45 Best Sights in Ticino, Switzerland

From underneath the crowded arcades of this piazza, shoppers spill onto the square to lounge in cafés and watch each other drink, chat, and pose.

Breathtaking Alpine scenery and subtropical colors are wed in Brissago, yet another flowery lakefront resort at the lowest elevation in Switzerland. It's an easy excursion by car or bus from Ascona. The main attraction, the federally protected Brissago Islands, are set like jewels in the lake. Their botanical gardens teem with more than a thousand species of subtropical plants, identified by plaques in Italian, German, and French. An English guide to the plants is for sale for CHF8 at the gate. Have lunch or drinks at the restaurant in a beautifully restored 1929 villa. Boats bound for the islands depart regularly from Ascona and Locarno (CHF20 and CHF34 respectively, round-trip including entrance fee). You must leave with the last boat back to the mainland—usually around 6 pm—so check the schedule carefully when planning your excursion.

In the early 19th century, several buildings were torn down to enlarge the square, providing room for the present-day café tables. Commonly referred to simply as "La Piazza," it's the social and cultural heart of the city and the site of outdoor markets and open-air concerts.

With a breathtaking view of Locarno, the Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Rock crowns the hilltop hamlet of Orselina. Pilgrims make the steep hike up to it, but most others opt for the short funicular ride that boards close to the train station. The church is open to visitors, but you must reserve ahead to see the rest of the convent, where Brother Bartolomeo da Ivrea had a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1480. Inside the sanctuary are several side chapels with statues depicting scenes from the New Testament, such as the Last Supper. The church, which was given a neo-Renaissance facade in the late 19th century, is a lavish affair. Among its artistic treasures are Bramantino's 1520 Flight into Egypt and Ascona-born Antonio Ciseri's Christ Carried to the Sepulcher, a dramatic, Caravaggesque procession scene painted in 1870.

This 2-km (1-mile) lakefront promenade is lined with highly pruned lime trees, funereal cypresses, and graceful palm trees stretching from the Lido all the way to the Paradiso neighborhood. Il Lungolago is the place to see and be seen—while taking in the views, of course. At night, luminous fountains turn the lake near the Parco Civico into a special attraction.

The House of the Canons has a lovely interior courtyard. It's now a private house, so you'll have to just take a peek.

With 150 slot machines and table games, the Casinò di Locarno has plenty of gambling options.

In addition to slot machines and gaming tables, the three-floor Casinò Lugano has a bar and a first-rate restaurant.

Although this castle was first mentioned in a 6th-century document, the current structure dates from the 1200s. The massive exterior is dominated by two heavy, unmatched towers and the remaining portion of a crenellated wall that once stretched all the way to the river. Modern renovations have added an elaborate complex of restaurants and museums that include historical and archaeological exhibitions. The 14th-century ceiling murals, created to embellish the wooden ceiling of a local villa (now demolished), offer a peek at privately commissioned decorative art. A dramatic audiovisual history of Bellinzona and the Ticino Valley is shown in one room.

The most striking of Bellinzona's three castles has a core section that dates from the 13th century. The palace and courtyard, both from the 15th century, are encircled by walls with spectacular walkways on top. The center structure houses the attractive, modern Museo Civico (Municipal Museum) and the Museo Archeologico (Archaeology Museum), with exhibits on local history and architecture, including an impressive collection of Gothic and Renaissance stone capitals.

This massive and forbidding fieldstone construction's almost complete absence of curves is typical of the Sforza style. It was designed by a Florentine military engineer and built in 1479 for the duke of Milan, who insisted that the work be completed in six months, as indeed it was. Temporary art exhibitions are held in the belvedere and in the Emma Paglia Room. Ambitious walkers can reach the castle in about 45 minutes by treading uphill from Castello di Montebello along a switchback road through woods; if you're driving, follow the signs to Artore.

Behind this church's early-Renaissance facade is a baroque interior with carefully restored frescoes and a baptismal font dating from 1430. The church has premedieval origins, becoming a collegiate church in 1078 and a cathedral eight centuries later.

With its heavy-column arcades, wrought-iron balconies, and shuttered facades, Bellinzona's Old Town exhibits the direct influence of medieval Lombardy. The small area is distinguished by red cobblestones.

The sober, late-Renaissance facade of the Collegiate Church of St. Peter and St. Stephen, begun in the 16th century, stands across from the Castelgrande. Its baroque interior is richly decorated with frescoes and stuccowork by a host of Ticino artists. Of particular note is the late-18th-century Crucifixion attributed to Simone Peterzano that serves as the central altar painting.

Harmonious and almost delicate, the Church of St. Francis and its convent stand cheek by jowl with the painfully bulky, modern building that houses the city's Department of Education, Culture, and Sports. The history of the parish goes back to the early 13th century, when it was allegedly founded by St. Anthony of Padua. The current church was begun in 1538, however, on the remains of earlier constructions. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the interior is the series of frescoes, which have been restored to their original splendor. Note the fine marble carvings and paintings on the side altars.

Built in the 17th century, the Church of St. Anthony stands on a small plaza in the midst of narrow streets lined with splendid old medieval and baroque houses. The baptismal font (1589) features the double coat of arms of the ancient community of Locarno, and was overlaid in bronze by local sculptor Remo Rossi.

The simple facade doesn't prepare you for the riches within. Begun in the late 15th century, the church contains a magnificent fresco of the Passion and Crucifixion, as well as the Last Supper and Madonna with the Infant Jesus, all by Bernardino Luini (1475–1532).

The earliest records of the Church of St. Mary of Grace date from the 15th century, when it was part of a Franciscan monastery. Now it's a retirement home. The church's most remarkable feature is the huge fresco painted by an unknown Lombard artist some time around 1500 on the wall segmenting the main nave. It depicts the Crucifixion in the center, surrounded by 15 vignettes from the life of Christ.

This exuberantly decorated baroque church, built in 1630, has a disproportionately large statue of St. Christopher on its facade.

One of Bellinzona's two Italianate churches, St. Biagio is a spare medieval treasure guarded on the exterior by an outsize fresco of a soldierly Christ. The 12th-century late-Romanesque structure suggests a transition into Gothic style. Alternating natural red brick and gray stone complement fragments of exquisitely colored 14th-century frescoes.

A steep and picturesque climb leads up to the Chiesa di Madonna del Sasso, with its well-preserved 16th-century frescoes. Its elevated setting affords wonderful views.

The city's public beach has two swimming pools and two restaurants. To reach it, you have to cross the River Cassarate. Heading east from the Parco Civico, cross Viale Castagnola and then turn toward the lake. The entrance to the main swimming area is ahead on the right. Everyone from families to scenesters comes here to cool off.

A funicular departs every 30 minutes from the east end of Lugano in Cassarate to the top of Monte Brè, where there are several well-marked hiking trails. An "art trail" in the summit village of Brè features a path studded with pieces of sculpture. The funicular costs CHF26 round-trip.

Take a boat from Lugano across to Capolago, where you can take the 40-minute cogwheel train up to soaring Monte Generoso and its striking geometric observatory designed by Mario Botta. Fares vary, depending on the route taken, but are between CHF45 and CHF68 round-trip. At the top of the observatory are two restaurants, one self-service and the other fine dining, as well as a panoramic terrace. After lunch, head out on one of the many marked hiking trails.

Monte San Salvatore can be reached via the funicular in Paradiso. Departing every 30 minutes, it costs CHF32 round-trip. At the top is a huge relief model of the entire Sottoceneri region, with "nature itinerary" paths marked and signs pointing out flowers and trees.

A hillside park behind the waterfront, Monte Verità was the site of a utopian, vegetarian artists' colony in the early 1900s. Influenced by Eastern and Western religions as well as new realms of psychology, its ideals attracted thousands of sojourners, including dancer Isadora Duncan, novelist Hermann Hesse, and psychologist Carl Jung. You can visit some of the Monte Verità buildings, including the unusual flat-roofed Casa Anatta, and the museum, which was renovated in 2017. The main park and grounds are open year-round.

A museum since 1854, the Cantonal Museum of Natural History contains exhibits of fossils, animals, and plants, mostly those typical of the region, with all labels in Italian. There's a large section on local crystals, which is especially interesting for people planning long hikes in the mountains.

Immediately to the left of the Church of St. Anthony stands the city's art gallery, inside what was an 18th-century residence. Its permanent collection includes the work of Jean Arp, and temporary exhibits highlight both Swiss and international artists.

As the city's primary art museum, Museo Casorella holds more than 4,500 historic sculptures and works of art. Formerly unseen prints and paintings are now on view, including several by Locarno-born Filippo Franzoni, a little-known master who embraced the divide between realism and symbolism. 

The city's Municipal and Archaeological Museum's collection is notable for its Roman relics, including a major collection of glass and Romanesque sculpture. It's housed in a heavily rebuilt version of what was once Castello Visconteo, erected in 1300 as a stronghold of the dukes of Milan. Soon after, it was virtually destroyed by the invading Swiss Confederates.