Lugano

Lugano is a lakeside city in Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of southern Switzerland, and is the largest Italian-speaking city in Switzerland, or for that matter, outside Italy. Part of a temperate micro-climate, Lugano offers palm trees, picturesque boulevards, stunning views of the lake and the Alps, and plenty of opportunity for outdoor and indoor activities. Lugano also makes a good base for visiting other cities and sites in the area. The city is a pleasant place to relax in the summertime and is only half an hour away from Lake Como.

Understand

 * Lugano City Council website

By plane


Milan Malpensa airport is 1 hour away by shuttle (see the "By bus" section below) or 1 hr 40 min by train (see the "By train" section below) and is an EasyJet hub.

By train
Lugano station is on the Gotthard railway, which crosses the Alps connecting the cantons of Schwyz and Uri to Cantone Ticino. It primarily serves:


 * FFS (SBB in German, CFF in French, the national railway operator) and EC. Long distance trains to International destinations and other parts of Switzerland.
 * TILO (Joint operation between FFS and Italy's Trenord) which provides regional services, primarily to Lombardy. Direct service to Milano-Malpensa airport ~1 hr 40 min.
 * FLP (metre-gauge) local services

FFS/EC Trains leave for Zürich (3 hr), Basel (3 hr 34 min) and Milan (40 min-1 hr) as well as Geneva (via Zürich or Locarno-Domodossola: 5 hr 30 min with one or two transfers, 6 hr 30 min via Milan with one transfer). Getting to Geneva or points west it is faster to go via Zürich or Locarno as the trains are more frequent and faster.



There is a direct airport service from Lugano to Milano-Malpensa provided by TILO. It is slower (1 hr 40 min) than the bus shuttles (just over an hour) but provides more regular service. Approx Fr. 23 (Swiss francs) as of 2019. Tickets are referred to as "Transfrontaliero" on Trenord machines and "Internazionale" on SBB machines.

By bus
There are three shuttle services between Lugano and Milan Malpensa Airport. Each takes about 1 hr 10 min to get in from Malpensa: There is also a daily bus service during summer to Tirano, Italy with train connection (Bernina Express) to St. Moritz (Switzerland).
 * Lugano Services(approx every 2 hr, 04:00–23:30; 1 hr 10 min; €25 one way; advance reservations on line or tickets directly on the bus)
 * JetBus (approx every 1-2 hr; 06:00–23:10; €27 or Fr. 35 one way; can be booked at airport)
 * Malpensa Express (every 2 hr; 08:35–23:35; €30 or Fr. 35 one way; can be booked at airport.)

By car
Due to physical geography, Lugano has good North-South oriented links and non-existent East-West ones.

Lugano is on the A2 motorway (just "2" on a red background on Swiss road signs) which spans the width of the country from Basel on the French/German borders to Chiasso on the Italian. This is part of the European Route E35 from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Rome, Italy. Like most Swiss roads, the condition is usually very good and speeds are good, nevertheless distance makes journey times relatively long, particularly when travelling from the north of the country. Lugano is about 3 hr from Berne or Zürich, in optimal conditions. This route passes through the San Gottardo tunnel, which is a bit of a bottleneck on Sundays (northbound) and Friday (southbound), so budget some time for traffic jams. Jams can be up to 3 hours long during peak travel times such as Easter.

Coming from the south, you have more choices on the flat Po plain but the main route is the A9 motorway from near Milano to Chiasso (where it becomes the Swiss A2). This motorway is fast and relatively uncongested, and the Italians have a somewhat more carefree driving style than the Swiss. Speed limits change when crossing into Switzerland. Lugano is about 1 hr 30 min from Milano and 1 hr 10 min from Malpensa airport, in optimal conditions. Travelling on the A9 does incur one toll near Como, around €2.20 as of 2016.

Crossing customs is usually a pain-free exercise. Switzerland is part of Schengen, so they're not interested in your passport (if you're obviously European) but they are not part of the EU and may be interested if you're carrying anything you need to declare; make sure you know the duty-free limits.

Get around
Lugano is small enough to get around on foot, and many of the streets are pedestrian-only, but the hills above the lakefront are very steep so the bus or the funicular from the centre of town might be a better option on the way up to the train station if you have a lot of bags. Taxis can be found on the main roads. Ferries and funiculars (Brè and San Salvatore) are great options for seeing the views.

For more information:

Talk
Italian is spoken in Lugano as a primary language. English and German are widely spoken by many of the individuals that interact with tourists.

Do




More

 * Watch football: FC Lugano play soccer in the Swiss Super League, the country's top tier. They play at the tiny Stadio Cornaredo, capacity 6300, 2 km north of the lakefront.

Buy
Many major labels and designer boutiques (Versace, Hermes, Paul & Shark, Louis Vuitton, and Cartier) can be found here, as well as the usual Swiss and Italian knick-knacks. Via Nassa in the city centre is the main place for shopping high street brands.

Budget
All these are in the city centre:



Drink
In the summer your best bet is just to wander along the lakeside promenade and open air bar/cafes. Check local listings for clubs and shows as venues come and go with the seasons. Spring-Autumn, Bar Mojito (p.za Manzoni, directly at the lakeside)

There are clubs in the city (discos). Nix (under the Casinò), Privilege (near Manor, a department store), Tito's Place (quartiere Maghetti), Club One and The Cube are all located in the downtown.

Oops (via Maderno 24) and Bibliocafè Tra (Salita dei Frati, Piazza Molino Nuovo) are a great place to have beer in the evening. Near University. Another hint:

Sleep
There are a wide range of hotel options right in town, from atmospheric B&Bs to posh four stars to comfy and communal hostels. Be sure to book ahead in the summer, but the rest of the year it's possible to just show up and find something as long as your budget is flexible.

Connect
There are a few internet cafes in town. As usual, try near the train station. Free Wi-Fi connection can be found along the lakeside and in the University campus (Via Buffi, 13).

Stay safe
Lugano is as safe as most cities in Switzerland, but the density of expensive purses, watches, and sunglasses may make pickpockets more of a problem. The usual cautions apply to walking alone late at night, especially after bars and clubs close before dawn.

Important telephone numbers

 * Police (Polizia) – Emergency only: 117
 * Fire Department (Pompieri): 118
 * City of Lugano Police: +41 58 866 82 50 (piazza Riforma), +41 58-8668111 (Via Beltramina 20B)
 * Civic Hospital (Ospedale Civico): +41 91-8116111 (via Tesserete 46 )
 * Emergency Ward (Pronto Soccorso), Civic Hospital: +41 91-8116006
 * Ambulances (Ambulanze): 144
 * Poisonings (Intossicazioni): 145
 * Doctor and dentist on call: 1811
 * Emergency Service - Street aid: 140
 * Lost Property Office (Ufficio oggetti smarriti), City of Lugano Police, Via Beltramina 20b; M-F 07:30-12:00, 13:30-17:00; Phone: +41 58-8668250

Nearby
In nearby Melide is an attraction which is very popular among the Swiss:

Go next

 * Bellinzona for castles nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage list
 * Locarno
 * Meride for Monte San Giorgio — another UNESCO World Heritage site, and the museum of fossiles
 * Como
 * Varese for its Sacro Monte — UNESCO World Heritage site
 * Milan considered a leading global city, with strengths in the field of the art, commerce, education, entertainment, finance, healthcare, media, services, research and tourism, recognized as the world's fashion and the design capital
 * Campione d'Italia, an Italian exclave just over the other side of the lake from Lugano