TL;DR: A 2-hour audio companion for the boat cruise from Locarno to Ascona and the Brissago Islands on the Swiss portion of Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore). Explore a lakeside city famous for its film festival, a bohemian artists' village, and two subtropical islands with botanical gardens featuring plants from five continents -- all framed by the southern Alps.
Cruise Overview
| Route | Locarno -- Ascona -- Brissago -- Isole di Brissago (Brissago Islands) |
| Duration | ~2 hours (round trip from Locarno with island stop) |
| Operator | NLM (Navigazione Lago Maggiore) |
| Vessel | Motor vessel |
| Swiss Travel Pass | Fully covered on Swiss waters (free); Brissago Islands garden entry extra (~CHF 9) |
| Best Seat | Upper deck, port (left) side from Locarno toward Ascona for mountain views |
| Best Time | Late morning for the best light; April-October for the Brissago Islands garden |
Introduction
[Duration: 3 minutes | At Locarno pier]
Welcome to Lake Maggiore -- Lago Maggiore -- and to this ch.tours audio guide for the cruise from Locarno to the Brissago Islands.
Lake Maggiore is the second-largest lake in Switzerland and Italy combined (after Lake Geneva), stretching 65 kilometers from Locarno in the north to Sesto Calende in Italy to the south. Only the northern tip -- about 20 percent of the lake's total area -- belongs to Switzerland. The rest is Italian, divided between the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. But that Swiss 20 percent is spectacular, encompassing the broadest section of the lake, the warmest microclimate, and two of the most remarkable islands in any Alpine lake.
Lake Maggiore sits at 193 meters above sea level -- the lowest point in Switzerland. That remarkably low elevation, combined with the lake's southern orientation and the sheltering mountains to the north, creates a climate that is almost subtropical. The average temperature in Locarno is the highest of any Swiss city. Palms, magnolias, camellias, citrus trees, and even bananas grow here. The Brissago Islands, which you will visit today, host a botanical garden with plants from five continents -- many of them species that could not survive anywhere else in Switzerland.
The boat is ready. Let us begin in Locarno.
Segment 1: Locarno
[Duration: 8 minutes | 0-10 minutes into the journey]
As the boat pulls away from the Locarno pier, look back at the city. Locarno has a population of approximately 16,000 (about 60,000 in the greater agglomeration) and sits at the head of the Maggia River delta, where the river has deposited a broad, flat plain at the northern end of the lake.
The most prominent feature of the city from the water is the Piazza Grande -- one of the largest public squares in Switzerland, stretching 150 meters long and 90 meters wide. The Piazza Grande is flanked by arcaded buildings in the Lombard style, their ochre and pastel facades creating a distinctly Italian atmosphere. This square is the heart of Locarno's social life, hosting the daily market, cafe terraces, and -- most famously -- the Locarno Film Festival every August.
The Locarno Film Festival, founded in 1946, is one of the longest-running and most prestigious international film festivals. Its signature event is the outdoor screening on the Piazza Grande, where up to 8,000 spectators watch films on one of the largest outdoor screens in the world -- 26 meters wide and 14 meters high. The festival's top prize, the Golden Leopard, is one of the most respected awards in art-house cinema.
Above the city, on the hillside to the west, you can see the Santuario della Madonna del Sasso -- the Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Rock. This pilgrimage church, founded in 1487 following a reported vision of the Virgin Mary, sits on a rocky outcrop 355 meters above the lake. The church is reachable by the Locarno-Madonna del Sasso funicular, which dates to 1906, or by a steep walking path. The view from the sanctuary terrace -- over the city, the lake, and the Maggia delta -- is one of the best in Ticino.
Locarno also has a significant place in 20th-century diplomatic history. The Treaties of Locarno, signed here in October 1925, were a series of agreements between European powers aimed at normalizing relations after World War I. The treaties were negotiated at the Grand Hotel, and they were seen at the time as a major step toward lasting European peace. That hope proved tragically short-lived, but the name Locarno remains associated with diplomacy and international cooperation.
Segment 2: Crossing to Ascona
[Duration: 8 minutes | 10-22 minutes into the journey]
The boat is now crossing the bay toward Ascona, visible on the western shore. The journey takes only about 10 minutes, but the shift in character is remarkable. Where Locarno is a functioning city with government offices, railway connections, and commercial bustle, Ascona is a town that exists almost entirely for pleasure.
As the boat approaches the Ascona pier, the waterfront promenade unfolds before you -- the Lungolago, a palm-lined walkway stretching along the lakeshore, backed by colorful Italianate buildings housing restaurants, galleries, boutiques, and hotels. The promenade is pedestrian-only, and in the evening, when the cafes fill and the sun sets over the lake, it has an atmosphere that rivals anything on the Italian Riviera.
Ascona has a population of about 5,500 but attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Its history as a destination goes back further than you might expect. In the early 1900s, the community of Monte Verita -- the Mountain of Truth -- was established on the hill above Ascona as a utopian colony. Founded by Henri Oedenkoven and Ida Hofmann in 1900, Monte Verita attracted anarchists, vegetarians, nudists, theosophists, dancers, and artists seeking an alternative way of life. Hermann Hesse visited repeatedly. The dancer Rudolf von Laban developed his movement theories here. The psychologist Carl Jung gave seminars on the hill. Isadora Duncan danced under the trees.
Monte Verita is now a cultural center and museum, and the complex of original buildings -- including a distinctive Bauhaus-style hotel built in 1927 -- can be visited. The hill offers panoramic views over Ascona, the lake, and the delta, and the story of its utopian past is told through exhibitions and preserved structures.
Ascona's artistic legacy continues. The town hosts a renowned jazz festival -- JazzAscona -- every June, as well as classical music events, art exhibitions, and cultural programs throughout the year. The combination of subtropical climate, lakeside setting, and cultural programming has made Ascona one of the most desirable small towns in Switzerland.
Segment 3: The Western Shore to Brissago
[Duration: 8 minutes | 22-38 minutes into the journey]
From Ascona, the boat continues south along the western shore toward Brissago. This stretch of the lake is the most sheltered and warmest section of the Swiss shoreline, and the vegetation is lush to the point of extravagance. Gardens overflow with bougainvillea, wisteria, and oleander. Palm trees tower above villa walls. The scent of Mediterranean herbs -- rosemary, thyme, lavender -- drifts across the water on warm days.
On the port side, the small villages along the shore -- Ronco sopra Ascona, Porto Ronco -- are among the most exclusive addresses in Ticino. The hillsides above the lake are dotted with villas, many hidden behind high walls and subtropical gardens. Ronco sopra Ascona, in particular, has been favored by writers and artists. The German writer Erich Maria Remarque, author of "All Quiet on the Western Front," lived here for the last years of his life, from 1948 until his death in 1970, and is buried in the village cemetery.
The town of Brissago itself sits on a small promontory, with a church tower rising above a cluster of stone houses. Brissago was historically a center of tobacco production -- the Brissago cigar, a thin, dark, toscano-style cigar, has been produced here since 1847 and remains a local specialty. The original factory has closed, but the brand survives, and you can still buy Brissago cigars in local tabaccherie.
On the starboard side, across the lake, the Italian shore is just 2 to 3 kilometers away. The town of Cannobio, with its colorful waterfront and weekly market, is one of the most popular Italian lake towns and is easily reachable by boat from Brissago.
Segment 4: The Brissago Islands
[Duration: 12 minutes | 38-65 minutes into the journey]
The boat is now approaching the Isole di Brissago -- the Brissago Islands -- two small islands in the lake between Brissago and the Italian shore. The larger island, Isola Grande (also called Isola di San Pancrazio), is about 2.5 hectares in area and hosts one of the most remarkable botanical gardens in Europe. The smaller island, Isola Piccola (or Isola di Sant'Apollinare), is uninhabited and not open to the public.
As the boat comes alongside the pier on Isola Grande, the first impression is of overwhelming green. The island is densely planted with over 1,700 plant species from every continent, creating a living botanical encyclopedia in the middle of an Alpine lake.
The garden's existence is due to an extraordinary combination of climate and human ambition. In 1885, the Baroness Antoinette de Saint-Leger, a Russian-born aristocrat married to an Irish baron, purchased the island and began planting exotic species, taking advantage of the extraordinarily mild microclimate. The island rarely experiences frost -- its lowest recorded temperature is just minus 2 degrees Celsius -- and the lake's thermal mass moderates temperatures year-round. The baroness transformed the island into a private paradise of subtropical and tropical plants.
After the baroness's death, the island passed through several owners before being purchased by the canton of Ticino in 1949. The botanical garden was established and has been continuously expanded and maintained since then. Today, it is managed by a foundation and is open to visitors from April to October.
Walking through the garden is a journey across the world's climatic zones. You will find Japanese camellias, Chinese bamboo, Australian eucalyptus, South African proteas, Mexican agaves, Mediterranean cypresses, and Himalayan rhododendrons. The subtropical section includes banana plants, date palms, and tree ferns. The Mediterranean section features olive trees, lavender, and rosemary. And the Asian section displays some of the rarest ornamental plants in any European garden.
The villa at the center of the island -- the Palazzo -- was built by the baroness and later modified by the German department store magnate Max Emden, who owned the island from 1927 to 1940. Emden was a flamboyant character who hosted lavish parties on the island and reportedly entertained guests in considerable style. The palazzo now hosts temporary exhibitions and educational events.
Spend at least 45 minutes on the island. The circular path takes you through every section of the garden, and there are benches throughout where you can sit and absorb the improbable beauty of tropical plants growing in the shadow of snow-capped Alps.
Segment 5: Return Journey
[Duration: 6 minutes | 65-85 minutes into the journey]
As the boat departs the Brissago Islands for the return journey to Locarno, the panorama opens up to the north. The Maggia delta is visible at the head of the lake, a broad green plain where the Maggia River has deposited alluvial material over thousands of years, creating the flat land on which Locarno and its airport sit.
Above and behind Locarno, the Verzasca Valley cuts northward into the mountains, and the Maggia Valley extends northwest. Both valleys are spectacularly wild, with granite gorges, emerald-green river pools, and stone villages that seem unchanged since the Middle Ages. The Verzasca Dam -- a 220-meter-high arch dam that gained fame as the setting for the bungee jump in the 1995 James Bond film "GoldenEye" -- is located about 10 kilometers up the Verzasca Valley from Locarno.
The mountains visible to the north, rising above the valleys, are the Lepontine Alps, reaching elevations of over 3,000 meters. The contrast between the subtropical lakeshore where you are cruising and the snow-covered peaks just 20 kilometers away is one of the most dramatic in Switzerland. Nowhere else in the country can you stand among palm trees and see glaciers simultaneously.
On the port side, look for the Cardada-Cimetta cable car station above Locarno. Cardada, at 1,340 meters, is Locarno's local mountain, accessible by a modern cable car from Orselina (just above the Madonna del Sasso sanctuary). The viewing platform at Cardada, designed by the architect Mario Botta, offers a panoramic vista that encompasses Lake Maggiore, the Maggia delta, and the surrounding mountains. From Cardada, a chairlift continues to Cimetta at 1,671 meters, where the views extend even further. The round trip costs approximately CHF 38, or half-price with the Swiss Travel Pass. On a clear day, the view from Cimetta encompasses territory in both Switzerland and Italy, from the Alps to the haze of the Po Plain.
The lake surface on calm days reflects the surrounding mountains with almost perfect clarity, creating a doubled landscape of extraordinary beauty. Lake Maggiore's calm is deceptive, however -- the lake can be subject to sudden storms, particularly when the Inverna wind blows down from the north or the Mergozzo rises from the south. Fishermen on the lake have respected these winds for centuries, and the evening calm that follows a daytime storm produces some of the most spectacular light conditions on any Italian-Swiss lake.
Closing
[Duration: 3 minutes]
Your Lake Maggiore cruise is complete, and you have experienced the most subtropical corner of Switzerland -- a place where the Alps meet the Mediterranean, where botanical gardens host plants from five continents, and where the warmth of the south softens the precision of the north.
The Swiss portion of Lake Maggiore is small on a map but enormous in impact. Locarno, Ascona, and the Brissago Islands distill what makes Ticino so special: the climate, the light, the food, the art, the sense that life is meant to be savored rather than scheduled.
If you are continuing your journey, ch.tours offers audio guides for Lake Lugano, the Centovalli Express from Locarno to Domodossola, and the Gotthard Panorama Express connecting Lugano and Locarno to Lucerne. The Centovalli Express departs from the FART railway station next to the Locarno boat pier -- a connection so convenient it seems designed.
Thank you for cruising with us on Lake Maggiore. May the warmth of Ticino travel with you.
Source: ch.tours | Audio Guide Script | Last updated: March 2026 | Data from NLM (navigazionelaghi.it), MySwitzerland.com, SBB (sbb.ch), Swisstopo, Isole di Brissago (isolebrissago.ch), Ascona-Locarno Turismo