Welcome to Locarno
With its palm trees and much-hyped 2300 hours of sunshine a year, visitors have swooned over Locarno’s near-Mediterranean setting since the late 19th century. Switzerland’s lowest-altitude town is quite special, for sure, with an air of chic insouciance, a promenade strung along its mountain-facing lakefront and botanical gardens bristling with subtropical flowers and foliage. Beyond the lake, there’s a pretty Renaissance Old Town to roam, which fans out from the Piazza Grande, host of a renowned music and film festival in summer.
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Locarno activities
Italian Lakes and Switzerland Tour from Stresa
A day tour discovering the very best of the Swiss and Italian Lake District.In the morning our Three Lakes tour will take you up the western shore of Lake Maggiore and over the boarder into Switerland. En route you will pass the castles at Cannero which look like they're floating on the lake. Arriving at the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in Locarno we'll leave our lake and head towards Lake Lugano.On Lake Lugano we stop in the cosmopolitan city of Lugano itself where you'll have free time to explore. Don't miss out on the Santa Maria degli Angeli church where there is a beautiful fresco of the Passion. Window shop along the exclusive Via Nassa and have a coffee in the grand Piazza Riforma. Take a stroll along the promenade into the park for views across to Mount San Salvatore from the public park.We travel on towards Lake Como whose sparkling waters surrounded by dramatic mountains. Arriving on the lake just north of Cadenabbia we make a stop there where you can take the chance to visit the terreaced, lakeside gardens of Villa Carlotta. There are over 500 species from giant sequoia to camellias. After travelling down the western shores of Lake Como we stop in Como city where you can visit the cathedral and enjoy an ice cream in the piazza nearby. Como is also famous for its silk so a great place for some souvenir shopping!Our journey back ends with a ride along the southern shores of Lake Maggiore.
4-Day Ticino Outdoor Back to Nature
Day 1: Arrival SwitzerlandArrive in Locarno and check into your centrally located 3-star hotel for 3 nights. Dinner this evening is at the Grotto America where you will enjoy a typically Ticinese dining experience in spectacular but rustic surroundings.Day 2: Locarno– AsconaThis morning, enjoy a gentle cycling tour around Locarno and neighbouring Ascona, with its charming piazza lined with restaurants and cafés, where you can stop for a well- earned break and enjoy lunch in one of the local restaurants. Have an afternoon at leisure with full use of the bicycles before then heading to your early evening activity base, the nearby Lido di Ascona, where you can try the activity of “Stand-up Paddling”.Day 3: Locarno and SurroundingsToday, enjoy your final full day in Locarno with a cable car and chairlift ride to Cimetta (1670 m). Once on top, why not take advantage of the many hiking paths.Day 4: DepartureYour morning is free to explore other parts of the region with your included Ticino Ticket. Connecting travel arrangements to and from Locarno can be tailored to suit your exact needs.
Falconeria Locarno Ticket
Visit: Falconeria LocarnoThe art of Falconry was introduced to Europe through caravans from Persia and Arabia, where this technique of hunting is still practiced today.Experience a close encounter with majestic birds of prey at the Falconry in Locarno, where you will be able to observe and photograph eagles, hawks, owls and vultures. These beautiful birds, flying free, will lead you into a dimension where man and nature meet, in a natural and animal friendly place. Enjoy the breathtaking show! Come and visit us any time. We provide sheltered seating, both for the sunny summer days or the few rainy ones! All opening days, show with birds of prey and Spanish horses of about 1 hour are held at 11am and 3pm. The tribune houses 600 seated guests.
Three Lakes and More
DAY 1 Arona Lake MaggioreMeeting in Arona.Welcome from the staff, presentation of the bike dinnerDAY 2 Arona - Santa Maria Maggiore-82 km, Departure from Arona, Piedmontese town on the shores of Lake Maggiore. We ride alongside the the lake and then get ready to deal with the Val Cannobina ascent. From the lake we go up to Sella di Pian di Sale which leads to the Val Vigezzo. And there’s no need to worry about the climb because our minibus is always nearby, so we can relax as we ride through the splendid mountains of Val Vigezzo,also known as the "Valley of Painters" Pedaling onwards we then reach the largest and most important town in the valley: Santa Maria Maggiore, a historic village situated on a high plain at just over 800 m a.s.l. Time to relax before dinner together.DAY 3Santa Maria Maggiore - Laveno -90KmAfter an energetic breakfast, we start for a long but easy ride. After riding through Re, the last municipality of Val Vigezzo we enter Switzerland in the Canton Ticino, heading to Locarno, situated on the north shore of Lake Maggiore.Heading for Luino we continue along the lake for the last part of our ride to Laveno-Mombello. This important town on the eastern shore of the lake is well-known for its marina.DAY 4 Cernobbio-Dongo 64KmWe trensfer by minibus to Lake Como. We cycle from Cernobbio, renowned tourist resort on the western shore of the lake, and ride along the lake to Argegno. Here, the Val d'Intelvi ascent is waiting for us: a mountain valley in the province of Como near the Swiss border with San Fedele . its main town.DAY 5 Dongo- Bellagio-Madonna del Ghisallo -87 km, 500m difference in altitudeWe leave from Dongo and, following the road along the lake we reach Varenna where we take a ferry to Bellagio, one of the most beautiful towns of the lake with its splendid views.Here start an epic ascent: Madonna del Ghisallo, patroness of cyclist.In later times.DAY 6 Tour of Lake Iseo and Montisola Transfer by minibus to Lake Iseo.We then carry on to Lovere, Sale Marasino and Sulzano where we will take the ferry to Montisola, together with our bikes. Montisola is the largest lake island in Europe making it an ideal destination for a day trip on our road bikes because cars are not allowed. Montisola became famous in 2016 when it hosted the celebrated project of Christo 'The Floating Piers' a temporary pedestrian footbridge across the lake, from Sulzano to Montisola and the private island of St. PaulDAY 7 Arona Lake MaggioreBreakfast and transfer to Arona.
Taste my Swiss City Locarno - Selfguided Food Tour
This tour is selfguided, you choose the order and time in which you want to visit the following stops and how much time you want to spend in each restaurant and on the tour. The restaurants are carefully chosen by locals and intend to show you the best and most typical food and drinks in snack portions. At the end of the tour you have enjoyed the equivalent of a meal.Stop 1Pasticceria Marnin, Piazza Sant'Antonio. From the train station, you’ll pass by the Funicular and enter Via Ramogna. Take a turn up to the Via delle Monache. Turn left on Via Cappuccini where you’ll see the Teatro Paravento. Enter the via Borghese and along the way make a stop to read the history of the Casa del Negromante, the oldest building in town. Continue to Piazza Sant’Antonio: the Pasticceria Marnin is on your right. Give a quick look at the Church and visit the Pinacoteca Casa Rusca.Stop 2Sport Café Locarno, Via della Posta – on Saturday, the restaurant opens at 4 pmWalk down the Via Sant’Antonio and enter the old town, then left on Via Cittadella. Visit the Church Santa Maria and the Casa dei Canonici. Continue your tour on Via Panicari, a charming alley which leads you to the Piazza Grande. The Piazza Grande is the heart of Locarno, rich in history and where important events such as Locarno Festival and Moon&Stars take place every year. At the corner of the Post-building take a right in to Via della Posta, after 50 m you see the entrance to the forecourt of the restaurant. A nice aperitif is waiting for you.Stop 3Gran Caffè Verbano – Piazza GrandeFollow the Via Antonio Ciseri until you reach a red building on the square, the Fondazione Ghisla Art Collection. Take a break on a bench in the Giardini Pioda or admire the lakefront. Return on Largo Franco Zorzi, on the left you see the Walk of Fame: artists who played during the Moon&Stars on the Piazza Grande left their prints. Continue to the Piazza Grande, your lunch expect you on the left.Stop 4Gelateria Primavera – Via all’ospedaleUnder the arcades of the Piazza Grande you will find many beautiful shops… Continue to the Castle of Locarno, walk down the small paths where at the end, on your left you can admire the new Palacinema, the house of cinema. Walk to the Castle; the stairs lead you to the Via Ripa Canova. Follow the alley where you find in the corner the Gelateria Primavera. Ice-cream please!Stop 5Borgo – Via BorgheseWalk along Via S.Francesco. If you want to drink something fresh, you will find your last stop, Casa Al Borgo, at the intersection of Via Borghese and Via Cittadella.