The beautiful destination of Locarno is a gorgeous destination to spend a few days as a tourist, so some of these Locarno facts are well worth knowing before your visit. Locarno has lots on offer, with these facts sharing some unique things that you can learn from.
Located on the northern side of Lake Maggiore, Locarno is part of the Ticino canton in Switzerland and easy to reach. Read on to see a list of Locarno facts!
Locarno Facts
Since it’s the canton of Ticino, it gets around 2,300 hours of sunshine per year. So you can expect lots of tourists but also local Swiss enjoying their weekends and vacations here.
With a short bus ride, you can swim at the crystal clear waters of the Verzasca valley and see Lavertezzo. This gorgeous location is popular among locals and tourists, for the swimming but also hiking in the area.
Locarno has many festivals, with the international Locarno Film Festival hosted every August being the biggest. It attracts more than 8,000 people per night of film fans and industry professionals. They all come together to see the latest filmmakers and showings.
Visconteo Castle dates back to the year 998 and classed as one of the most important buildings in Locarno. Once owned by the Viscontis family, it then was taken over by federal bailiffs who enforced their own laws. These days you can visit the castle all year round.
You can travel 1,671m up the mountain with a funicular. That’s high right! The cable car first takes you through the gorge to Orselina, and then to Cardada. From here you can then change to the chairlift that makes the final ascent to Cimetta.
From Locarno, you can visit the Locarno Dam, also known as the Verzasca Dam. This is the 4th largest dam in Switzerland at 220 meters high, and for the adrenaline junkies, you can bungee jump here!
The Camellia Park has more than 850 different camellia varieties. It’s the perfect park to sit and relax with a book while surrounded by these beautiful flowers.
The Piazza Grande in the city centre is one of the biggest squares in Switzerland. You can find the weekly market here on Thursdays.
You can take a scenic train tour to Domodossola, Italy which passes over 83 bridges and viaducts. It’s a gorgeous 52km route passing cliffs, flower meadows, waterfalls and forests.
The Franciscan Santuario della Madonna del Sasso (Our Lady of the Rock) church is the most famous place of pilgrimage in the Ticino canton. The foundations date back to August 1480 and is beautifully decorated inside. It can be reached from Locarno.
The last known population was recorded around 16,000 residents living in Locarno.
The Pact of Locarno, from December 1925, is a series of agreements whereby France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Great Britain mutually guaranteed peace in western Europe. These treaties were initialed in Locarno.
Locarno was once one of the three capitals of the canton, alongside Lugano and Bellinzona. This was until 1878.
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