Isole di Brissago

If you have the time, this is a beautiful island with easy access via the ferry boats that run up and down Lago Maggiore. The island itself is a botanical garden wonderland! There is a small hotel with a restaurant that has amazing lake views. The architecture and history are incredible. We did eat lunch at the restaurant. We had beef tartar and a Caprice salad. It worked out perfectly for a light lunch. We did walk the whole garden area. You can do everything, including lunch, in about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It really depends on how busy the restaurant is. As we were leaving, we heard the staff telling people it would be a 45 min wait for a table. If you are bringing kids, they have a couple of fun scavenger hunts for them.

It is such tranquil setting.. the place is very spacious and beautiful landscape.

Very beautiful and well worth a visit. So many various plants and trees. Videos are actually from the adjacent Piccolo Island assessable by a small floating bridge.

This island is accessible by a quick boat ride from Ascona or Brissago, Isole di Brissago is a must-visit for nature lovers who don’t mind a bit of mystery mingling with their scenic beauty. The views from Isola Grande are breathtaking, with scenic backdrops of the Alps and shimmering lake waters that look especially mesmerizing in the early morning or late afternoon. Walking through, you may stumble upon an swing hanging by the lake shore, gently swaying as if touched by an unseen hand. This secluded spot is as beautiful as it is haunting, offering quiet, panoramic views of Lake Maggiore and the surrounding mountains.

nice place for photographers, great flora. sweet island, well organized, accessible restrooms, place to rest, place to eat (overpriced restaurant). but no swimming!

Great little botanical island. I would imagine children loving this place. Fun little adventures everywhere! The restaurant food was pleasing to the eye but was lacking that “wow” like this island naturally does. For your information, if you kayak or swim to the island. You are required to wear a t-shirt whilst exploring the island.

Beautiful Island on the Swiss side of Lago Maggiore.

Brissago Island (the big one - San Pancrazio ), surrounded by the waters of Lake Verbano, was originally established by the Russian born Baroness Antoniette de St. Leger (1856 to 1948) in 1885 as a residence where painters, sculptors, musicians and writers could meet. Though lavish parties and intellectual guests of the Baroness are now the past, the island is still a wonderfully charming place that offers around 1'700 plant species of subtropical countries, including ones from Far East, South Africa, Central America, New Zealand, and Mediterranean. Upon the purchase of the island the Baroness and her husband constructed a large house and then began to create a botanical garden. In 1897 Richard Fleming (Baronesses' husband) left the islands for Naples where he worked at the British Consulate and died in 1922. Antoniette remained and continued to develop the garden. Between 1886 and 1914, Antoinette de St Léger hosted on the island the painters Danielle Ranzoni, Filippo Franzoni and Giovanni Segantini and the composer Ruggero Leoncavallo. After the end of World War I she also hosted James Joyce, Rainer Maria Rilke and Harry Graf Kessler. There are plenty of photographs on display from those parties in the villa, especially on the wall along the staircase leading to the first floor. After the First World War, due to poor investments the Baroness was deeply in debt and in 1927 she was forced to sell the property to the Hamburg department store king Max Emden. She herself moved out first to Ascona and then to Intragna, where public assistance supported her until her death, on 24 January 1948. Emden demolished the original house and build a villa in neoclassical style with 30 rooms and a swimming pool. Not really into gardening he nonetheless retained the gardens in good condition. He lived on the island until his death in 1940. On the island you can find azaleas, rhododendrons, Japanese palm trees, numerous camellias, Japanese banana, bamboo, the Ginkgo. As well as large-flowered magnolia, agaves, cypress (present from the 30s with the typical roots sticking out from the water), yucca, California poppies, sage from New Zealand , rosemary, cork, and palm of the Canaries. The garden is a real botanical gem and a candy for the eye. You can reach the island by boat that leaves from Locarno on hourly basis. There is a restaurant on the island, located in the villa on the ground floor where you can have lunch and drinks.

Came here at the recommendation of a friend living in Zurich. Such a wonderful experience. The small island is a short boat ride from Locarno (also a short boat ride from Ascona). Entrance fee was small (about 8CHF). But wow, what a view! And the flowers! Heavenly. The smell of Jasmine was everywhere. Loved the flowers from around the globe, the Roman "bath" and the Bamboo garden. Very easy to spend an entire day here. A must visit, especially if you like nature, flowers, spectacular views, and the outdoors.