Boat trip Ascona - Brissago ticket
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The Swiss part of Lake Maggiore is a very popular destination. Here you will find cultural treasures, natural wonders and recreational opportunities. On its western side, Lake Maggiore is surrounded by the Valais Alps, while to the northwest are the Lepontine Alps.
Especially popular are the valleys of the rivers Maggia and Verzasca, which both flow into the lake in the north and northeast, respectively.
Lake Maggiore is surrounded on the left by the Valais Alps with the Dufour peak in the Monte Rosa massif as the highest elevation. To the north are the Lepontine Alps and the Ticino Alps with Monte Ceneri, which open up to the lake through the Valle Verzasca, Valle Maggia and Valle Onsernone valleys.
For camping on Lake Maggiore is especially the northeast of the lake known. Here you will find several campsites on beautiful beaches or a bit away. Here we present a selection of camping sites on Lake Maggiore.
Name | Location | Beach/Pool | Features |
---|---|---|---|
Campofelice Camping Village | Tenero 2 km | Private beach 500 m, 10 m wide, additional pool | 583 plots,131 rentals |
Camping Riarena | Cugnasco | no beach, pool area, 26 m pool and children's pool | game hall, playground |
Camping Delta | Locarno | directly on the shores of Lake Maggiore and the Maggia River | 250 plots, 15 caravans for rent |
Camping Bellavista | Gambarogno 4 km | directly on the shore of Lake Maggiore | small campsite, view of the Maggia delta |
Camping Tamaro Resort | Tenero 2 km | public outdoor swimming pool of Tenero free of charge | 35 rental bungalows, playground and barbecue area |
Miralago Camping & Palm Beach Resort | Tenero | beach and two heated pools | 1000 palm trees, dogs allowed, trampoline, 108 plots, 19 rentals, 4 apartments |
Camping Lido Mappo | Tenero 1 km | Pitches partly directly on the beach, boat landing | 357 pitches, 3 rentals |
Camping Lago Maggiore | Tenero 2 km | Lake access to 100 m long and 15 m wide sandy beach | 250 pitches, 8 rentals |
Camping Rivabella | Tenero 1 km | 80 m long and 10 m wide | 38 plots, 11 rentals |
Camping Melezza | Losone 3 km | bank of the river Melezza | 146 plots,12 rentals, dogs allowed |
The navigation on Lake Maggiore is well developed. All lakeside towns can be reached by boat. So you can comfortably explore the entire Swiss basin of the lake. A trip by boat will let you enjoy all the beauty of Lake Maggiore. You get a direct view of the river delta of the Maggia or the Verzasca and enjoy the Mediterranean atmosphere with "countless" palm trees near the shore.
By boat you can reach the famous Brissago Islands with their extraordinary botanical garden. But the landing places in the Italian part are just as easy to reach and many a market in Italy is a delightful destination. Between the two Brissago Islands and the five Italian Borromean Islands alone 25 ships and 6 hydrofoils operate. By the way, of the Borromean Islands, Bella Island is actually the most beautiful.
Boats sail on Lake Maggiore all year round. Between the end of October and the end of March there is a limited schedule. The Lago Maggiore shipping company runs scheduled tourist trips between Locarno, Ascona and Brissago and almost every route also calls at the popular Brissago Islands.
With the Rainbow Tariff Community you sail on line 351 between Locarno, Tenero-Contra and Magadino. There are twelve departures per day on this line all year round.
You can find all the current timetables on the site Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano.
The best first: For all those who have a GA (General Abonnement), the boat trip on Lake Maggiore costs nothing. But the prices are also within normal limits for everyone else. You can buy single trips or day tickets. You can buy a day ticket for less than 40 CHF, with a half-fare card for half that.
The best place to start a round trip is Locarno. Here you have the choice of sailing clockwise on a ship of the Rainbow Tariff Community via Tenero-Contra to Magadino. The return trip follows the same route.
The alternative is either counterclockwise via Ascona and the Brissago Islands to Brissago and back on the same route. Some boats also call at Vira, San Nazzaro and/or Gerra before reaching Ascona.
All possible boat stops between Locarno and Brissago:
The water temperature of Lake Maggiore is pleasantly high in summer. It reaches up to 25 °C in June and up to 27 °C in midsummer. Thus, the water temperature of Lake Maggiore even competes with the Mediterranean Sea.
And this despite the fact that Lake Maggiore reaches the lowest point in Switzerland. Its lake level is on average 193 m above sea level. Since the lake is up to 372 m deep, the bottom of Lake Maggiore even reaches 179 m below sea level.
You can find the current temperature at any time on the page of boot24.
In the following table you will get a small overview of the towns and villages in the Swiss basin of Lake Maggiore.
Name | Sights |
---|---|
Locarno | Piazza Grande with historic houses and restaurants; Visconteo Castle and Madonna del Sasso Sanctuary above the town |
Tenero-Contra | 7 campsites at the transition to the Magadino plain; Verzasca and above Lago di Vogorno; Tenero Castle, a stately home in Piazza Canevascini |
Magadino | The old town as a picturesque place with narrow streets and traditional buildings; nature reserve Bolle di Magadino |
Vira (Gambarogno) | pretty historic center and beautiful church of San Michele; remains of a Roman settlement |
San Nazzaro (Gambarogno) | Parco Botanico del Gambarogno on 17000 square meters |
Gerra (Gambarogno) | prehistoric shell stones; houses with fresco paintings |
Porto Ronco (Ronco sopra Ascona) | village center situated 160 m above the lake on a rock terrace |
Ascona | wonderful lake promenade; Piazza G. Motta with boutiques; medieval church of San Pietro e Paolo with frescoes |
Isole di Brissago | Botanical garden on the Isola Grande |
Brissago | Southern charm;quiet and idyllic village; medieval church of San Pancrazio; lemon and orange plantations |
The Bolle di Magadino is a natural estuary of the Ticino River into Lake Maggiore. It is an international nature reserve and is home to at least 300 species of birds. The marshes are particularly rich in amphibians, which in turn provide food for migratory birds. By the way, the "bubbling bolle" are formed by rising bubbles of methane gas.
Lake Maggiore is located in Ticino with its Swiss basin. To the south it borders directly on Italy. After all, 80% of the lake area belongs to Italy.
By public transport you can easily get to the ferry terminal in Locarno. There is an IC, IR or EC train to Bellinzona, from there you can take bus 311 or the S-Bahn. From Lucerne you need about 3:00 to 3:30 hours. From Bellinzona it takes about 30 minutes.
The best way to get there by car is to drive to Bellinzona first. From Lucerne you can reach Bellinzona via the A2 and from Chur via the A13. The main roads leading from there to Lake Maggiore are well signposted. Note, however, that traffic can be heavy in high season or on weekends.
There is parking in most places around the lake, but in very busy areas like Locarno, parking can be limited. It would be better to park a little outside and take public transportation to the ferry terminal.