Experience the best of Lugano
Lugano is a lakeside city in Italian-speaking Switzerland, with palm-lined promenades, arcaded squares and mountains rising straight from the water.
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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.
Funiculars lift to Monte Brè and Monte San Salvatore, with views across the lake to the Alps. The lakeside LAC cultural centre has a concert hall and museums, and boats cross to the fishing village of Gandria, whose lanes drop steeply to the water, and to Morcote, a village on a rocky peninsula with a hillside garden. The Italian border and Lake Como are close.
Risotto with Ticino merlot, polenta with braised meat and luganighe sausages show the Italian side of the table, and torta di pane, a sweet bread cake, finishes the meal. Spring brings camellias and magnolias to the lakeside parks, summer is the season for swimming, and winters are mild.
- Free cancellation on 87% of experiences
- 4.7 across the top 5
Top 3 attractions in Lugano
Day trips from Lugano
10
Free cancellation
Food and drink experiences in Lugano
9
from$452
from$286
Go beyond Lugano
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Lake Como · 24 kmVilla del Balbianello
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Lake Como · 24 kmVilla Melzi Gardens (Giardini di Villa Melzi)
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Lake Maggiore · 32 kmPalazzo Borromeo
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Lake Maggiore · 32 kmGardens of Villa Taranto (Giardini Botanici Villa Taranto)
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Milan · 63 kmMilan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano)
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Milan · 63 kmLa Scala (Teatro alla Scala)
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Bergamo · 66 kmPiazza Vecchia
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Bergamo · 66 kmCattedrale di Bergamo
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St Moritz · 87 kmDiavolezza
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Zermatt · 93 kmMatterhorn
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Zermatt · 93 kmGornergrat Railway (Gornergrat Bahn)
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Grindelwald · 98 kmGlacier Canyon
Questions about Lugano
- What is there to do in Lugano?
- We list 73 experiences in Lugano. The largest groups are city tours (14), day trips (13).
- What are the top attractions in Lugano?
- Ranked by the experiences that visit them, the top attractions in Lugano are Lake Lugano, Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli, Monte Brè.
- What is the most popular experience in Lugano?
- By number of traveller reviews it is "Skip the Line: Falconeria Locarno Ticket", rated 4.6 out of 5 from 175 reviews.
- How long do tours and tickets in Lugano take?
- The typical experience in Lugano lasts about 2.5 hours; the middle half run between 2 hours and 5 hours.
- Can I cancel a booking in Lugano?
- The operator lists free cancellation on 88% of the 73 experiences we hold for Lugano. The cut-off differs by experience and is shown on each product page before you choose a date.
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