Milan has the luxury of being only a train journey away from so many beautiful places one of those being Lugano, Ticino, in Switzerland. Finding myself with a free day, some wanderlust and a desire to 'travel' solo over a year after my last solo trip, I went online a bought a return train ticket to Lugano for just under 50euro. In this post I'll share with you all the things I crammed in to 7 hours and what you could do in a day.
About Lugano
Lugano is not only a significant banking centre in Switzerland but is also a beautiful region filled with a combination of culture, food, sightseeing opportunities and plenty of natural surroundings. It oozes a small town feel as every person is friendly, conversational and eager to help but it's also a spotless city that has an air of style and modernity. Lugano has mostly good weather year round so is perfect for a trip anytime of year but if you find yourself caught in some impromptu showers there are many museums and churches to wander around instead.
Cattedrale di San Lorenzo
After hopping off the train I headed down a series of steps to come to a little piazza that overlooks the lake, this piazza is home to the Cathedral of Saint Lorenzo which is free to enter. Built in the early 16th century this cathedral is home to beautiful frescos and statues that have been under a process of restoration for many years, although the cathedral is mostly restored there are some remnants of how it looked before. You can leave a suggested donation of 2sfr to get a leaflet in English that tells you much more about the process of restoration as the information boards are only in Italian. I spent 20 minutes here before heading down to Lugano Centre.
Via Cattedrale, Via Pessina & Via Nassa
After following the steep, sweeping street away from the cathedral you'll find yourself standing at the top of Via Cattedrale and street lined with chic independent and second hand boutiques, funky cafes, art stores, and some larger chains like Lush. This is great for a wander in and out of shops and to grab a coffee to start the day. I stopped at Bar la Bohème to grab a double espresso and the barista couldn't have been any nicer we struggled our way through an Italian conversation and he wished me on my way and settled my nerves about visiting alone.
From Via Cattedrale you can further explore the maze of cobblestone lanes and boutiques of Via Pessina and the surrounding streets. I visited on a Monday and many shops had reduced opening hours, if not being fully closed which was a shame, however, if you're visiting at the weekend there are plenty of things to see, buy and gaze at.
Via Pessina merges on to Via Nassa which has become a must-visit destination for designer shopping, this street is lined with porticoes and is home to some of the most exclusive designer brands. It runs parallel to the lake front and is a great path to follow towards the museums.
LAC
LAC is the cultural centre that houses Museo d'Arte della Svizzera Italiana an exhibition space showing contemporary artworks by Swiss and Italian artists, while I was visiting they had a Picasso exhibit on loan from the Picasso Museum, Paris, which was serendipitous because every place I visit seemingly has a link to Picasso or an exhibit of his works. LAC made for the perfect opportunity to stroll around countless artworks. The permanent collection is an eclectic mix of sculpture, mixed medium art and paintings which were both intriguing and bizarre but nonetheless I enjoyed it.
I'm also a complete sucker for gift shops and souvenirs and mostly get my souvenirs from museums, for this LAC is no exception; they have an incredible bookshop with is steeped with books about art and culture, although you need to hunt for one in English. I spent half an hour flicking through books and debating whether I was willing to carry around heavy books all day. I finally settled on a little book that chronicles the journeys of migrants from African and Middle Eastern countries to Switzerland, it'is published by a non-profit in three languages. Although I could have bought so much more I sadly restrained.
Entrance to the permanent collection was free, however, the Picasso exhibit was 20sfr or 14sfr with a student card. You can check their upcoming exhibits on their website and also purchase tickets in advance.
There were more museums I wanted to visit but I decided to head back along Via Nassa & Via Pessina to grab some lunch.
Macelleria Gabbani
My original intention for lunch was to eat in a lake front restaurant as I expected rain but the weather held out and instead I grabbed a panino 'per prendere via' (take-away) from Macelleria Gabbani, the famous delicatessen, and headed to one of the countless lake front benches to perch, eat and take in the views. I'd highly suggest eating a sandwich on the lake front, if the weather allows, because it's much cheaper but it's also a wonderful opportunity to breathe in some fresh air and watch the mix of tourists and locals. I sat for around 20 minutes and relaxed before setting off again.
Parco Civico & Parco Ciani
About a 10 minute walk along the Lungolago, a lakefront promenade, or a slower walk with an ice-cream in hand is the public gardens of Lugano. After wandering here I sat and chilled out while scribbling in my travel journal. It's tranquil and relaxing here and many people from all over town come here with family and friends to sit, chat, chill and catch up.
You could easily spend 2 hours, or more, here if you have a long time and although picnicking is not permitted, nor is sitting on the grass in general, in true Swiss-Italian fashion everyone does it anyway. I was sad that I'd missed the tulips and all that was left were the seed heads from the flowers but there were plenty of flowers in full bloom; the show stopper for me was a humongous wisteria growing up and around a dead tree forming a kind of purple beacon on the lakeshore. There are plenty of photo spots here and a wooden boardwalk surrounded by a little beach, on an outcrop of land, is perfect for a sunny day although I'm sure it gets extremely busy.
A general walk around
After wandering through the park, chilling out and getting a little bit lost I decided to wander some
more. I headed through every inroad, every cobblestone street and towards every piazza that caught my eye out of curiosity and really enjoyed the sensation of being lost despite having nowhere to be. Lugano is sprinkled with delightful little stores, whether fashion, jewellery or antiques that are perfect for window shopping and gazing at as you walk and even finding a special keepsake for your trip if you have the time to search. I wandered around and grabbed a mid-afternoon coffee before finding myself with nothing to do.
Società Navigazione del Lago Di Lugano
Feeling rather defeated and embarrassed, after having been determined to go it alone, I wandered to the town centre Tourist Office. I was so pleasantly delighted by the staff there and how helpful, kind and excitable they were.
I asked the lady if I could take a boat across the lake that would get me back in time for my train and in a flash she'd whipped out a timetable and a guidebook and was highlighting all my possible options and telling me about each of the little towns that sit on the lakeshore. She called the dock for me and checked that it was possible, told me my best option and directed me to the dock. The man at the ticket office was great, he spoke amazing English but also encouraged me to practice my Italian and sat and had a conversation with me till my boat arrived. He gave me precise and specific instructions for what I had to do and saw me on to the boat and I think instructed the captain to look after me!
Once on the boat the 50 minute crossing to Morcote, a small lakeside village, I relaxed and read the tourist guide taking in the spectacular views and thinking of all the things I'd do next time I visit. After 50 minutes I arrived in Morcote, and once again the captain gave me specific instructions for the next boat which was arriving in 10 minutes and actually kept the boat in dock and watched me, waiting to point out the boat I was to board to return.
This 10 minutes was nothing but the crossing was beautiful, the people kind and the boats a blast from the past. In Morcote I headed into a souvenir shop full of pottery and handmade crafts, picked up a terracotta turtle to adorn mine and Luca's bookshelf at home; and after sat on the lakefront taking in the views and listening to German tourists babble about their hiking excursion of the day.
I then boarded the boat back to Lugano, relaxed, scribbled some more in my Travel Journal and upon return headed to the station way to early and stressed about what platform I was supposed to be on, what time my train was, whether I was getting the correct train or even had the correct ticket.
The boat trip was by far my highlight of the day, maybe because it was impromptu but this is my biggest recommendation if you want to see some more of Lake Lugano and the smaller towns and villages that adorn its shores.
5 Tips for Lugano
A comfy pair of shoes is essential for Lugano, walking is an integral part of visiting Lugano.
If you're travelling from Italy to Lugano for the day remember they use Swiss Francs! There is a cash exchange, and a cash point at the station. The station accepts Euros for a lot of things, but in town it's better to rely on cash than card.
Don't be afraid to ask people for help or advice, in Lugano most people are eager to help and happy to spend some time to make you more sure of yourself. The Tourist Office is a great place to grab a city map and ask about what's going on. The Tourist Office also offers guided walking tours of the city at 10:30am everyday but also offer specified walking tours as well. Call or email them for more information and definitely check their website!
If you're going by train from Italy or a neighbouring country, border checks are carried out on board have your passport with you and ready to speed up the process!
Although most people in Lugano speak English, French and German the main language in use is Italian. I found that people massively appreciate the effort if you try to speak Italian so try and learn some basic phrases before you go and the people will have a completely different attitude towards you.
#Lugano #Ticino #Switzerland #Lake #LagodiLugano #beautiful #museum #cathedral #viacattedrale #viapessina #vianassa #chic #independent #boutiques #shops #cobblestone #designershopping #museums #lakefront #lakeshore #lakelugano #contemporaryart #picasso #macelleriagabbani #panino #sandwich #lunch #park #parcocivico #parcociani #wisteria #publicgardens #Swiss #Italian #TouristOffice #guidebook #timetable #captain #boat #cruise #ferry #crossing