{"id":36248,"date":"2026-06-23T15:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/?p=36248"},"modified":"2026-06-30T09:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T07:38:36","slug":"brissago-islands-subtropical-gardens-in-the-heart-of-switzerlands-lake-maggiore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/switzerland\/ticino\/brissago-islands-subtropical-gardens-in-the-heart-of-switzerlands-lake-maggiore\/","title":{"rendered":"Brissago Islands: Subtropical Gardens in the Heart of Switzerland’s Lake Maggiore"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You step off the boat, and within ten steps you\u2019ve forgotten all about the Alps. Palm trees, bamboo, giant ferns, a Japanese banana plant. On a tiny island of less than three hectares in the middle of Lake Maggiore, you feel as if you\u2019re in the subtropics. And yet you\u2019re still right here in Switzerland<\/strong><\/a>. The Isole di Brissago are proof that the south of the country follows its own climate rules. <\/p>\n\n

I took the boat from Ascona and spent a morning there among plants from five continents. It\u2019s not wild nature; it\u2019s a carefully landscaped botanical garden with a surprisingly eccentric history; but as a green interlude on your trip through Ticino<\/a><\/strong> , it\u2019s hard to pass up. <\/p>\n\n

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\"Brissago<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Seagull<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Two islands, one botanical garden<\/h2>\n\n

The Isole di Brissago consist of two islands. The larger one, Isola Grande<\/strong> (also known as San Pancrazio), is the main attraction: more than 1,700 plant species from all over the world grow here on just 2.5 hectares, made possible by the lake\u2019s mild microclimate. The smaller island, Isola Piccola<\/strong>, is a protected nature reserve and not accessible to the public; among other things, it contains the ruins of an old church with medieval frescoes. <\/p>\n\n

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\"Brissago<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n
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A garden with an eccentric history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For a long time, they were uninhabited rocks. That changed in 1885, when Russian Baroness Antoinette de Saint L\u00e9ger bought the islands and turned them into a retreat for artists, writers, and musicians. She transformed the largest island into an exotic garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1927, the Hamburg businessman Max Emden took over; he had the palazzo, the pier, and a \u201cRoman bath\u201d built and further expanded the plant collection. Since the canton of Ticino took over the islands in 1949, the garden has been open to the public. Today, it is part of the\u201cGardens of Switzerland\u201d<\/a> network, and the island is listed on the federal register of Swiss heritage sites of national importance. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Brissago<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Brissago<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Brissago<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

What you’ll see: from Japanese bananas to giant ferns<\/h2>\n\n

The gardens of the Isole di Brissago are organized by region: the Mediterranean, subtropical Asia (China, Korea, Japan), southern Africa, North, Central, and South America, and Australia, along with a few islands in Oceania. You\u2019ll stroll past azaleas, rhododendrons, and hundreds of camellias, under bamboo and palm trees, past a ginkgo and a Japanese banana tree. In the spring, the camellias and azaleas are at their most beautiful; in the summer, the garden is lush and green. <\/p>\n\n

Want to learn more about edible plants in Ticino? Then read our article about Intragna and Milo Bissegger<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

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\"Brissago<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Brissago<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Brissago<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

How to get there: by boat, without a car<\/h2>\n\n

You can only reach the islands by water. From the mainland, boats depart from Ascona, Locarno, Brissago, and Porto Ronco, among other places; the crossing is short. The garden is open from April through November. You don\u2019t need a car: you\u2019ll travel by train and boat, just as we describe in our story \u201cBy Train to Ticino.\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n\n

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