Andrew Montgomery
Why visit Lugano
Ticino’s lush, mountain-rimmed lake isn’t its only liquid asset. The largest city in the canton is also the country’s third-most-important banking centre. Suits aside, Lugano is a vivacious city, with posh designer boutiques, bars and pavement cafes huddling in the spaghetti maze of steep cobblestone streets that untangle at the edge of the lake and along the flowery promenade. The opening of its LAC arts centre has bumped it up in the cultural stakes, too.
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Take your Switzerland trip with Lonely Planet Journeys
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Swiss Bliss: Lakes of Lucerne and Lugano in 8 Days
highlights
- 1 Riding the world’s steepest funicular to the mountain town of Stoos
- 2 Admiring Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps from the summit of Mount Rigi
- 3 Visiting Switzerland’s only island botanical park at the Gulf of Ascona’s Brissago Islands
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Top places to visit in Lugano
Discover the best attractions in Lugano from must-see sights to unexpected hidden gems.
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