The Lugano City Guides answer the questions every visitor has: which grotto in the hills serves the real polenta, which of the three mountains gives the best view, how to reach the lake villages without a pricey cruise and where the evening goes after aperitivo. Each guide is a short, opinionated list with the reason to go, what to order or see and one practical tip for every place, and it opens in your browser as soon as you pay.
About the Lugano City Guides
- 119 places
- 6 guides
- 4 languages
- Works offline
- Print or PDF
- Instant access
- Free updates
The six Lugano guides
Food guide
19 places
Stone grotti in the hills, polenta and risotto in the old town, two Michelin dinners, delis, cafés and the lake villages worth a meal.
Things to do guide
20 places
Art at LAC and a Renaissance fresco few people see, funiculars and a cog railway up three mountains, the olive trail to Gandria and the lake villages.
Family guide
20 places
Lakeside parks and lidos, an indoor water park, mountain rides with a summer toboggan run, a free museum full of animals and where to feed everyone.
Nightlife guide
21 places
Aperitivo on the piazza, hotel terraces above the lake, a volunteer-run jazz club, craft beer and grotto dinners that run late.
Day trips guide
18 places
Lake swims and stone villages, Mario Botta’s mountain buildings, the green water of the Verzasca valley and castles on the way to Lake Como.
Budget guide
21 places
Free frescoes, parks and viewpoints, lakeside walks and cheap swims, honest lunches and day trips your hotel’s Ticino Ticket already covers.
Why an interactive guide beats a list
Tick places off
Mark each place as done and watch your progress, so you always know what is left.
Your own notes
Write notes on any place and add your own finds. They stay on your phone.
One tap to Maps
Every place opens in Google Maps, and the day route puts your picks in a sensible order.
Open now, near me
Filter by what is open right now or what is closest to you.
Works offline
Open the guide once with a connection and it keeps working without data.
Print it or save as PDF
On a computer, print any guide or save it as a PDF to take with you.
Three places from the guides
Grotto del Cavicc
Montagnola, 20 minutes by bus from Lugano
A grotto run by one family in Hermann Hesse’s old village, where the writer himself used to eat. Expect polenta, game when it is in season and meats cooked for hours, in an old-fashioned room or at tables under the trees. From the food guide.
Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angioli
Piazza Bernardino Luini, next to LAC
A modest church holding one of Switzerland’s finest Renaissance frescoes: Bernardino Luini’s Passion and Crucifixion from 1529, filling the entire wall that divides the nave. Entry is free and you often have it almost to yourself. From the things to do guide.
Ponte dei Salti
Lavertezzo, Verzasca valley
A 17th-century stone bridge with two arches over river water so clear it turns green. Summer brings swimmers and sunbathers to the smooth granite; the rest of the year the valley walk is quiet and wild. From the day trips guide.
Plan your days in Lugano
On day one, walk the old town and the lakefront with the things to do and food guides: the Luini fresco in Santa Maria degli Angioli, the cathedral terrace, lunch in a cellar off Piazza della Riforma and an evening aperitivo from the nightlife guide. On day two, ride a funicular up Monte San Salvatore or Monte Brè, walk the olive trail to Gandria and take a boat back, or let the day trips guide send you to Locarno and the Verzasca valley. Keep a rainy or slow day for the indoor pool and the natural history museum from the family guide, then a long dinner in a hillside grotto.
Questions about the Lugano guides
What do the Lugano City Guides include?
Six guides with 119 places altogether: food, things to do, family, nightlife, day trips and budget. For each place you get why it is worth going, the area, notes on opening times and a practical tip.
How do I receive the guides after I buy?
The links show up on your order page as soon as payment goes through, and again in your confirmation email. They run in any browser on a phone or laptop, so there is no app to install and no account to create.
Can I use the Lugano guides without internet?
Yes. Open each guide once while you are online and it keeps working offline, ticks and notes included. Only the map links need mobile data.
What languages are the Lugano guides available in?
The guides open in English, German, French and Italian. You can switch the language inside the guide at any time.
How much do the Lugano guides cost?
One guide is CHF 4.49, two are CHF 7.99, four are CHF 14.49 and the full set of six is CHF 17.99.
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