Brissago Islands

The Brissago Islands are a pair of small islands in Lake Maggiore off the Swiss shore in the canton of Ticino, near the village of Brissago. They are known for the larger island’s historic villa and cultivated botanical garden and for being a prominent lakeside attraction.

The main attractions are the cultivated gardens on the larger island, which contain a variety of subtropical and Mediterranean plants arranged around a villa and visitor facilities. The islands are compact and visited via short boat trips from the shore, with paths and viewpoints concentrated on the larger island.

The islands were developed as a private garden estate and later opened to the public; they remain one of the few lake islands in the region with formal botanical plantings. They lie in the southern part of Lake Maggiore close to the Swiss-Italian border and are visible from Brissago on the Swiss shore.

• Boat access: Boat services run from Brissago on the Swiss shore of Lake Maggiore, and the islands are generally reached by scheduled launches or private boats in summer months.
• Subtropical garden: The islands benefit from a mild, sub-Mediterranean microclimate that allows a range of exotic and subtropical plants to grow in the Isola Grande botanical garden.

What to See #

• Isola Grande: The larger island hosts a historic villa and a well-known botanical garden laid out with subtropical and Mediterranean plantings, creating a cultivated garden landscape on a small island footprint.
• Isola Piccola: A smaller, less-developed island sitting close to the larger island, visible from the garden and sometimes included on short boat trips around the archipelago.