A Day Trip to Ticino, Switzerland: Lugano, Locarno, & Bellinzona ★ I Travel for the Stars

Switzerland is known for its northern parts but Ticino is tucked away in the south. The thing I love about Switzerland is that is has very strong and obvious influences from the French, Italians and Germans, yet it has its own distinct culture and identity. Ticino is essentially the part of Switzerland near Italy, with heavily Italian influences. It’s a few hours’ train ride away from Zurich but starting early, I was able to spend a day in some different towns there.

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Lugano

Lugano’s a city with a tumultuous history that switches between independence, French, Italian, and of course Swiss occupancy. The city that descends from a hilltop, so you can get some great views of the lake and buildings by walking around from the train station (the top of the hill) to the centre of town (towards the bottom of the hill).

At the bottom of it all is the Parco Ciani, where you can see the famous gate overlooking Lugano Lake. San Lorenzo Cathedral, also called Cathedral of Saint Lawrence, is the city’s primary cathedral built in the 16th century. It’ near the train station and makes an easy stop before walking down. The city is filled with winding streets and it’s very steep. The main square is Piazza della Riforma.

The location on Lugano Lake makes the area popular for nature lovers. Another popular attraction in Lugano is Monte Brè with sweeping views of Lugano, which can be accessed via a funicular, though I did not go up myself. You can also take a cruise on the lake.

I have to be honest with you: Lugano was a bit disappointing. Of course it’s the most popular tourist destination in Ticino but all the expensive stores and restaurants lined up it feel more like Monaco, and it was a bit too metropolitan for my tastes. Though Lugano has a lot of history, a lot of the city feels and looks relatively new. Aside from shopping and seeing the lake, there really wasn’t too much to do. It just didn’t really take my heart and I felt it was a bit charmless. However the scenery is indeed stunning.

There are many attractive places to visit in Switzerland with more to do, so my personal recommendation is to skip Lugano in lieu of someplace else.

Locarno

Next, I meandered to a smaller town on Lago Maggiore called Locarno. Again, there wasn’t really much to do but there was something so tranquil about the small lakeside town. You can stroll on Lake Maggiore, which is very scenic. The lakeside buildings are all a bit more modern but the town has some older sites to see. There’s also a medieval castle you can visit, Visconteo Castle, which houses a small museum. There were far fewer tourists when I went, so my visit was very peaceful.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Locarno as a place to put on your bucket list since it’s small, but if you’re even in Ticino for an extended time, it’s a place to keep note of. It would also be nice and I assume cheaper to stay there. The Locarno train line is a bit of out the way from the other major towns of Ticino by about 45 minutes, but I found it easy to transfer.

Apparently the neighbouring village of Ascona is also an old charming town, which I didn’t know when I visited. The towns are small enough that you can walk between them. According to Google, it should be about a 40 minutes’ walk, though I assume you can also get a taxi.

Bellinzona

My last stop was definitely my favourite: Bellinzona, a town that dates back millennia. The town is known for its three castles: Castlegrande, Castello di Montebello, and Castello Sasso Corbaro. I got to see all three castles but because I saved this place for last, I didn’t get to visit them fully. I thought I wouldn’t be interested in touring them but honestly, when I got there I saw how big and beautiful the castles were and wanted to learn and see more of them.

Castelgrande is the main castle, which sits on a hilltop overlooking the entire town – including the other castles! You can go inside, and one of the town’s main squares is just at the foot of the castle. When I was there, it was being used as a small music festival. The site itself dates back a whopping 7,000 years (amazing!) and the current castle you see today dares from the 1200s-1400s, with additions later on.

You can visit and go inside Montebello Castle, and visit the castle grounds when it’s closed. This is the castle pictured above and it also dates to the 1200s. You can also go inside the third hilltop castle, Sasso Corbaro Castle. This is the newest one, built in 1479. All castles are not as pristine as the day they were completed but they’re fairly well preserved. They also look so much bigger and forbearing than in the photos, which gives the town a sort of magical, old-time feel.

I also enjoyed the town itself. It’s very cute with some elegant and organised architecture, and of course some beautiful town squares. The main one seems to be Piazza Independenza but I really enjoyed Piazza Collegiata in front of the Collegiate Church of Saints Peter and Stephen. Bellinzona is a fun place to explore and you can actually spend about an hour or two just wandering the streets and admiring the sights. The architecture has a tonne of great sculpture and detail, and there were so many more small shops rather than expensive chain stores. The location in the Alps also makes the scenery incredibly gorgeous.

My honest opinion? Ticino is very beautiful but it would appeal more to the luxury traveller, or even the backpacker who’d like to explore the region for its nature and many mountains. I really liked Bellinzona and would recommend that history lovers start there, then maybe move onto Lugano to eat or Locarno to wander around. Or just spend the day exploring Bellinzona.

Have you ever been to Ticino? What did you think? What are some places you’d recommend visiting?

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Ticino, Switzerland - Lugano, Locarno and Bellinzona

I wanted to visit Bern and Zurich so much when I was in France that when I ended up not making it, I actually flew back to Switzerland the next chance I had. And let me tell you this: I was absolutely not disappointed, and even stunned by the beauty and culture that Bern had to offer. Even though it’s the capital of Switzerland, this historic city is usually skipped for nearby places like Zurich and Lucerne, but it definitely deserves a day at the least of your time to fully enjoy what Switzerland has to offer.

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The History of Bern

The city of Bern was founded in 1191 by Bethold V, Duke of Zahreingen of Swabia (pre-Switzerland). It became part of the Swiss Confederacy in 1353 and grew rapidly. Notably a devastating fire in 1405 was the reason people took to building the stone structures that characterise the city today. However the structures are said to date much later, to the 16th and 17th centuries, though they still follow the city’s medieval blueprint. Nonetheless, the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The history of Switzerland is interesting in that it’s so different from other countries. The area of Switzerland that came together to form Switzerland in 1848 never had a capital city. Bern was chosen as a “federal city” because of its central location, but it technically isn’t a capital city. However its function is about the same.

The name of Bern (meaning bear) goes back to the city’s founding. The legend is that Mr. Bethold V proclaimed he would go hunting and name the city after the first animal he killed, which was a bear, or at least he said it was. So now the city’s symbol is the bear, which you can see everywhere in Bern. I myself have a cute Bern bear stuffed animal.

Things to Do in Bern

Bern has a really interesting history because a lot of the motifs and values that it was founded on – including the use of the bear (“bern”) – can still easily be found in the city today. It’s a city paying homage to its history. I was absolutely astonished by the beautiful architecture, that looks almost like its successor Haussmann, and how it spans miles and miles down the entirety of Bern city. The city supposedly looks as it did in the 16th and 17th centuries. The stone structures have two storeys of buildings: the street level and then a lower level, where there are more shops and restaurants in cellar-like spaces. How magnificent is that? It definitely has the grandeur of well-planned and established architecture, much like Paris. However, unlike Paris, there’s a natural beauty that surrounds Bern and makes it feel truly Swiss.

My favourite museum to see was the Bern History Museum, which hosts an excellent and in-depth history of Bern from the medieval to the most modern times. It also includes a permanent exhibition on Albert Einstein, a Jewish refugee in Bern. I highly recommend a visit as it was one of my favourite museums to learn about Switzerland.

There’s also the Kunstmuseum, or fine arts museum, but I found it to be quite small.

Bern also houses a Swiss Alpine Museum and a Communication Museum. You can also visit the apartment Einstein lived in for two years at the Einstein-haus. For art lovers, you can take public transit over to the Zentrum Paul Klee, dedicated to the Swiss-German artist.

Walking around the city, you can’t miss the Zytglogge (clock tower), dating from 1220 and serving as a medieval remnant of Bern. The clock is a marvel of engineering and art that grounds the city streets, as well as the colourful statues that guide you from one side of town to the other. I recommend getting a good guidebook if you’d like to know more about the colourful statues that line the city’s streets, since they all have unique meanings and symbolism. You can also stop by the Bern Munster, or cathedral, and get a view from the top.

One of the most popular things to do in Bern is visit the Barengraben, or the “bear pit,” which of course is dedicated the the city’s namesake animal, the bear. Here you can see a few resident brown bears. Conditions have been improved in recent years to make the pit a bigger and more enjoyable place for the bears, but visiting is free so you can stop by without contributing monetarily.

There’s also a rose garden which I highly recommend visiting for the views. It’s not very out of the way, though it’s a somewhat steep climb, and the views you can get over the city are breathtaking. Even though I went in May, which is almost rose season, it was still very cold (it even snowed!) so unfortunately the gardens were barren (or should I say bearren). But that didn’t matter much since you can still see all of Bern in its splendor.

Personally, I think walking around Bern’s many streets and seeing such detail and views at every corner was a great way to spend time and get to know the city. (And if you like shopping, chocolate and/or baked goods, you could do a lot of damage!) It’s a very relaxed place. One day is definitely enough to visit Bern but if you want, you can definitely fill up a few more days exploring the city. I went back a few times just to see the city a bit more.

If you’re off to Switzerland, I recommend looking at a Swiss Rail Pass. Not only does it get you travel on Switzerland’s rail system (which is not cheap), but you get free entrance to several museums. It was a big money saver for my trip to Switzerland and it was nice being able to be more flexible with my train rides.

If you’re ever in Switzerland, or even nearby, I highly recommend visiting this beautiful city full of history and culture. It’s one of the lesser-known cities I’ve enjoyed most and I’m still blown away by how old and cultured this city is.

Have you ever been to Bern? What did you think?

A Day Trip to Ticino, Switzerland: Lugano, Locarno, & Bellinzona

Lugano

Locarno

Bellinzona

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The Charming City of Bern – Things to Do & Travel Guide

The History of Bern

Things to Do in Bern

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