Brissago Islands & Morcote: Two great boat trips in Ticino

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Spring doesn’t really want to get going here on the northern side of the Alps in terms of temperature. For all those who are longing for a few leisurely – and above all sun-drenched – hours including a Mediterranean island feeling, I have two fresh excursion tips on the Ticino lakes in store. In fact, we have recently scouted two kinds of cruises; a panoramic cruise on the fjord-like Lake Lugano and an entertaining detour to the Brissago Islands on Lake Maggiore. Two wonderfully relaxing outings that are suitable for a personal change of scenery as well as for a trip with family or friends.

Lugano – Morcote return: a day trip guaranteed to be varied

My first boat trip takes us from the shores of Lake Lugano up to Lugano’s local mountain – Monte San Salvatore. To do this, we head from the Lugano-Paradiso train station to the valley station of the funicular. There are definitely no ships sailing on Monte San Salvatore, but from up here there is one of the most beautiful panoramic views over the winding lake landscape of Ceresio (also a common name for Lake Lugano). Before the following sporty part of this day trip, we fortify ourselves with a strong espresso on the sun terrace of the Vetta San Salvatore restaurant.

If you have never been to Monte San Salvatore, you should not miss the short walk to the summit (the path is signposted directly at the mountain station of the funicular). Today’s tour starts directly at the summit restaurant and leads from there steadily slightly downhill over the entire length of the mountain range to one of the most beautiful villages in Switzerland – the picturesque Morcote.

Start of the hike on Monte San Salvatore

The hiking trail is well signposted and in top condition. However, due to the sometimes heavily rooted ground and the numerous steps, it is advisable to wear sturdy footwear. We follow the hiking trail through a wonderfully sparse forest down to the pretty village of Ciona, cross it and are then led over a slightly wider gravel path to Carona. If this is your first visit to Carona, allow around 30 minutes for a tour of the charming artists’ village.

Regarding the hiking route, in Carona we are faced with two options. Route 2 (Trans-Swiss-Trail) and Route 52 (Sentiero Lago di Lugano) run through the Parco San Grato on the south side of the hill. The Via Gottardo (route 7) offers a less frequented option along the northern flank until the two paths reunite at the height of Alpe Vicania. Especially in spring, the botanical garden Parco San Grato offers an incomparable splendour of flowers in addition to the great panoramic view – not surprisingly, we therefore decided on this variant.

In the last third – from Alpe Vicania down to the shores of Lake Lugano – it feels like a thousand steps and numerous fantastic viewpoints await you. Morcote definitely delivers what it promises. But the most beautiful view of Morcote is from the ship. And not from the boat that takes you back to Lugano from the Lago boat station, but from the course that is on its way from Morcote towards Porto Ceresio. There are two circuits on Lake Lugano. On the one hand, there is a circuit between Lugano – Cantine di Gandria / Museo Doganale (Swiss Customs Museum) – Gandria, and on the other hand, the circuit Lugano – Melide Swissminiatur – Capolago – Brusino (with connection to Monte San Giorgio) – Morcote – Porto Ceresio.

So if you board the boat at the port of Morcote in the direction of Porto Ceresio, you will not only enjoy the most beautiful view of Morcote, but you can also secure the best spot on this section. In Porto Ceresio, the ships also dock only briefly and then return to Lugano via Morcote. On the almost one-hour boat trip from Porto Ceresio back to Lugano, you will experience Lake Lugano from a completely different perspective and at the same time follow your hiking route. And at the entrance to the harbour basin of Lugano, the ship passes between the piers in Paradiso and Lugano (lago), the cultural centre LAC (Lugano Arte e Cultura), one of the city’s most famous sights.

Practical tips for a boat trip on Lake Lugano

• Prices boat trip Lake Lugano: For all those who have a GA travelcard, the scheduled boat trips on Lake Lugano are free of charge (GA travelcard is valid). The journey from Morcote to Lugano (direct) costs 23 CHF (with Half-Fare travelcard 11.50 CHF).
• Otherwise, tickets can be purchased directly at the pier in Morcote.
• The current timetables, price information and information about the circuits can be found on the website of the Lago di Lugano shipping company.
• The scheduled boats also have a catering area (during normal operation).
• I have described another recommended hiking-boat combination in my tips for scenic excursion destinations in Ticino. The round trip from Lugano to Monte Brè, from there on foot to Gandria and by boat back to Lugano. This tour can even be done as a half-day trip.
• In Morcote you can bridge the waiting time for the next ship with a visit to the Parco Scherrer or a stop at one of the restaurants on the waterfront (my tip: the Terrazza sul Lago).

Key data of the hike Monte San Salvatore – Morcote

On the following map you can see the route of our hike from Monte San Salvatore to Morcote. The hike starts at the mountain station of Monte San Salvatore and then leads over the hills to the former fishing village of Morcote in a panoramic 9 kilometres.

If you don’t shy away from altitude difference and want to enrich the pleasure hike accordingly, you can of course also march to the summit of San Salvatore on foot. With this version, there is an additional 600 meters of altitude (about 1.5 to 2 hours of walking time).

Starting point	San Salvatore mountain station (888 m above sea level)
Reachability	Accessible by public transport
Length	9.4 kilometres
Elevation gain	↗ 261 m 875 m ↘
Duration	2:30 h to 3:00 h
Destination	Schiffanlegestelle Morcote (lake)

Off to the Island: Flower Delight & Puzzle Fun on the Brissago Islands

My second boat trip combines three sights of the Ascona-Locarno region. Namely the picturesque waterfront of Ascona, the botanical garden on the Isola Grande – the larger of the two Brissago islands – and the imposing Piazza Grande – the large cobblestone square in the heart of Locarno. It’s been a good 20 years since my last visit to the Brissago Islands (and yes, I was almost 10 years old at the time). We never got around to last year’s trips to Ticino. In addition, the popularity/popularity of the islands has put me off a bit so far. But even though the Brissago Islands are one of the most popular destinations on Lake Maggiore, we were able to convince ourselves a few weeks ago that you can easily avoid even the number of visitors expected on beautiful holidays with clever planning.

Shortly before 9 a.m., the waterfront of Ascona still seems totally sleepy on this wonderful spring-like Saturday morning. Locals walk their dogs and here and there the sun terraces are already prepared for lunch. It’s the perfect time to walk to the photo spot at the end of the waterfront, take the obligatory souvenir photo and then head for the pier. At the ticket booth you can buy not only the ticket for the boat trip, but also the entrance ticket for the Brissago Islands (this will save you waiting time when you arrive on the island). Soon the first scheduled boat of the day is in sight. Depending on the course/time, the boats sail from Ascona via Porto Ronco (25 minutes) or directly (15 minutes) to the Isole di Brissago. Either way, the early morning ride is a real treat.

Upon arrival at Brissago Island, there are two queues – one for those who do not yet have an entrance ticket and one for those who have already purchased the ticket. To our surprise, the majority queue up to buy tickets and we are all able to overtake elegantly on the right hand side and – although we left the ship last – are the first in the Botanical Garden.

The botanical garden extends over the entire Isola Grande and can be discovered in a one- to two-hour tour. In addition, Brissago Island is also one of five locations where treasure hunts for children have been designed in the Ascona Locarno region. You can get the treasure map at the ticket office on Brissago Island. Thanks to their location, the Brissago Islands have a particularly mild climate, where plants from subtropical regions feel at home. The history of today’s botanical garden, which includes a collection of over 1,500 plant species from five continents, goes back to Antoinette de Saint Léger. In the second half of the 19th century, the Russian baroness had a house and a park with subtropical plants built here. Later, the German entrepreneur Max Emden expanded the park and built the villa that still exists today, as well as the Roman bath (which is somewhat hidden in the park).

We follow the winding paths through the extensive park and let ourselves be beguiled by the variety of flowers. I was particularly impressed by the palm meadow; the dense greenery evoked memories of the enchanting Daintree Rainforest in Queensland.

Instead of returning directly to Ascona by boat after the tour of the Brissago Islands, we linger a little longer on the sun deck of the “Cicogna”. As on Lake Lugano, the boats on Lake Maggiore also operate as circuits. So you can either drive from Locarno to the Brissago Islands and then stroll through Ascona or – as we did – head for the Brissago Islands from Ascona and then stroll through the old town streets of Locarno.

Practical tips for a boat trip on Lake Maggiore

• Prices boat trip Lake Maggiore: For all those who have a GA travelcard, the scheduled boat trips are free of charge on Lake Maggiore, as on Lake Lugano. In addition to single journeys, a day ticket can be purchased for the price of CHF 37 or CHF 18.50 (with Half-Fare travelcard).
• Otherwise, the tickets can be purchased directly at the pier in Ascona.
• The current timetables and price information can be found on the Ascona Locarno website.
• Opening hours Brissago Islands: The Brissago Islands are open every day between April and October.
• Entrance fees to the Brissago Islands: Admission to the Brissago Islands costs 10 CHF for adults, young people up to 16 years of age are free of charge (prices as of 2022). With the Ticino Ticket, a guest card or the “myAsconaLocarno” app, you pay a discounted admission fee of CHF 7.
• I have blogged another nice hiking-boat combination in this post. The Locarno – Ascona – Brissago Islands circuit also heads for the port of San Nazzaro. From there you can explore the lesser-known southeastern shore of Lake Maggiore – the Riviera del Gamborogno.