Tag: Lake Maggiore

Wonderwood: Hidden Gem Family Adventure Park at Lake Maggiore, Italy

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Ranger Trail at Wonderwood

Trip Duration: 8 hours ∞∞∞ Difficulty Level: Easy ∞∞∞ Trip Date: 25 May 2025

I can’t believe it’s already been three years since we were in the hospital theatre, hearing the surprising words: “You have a baby girl!” We had always joked that girls just don’t happen in our families—so when life proved us wrong, we were overjoyed. And grateful beyond words.

Birthday cake made by Grandma.
Birthday cake made by Grandma.

To celebrate her third birthday, we decided to skip the traditional party and instead go on an adventure—a new experience we could all enjoy together.

Wonderwood Adventure Park

Getting There: A Drive to Remember

The journey to Wonderwood took us about an hour. Half of the drive followed the scenic shores of Lake Maggiore, the other half twisted upward along narrow mountain roads—complete with hairpin turns and dramatic drops. No barriers, just breathtaking (and slightly nerve-wracking) views.

I’ll admit: I needed a deep breath and a moment to reset after that drive before I could think about tree trails or ziplines. Want a glimpse of the road and the trip?

First Impressions & Planning Ahead

At the entrance, we were warmly greeted by a friendly receptionist who explained everything calmly and clearly. The atmosphere was unhurried, which set the tone for a truly relaxed day. We immediately reserved a table for lunch on the panoramic terrace—a must if you’re visiting during peak hours.

Rope Course Adventures for All Ages

We headed straight to the rope courses, where everyone received a helmet and safety harness. After a short but thorough training on a practice course, we split up:

  • Our daughter (the birthday girl!) tried the low-level course, which is suitable from age 3.
  • Our son and my husband tackled the medium course, which runs 3 to 6 meters above ground.
  • There’s even a high course 9 meters up—for next time!

More Than Just Ropes: Other Highlights

🐿️ Squirrel Coaster

A creative wooden obstacle track for racing wooden balls down the hill. Spoiler: I was so focused on the race, I almost landed on my backside. Watch your step!

Squirrel Coaster: wooden ball run

🚙 Ranger Trail – Land Rover Ride

It is one of my kids absolute favourite. The range rovers are suitable from 3 – 14 year. Parents must accompany the riders with a remote that can switch off the jeep before something goes downhill.

💦 Paddling Pool

After and during all the excitement, the best way to reset and cool down is to visit the paddling pool. The pool is shallower on one side than the other, but still perfect for toddlers. The swirling stream by its side with its ankle height water is great for babies.

🚜 Build It – Digging station

Diggers turned out to be a great distraction to both young and younger members of our crew. The two stations offer different things to grab. One is for digging up dirt and pouring over from one side to another, while the other has a grabber for lifting up wooden logs. Both the digger and the jeeps work with the same tokens. Tokens can be pre purchased or bought at the training center.

Food & Relaxation: The Grotto

The on-site restaurant, Grotto, gets busy—especially on weekends. Be sure to book a table when you check in. If you’re just after a snack, the WunderBar next to the playground offers a good selection of drinks and treats.

Signpost

Why We Love Wonderwood

Wonderwood is exactly the kind of place we love discovering:

  • Family-friendly without being overwhelming
  • No queueing for climbing due to the buzzer system in place
  • No cash needed on site due to the park green card system – pay at the end on the way out
  • Outdoorsy but safe, the park is fully enclosed providing a secure ground to roam
  • Structured enough for parents to relax, but adventurous enough for kids to feel brave

It offered something for each member of our family—from the curious toddler to the adrenaline-loving big brother. The best part? We’re already planning to return next week.

Wind and Sun kissed cheeks: Ascona in the Winter

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Home of Jazz

Choppy waters on Lake Maggiore and an icy February wind welcomed us to Ascona. One might expect this in winter.

Yet, the brightness and warmth of the sun tricked us into believing that spring had arrived. The golden light that embraced Ascona in the early afternoon should have made the chill more bearable. But the wind, sharp and relentless, stripped away all comfort.

Our woolly hats, meant to keep us warm, barely fulfilled their purpose. Still, I can’t imagine how we would have coped without them.

Home of Jazz

Music and Art

This small town is home to the renowned Jazz Ascona Festival, which takes place every year from late June to early July. With over 15 concerts per day, the festival draws visitors from around the world. Uniquely, it is the only festival outside the U.S. officially linked to New Orleans jazz.

Walking through Ascona, you can feel its artistic soul. The streets and colourful houses bear the imprint of the many artists who have performed here over the years.

Blend of Italian charm and Swiss precision

One of my favorite things about Ascona is its car-free lakeside promenade, the LungoLago. It’s the perfect spot for a leisurely stroll, where cafés and restaurants line the waterfront. Even the icy wind couldn’t keep visitors from admiring Lake Maggiore’s shimmering expanse.

In this video, we take you along Ascona’s cobblestone alleys, down to the lake, where we walk with the colorful facades of cafés and houses on one side and the deep blue waters of Lake Maggiore on the other. Our journey leads to the playground before circling back to explore the port and the town’s charming, narrow streets.

Why We Love Ascona

Ascona is Switzerland’s lowest town, sitting just 196 meters above sea level. Thanks to this unique location, it enjoys a mild climate year-round.

Each visit feels like a new experience—a place of sunshine and tranquility in winter, and of heat and lively crowds in summer. The traffic-free waterfront makes it an ideal destination for families, offering a safe space for little ones to roam freely.

With ice cream on every corner and countless spots to relax, Ascona has something for everyone. Whether you’re indulging in local delicacies or simply soaking up the sun, this lakeside gem offers the perfect escape—any time of the year.

Winter Sunbathing: Exploring Brissago and other family low/highlights

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Swimming Lessons, Back to Work, Winter Flu, Exploring Brissago, Family Pool Fun

Brissago

Driving straight into the winter sun, which is sitting low on the horizon. Lake on the left and mountain on the right. The road hosts two way traffic but with the width of two old minis, very narrow. It is full of twists and turns. Just around one corner a garage door amongst the rocks of the mountain. Park the car and take the lift to get to your residence.

There are many such garage doors along the road south from Ascona just like that. Each one has a concrete lift shaft above. I can only imagine how people live / commute from places like this. I wonder what happens when the lift breaks down.

We kicked off the trip at the southern part of the town. Parking near the lido of Brissago, we planned to check out the slide leading to Lake Maggiore. However it is closed in the winter and it is not accessible with a buggy / trailer due to the stairs.

Chiesa di S. Maria di Ponte

A few meters further to the south on foot, we found a church. Large wide stairs leading down to what it looks like to the lake. To the right the cemetery to the left the most well maintained church yard, I have ever seen. The church is open for visitors from April until November. However the surrounding garden is open all year around. The lawn is manicured with precision, the trees are pruned for the next season. It is a great spot to fill up on vitamin D on a nice sunny day.

Looking around we can see the nearby lido and long slide just behind the church. On the lake the island of Brissago is visible. It’s botanical garden offers a couple of hours excursion for the visitors. On the other side of the lake, the mountains go from green bottom to brown middle to white caps.

From here we carried on towards north of the town. Along the way, many of the Mediterranean features can be spotted. The houses have warm colours, the palm trees keep their unique shades all year around. Stone dominates many of the walls, bridges and due to the steep hill Brissago is built on, there are many not-so-hidden stairs along the town.

Lungolago of Brissago

Lungolago is filled with benches to rest on. Unique statues and fountains break up the path. Lemon and orange trees show off their fruit even this time of the year. The winter sun makes long shadows creating a dramatic effect on the photos we took along the journey.

Below the promenade the large stones form theater seats like structure. Great spot to admire the the ‘vista’ in front.

The houses are colourful with large balconies maximising on space to admire the view of the lake and mountains. Tranquility dominates the lake side in January. I imagine that it is the perfect calm before the high season storm begins.

However the winter sun has now disappeared behind the mountains. We pulled up the zips of our winter jackets, to keep the cold out and headed back towards the main road. Behind the fire station, a lively sport field breaks the serene site.

Along the main road, the town is busy with locals chatting in the bars, rushing from one place to another. Busy traffic rushing in front of the hill covered with terraced houses facing the lake.

It was our first time visiting Brissago, however, we would love to visit in the high season, to be able compare the atmosphere between the seasons.

Brissago in summary

It was a great 2-3 hours trip (including playground pit stop, which is unavoidable with little kids). The playground is secured with a fence and has a few different features. There are many parking spots available around the town with various facilities. The trip can be stretched out to a whole day experience by visiting the Botanical Garden on the island of Brissago.

Visiting with a buggy / trailer was easy. The only challenge was to drag the trailer back up the wide stairs from the church to the main road. The stairs are really small and deep, so the passengers did not complain.

Swimming lessons

While waiting for the lesson to kick off, M had a few rounds on the water slide. She is gaining confidence in the pool. During the lesson we walk in big circles with the little ones (1 & 2 year old) across the whole lane. Each round we do a different activity. This is the quietest time in the pool. I can hear the lifeguards’ chatter faintly while focusing on blowing bubbles underwater for M’s entertainment. She is mesmerised with all the toys and busy keeping them in her hands while being pulled around in the water.

I hope next week O can join as well. He is home with flu, he needs a rest.

Back To Work

Holidays are over and M is back to his work routine. It was so nice to be together for a couple of weeks. But as anything, this is now over, which means I need to get my sh!t together again.

Winter Flu

Baby is moaning, temperature soaring above 40 degrees Celsius. Last night I called the hospital for advice. I was reassured that I can safely increase the amount of meds given to keep the fever in check. Next day, we were due for O’s one-year-old routine check up. Our paediatrician prepared me to keep fighting the fever potentially for a whole week. ‘It is flu season!’ Important to keep up the dosage every 4 hours. However, during the night I let him sleep through one 4 hour window. At 3 am I woke up for an inconsolable crying for help. His temperature was nearing 41 degrees Celsius. From that point onward I skipped zero 4 hour windows. The following night was even worst and I had to give him another med, which is like a horse kick. It takes ages to make a difference, but once it works it lasts for 24 hours. Eventually we got out of this madness by the second part of the week.

Family Pool Fun

Sunday FunDay. The pool was the busiest yet plenty of space to splash about. Four grown ups for 3 kids is a great balance in a busy pool. Huge inflatable across two lanes keep the bigger kids busy and the parents anxious. Blue elephant slide keeps M focus sharp. She is growing into a little adrenaline monkey. Sliding down, immersing under water, climbing out of the pool and starting all over again for another twenty rounds. Before she disappears behind the stairs again, but instead of appearing on the top of the slide, she is off to the baby pool. Luckily Granmy with little O are already there splashing on the tiny water fountains.

Boat Ride and Treasure Hunt at Isole di Brissago

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If you are looking for a brief attraction that involves a boat ride, a treasure hunt, a place for picnic – look no further! Isole di Brissago has all this on offer.

We took off from Ascona with a boat. The journey took no longer than 15 minutes including boarding. I think we queued for tickets longer than the water passage overall. Make sure to buy the entrance ticket for the botanical garden at the same time with the boat ticket to avoid queuing up twice. The boat has two decks with plenty of seats and standing space. It goes from Locarno to Brissago with a few stops along the way.

Once on the island, it was very clear which way to proceed. There is a hotel with a restaurant for those wish to eat out. Otherwise, there is a huge picnic area with plenty of space for the kids to roam around. We got lucky to be able to soak in the last rays of the November sun. It warmed us to the point, that even in the evening we felt our cheeks radiating. Many families enjoyed the free space, some on the benches, while others simply relaxed on the green grounds. Kids enjoyed rolling down the hills and playing tags. Dogs are allowed on the island but must be kept on their leash at all times.

We visited the day after Halloween. Pumpkin treasure hunt was available for smaller visitors. There were a dozen of pumpkins hidden around the gardens, just waiting to be explored, and ticked off on the poster provided at the entrance. We managed to loose ours half way around the garden, but its not a surprise while the kids / grown ups ratio benefits the minors. We still managed to find all hidden pumpkins while exploring. They were well hidden in at all corners of the island.

This attraction is advertised as buggy friendly. While the major paths are accessible with a buggy, get ready to leave it along the way to have a closer look at the various sections / areas of the island. There is a cool labyrinth in the misty bamboo forest. There is a roman bath that is accessible via a staircase only. There are other smaller paths with stairs or just simply too narrow for the buggy ride. So I suppose as long as you have enough grown ups to pick up the little ones when looking around these areas, then you will be just fine.

Would I go back with the family? Probably not, unless there is a special assignment that would require some visual observation of the plants. It is a pretty nice attraction for a couple of hours including a picnic and the boat ride.