Ascona town walk route details

How to get there and back

Ascona can be reached by bus, e.g. from the train station in Locarno. There are various parking options in the same area where the bus stops. You can also reach Ascona by boat.

Be sure to look into passes that may come in handy for this day trip and your other activities in Switzerland.

Route description

You can find the route on the map on this page. We offer detailed street by street directions as well:

• The bus stops on the Viale Bartolomeo Papio. You can already see the church from there, less than 100 m away.
• Walk to the church. The Chiesa di S. Maria della Misericordia was completed in 1442. Turn around to walk back and immediately turn left into the Via Collegio.
• After 150 m, turn left into the Via Beato Pietro Berno. Do not walk to the lake, but turn left into the Via S. Sebastiano, then right into the Via Sant'Omobono.
• Go right into Vicolo delle Olive and walk to the lake.
• Turn left to walk along the lake as far as you like (see the map for a suggestion). Then turn around and walk along the lake again.
• Turn right into Vicolo Dogana, then take the first left to reach the church of Saints Peter and Paul. The Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo dates back to 1264, but was reconstructed several times.
• Walk around the church, then walk back to the lake via the Piazza San Pietro.
• Turn right to continue your walk along the lakefront. Follow the curve to the left into Via Moscia.
• About 100 m into Via Moscia, take the stairs up the hill on the right side of the road. Continue following the path (see the map) until you reach the church: Chiesa di San Michele. The hill you're standing on is inhabited for 5,000 years. Nowadays there are some very nice villas here.
• Enjoy the view upon Ascona and the lake, then walk back to the lake the way you came from (see the map). Enter the Via Borgo to leave the lakefront.
• After 100 m, turn right into the narrow Contrada Maggiore. Then after less than 100 m, turn left into the partially covered Galleria della Carrà.
• At the end, turn left into Carrà dei Nasi to reach Via Borgo again. Turn right there. You'll now leave the historical town center.
• Turn right into Viale Bartolomeo Papio to reach the bus stop again.