Lugano is one of the most interesting and nice cities to visit in Ticino. Its climate, natural beauty and lifestyle make it undoubtedly worthy of being one of the best places to live.
Although Lugano is not the capital of the Canton of Ticino, it is indeed the centre of this region. Here’s what you can do for a day in this amazing city.
What you can do in Lugano
1. Piazza della Riforma
In our opinion, this square captures a bit of the essence of Lugano, elegant but lively and crowded. It is a very large square space flanked by Renaissance-style buildings with clear Italian inspiration. The arcades on one side add charm to a place populated by terraces where locals and tourists enjoy the sun.
2. The Via Nassa and the Via Pelissa
These two streets are the commercial centre of Lugano and at the same time very different from each other. The first one has the Swiss essence: luxury shops located in a street with arcades that are not visible even in the shop windows.
Via Pelissa, on the other hand, is plenty of fshops that offer delicious food.
3. The Cathedral of San Lorenzo
In the historic centre of Lugano, the streets rise up to the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, one of its highest points. From here you have a good view of Lugano and the lake and nearby mountains.
Its interior is very interesting as it shows some frescoes from the High Middle Ages.
4. Ciani City Park
Probably the most beautiful park in Switzerland. Its location on the lake alone makes you think of a beautiful and charming place. Full of subtropical plants and flowerbeds of all colours, it is the ideal place to shelter from the summer heat and enjoy one of the best views of Lugano, with the famous gate and fence with the lake and Monte San Salvatore in the background.
5. Mount San Salvatore
From the district of Paradiso, a funicular goes up to Mount San Salvatore. The views from the little church at the top are amazing as you can behold the lake, Monte Brè, the Valais Alps and Lugano.
6. The mountain Brè
The other way to see Lugano is by another funicular railway located on the other side of Lugano, near Cassarate. The fantastic panoramic views also include Mount San Salvatore, known as the “Sugarloaf Mountain of Switzerland“.
7. Boat trip on Lake Lugano
One of the attractions of the city is the possibility of visit from the lake. To this end, you can take one of the round trips offered by the Lake Lugano Navigation Company or even buy a day ticket and sail around the lake.
By boat you can reach not only the cable car stations of Monte San Salvatore and Monte Brè, but also Melide where you can visit Swiss Miniatur, and above all two of the most beautiful villages in Switzerland, Gandria and Morcote.
