🇮🇹 Novara, Italy
Blue Relais
📍 Novara
Photo: official website
Your stay — Blue Relais
Live forecast for your dates · what's on · air quality & pollen📅 Pick your check-in & check-out above to unlock your day-by-day forecast, what's on during your stay, and live air quality & pollen for Novara.
The Property — Blue Relais
Blue Relais is a clean-lined four-star with a contemporary Italian business-hotel feel, just off the A4 motorway. The lobby is all pale stone and glass, quiet and efficient, with a small bar and a friendly front desk that gets you checked in fast. It suits drivers passing through Piedmont, or anyone who wants a reliable, no-fuss base near Novara's centre without city-centre prices. The plus-point is the free, secure outdoor parking and the solid breakfast spread at €15 a head.
Chronicles of Novara
Novara was founded as a Roman municipium in 89 BC, standing on the old road from Vercelli to Milan. Its medieval centre grew up around the Piazza della Repubblica, where the 19th-century neoclassical theatre and Broletto palace still stand. The city's real landmark is the Basilica of San Gaudenzio, topped by a 121-metre copper-and-stone cupola designed by Alessandro Antonelli. Since the mid-20th century, Novara became a key rail and industrial hub, and today it blends a quiet academic atmosphere (it hosts the Università del Piemonte Orientale) with a lively food scene based on local risotto and Gorgonzola.
Best Time to Visit
Full Novara guide →Best months
May–June: long sunny days, average highs around 25°C, and the city's outdoor cafés are buzzing but hotels are not yet at peak rates. September–October: harvest season, with Gorgonzola and rice festivals, plus pleasant 20–22°C afternoons.
Peak / festival surge
July–August: high summer brings Italian holidaymakers and occasional heat spikes above 30°C. Room rates at Blue Relais typically jump 25–30% from June. No specific festival drives it—just general August exodus and Tour de France overflow in nearby Lombardy.
Budget shoulder season
April and October: discounts of up to 20% versus July, with cooler but still mild days (15–20°C) and noticeably fewer cars on the city's ring roads. October also means fewer mosquitoes and no sunburn risk.
Weather & packing
Novara sits in the foggy Po Valley, so summer mornings can start damp and overcast even if the afternoon turns hot. Pack a lightweight water-resistant jacket and always bring layers: a long-sleeve top for evening, even in July.
Live City Briefing — Novara
- Novara's main train station (ferrovie) is undergoing platform upgrades through July 2026, so expect some cancelled regional trains and longer waits at ticket machines—check the Trenitalia app before you travel.
- The Piazza della Repubblica market has moved to the Parco del Castello for summer 2026 due to repaving works. It's still on Saturdays 8–14, but now under shade in the park.
- A new late-night gelato place, Gelateria 88, opened on Corso Torino in May 2026 and is popular for its stracciatella with locally made goat's milk.
Your Perfect Room
✨ AI-generated · Jul 2026Before you check in to Blue Relais, here's what to know about choosing the right room.
Best rooms to request
Request a room on the third or fourth floor facing the internal courtyard (away from the street). These upper floors are quieter and get better natural light, and the courtyard orientation minimises road noise from the central Novara location.
Rooms to avoid
Avoid rooms on the ground floor, especially those near the reception or breakfast area, as they can suffer from lobby noise and foot traffic. Also avoid rooms at the front of the hotel facing the main road, which can have street noise, particularly in the morning and evening rush hours.
Best views
The best view is from upper floors (4th floor) facing the courtyard – you see the hotel’s garden or terrace area, and possibly rooftops of Novara. Street-facing rooms offer a view of the city street, which is less remarkable.
Quietest floors
Floors 3 and 4 are the quietest – set back from street level and with fewer floor neighbours passing by.
🔊 Noise notes
Novara is a mid-sized city, so the street outside the hotel has regular traffic and pedestrian noise during the day. Early morning rubbish collection and delivery trucks can be disruptive to front-facing rooms. The lift mechanism and service door (if near a room) can produce low hum and thudding.
Insider tips
1. If you’re arriving by car, ask the hotel about their private parking arrangement – many 4-star hotels in central Novara offer paid garage parking or a nearby lot, and it’s worth booking ahead to avoid street parking hassles. 2. Request a room on floor 3 or 4 well in advance – these are the most sought-after for quietness and light, and the hotel may be able to guarantee it if you mention you’re a light sleeper.
- Call the hotel directly 24–48 hours before arrival and ask for a specific room type
- Add a note in your booking comments field
- Ask at check-in — front desk staff can often accommodate if a room is available
Hotel Facilities — Blue Relais
Free WiFi for all guests, capable of streaming video; login via room number and surname
One lift serves all floors; no stairs-only sections
Complimentary digital access to PressReader for major Italian and international newspapers; no physical papers
Standard check-in from 15:00 to 23:00; early bag drop allowed from 09:00; late check-out until 12:00 subject to availability with a €30 fee
Free luggage storage at reception on day of arrival and departure, no time limit
Main entrance has a ramp; one step at the side door; lift accessible; no step-free access to the rooftop terrace
On-site paid parking €15 per night, unguarded; nearest public garage at Piazza Garibaldi, €12 per night; no EV charging
Fees, Taxes & Deposits
City / tourist tax: €2.50 per person per night, up to 14 nights; exempt for under-14s
Deposit & card hold: First night charged as deposit for non-refundable bookings; refundable bookings may have a €50 incidental hold at check-in
Faith & Dietary Nearby
- Church: Cappella votiva (777 m · ~10 min walk)
- Church: Chiesa della Madonna della Neve (790 m · ~10 min walk)
- Church: Chiesa dei Santi Ippolito ed Alessandro (1.4 km · ~17 min walk)
- Church: Chiesa di Sant' Anna (1.6 km · ~20 min walk)
Local Lifestyle & Recreation
Parco ex Idroscalo Sant'Anna — 1.6 km · ~21 min walk
Gottard Park — 295 m · ~4 min walk
5-Minute Radius Essentials
Farmacia Maggiore — 563 m · ~7 min walk
Max Factory — 1.2 km · ~15 min walk
Dormelletto Paese — 2.6 km · ~32 min walk
Money & Currency
Get a travel card →Euro, EUR
Use ATMs for the best rates; avoid exchange desks at airports and major stations which charge high fees.
Cards are accepted almost everywhere, including contactless and mobile pay; small cash still useful for markets or tiny bars.
Not expected but appreciated for good service; round up the bill at restaurants, leave a euro or two for taxis and hotel staff.
Eat, Shop & Travel on a Budget
Cheap car hire →Espresso at a bar — about €1.00–1.20.
Panino or pizza al taglio from a bakery or rosticceria — around €5–7.
A pasta dish or pizza in a casual trattoria — main course €10–14.
Look for small bakeries and rosticcerie offering pizza, focaccia, and arancini (rice balls), especially around Piazza Cavour and Corso Cavour.
Coop and Lidl are common budget supermarkets in the area.
Affordable high-street shopping along Corso Cavour and Via Fratelli Rosselli, with chains like OVS and H&M.
Walk or bike within the city centre; the cheapest way around is a single bus ticket at €1.50 or a day pass for around €4. From Milan airports, take a regional train via Milano Centrale to Novara station (about €10–15).
Eat the fixed-price lunch menu (menu del giorno) at trattorias for €10–12. Buy water and snacks from supermarkets rather than tourist spots. Stay outside the immediate historic centre for lower accommodation prices.
Good to know — Novara
Type C/F/L · 230V
safe
$1 ≈ €0.87 · EUR
Where to Eat
💡 Booking tip: For popular restaurants in Novara, book at least a week ahead — especially for weekend evenings and during festival season.
Your arrival at Blue Relais
🕒 Check-in is from . Arriving earlier? Most hotels store luggage free — just ask at reception.
🧭 First things nearby: pharmacy · Farmacia Maggiore — 563 m · ~7 min walk
🚐 Pre-book an airport transfer →Getting Around
Find train tickets →Novara FS Station → La Sibilla Hotel
💡 Get off at the 'Cavour' stop; buy tickets at the station tabacchi. After 21:00, a taxi from the station costs about 8 euros.
Novara Railway Station → Hotel Cavour (Via XX Settembre stop)
💡 Buy tickets at the tabaccaio inside the station. The bus stops right outside the hotel—look for the red sign.
Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) → Novara
💡 Buy tickets at the airport kiosk or online to avoid queues; the bus stops 200m from La Sibilla on Corso Cavour.
Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) → Novara Railway Station
💡 Get off at Novara FS, then walk 10 mins north or take a 5-euro taxi to Hotel Cavour. Validate your ticket before boarding.
Novara Railway Station → Piazza Cesare Battisti (via Hotel Cavour)
💡 A heritage tram running on old tracks—great for photos but not a reliable everyday option. Check comune.novara.it for dates.
Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) → Hotel Cavour, Novara
💡 Book via the airport taxi stand or an app like FreeNow for a fixed rate. Avoid unlicensed drivers inside the terminal.
Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) → Novara FS Station
💡 Trains depart from Terminal 1; from La Sibilla, it's a 15-minute walk or 5-euro taxi ride to the hotel.
Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) → La Sibilla Hotel
💡 Book through a local cooperative like Radio Taxi Novara for fixed rates; confirm the fare before starting to avoid surprises.
About Novara
Wikipedia ↗
Novara (Italian: [noˈvaːra] ; Novarese: [nuˈ(ʋ)aːra]) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy, to the west of Milan. With a population of 103,238, it is the 2nd-largest city in Piedmont after Turin as of 2026. It is an important crossroads for commer...
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best rooms at Blue Relais?
Request a room on the third or fourth floor facing the internal courtyard (away from the street). These upper floors are quieter and get better natural light, and the courtyard orientation minimises road noise from the central Novara location.
Which rooms should I avoid at Blue Relais?
Avoid rooms on the ground floor, especially those near the reception or breakfast area, as they can suffer from lobby noise and foot traffic. Also avoid rooms at the front of the hotel facing the main road, which can have street noise, particularly in the morning and evening rush hours.
Is Blue Relais noisy?
Novara is a mid-sized city, so the street outside the hotel has regular traffic and pedestrian noise during the day. Early morning rubbish collection and delivery trucks can be disruptive to front-facing rooms. The lift mechanism and service door (if near a room) can produce low hum and thudding.
Which rooms have the best views at Blue Relais?
The best view is from upper floors (4th floor) facing the courtyard – you see the hotel’s garden or terrace area, and possibly rooftops of Novara. Street-facing rooms offer a view of the city street, which is less remarkable.
What are insider tips for staying at Blue Relais?
1. If you’re arriving by car, ask the hotel about their private parking arrangement – many 4-star hotels in central Novara offer paid garage parking or a nearby lot, and it’s worth booking ahead to avoid street parking hassles. 2. Request a room on floor 3 or 4 well in advance – these are the most sought-after for quietness and light, and the hotel may be able to guarantee it if you mention you’re a light sleeper.
What time is check-in at Blue Relais?
Check-in at Blue Relais is from null. Check-out is by null.
Does Blue Relais have Wi-Fi?
Free WiFi for all guests, capable of streaming video; login via room number and surname
Is there a city or tourist tax at Blue Relais?
€2.50 per person per night, up to 14 nights; exempt for under-14s
Where can I eat cheaply near Blue Relais?
Panino or pizza al taglio from a bakery or rosticceria — around €5–7.
What is the cheapest way to get around from Blue Relais?
Walk or bike within the city centre; the cheapest way around is a single bus ticket at €1.50 or a day pass for around €4. From Milan airports, take a regional train via Milano Centrale to Novara station (about €10–15).
When is the best time to visit Novara?
May–June: long sunny days, average highs around 25°C, and the city's outdoor cafés are buzzing but hotels are not yet at peak rates. September–October: harvest season, with Gorgonzola and rice festivals, plus pleasant 20–22°C afternoons.
Top Attractions in Novara
💡 Buy a paper cone of olives and a slice of focaccia from the stall near the fountain for under €3.
💡 Pop into the Broletto courtyard – it's usually quiet and has a lovely Romanesque cloister.
💡 Check the schedule on the municipality website before visiting; events often include free guided tours of the interior.
💡 Come hungry – grab a cone of fried olives or slices of salami from the food stalls. Best around 10am to avoid the crowds.
💡 Skip the climb if queues are long; the view from Piazza della Repubblica is just as good.
💡 Grab a panino from a local bakery and eat at the tables near the fountain. Quietest on weekday mornings.
💡 Free admission is usually on the first Sunday of the month. Arrive early to avoid the school groups.
💡 Go on a Sunday morning for a quieter walk and a picnic at the far end near the ramparts.