Places to Visit in Ascona | Ascona Travel Guide
With palm trees that look like they came out of an artist’s palette, colorful houses lined up along the coast, Michelin-starred restaurants, and beautiful cafes in the Old Town, Switzerland’s southernmost city with a Latin ambiance: Ascona!
Like Locarno right next to it, Ascona is located on the northern shores of Lake Maggiore. Known for its Mediterranean-style architecture and the promenade lined with cafes on Lake Maggiore, the city of Ascona is one of Switzerland’s most worth-seeing resorts.
We visited Locarno as the first stop and then moved on to Ascona. Since the distance between Locarno and Ascona is only 2 km, you can easily travel to both cities in the same day on foot.
You can find answers to questions such as what are the places to visit in Ascona, where to stay in Ascona, where to eat in Ascona, how to get to Ascona in this article.
Brief Information About Ascona
- Ascona is located in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. The official language of Ascona is Italian.
- The city hosts the Ascona Jazz Festival, which starts at the end of June and lasts for 10 days.
- It is one of the warmest towns in Switzerland.
- It’s known for its cobblestone streets, brightly colored houses, beautiful courtyards and small gardens.
- Ascona cuisine, architecture and lifestyle have been influenced by its Italian neighbors to the south.
- Although only one fourth of Lake Maggiore, on which the city is built, belongs to Switzerland, this lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in Switzerland with its unique view.
- Ascona is an old village filled with memories of medieval and Renaissance history. Its location and mild climate make Ascona the perfect setting for cultural events, especially during the summer season.
Where Is Ascona, Switzerland?
How to Get to Ascona? Ascona Transportation
Getting to Ascona is very easy. All the transportation information I gave for Locarno also applies to Ascona, as there is only 2 km between them.
If you’re traveling within Switzerland, you can reach Ascona by high-speed train.
The distance between Zurich and Locarno is about 200 km. You can easily cross from Italy to Locarno. Since you will already be traveling in Europe with your Schengen visa, you can enter from neighboring countries without any problems.
Getting by car
If you want to travel by car and if you are coming from the northern side of Switzerland, you have to cross the Gotthard Tunnel. You enter the tunnel by car through the town of Göschenen in the German canton of Uri, and exit through the town of Airolo in the Italian canton of Ticino. Thanks to this 16.9 km long tunnel, the road between the south and north of Switzerland is shortened by half an hour. Before the tunnel was built, it was necessary to go over the mountains through the Gotthard Pass.
However, as this tunnel can shorten the journey, it can also make it longer. On crowded days, you may encounter terrible traffic and be stuck on the road for hours. If you try to go in the direction of Italy on Friday evenings and in the direction of Switzerland on Sundays, you will be stuck in traffic. It’s a good idea to stay away from the Gotthard tunnel on the weekend.
When you arrive in Ascona, you can park your car at Autosilo Comunale Ascona or Posteggio Lungolago. If you can’t find a place, there are many parking spaces nearby. Since the city is small, they are all very close to each other.
Getting by train
You can buy your train tickets here. If you buy tickets in advance (even 1 day before), you have the chance to get discounted tickets from this site. Otherwise, you can purchase your tickets directly from the ticket machines at any train station or from the SBB offices.
If you are coming from the direction of Zurich, you may usually need to transfer in Bellinzona. The journey takes an average of 2 hours.
If you are coming from Italy, for example from Milan, you can still get your ticket from the website of SBB, from the link I shared above. It takes 2 hours 45 minutes from Milan to Locarno.
Public Transportation within the Canton of Ticino
When you stay in Canton Ticino, they will give you a Ticino ticket valid for the duration of your stay. With this ticket you can use all public transports in Ticino free of charge. If your hotel forgets to give you your free transportation ticket, be sure to remind them, get your transportation ticket from your hotel.
Places To Visit In Ascona: 7 Places You Must Visit In Ascona
1. Lungolago Di Ascona
Ascona is a beautiful city where you can just sit on a bench and watch the lake and mountains. So just as you get off the train or park your car, go to the lakeside “Lungalago di Ascona” and walk along the beach, then sit on a bench and watch the view. In addition to walking on this palm tree-lined coast, you can swim in the beaches or in the pools at the lakeside facilities.
2. Piazza Giuseppe Motta
When you go down to the lakeside, you will immediately see the G. Motta Square. There are many restaurants and cafes around the square. You can see the narrow cobblestones and the colorful houses that are the symbol of the city.
3. Borgo Old Town
Wandering around the historic part of town, which can be easily found by the lake, you’ll soon discover small but charming streets of narrow cobblestone streets and shuttered houses. This is Ascona’s shopping district. You can find everything from ice cream to clothing, from souvenirs to luxury watches here.
It’s actually a few meters between the first three places I’ve mentioned on this list because the city is incredibly small. But still, I have stated separately so that you don’t miss any point.
4. Saints Peter and Paul Church
This church doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the sculptures and frescoes inside are really worth seeing. If you are interested in art and history, don’t miss these works.
5. The Brissago Islands
The Brissago Islands are the botanical parks of the Canton of Ticino. The small island (Isola Piccola) is naturally covered with vegetation. On the big island (Isola Grande), which was opened to the public in 1950, mostly subtropical plants from the northern and southern hemispheres are grown.
You can easily reach the islands by boat from both Ascona and Locarno. Check out here for the boat times and departure places. If you have a Ticino transport card (you can get it for free if you stay anywhere in Canton Ticino), it costs CHF 4.90, otherwise CHF 7.
6. Small Tourist Train
The easiest and most enjoyable way to see the city’s highlights can be this small tourist train that tours Locarno and Ascona. During the tour, you can listen to the history of the city. For this 30-minute journey, you need to buy the tickets when you get on the train. Tours run from March 19 to October 24, with the first tour starting at 11 am.
Departure from Ascona: Departure from the lakeside square (in front of Hotel Elvezia).
7. Jazz Ascona: Ascona Jazz Festival
This vibrant festival celebrates its 36th anniversary in Ascona and is one of Switzerland’s largest jazz festivals. If you want to participate in this festival, which starts in the last week of June and lasts for 10 days, you can arrange your visit at the end of June or the beginning of July.
When to go to Ascona
Ascona can be visited at any time of the year, but the best months to get Mediterranean air in Switzerland are from June to October. The hottest months are July, August, and June, respectively.
Where to Stay in Ascona? Ascona Accommodation
Hotels
Hotel prices in Ascona are quite high. Nightly accommodation in the most reasonable hotel starts from CHF 150 on average. You can browse the hotels here.
Hostels
Average one night price for mixed rooms is CHF 50-60. It can be a good alternative if you are a group friends. You can also make many friends if you are traveling alone. You can find the hostel list here.
Camping Area
There are 2 areas where you can camp in Ascona. Prices vary between 45-60 francs per night. The links are here.
Bed & Breakfast
Stefano and I usually prefer Bed & Breakfast because it has a more cozy atmosphere generally. B&B prices in Ascona vary between 60-90 Francs. You can find the list here.
Holiday Homes
You can spend your holiday in places called holiday homes. This could be a flat in the mountains, a house by the lake, or a typical stone house. I am attaching the list here.
*We stayed at Panorama Hotel Elisabetta, which has an amazing view of Lake Maggiore. If you want to have a panoramic view from your room, I recommend you to stay in this hotel.
Where to Eat in Ascona? Restaurants in Ascona
I am sharing the restaurants we’ve chosen for you below. You can access their location and information by clicking on them.
We ate at the restaurant of the hotel we were staying at, Ristorante Al Braciere. The food was incredibly delicious. Since it was the chestnut season, there were chestnuts in all dishes. And since it was hunting season, venison was on the main menu. They have a very good chef. Although chestnuts were included in every meal, we loved all the dishes without getting bored and without getting the same taste. Even if you’re not staying at this hotel, we recommend that you dine at its restaurant.
Chestnut starter 
Pumpkin Soup 
Venison with chestnuts and vegetables 
Pasta with chestnut sauce 
Chestnut dessert
Ascona Webcam
From here you can watch Locarno and see the weather forecast live before you go.
Click here to read about the weekend we spent in Ascona. You can check Locarno travel guide here!
You can find travel articles about Switzerland here!
What did you do or plan to do in Ascona? Are there any other places that you think must be seen? Let’s meet in the comments!
