Travel tips for Lavertezzo, Verzasca River and Ppnte dei Salti Bridge

I know there used to be (probably still is) a postbus running up the Val Verzasca from Locarno. I believe it goes all the way to Sonogno. It's a beautiful ride, but I remember being rather bored with scenic drives when I was younger, so I don't know how the teenagers will react. The (not-large) waterfalls along the way will probably not be at their peak by the time July rolls around.

Another interesting route is the Centovalli train line from Locarno to Domodossola in Italy.

As I recall there are three castles in Bellinzona. I haven't been to any of them, so I can't tell you how interesting they are, or even whether they are open to the public.

Here is information on the Postbus 321 route up Val Verzasca from Locarno to Sonogno:

https://www.postauto.ch/en/leisure-offers/excursion-tips/2022/valle-verzasca

Use the button to see the schedule. Or you can use SBB.ch—- put in Locarno to Sonogno. It appears Postbus 321 runs from Locarno in the eatprly morning but later one takes a regional train from the Locarno station to Tenero and you pick up Postbus 321 there.

The ride to Sonogno takes just over an hour but if your goal is Ponte dei Salti that woul be much shorter.

I wanted to incorporate a visit to Val Verzasca for hiking and swimming at Lavertezzo into our September 2022 Italy trip. After researching the lodging options in and near the valley itself, Including in the charming village of Sonogno, I concluded it would be difficult to manage without a car. So I decided to book a lakefront hotel in Locarno instead (actually the area know as Muralto, very close to the Locarno train station) for 2 nights, with a visit by Postbus to Ponte die Salti and a hike up the valley from there.

But then I learned that by September the river would be so low it was not worth the time, so I canceled the hotel and we went to Lago di Garda instead. So I cannot report on the experience with a personal recommendation.. But coincidentally, I received an email from the hotel yesterday, with an announcement of a 30% early booking discount for 2023 bookings, including through the summer. (Note that this rate is non-refundable, so observe the usual precautions).

https://www.hotelgeranio.ch/en/

There is another lakeside hotel nearby which also looks nice, but it might be more expensive:

https://www.lapalmaaulac.com/en/

Thank you all for the info.

I tried to go to the valley once without success because my train from Bellinzona was delayed (yes, trains can be late in Switzerland!) and therefore I couldn't connect to the Post bus. Years later, I tried again and succeeded. The area is nice, but don't be disappointed that the river gorge is very small. Bring swimsuits if you want to swim there. I stayed in Lorcano.

One general comment about the Italian speaking side of Switzerland: the food isn't as great as what you get in Italy but costs quite a bit more. (This is just a personal opinion and is not meant to offend anybody.)

That pretty much echoes what I heard from a forum member here, and is another reason we did not go last September. According to this person, Ticino “looks and sounds like Italy” ( in terms of language and signage), but “the food is not as good, and everything costs twice as much”.