Monte Brè Tour from Lugano by funicular

In evidenza

Incluso

Itinerario

1. Piazza Riforma: With its many bistros and restaurants, Piazza della Riforma is the city’s main place of encounter. Throughout the year several different events, including Easter in the City, Estival Jazz, Blues to Bop, Autumn Festival and Christmas in the Square, take place here. But in the past, when the square was called Piazza Grande, it was the scene of several political events. In fact, the 15th February 1798 was a chaotic day of fighting, at the end of which, despite initial success, the enemy was pushed back by the Lugano partisans. The most enlightened members of the bourgeois took advantage of events to finally achieve long-sought independence for the town, buoyed by the slogan “Free and Swiss”. At Zurich the twelve cantons proclaimed Canton Ticino’s independence and on 16 February the citizens erected the tree of liberty in Piazza Grande. In 1830, the square took on its current name thanks to the constitutional reform.

   30 min

2. Short cruise on Lake Ceresio from the center of Lugano to the small port of Cassarate, a short moment of relaxation with a breathtaking view.

   10 minIngresso incluso

3. Appreciate the splendor of Monte Rosa, the Bernese and Vallese Alps as seen from the top of Switzerland's sunniest mountain. Ever since 1908, a cable railway has brought visitors, in a quarter of an hour, from Cassarate to Mount Bré (933metres above sea level), a locality offering many opportunities to the visitor: a big, well equipped picnic area, where it is possible to grill food, walks that are accessible to families even with small children and more difficult mountain hikes. The village of Bré has kept intact its characteristic of ancient rural village, and in time, numerous artworks have also embellished it. You will find the works by Pasquale Gilardi, also called Lelèn, the frescoes by Joseph Birò in the Church of San Fedele, the Schmid Museum with the works, which the artist left, together with his home, to his Municipality of adoption and an open air museum consisting in the works of Aligu Sassu, Armando Losa, Emilio Rissone, Giuliano Togni, Giancarlo Tamagni, Piergiorgio Piffaretti and others. Of course, there are also restaurants, tiny and large grotti with panoramic terraces that offer a bird’s eye view of the Lake of Lugano and of its surrounding mountains.

   1 hIngresso incluso

4. The town of Brè has maintained its characteristics of ancient rural village and has gradually enriched itself with numerous artistic works. The decoration of the town centre with several artworks has the intent of getting a vaster public acquainted with this charming village, where such artists like Pasquale Gilardi (1885-1934), Wilhelm Schmid (1892-1971) and Josef Birò (1887-1975) lived. The artistic path starts in the square in front of the church, passes through the centre of Brè and offers visitors the opportunity of admiring the artworks of famous artists, renowned both at the national and international level. Besides the town’s artistic decoration, at Brè it’s possible to admire many other noteworthy works of art. The Wilhelm Schmid Museum, the house where the homonymous artist used to live (1892-1971), hosts an important collection of the works of the only Swiss painter who was an exponent of “Magic Nordic Realism”. There are also several restaurants and grotti with panoramic terraces offering a superb view of the Lake of Lugano and of the surrounding mountains. The region of Mount Brè, moreover, offers an infinite number of itineraries both for hikers and mountain bike lovers that differ greatly from each other in terms of beauty and difficulty.

   1 h

Cancellazione

Cancellazione gratuita fino a 24 ore prima dell’inizio, con rimborso totale.

Recensioni

I voti arrivano da 69 recensioni raccolte dal nostro partner di prenotazione. Sono parole dei viaggiatori, nell’ordine in cui sono state scritte — mai riordinate per far apparire meglio l’esperienza.

Sono mostrate le recensioni scritte in inglese.

• 5So much more than a funicular ride.......

  Fabulous value, this tour is a must especially if the weather is good. You are led by an experienced and professional guide who gets everything right and delivers so much more than just a funicular ride up a mountain. We travelled from Como by train to take this tour and it was 100% worth doing. Book if you can and be prepared for fabulous views, good leisure time and loo stops and a visit to the traditional village of BRE where you will be entertained with tales and insider knowledge about what life was like in the village a generation ago. Switzerland is an expensive place but this tour is good value at any exchange rate.

  Simon_Bottobre 2026via Viator

• 5Monte Bre Tour

  Excellent and beautiful tour of Lugano and Monte Bre. Our tour guide, Christina, was very pleasant and knowledgeable, as she lives in Bre. Her recommendation for dinner at La Tinera was wonderful! Highly recommend this tour while visiting Lugano.

  Z5815ICdenisetottobre 2026via Tripadvisor

• 4A great tour of charming Lugano and Bre!

  Travelled to Lugano from Como to experience a day in Switzerland for our son's birthday - the city did not disappoint! We were so impressed by the mountain and lakeside scenery and felt this tour really showed us a lot. There is a short boat ride around the lake of around 20 minutes and then the funicular up to Bre for more stunning views! Our tour guide (sorry did not get the name!) was very knowledgeable and spoke five languages. She told us a lot of interesting things about the mountain town of Bre. There is a bit of walking involved in that part so be mindful of that and pack lots of water especially if you are going in 30 odd degree heat! Good value for money, would recommend!

  paulgW3336GRsettembre 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Lovely, easy for non-hikers like myself

  It was really nice, also included hidden gems of this area. It was really informative.

  Tamas Hgiugno 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Don’t miss this great tour!

  This is a totally great tour you should not miss when visiting Lugano. Christina is an excellent tour guide and surpasses what you would expect from a standard tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the walk-through Mount Bré. The funiculars are not air-conditioned, so in hotter months they will be quite warm. You walk about a mile or more both downhill and uphill, but the uphill is not too severe. Christina is from the village and has lots of great history and information that she shares. She is really the most enthusiastic and happy person we have ever met.

  Andrew_Tmaggio 2026via Viator

• 5Highly recommend this tour.

  Excellent tour. We enjoyed a short boat ride to where the funicular for Monte Bre begins. Our guide, Cristina, is incredible. As a local, she is well-informed of the area's history; she is also exceptionally engaging and enjoys questions and conversation. The funicular (in 2 parts) ends at a panoramic site near the mountain's top. Then a walk down around the other side from Lugano to the charming and picturesque village of Bre, whose history Cristina explained -- and where she lives. Another walk around the side of the mountain (flat) to catch the funicular back. Note: those who have limited mobility may have difficulty going down some of the steps from the panoramic spot to Bre.

  Charlene_Bsettembre 2025via Viator

Da sapere prima di partire

How it compares in Lugano

• Its from-price is 89% below the median of the 73 experiences we list in Lugano.
• It is longer than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 2 of 73.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Lugano

Lugano is a lakeside city in Italian-speaking Switzerland, with palm-lined promenades, arcaded squares and mountains rising straight from the water.

Lugano lies on the shore of Lake Lugano in the Ticino canton, where the language is Italian and the climate is mild enough for palms and camellias. The old town centres on Piazza della Riforma, lined with cafés and arcades, and a promenade and the Parco Ciani run along the lake. Santa Maria degli Angioli, a church by the water, has a large Renaissance fresco of the Crucifixion by Bernardino Luini.

Top-ranked sights in Lugano: Lake Lugano, Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli, Monte Brè.

See all 73 experiences in Lugano