Hiking
Where the Mediterranean and the Alpine meet: palm trees and glaciers. You’ll find the key to the perfect getaway at Lake Maggiore.
The ascona-locarno area is so diverse that it makes you want to explore its most beautiful spots. Use the many sunny days to find historical remnants, architectural gems, or stunning views. The local network of hiking trails has more than 1,400 km of paths that go from the lakeside, through the valleys, and up to the tops of our mountains.
Bike
Explore the Ascona-Locarno area by bicycle from the lakeside palms all the way up into the mountains,
Beautiful scenery, a comfortable temperature, a wide range of tour options, and 2’300 hours of sunlight each year guarantee wonderful cycling experiences. The Ascona-Locarno area has the perfect tour for any kind of rider, whether they enjoy racing bike tours, leisurely cycling on the cycle path, or mountain riding on one of SwitzerlandMobility’s certified routes.
Restaurants
Delicious dishes produced with regional and seasonal ingredients are the lifeblood of Ticino cuisine.
In the Ascona-Locarno region there is the right restaurant for every taste.
Ticino cuisine has roots in pre-Alpine customs and culture, particularly Lombard culture. Ticinese cuisine may be called “regional cuisine” despite these influences, since it is made with Ticinese goods. These delicious meals are prepared in both upscale restaurants and the usual grotti in both conventional and contemporary ways.
For one of the top rated lakeside restaurants in Ascona, check out the Carcani on the Ascona Promenade.
A variety of delectable Italian foods are offered on the menu, along with snacks, salads, aperitifs, and black-and-white pizzas. Risotto flambè is Ketty and Tommy’s most popular dish. Additionally, the Carcani patisserie offers a delectable selection of cakes and pastries. Both exquisite Italian wine varieties and regional wine varieties are available on the wine menu.
A short walk away is the Osteria da Ketty & Tommy, with a family atmosphere and secret home-made dishes. Sitting in the relaxing outdoor garden on a summer evening enjoying the famous “black dough pizza” is a must.
Events & Festivals
The area around Lake Maggiore plays home to a number of significant events throughout the year! There is something for everyone to enjoy thanks to the annual Film Festival in Locarno, and the extensive musical festivals throughout the summer.
See a full list of upcoming events here
Wellness
Welcome to the Ascona-Locarno area, where you can relax and rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit in a tranquil environment. Awarded the Swiss Tourism Federation’s “Wellness Destination” label, Ascona and Locarno’s high-quality wellness offerings can be verified.
Natural beauty, white-sand beaches, and exquisite hotels with spa facilities make it the ideal destination for a wellness vacation.
Arts and culture
Movies, music, and architecture. But it doesn’t stop there! Traditional markets, historic castles https://www.bellinzonaevalli.ch/it/discover/unesco/castles.html and ruins, and art galleries dot the Lake Maggiore area, each telling a different chapter in the region’s rich history.
Lake and rivers
A long, narrow lake with several swimming and sunbathing shores, public or private beaches, water slides, and, not least, tranquil green spaces. A boat trip will take you to the Brissago Islands, a true floral treasure, or enable you to explore the area’s most unexplored areas.
A true natural wonderland awaits you when you leave the lake area and go to the waters of the valleys. Granite canyons with turquoise rivers slicing through them, lush trees close to the banks, and gorges and waterfalls perfect for activities like canyoning, kayaking, and rafting. The fact that swimmers are drawn to the Valle Verzasca and Vallemaggia by the clarity of the water there is no accident.
