Ticino
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Ticino - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Isole di Brissago
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 SF8 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 (SF20 round-trip) and Locarno (SF34 round-trip). You must leave with the last boat back to the mainland—usually around 6 pm—so check the schedule carefully when planning your excursion.
Isola Grande, Ascona, Ticino, 6614, Switzerland091-7914361Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF8 -
2. Piazza della Riforma
Old TownIn 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.
Lugano, Ticino, 6900, Switzerland -
3. Santuario della Madonna del Sasso
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.
Via Santuario 2, Orselina, Ticino, 6644, Switzerland091-7436265Sight Details
Rate Includes: Funicular SF8 round-trip -
4. Via Lungolago
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.
Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland -
5. Casa dei Canonici
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.
Via Cittadella, Locarno, Ticino, 6600, Switzerland -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Casinò Locarno
With 150 slot machines and table games, the Casinò di Locarno has plenty of gambling options.
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7. Casinò Lugano
Old TownIn addition to slot machines and gaming tables, the three-floor Casinò Lugano has a bar and a first-rate restaurant.
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8. Castelgrande
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.
View Tours and ActivitiesSalita al Castelgrande, Bellinzona, Ticino, 6500, Switzerland091-8258145Sight Details
Rate Includes: Museum SF10, inner courtyard free, combination ticket SF28 includes Castello di Montebello and Castello di Sasso Corbaro -
9. Castello di Montebello
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.
Via Artore 4, Bellinzona, Ticino, 6500, Switzerland091-8251342Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF10, combination ticket SF28 includes Castelgrande and Castello di Sasso Corbaro, Closed Nov.–Mar. -
10. Castello di Sasso Corbaro
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.
Via Sasso Corbaro, Bellinzona, Ticino, 6500, Switzerland091-8255906Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF10, SF28 combination ticket includes Castelgrande and Castello di Montebello, Closed Nov.–Mar. -
11. Cattedrale di San Lorenzo
Old TownBehind 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.
Via Borghetto 1, Lugano, Ticino, 6900, Switzerland -
12. Centro Storico
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.
Bellinzona, Ticino, Switzerland -
13. Chiesa Collegiata di San Pietro e San Stefano
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.
Piazza Collegiata, Bellinzona, Ticino, 6500, Switzerland091-8252131 -
14. Chiesa di San Francesco
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.
Piazza San Francesco, Locarno, Ticino, 6600, Switzerland -
15. Chiesa di Sant'Antonio
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.
Locarno, Ticino, 6600, Switzerland -
16. Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angioli
Old TownThe 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).
Piazza Luini 6, Lugano, Ticino, 6900, Switzerland -
17. Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie
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.
Via Convento 5, Bellinzona, Ticino, 6500, Switzerland091-8252663 -
18. Chiesa Nuova
This exuberantly decorated baroque church, built in 1630, has a disproportionately large statue of St. Christopher on its facade.
Via Cittadella, Locarno, Ticino, 6600, Switzerland -
19. Chiesa San Biagio
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.
Via San Biagio 13, Bellinzona, Ticino, 6500, Switzerland091-8252131 -
20. Chiesa Santa Maria del Sasso
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.
Morcote, Ticino, 6922, Switzerland
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