a swim stop in a quiet bay plus an aperitivo break on the water. Typical route: the Borromean Islands with Isola Bella and Isola Madre, photo stops in front of historic backdrops and a short break ashore on one of the islands.
Price: €990 fixed price, for up to 8 guests, up to 12 on request.
For couples who want to spend their honeymoon highlight on the water. Several swim stops, hidden bays, a long restaurant visit ashore, plenty of time for photos and calm. This tour is the most intense way to experience Lake Maggiore as a couple – a whole day between water, wind and love.
No-obligation enquiry, reply within 24 hours. Weekends in the 2027 season go fast.
Here we answer the most common questions newlyweds and travellers have about a honeymoon on the water.
Booking should be made a few months in advance – ideally as soon as your wedding date is set. The months May to September in high season 2027 are in particularly high demand. Early reservation secures your preferred date and time. Spontaneous enquiries are still possible depending on availability. Climate checks matter when choosing a destination – on Lake Maggiore, May, June and September offer the best weather with pleasantly little crowding.
Next step
While around 80 percent of couples today travel to faraway countries – to the beaches of the Maldives, an island in the Seychelles or under palm trees in Thailand – a private gaff cutter on Lake Maggiore offers something no long-haul resort can replace: real closeness, real silence, real Italy. A place that isn't on any tour operator's list of top offers, but an experience you shape yourselves.
Enquire now, without obligation, for your 2027 date:
No deposit for the enquiry, no booking through a shopping cart, no impersonal process. You describe your wishes and receive a personal proposal within 24 hours with concrete tips for your honeymoon on Lake Maggiore.
No hidden fees. No mass processing. Just wind, water and the beginning of something big.
Skipper of the Striga Constanze
Ciao! Questions about the route, departure harbour or date? Just message me – I reply personally.
