Locarno: Culture on Lake Maggiore

Discover Locarno through a wide range of experiences: visit museums and stroll between Piazza Grande and Lake Maggiore, enjoy culture on Monte Verità or take excursions into the valleys. Locarno is known for its Mediterranean climate by the lake and, together with Lugano, is one of Switzerland’s warmest places. When choosing a hotel, you can first consider whether city and museum visits, boat connections or the Verzasca Valley will shape your stay. The departure points and places to visit mentioned here offer a practical guide.

Museums and history in Locarno

A city walk links Piazza Grande and Castello Visconteo with a stroll along Lake Maggiore to the lido. Castello Visconteo houses the Museo Castello, spread across several rooms. The upper floors feature an exhibition devoted to the 1925 Locarno Peace Conference. The Museo Archeologico di Locarno is internationally renowned for its collection of Roman glass. Its finds date from the Bronze Age—including evidence from the 13th century BC—to the Roman period, from the 1st to the 4th century AD.

The Museo Casorella is the permanent home of the city’s art collections; group tours are available by appointment. The Museo Casa Rusca hosts temporary exhibitions by Swiss and international artists. It is housed in a restored mansion dating from the 18th century, which opened in 1987. The museums differ not only in their collections but also in their themes: archaeology, art and the history of the Peace Conference each offer a distinct focus.

Monte Verità: park, exhibitions and tea

Monte Verità is a cultural centre in a park of more than seven hectares, with views of Lake Maggiore. The Museo Casa Anatta features historical exhibitions by Harald Szeemann and Andreas Schwab. Casa Selma adds to this insight into the history of Monte Verità: the air-and-light hut built in 1904 shows a film about the history of the site. The tea ceremony includes a visit to the Zen garden and a tea tasting. The park, exhibitions, architecture and ceremony offer different ways to engage with the cultural centre.

Islands, river landscapes and wildlife watching

The Brissago Islands are two islands in Lake Maggiore, off the Gulf of Ascona, and are home to Switzerland’s only botanical island park. On the publicly accessible Isola di San Pancrazio, a botanical trail passes through five zones featuring plant species from five continents. Boats to the islands depart from Locarno, San Nazzaro, Ascona, Porto Ronco and Brissago. Check the current timetable before planning your trip.

In the Verzasca Valley, the river winds its way between walls of rock and gneiss; the valley offers opportunities for river swimming and excursions. The landscape is also the main attraction at the Bolle di Magadino: the area is a cantonal nature reserve and one of Switzerland’s nine floodplain areas of international importance. Several towers and viewpoints along the trails make it possible to watch wildlife. At Falconeria Locarno, flying displays feature eagles, falcons, owls and other birds of prey. Eagles, falcons, owls and vultures can also be observed and photographed at close range there.

Trails and connections in the region

For excursions to the Verzasca Valley, PostBus route 321 runs from Locarno towards Sonogno, stopping at Brione Verzasca, Piee. The Valle Verzasca Trail runs from south to north along the river and its pools; you can start in Mergoscia or at the Verzasca Dam. Another way to explore the valley is the Museo di Val Verzasca in Sonogno, which illustrates how the landscape has evolved and how people once lived through farming and livestock rearing. The museum network includes five ethnographic trails through the valley. The family-friendly Sentiero delle leggende is part of the Via europea delle fiabe.

BoBosco also combines movement and play: the activity includes twelve large boccia-ball courses in the forest along the Verzasca. Course features include, among other things, rope pulleys, lock systems, cableways and catapults. For different views, head to Cardada-Cimetta, where the panorama stretches from Lake Maggiore to the Dufourspitze of Monte Rosa. The route includes a cable car from Orselina to Cardada, followed by a chairlift to Cimetta; check timetables and operating hours before your trip.

The Ferrovia Vigezzina-Centovalli runs from Domodossola to Locarno. The Centovallina, also known as the Vigezzina, travels along the slopes of the Centovalli; the Centovalli are an important transit route to and from Italy. If you plan to include the railway in your trip, check the current timetable in advance.

Discover more destinations: Personico, Intragna, Brione, Isorno, Magadino, Vogorno, Gordola, Verscio, Mergoscia, Tegna, San Nazzaro, Minusio, Porto Ronco, Piazzogna, Orselina, Losone, Locarno, Brissago, Brione Sopra Minusio, Ascona, Cugnasco-Gerra, Muralto, Ronco Sopra Ascona, Tenero-Contra, Cavigliano, Palagnedra, Caviano, Contone, Lavertezzo, Solduno, Vira, Onsernone, Rasa, Borgnone, Frasco, Sonogno, Vergeletto, Indemini, Corippo, Sant'abbondio Ti, Gambarogno TI, Gresso.

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