Travel Guide
Locarno
Switzerland
Best time to go: April–October
Sights
- Piazza Grande – An arcaded square that becomes an open-air cinema in August.
- Madonna del Sasso – A pilgrimage church on the rock above town.
- Brissago Islands – A botanical garden with subtropical plants.
- Cardada – A cable car and viewing platform above the lake.
- Ascona – A lakeside promenade and lanes in the neighbouring town.
- Castello Visconteo – A medieval castle with a museum.
Food & nightlife
- Grotto – Polenta, braised beef and small cheeses under chestnut trees.
- Lakeside gelateria – Ice cream on the promenade in Locarno or Ascona.
- Chestnuts and vermicelles – Chestnuts in every form in autumn.
- Weekly market – Regional produce on Piazza Grande.
Day trips
- Valle Verzasca – Green water and the Ponte dei Salti stone bridge.
- Valle Maggia – Stone villages and waterfalls such as Foroglio.
- Centovalli – A panoramic railway across a hundred valleys.
Good to know
- When to go
- April–October
- Getting around
- Buses and boats on Lake Maggiore; the Centovalli railway runs to Domodossola.
- Tipping
- Service is usually included – rounding up is a nice gesture.
- Power
- Plug type J/C, 230 V.
- Currency
- Swiss Franc (CHF)
Plan your trip to Locarno together
Create a trip plan and the Travel Guide comes with it – with a map, ideas to suggest and saved for offline use.
More in Switzerland
- Zurich
- Bern
- Lucerne
- Basel
- Geneva
- Lausanne
- Montreux
- Lugano
- Appenzell
- Zermatt
- Saas-Fee
- Arosa
- Davos
- St. Moritz
- Laax
- Interlaken
- Grindelwald
- Engelberg
- Verbier
- St. Gallen
- Schaffhausen
- Neuchâtel
- Fribourg
- Bellinzona
- Leukerbad
- Solothurn
- Thun
- Chur
- Sion
- Aletsch Arena
- Gstaad
- Adelboden
- Morat
- Gruyères
- Andermatt
- Scuol
- Lenzerheide
- Winterthur
- Crans-Montana
General tips without guarantee – please check opening times and prices locally.