Brissago Islands: What to see and how to get there

The botanical park covers an area of 25000 m2 and houses more than 2000 plant species from areas with a Mediterranean climate - such as the Mediterranean, Chile, South Africa, Australia and California - and with a humid subtropical climate, such as Asia, America and Oceania. The tour is exciting and takes its guests into another world: the magical forest with its mystical mist, the lookout point at the end of the island, the bamboo forest, the greenhouse, the small beach and the Roman bath are particularly spectacular locations. For children, it is a must to go on a treasure hunt that will take them on a piratical and mysterious adventure. Villa Emden is located in the centre of the island. The elegant neoclassical villa, built in the 1930s by Max Emden, contains a restaurant and hotel and offers wonderful conditions for private events. The Roman baths, the orangery and the dock also date from Emden's time. Previously, the islands belonged to Baroness Antoinette de Saint-Léger, who saved them from neglect to make them a home for artists of all kinds: Famous painters, sculptors, musicians and writers frequented it until 1927. It is to her that we owe the foundations of today's botanical park, which was opened to the public on 2 April 1950. Since then, the Brissago botanical park has been one of the most beautiful gardens in Switzerland thanks to its exceptional biodiversity and is particularly popular with tourists.