Locarno travel guide

Why visit Locarno

Cross the Gotthard and Switzerland changes completely. The German efficiency of the north gives way to Italian ease; the grey slate roofs become terracotta tiles; the forests of spruce give way to chestnut trees and palms; and the lake that opens before you — Lake Maggiore, stretching south into Italy — is warm enough to swim in from May through September. Locarno sits at the northern tip of this lake, at 196 metres above sea level, and claims the highest average sunshine total of any city in Switzerland.

The city is best known internationally for its Film Festival, held every August on the Piazza Grande — an open square seating 8,000 people for outdoor screenings under the stars. Founded in 1946, the Locarno Film Festival is one of the oldest and most respected in the world, focusing on auteur and independent cinema and awarding the Golden Leopard to its competition winner. In August, the piazza fills with film industry figures and enthusiastic audiences; the rest of the year it fills with café tables, pigeons, and the particular unhurried energy of a prosperous Italian-speaking Swiss city.

Beyond the festival, Locarno offers a genuinely Mediterranean atmosphere — the old town of Città Vecchia, the cable car to the Cardada viewpoint, the lake boats to the Brissago Islands, and a food culture that draws more from the Italian side of the Alps than from the Swiss Plateau.

Getting to Locarno

By train

Locarno is served by the Centovalli Railway (a narrow-gauge scenic railway connecting to Domodossola in Italy) and by the Ferrovie Luganesi system, as well as by standard SBB connections via Bellinzona. From Zurich, the fastest route is via the Gotthard Base Tunnel to Bellinzona (around 2 hours from Zurich), then the regional train to Locarno (20 minutes). Total journey: approximately 2 hours 20 minutes.

From Geneva, the journey via the Simplon passes takes around 3 hours 30 minutes. From Lugano, regional trains to Locarno take around 45 minutes. The Swiss Travel Pass covers all these services.

The Centovalli Railway

One of the most scenic ways to arrive in Locarno is from the west via the Centovalli Railway — the “Valley of a Hundred Valleys” — which runs from Domodossola in Italy through a succession of deep river gorges, stone villages, and chestnut forests to Locarno. The journey from Domodossola takes around 1 hour 40 minutes and is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass from the Swiss border. Arriving by Centovalli, with the lake suddenly appearing as the train descends into the valley, is one of the better ways to encounter Locarno.

By car

Locarno is accessible by road from Bellinzona (20 minutes north) and via the Gotthard road from Zurich (around 2 hours 30 minutes). Parking is available near the old town and lakefront.

Top things to do in Locarno

Piazza Grande and the old town

The Piazza Grande is the heart of Locarno — a large, slightly irregular square lined with arcaded buildings housing restaurants, cafés, and shops. Outside August (when the film festival takes over with its enormous screen and 8,000 seats), the piazza is the main social gathering point of the city, particularly in the evenings when the outdoor tables fill with aperitivo-drinking Ticinese and Italian tourists.

The adjacent Città Vecchia (old town) is a maze of narrow streets, arcaded passageways, and small piazzas climbing the hillside above the lake. The Castello Visconteo (Visconti Castle) at the edge of the old town contains the archaeological museum, with collections covering the Roman and Bronze Age finds from the lake shores and the broader Lake Maggiore region.

Cable car to Cardada and Cimetta

The cable car from Orselina (reached from central Locarno by funicular) rises to Cardada at 1,340 metres in around 10 minutes — one of the fastest ascents of any mountain transport in Ticino. At Cardada, a clifftop panoramic platform (a viewing platform cantilevered over the edge of the ridge) offers a 180-degree view over Lake Maggiore, the city of Locarno below, and the surrounding mountain ranges extending into Italy. On clear days the view is breathtaking; the Mediterranean blue of the lake, the red rooftops of Locarno, and the dark mountain walls beyond compose into a scene that is recognisably southern Switzerland.

From Cardada, a chairlift rises further to Cimetta at 1,671 metres, where a restaurant and hiking trails give access to higher terrain. The walk from Cimetta through the Mergoscia valley and back to Cardada takes around two hours and is one of the better moderate walks accessible directly from Locarno.

The Brissago Islands

The Brissago Islands (Isole di Brissago) are two small islands in Lake Maggiore, about 20 kilometres south of Locarno near the Italian border. The larger island (Isola di San Pancrazio) hosts one of the finest botanical gardens in Switzerland — 1,700 species from subtropical and warm temperate regions grown in formal and informal beds under the mild Lake Maggiore microclimate. Palms, banana trees, succulents, orchids, and exotic shrubs grow year-round in conditions that would be impossible at normal Swiss altitudes.

Lake boats connect Locarno and Ascona with the Brissago Islands throughout the season (April to October). The islands are closed in winter. Swiss Travel Pass holders travel free on the lake boat services. Allow at least 2 hours on the island to cover the gardens thoroughly.

The Locarno Film Festival

The festival runs for approximately 11 days each August and centres on the Piazza Grande evening screenings but extends throughout the city with parallel programmes in the cinema venues (the GranRex, the PalaCinema, and various partner spaces). The competition programme focuses on films from emerging and independent directors from around the world. A large section of the programme is open to the general public, and it is possible to buy individual screening tickets on the day.

The festival atmosphere — outdoor screenings, crowds of cinephiles and tourists, the city vibrating with a specific kind of excitement — is unlike anything else in Switzerland. If you are visiting in August and have any interest in cinema, timing your visit to coincide with at least part of the festival is worthwhile.

Walk the Sacro Monte della Madonna del Sasso

Above Locarno, on a rocky outcrop visible from much of the city, the Santuario della Madonna del Sasso is a pilgrimage church reached either by the city funicular or by a cobbled path climbing through the old town. The church, first built in the fifteenth century, has a baroque interior with painted chapels and a terrace offering excellent views over the lake. The Stations of the Cross along the path up from the city are set in small niched chapels against the rock face.

The sanctuary is still an active pilgrimage site and functions as a working church — masses are held daily and the atmosphere, even for secular visitors, is quite different from a simple tourist attraction.

Day cruise on Lake Maggiore

The lake boats operate a network of routes covering the Swiss section of Lake Maggiore (from Locarno south to the border at Brissago) and connecting with Italian services that extend down to Stresa, Isola Bella, and Arona. The entire Swiss section — covered free by the Swiss Travel Pass — takes around 45 minutes one way and passes the Brissago Islands, the waterfront of Ascona, and the small lakeside villages of the western shore.

A longer excursion into Italy (not covered by the Swiss Travel Pass) to Stresa and the Borromean Islands is a popular day trip from Locarno, combining Italian lake atmosphere, grand villas, and formal gardens on the lake islands. For a different Ticino lake experience, a Lake Lugano cruise to Morcote from nearby Lugano is an excellent half-day addition.

Where to stay in Locarno

Locarno has accommodation ranging from budget guesthouses to four-star hotels on the lakefront. The Grand Hotel Locarno is a belle-époque property on the lakefront with excellent facilities. The Hotel Arcadia al Lago and Hotel La Palma are reliable mid-range options with lake views. Budget travellers can find hostels and simple guesthouses in the old town and residential areas.

During the Film Festival in August, all accommodation in Locarno and Ascona books out weeks or months in advance. Prices increase significantly during festival week.

Where to eat and drink

Ticino’s food culture sits between Swiss and Italian influences. The local specialities include risotto (prepared in the Milanese tradition), polenta with braised meat, and local lake fish (lavarello, persico). The Osteria del Centenario is one of the better addresses for traditional Ticino cooking. The Ristorante Cittadella in the old town serves good pasta and pizza in a pleasant courtyard. The lakefront bars and cafés are excellent for aperitivo — the Ticinese practice of early evening drinks with small snacks that is a direct import from Italian urban culture.

Merlot, the dominant red grape of Ticino, pairs well with local meat dishes. The Ticino Merlot DOC designation covers a wide range of styles; the better producers make complex, age-worthy wines from the sun-drenched hillside vineyards.

Day trips from Locarno

Ascona

Ascona, 4 kilometres along the lake shore from Locarno, is reachable by bus, boat, or a pleasant lakeside walk. It offers a more intimate lakeside promenade, a smaller old town, and the Monte Verita cultural centre on the hill above the town.

Bellinzona

Bellinzona, 20 minutes north by train, is the cantonal capital with its three UNESCO-listed medieval castles. It makes an excellent half-day addition to a Locarno base.

Val Verzasca

The Val Verzasca, east of Locarno, is one of the most beautiful valleys in Ticino — a narrow gorge with crystal-clear turquoise water, medieval stone villages, and the famous Verzasca Dam (also known for the bungee jump from its crest). The valley road follows the river through the gorge; a bus service operates from Locarno.

Practical tips for visiting Locarno

Locarno’s Italian character means that mealtimes follow Italian patterns — lunch is the main meal and is eaten between 12 and 14:00; dinner begins around 19:30. Many restaurants close in the afternoon. This is worth noting when planning a schedule.

The Swiss Travel Pass covers all trains within Switzerland, the lake boats on the Swiss section of Lake Maggiore, and the funicular to Orselina/Madonna del Sasso. The Cardada cable car receives a discount for pass holders.

Locarno is significantly warmer than the Swiss Plateau and alpine regions. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 30 degrees Celsius. The swimming beaches (at the Lido di Locarno) are excellent from June through September — the lake water is genuinely warm by Swiss standards.

For a broader Ticino itinerary, Locarno, Ascona, and Bellinzona can be covered as a three-night circuit, with Lugano accessible by public transport for a day trip south. The combination of UNESCO castle history, Italian lake atmosphere, and mountain hiking makes Ticino one of the most varied cantons in Switzerland.