Aerial view of Lake Lugano

Ticino is an Italian-speaking region in Switzerland. It is in the south of the country bordering Valais, Uri, Graubunden and the north of Italy.

Cities

• 1 Ascona — known sometimes as the Swiss Riviera
• 2 Bellinzona — the capital of the canton
• 3 Chiasso — is the southernmost town in Switzerland, it is surrounded on three sides by Italy
• 4 Locarno — is the town at the shore of Lago Maggiore
• 5 Lugano — is the largest city in the canton, it is located on the shore of the homonymous lake. There is a pleasant waterfront there, stunning lake views and steep hillsides.
• 6 Mendrisio
• 7 Tenero

Other destinations

• 1 Verzasca Valley
• 2 Bellinzona e Alto Ticino
• 3 Lago di Lugano — Lake Lugano
• 4 Lago Maggiore e Valli — Lake Maggiore located in Italy and Switzerland

Understand

Public Holidays

These are the public holidays in addition to those observed in the whole of Switzerland:

• Epiphany (6 January)
• St Joseph's Day (19 March)
• Labour Day (1 May)
• Corpus Christi (60 days after Easter)
• Saints Peter and Paul (29 June)
• Assumption (15 August)
• All Saints Day (1 November)
• Immaculate Conception (8 December)

Get in

By plane

Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP ^IATA) is connected to Ticino by a cross-border commuter rail network

By train

The area is served by the Swiss Federal Railways with all connections from the North passing through the Gotthard massif and hence significantly improved with the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

See

View from Monte San Giorgio to the north

• 1 Museum of fossils from Monte San Giorgio, Via Bernardo Peyer 9, 6866 Meride, ☏ +41 91 640 00 80. Tu-Su 09:00 – 17:00. Monte San Giorgio is a mountain at the Italian border inscribed at the UNESCO World Heritage List for it "is the single best-known record of marine life in the Triassic period, and records important remains of life on land as well." The museum displays a collection of fossilised animals and plants from this region. Fr. 12. (updated Sep 2015)
• Go to Melide to visit Swissminiatur where a lot of Switzerland's sights are replicated as models.

Do

Hiking

Ticino has some of the most scenic hiking trails in whole Switzerland. Below is a selection:

• Crest hike Monte Tamaro - Monte Lema
• Hike down the Verzasca valley

Sleep

Ticino has a full range of accommodations including hotels, holiday houses, hostels, huts, campsites and agritourism stays.