Ticino Travel Guide

Highlights and top attractions of Ticino

The southern Swiss canton of Ticino borders Italy and the Italian influence here is hard to miss.  Ticino is blessed with a Mediterranean climate and offers visitors the chance to experience Swiss-Italian style cuisine, culture and architecture, all presented with an attention to detail that is typically Swiss.

The city of Lugano is located right by the lake bearing the same name. The lake is framed by soaring Alpine peaks and fringed with palm trees, making this a favourite with those who like to spend time outdoors.

While in Lugano, visitors can enjoy as relaxing or active an itinerary as they please. Hiking trips are a favourite pastime, or you can discover the town’s pretty gardens or Old Town at a more leisurely pace if you prefer. Lake cruises are also popular, as is sampling the delicious local cuisine. 

Just 30 minutes from Lugano are the twin towns of Ascona and Locarno, which sit on the shores of Lake Maggiore. Visitors head to the popular resort towns of Ascona and Locarno for the mild climate, Italian lifestyle and cuisine, and the surrounding landscape of rolling valleys, dotted with attractive villages, glaciers and lakeside towns.

Whether you’d rather relax in a Locarno cafe with a coffee, watching life unfold in the Piazza Grande, sample Italian style dishes in Ascona or take a boat trip to the Brissago Isles, these scenic, palm-lined twin towns offer the chance to Live La Dolce Vita while in Switzerland.

Major events in Ticino

Street Food Festival – This popular food festival takes place in Lugano, usually in September. Visitors can sample all sorts of Swiss and international specialities while enjoying live music and a lively atmosphere. Entry is free.

LuganoMusica– This classical music festival takes place at LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura. The festival features a programme of concerts by renowned international musicians, with dates varying each year.

Estival Jazz – Held in Lugano in July, this popular jazz festival features international artists performing in the city centre. While the festival has traditionally been known for its free open-air concerts, some performances now require tickets.

National Day – Switzerland’s National Day is celebrated on 1 August. In Lugano, celebrations include entertainment and a spectacular fireworks display over the lake, with the exact programme and fireworks time varying from year to year.

Blues to Bop – This Lugano music festival takes place in late August, using the town’s piazzas as stages. It lasts for four days, and plays host to blues artists from all over the world.This popular Lugano music festival brings blues musicians from Switzerland and around the world to stages throughout the city’s streets and piazzas. It is generally held in July and features free performances.

Jazz Ascona – Held in Ascona in late June and early July, this popular festival celebrates jazz, blues and related music styles. Performances take place across the town, with numerous free concerts throughout the festival.

Moon&Stars – Locarno’s Piazza Grande comes alive every July when the Moon&Stars music festival takes place. Featuring internationally renowned pop, rock and other artists, the festival offers a series of concerts in the spectacular open-air setting.

How to get to Lugano

Those who want to take a trip on the Bernina Express, a panoramic Swiss train journey, can take a bus from Lugano to Tirano to connect with the route.

If you are travelling between Lucerne and Lugano, the Gotthard Panorama Express journey is a great option. The journey consists of a boat trip from Lucerne to Flüelen where you connect with a train to Lugano.

There are other ways to travel from Lucerne to Lugano, though, including intercity train and car.

A standard train journey from Zurich to Lugano takes around 2 hours, while the journey from Bern to Lugano takes around 3 hours. A Lucerne to Lugano train journey takes around 1 hour 40 minutes on the fastest direct services.

Lugano is also easy to reach by car, being around 1 hour from Milan, approximately 3 hours from Bern or Zurich, and around 2 hours from Lucerne, depending on traffic and the route taken.

How to get to Ascona Locarno

These twin towns are so close together that you can walk from one to the other in around 40 minutes. Or hop on a local bus, and the journey takes around 10 minutes. By car or local taxi, you can get between them in just 3 minutes.

The train journey to Locarno from Zurich takes around 2 hours 10 minutes, around 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours from Lucerne, and approximately 3 hours from Bern, depending on the connection.

If you prefer to drive, you can reach Ascona and Locarno in around 2 hours 20 minutes from Zurich and approximately 2 hours from Lucerne. From Bern, allow around 3 hours, depending on traffic and the route.

Ticino Info

Population: Lugano – 68,000 / Locarno – 16,000

Language spoken: Italian

Average high temperatures: January –  6C / 44F; April – 15C / 60F; July – 27C / 80F; October – 16C / 62F

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