Tina

Hello~

My family and I would like to make a daytrip from lucerne to the Ticino region at the end of May. If you had to choose one: Locarno or Lugano, which would you choose and why?

Thanks in advance!

BTilke

I would pick Lugano--the city park is gorgeous--and then take a lake cruise. However, the only time I was in Locarno was for a big (film?) festival and it was MOBBED. My husband's uncle was driving us around and getting lost and his wife kept urging "Links, schatzie, links!" so it wasn't the most relaxing visit ;-)
Whatever you decide, make sure you soak up the sun and enjoy some nice Ticino wine.

Grasshopper

Tina, I had to make a similar decision for 5 days in July and picked Locarno, largely because it seemed less crowded than Lugano and close enough to things I wanted to visit; Bellinzona, Asconsa, and Lugano for day trips. I found journals about both places on www.igougo.com which helped me make my choice.

Greg

Tina,

I have been to both and perfer Lugano. It has it all, a lake, hills, gardens, restruants, shops, and it is accessible to towns like Locarne or Milan. Have a good trip.

Greg

John

Either city is about a three hour train ride away from Luzern. You might consider an overnite.

I've only been to Locarno, but picked it based on reports that it was less crowded and more relaxing than Lugano. We certainly did find it to be a wonderful place to visit, but don't have a comparison point.

You might do a search on this site, since this question has been asked and discussed by others over the past year.

I'm guessing you can't go wrong in either place.

Susan

I'd pick Lugano. It's a beautiful city. Take a lake cruise to Morcote or Gandria for an enjoyable lunch. You can even walk back to Lugano from Gandria.

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Very different places--a lake resort versus a cosmopolitan chic city that is also a lake resort---Lugano hands down.

jw

Hi, Everyone knows how I love Lago Maggiore, but as a day-trip from Lucerne, I'd have to agree that Lugano is the place. There is even the possibility of choosing a time with no train changes. The 8:23 a.m. takes 2:40 w/o changes, but an earlier one leaving at 7:19 takes only 2:27 with one little change at Arth Goldau (a rail hub). Same sort of choices in the evening. I'll be interested to hear how you enjoy your long day out. The rail route between the two is really spectacular, and the contrast between Lucerne and Lugano is remarkable. You'll love it. J.

jw

p.s. Do try to fit in a bit of a boat ride to Gandria, as Susan suggested above. But Susan, did you really walk from Gandria back to Lugano?

Susan

Yes. The walk took us a little over an hour. But if you do it, make sure it's not on too hot of a day and that you're wearing comfortable shoes. It's actually a fairly popular route. Here's a link to virtualtourist where someone posted their photos of Gandria.
http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/.128...le/1464/5/?s=U