Tips for a day in Lugano, end of March
A traveler and a friend are planning to take the Bernina Express and stay in Lugano for a day at the end of March before heading to Como. They are looking for tips on how to spend their time in Lugano.
- Take a walk around Lugano to explore the city on foot.
- Consider a boat trip on Lake Lugano and visiting local mountains like Monte Bre and Mount San Salvatore.
- Try to get a window seat on the bus from Tirano to enjoy views of Lake Como.
- If you have extra time, hiking the olive grove trail from Gandria back to Lugano is a great option.
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Myself and a friend are taking the Bernina Express and the bus trip to Lugano at the end of March. We intend spending the next day in Lugano and wondered if anyone has tips for a day in Lugano. We will then travel on to Como in the evening time.
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Hi Tina2,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
Lugano is a lovely city to explore on foot. A walk around town is definitely recommended. If you have time, plan a boat trip on Lake Lugano and maybe visit the local mountains. Monte Bre and Mount San Salvatore are easily accessible from Lugano by public transport. You can find more sightseeing suggestions in Lugano here: http://www.myswissalps.com/lugano/activities
Regards,
Anna
Hi Anna,
Thank you for your prompt reply and tips. I will check the links out you have provided. Many thanks
We spent 4 days in Lugano this past September as part of a month in Switzerland….hiking and touring. Lugano is delightful. Old town browsing is fun. The church next to Hotel Int’l au Lac is awesome. One of the best days was taking a steamer ship to Morcote….FANTASTIC! Also the olive grove trail hike from Gandria back to Lugano is a great and relaxing way to see the lake and get some exercise. Take the boat to Gandria ….short ride. When we were there, we got really lucky…the int’l blues festival was there….Blues to Bop….what an extra treat. Music venues throughout the old town Lugano. Best place we ate was Osteria Trani.
Hi Neubigl, Thank you so much your trip sounded brilliant. I like the sound of the walk with a view. Great that you provided an idea for nice place to eat. Thank you
Also….the bus ride as part of the Bernina Express ride from Tirano to Lugano is a real drag….long and can’t see much. Try to get a window seat no the driver side of the bus. That’s the side you can see Lake Como from when you are passing it. The bus leave you off at the train station. It is above the town of Lugano. Thread your way down to town….depending on where you will stay. We LOVEd our hotel. Also on the train portion…..get a seat on the right side facing forward….travel direction to see the most. If you are staying in Chur to get the Bernina early the next morning….the old town is fun to walk thru. The department store there has awesome food for reasonable. We stayed at ABC Hotel Chur and it was perfect for one night….breakfast was awesome. On the same street there is pastry sandwich shop that faces the train station. Great treats and great people watching.
Thank you much appreciated. We are staying in the same hotel in Chur👍
Thanks for your valuable input Neubigl! Good to hear you enjoyed your days in Lugano.
Hello Anna,
We are also planning a side trip to Lugano from Luzern in early May. The spots you mention here in your response, are also the ones I would be interested in seeing. My question is whether it will be better to do R/T boat ride on Lake Lugano , starting from Lugano and returning to Lugano and then bus to Monte Bre, or just bus to Monte Bre from Lugnao and forsake the boat ride. I have read that a boat ride on Lake Lugano is worth it. However, there are only a few departures each day. We are not planning to go to Gandria. Thoughts?
Regards, Louise
Hi Louise,
There are various roundtrip Lugano – Lugano boat rides you can choose. The shortest one takes about 1 hour. Assuming you don’t hop and hop off, you have more than enough time for a side trip to Monte Bre at the end. You can find information on how to get to Monte Bre here: http://www.myswissalps.com/montebre/gettingthere
For more ideas, you can find other boat trip + excursion combo here: http://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakelugano (scroll down to Routes and Activities).
Regards,
Anna
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