Lake Maggiore

12 Highlights on Lake Maggiore

• Lake Maggiore is known for its Mediterranean flair and mild climate.
• The water temperature of Lake Maggiore reaches up to 27 °C in the summer months.
• Locarno is a charming town on the northwestern shore of Lake Maggiore. It is known for its Mediterranean atmosphere, the Piazza Grande and the Locarno Film Festival.
• Ascona is a picturesque town with narrow streets, restaurants and boutiques that invite you to stroll and relax.
• Ascona and Locarno are separated from each other by the Maggia River. The Maggia Valley is popular for canyoning tours.
• The Brissago Islands are popular excursion destinations and event venues. A botanical garden displays an impressive collection of exotic plants.
• The Madonna del Sasso is a pilgrimage church high above Locarno. It was built in 1480 after the apparition of the Virgin Mary. It offers a spectacular view of the lake and the surrounding mountains.
• Monte Verità is the "mountain of truth" 322 meters above sea level not far from the old town of Ascona. It is a place of peace and meditation with a beautiful park.
• The Verzasca Valley stretches to the north of Tenero-Contra above the Lago di Vogorno. The picturesque valley is ideal for hiking and canyoning. The turquoise waters of the Verzasca River are particularly worth seeing.
• A boat trip on Lake Maggiore is perfect for admiring the picturesque scenery and the beautiful lake.
• Lake Maggiore offers a variety of water sports such as sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and stand-up paddling.
• Restaurants around the lake will tempt you with local specialties such as risotto, polenta, fish dishes and cheese.

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.

Camping on Lake Maggiore

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.

Camping 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

Navigation on Lake Maggiore

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.

Lake Maggiore boat trip timetable

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.

Lake Maggiore boat trip prices

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.

Lake Maggiore boat trip round trip

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:

• Locarno
• Vira (Gambarogno)
• San Nazzaro (Gambarogno)
• Gerra (Gambarogno)
• Porto Ronco
• Ascona
• Isole di Brissago
• Brissago

Water temperature Lake Maggiore

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.

Lake Maggiore towns and villages

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.

How to get to Lake Maggiore

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.

Public transportation

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.

By car

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.