Villas in Vira

About Vira

Vira Gambarogno sits on the left shore of Lake Maggiore, also called Lake Locarno, on the Riviera del Gambarogno, which runs about 10 km from the tip of the lake to the Italian border. The Church of San Pietro rises above the lake and marks the historic centre of old houses, narrow streets and arcades. Vira was once the mother parish for the villages along this shore. Our homes are tightly grouped here, and most have a private pool, with gardens and air conditioning too. Typically they have one bedroom and sleep up to four. Regular boats link the shore with Locarno, Ascona and the Brissago Islands, and a road climbs from Vira to the mountain villages of the Alto Gambarogno.

Is Vira right for you?

Best for

Couples wanting a private pool and garden on Lake Maggiore

Not for you if

You need room for more than four, because no home here sleeps more.

Near Vira

• Locarno

  About 20 minutes by car, and linked by regular boat services from the Gambarogno shore.

• Gambarogno botanical gardens

  About 17,000 sq m between Piazzogna and Vairano, with roughly 950 camellia and 350 magnolia varieties.

• Monte Gambarogno

  A 1,734 m summit with views to Monte Rosa, hiked from Alpe di Neggia or Indemini.

• Indemini

  A mountain village near the Italian border, reached over the Neggia Pass by a winding road.

• Luino

  The nearby Italian market town, about as quick to reach from the Gambarogno as Locarno or Bellinzona.

Getting to Vira

Milan Malpensa is about 1 hour 5 minutes by car from Locarno, and Vira is around 20 minutes further by road. Bus line 350 runs from Vira to Cadenazzo for the train to Locarno, about 45 minutes in all. A car is best.

When to go to Vira

Summer suits the lake, the boats and the Gambarogno trails, a hiking and biking network of almost 200 km through chestnut groves. The magnolias in the botanical gardens are especially colourful in spring. The Magadino weather station on the plain records about 2,100 hours of sun a year, peaking in July. In winter there is a ski lift at Alpe di Neggia.

Vira villa holidays: questions answered

Nearby towns to Vira

• Ascona (118)
• Locarno (101)
• Brissago (46)
• Minusio (34)
• Piazzogna (27)
• Lugano (25)
• All of Ticino