Came here at the recommendation of a friend living in Zurich. Such a wonderful experience. The…read moresmall island is a short boat ride from Locarno (also a short boat ride from Ascona). Entrance fee was small (about 8CHF). But wow, what a view! And the flowers! Heavenly. The smell of Jasmine was everywhere. Loved the flowers from around the globe, the Roman "bath" and the Bamboo garden. Very easy to spend an entire day here. A must visit, especially if you like nature, flowers, spectacular views, and the outdoors.

If you want the BEST pictures and views then come here on the early train from Milan and globe…read morethere at 0930 when they open. The early morning light of the grande and lake make superb lighting for all your personal photos. Quiet and serene this is the place to pray, relax or just walk around and enjoy the fantastic views. A MUST SEE when you travel here.

Absolutely loved this garden!…read more Pros: - If you have a student ID, it's only 2 euros to get in, if not only 5 euros - The place is fairly large, we spent 2 hours here just relaxing and taking tons of photos - Bring food, wine and games for a picnic - they have benches scattered around the garden - Lots of shade so don't worry about getting stuck under the sun all day - The amount of work they put into the garden is reflected by the stunning visuals you'll see Cons: None!

It was a hot one but this was certainly worth the stop. Walk your way along the coast of Morcote…read morefor about 15 minutes after docking from the ferry and you'll find Parco Sherrer. This park offers a beautiful private collection of artwork overlooking the lake. There is a fee to enter this park. I loved how the park was sectioned out by different styles of work found from throughout the world. It's a stunning collection. In their words: "A unique atmosphere lingers at Scherrer Park in Morcote, on Lake Lugano. Inside the lush subtropical vegetation, reminding of exotic countries, are in fact architectural and artistic works inspired by distant cultures such as a Siamese tea house, an Egyptian temple and Greek sculptures. This fascinating garden is the work of Hermann Arthur Scherrer who since the 1930s dreamt of recreating a magical place inspired by his travels. Between palm trees and bamboo, eucalyptuses and lemon trees, cedars and oleanders, the visitor can admire many floral and scented species of plants."

Take a cruise or a ferry to explore Lake Como…read more We booked a day trip from Milan to Lake Como with Ciao Florence. The public ferry was an interesting experience. Our family was able to find a place to stand on the top deck and eventually find seats. Our tour guide and group were scattered all over the ferry which made it a bit disorganized. The ferry itself was amazing. The views were magical on a wonderful sunny Friday. When our guide finally located most of the group that had migrated to the top floor, he gave us a bit of insight into Villa Carlotta. The history is one with many families involved. Originally built on ancestral land by the Clerici family who became successful silk merchants. The country estate and gardens were built in the 1690s. As with many wealthy families, the great grandson spent too much money building an extravagant palazzo, the Palazzo Clerici in Milan, which forced his heirs to see their Lake Como villa sold to cover their debts. Over the next couple of hundred years, the property continued to exchange hands until it was eventually was converted to a museum and gardens by royal decree. Nice to be able to see it from the ferry. Maybe next time, we will have more time to explore the villa and its gardens.

What an amazing place! It's a museum and a garden, the bottom floor is a cool interactive museum.read more

Amazing museum! A must go for people visiting the area! It's about the history of that area since…read morethe prehistoric time with a perfectly preserved mummy! They have original prehistoric , romans and later artifacts. It holds also temporary exhibit when we visit there was an interesting and interactive exhibit about the unification of Italy. Unfortunately we didn't have time to complete the whole tour there was another area where you could admire more more of the beautiful architecture of the palace but we will back!! The surrounding it's also gorgeous in this magnificent park that overlook the city. I also recommend to take a look at this park/gardens called giardini estensi that includes also the main palace that now it holds the city hall.

Probably much better in spring time than in September...yes, there is an entrance on Via Privata…read moreFratelli Gabba (near the Bulgari hotel), at the end of the street, on the far right (hidden from view unless you're facing the entrance). It's not necessary to go through the Brera museum. Guess this means I will need to return to Milan for a third time, eventually...someday!