While their children are having fun in the playground or trying out minigolf, parents can unwind on the large panorama terrace looking over Lake Maggiore.

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In the lake below the hotel are the Brissago Islands, home to the famous botanical garden that is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ticino. Up here in “Brenscino”, the 38,000m2 fairy-tale park is exclusively open to hotel guests. Packed with over 500 different species of plants, it is in virtually the same league as the “floating gardens” below. Over the course of 30 years, head gardener Martin Russenberger has transformed it from an overgrown jungle into an enchanted oasis. 

As soon as Martin Russenberger starts to tell a story, his listeners hang on every word, suddenly seeing the rough tree fern in a different light, gazing up at the monkey puzzle tree in awe (at around 140 years old, possibly one of the oldest exotic species on Lake Maggiore).

If you’d like to bring a tiny piece of the park home with you, you can purchase seedlings and plants in the hotel shop.

Martin Russenberger has an anecdote for every plant. For example the pawpaw, a deciduous tree with plump, round fruit that tastes of banana. When its flowers first open, they are male. They later become female and drop off. Pollination can only take place when a new flower opens for the first time and another has already been blooming for a while. Children are welcome to taste the various fruits and herbs while listening to the gardener’s stories.

Whether you spend a sunny day by the pool with views of Lake Maggiore or enjoy dinner on the panoramic terrace, the vista is simply stunning and invites you to linger. For a truly pampering experience, why not book an all-inclusive package?

Hotel guests who have a taste for real adventure can spend the night in the botanical garden. The hotel can supply a tent, sleeping bags and torches. Secret tip: The sunrise is not to be missed!

The climate on Lake Maggiore, which is uniquely mild for Switzerland, allows subtropical plants to flourish under the open sky on the larger island, Isola Grande. Around 1,700 species of plant can be found in the botanical gardens of the Canton of Ticino. You can reach the floating islands from Brissago by boat. 

Brissago Islands

Ticino plays host to a number of different events, such as the Locarno Film Festival and Moon & Stars. The numerous cultural events are an expression of the region’s Mediterranean soul, allowing plenty of room for big emotions.

Festivals & Musicals