This Piazza Grande, the true heart of the city, is during the summer months the place where everything happens, but this is of course not its only attraction. A stroll through the adjacent alleys, which make up the old town, reveals many hidden beauties, and the lakeside is of course also a must.

Locarno is also a good starting point for excursions to the surrounding area: you can take the cable car up to Cardada and Cimetta, from where the panorama of the lake, the Pre-Alps and the Alps is spectacular, you can take an enchanting cruise on the lake, you can take the road to the Valle Maggia, a picturesque Alpine valley that will let you discover a very authentic Ticino...

Obviously, the big star here is Lake Maggiore. Locarno is located at the very north and only a very small part of the lake is in Switzerland. Further south is Italy, and Lake Maggiore forms the border between two major Cisalpine regions, Piedmont on its western shore and Lombardy on its eastern shores.

This magnificent lake and its proximity to Italy give Locarno a Riviera feel and a seaside holiday atmosphere... indeed, the town is sometimes nicknamed the "Swiss Rimini"... To leave is to feel the nostalgia of summer...