What to do when preparing a trip to switzerland? Where to go to switzerland? This is where to stay in lugano!
Lugano, the ninth largest city in Switzerland by population, borders Italy, in the middle of the Alps, a few kilometers from Milan and between Lake Maggiore and Lake Como. Due to its ideal location in Italian-speaking Switzerland – an ideal climate, rich and exuberant vegetation, sublime landscapes – Lugano is a mecca for tourism. It is also the third most important financial center in the country.
Its historical and cultural heritage is important, as are its religious buildings and museums, of which there are many for a permanent population of only 63,932 inhabitants. Steeped in sustained growth, it engulfed the surrounding communes little by little, creating a vast urban area of 150,000 inhabitants.
It is better to put it directly: housing in Lugano will be expensive. Via Nassa, for example, is known to be the fifth most expensive shopping street in Switzerland and is home to luxury boutiques. Paradoxically, it is easy to find accommodation to sleep, given the continuous expansion of the city center and residential areas. These are the areas to stay in Lugano.
City center
Wrapped around the northern shore of Lake Lugano, the city center resembles Along Bay or Rio de Janeiro’s Sugar Loaf, exaggerating a bit: its lake-facing rock gives the city its typical charm. . The district’s squares are simply sublime: Piazza della Riforma is the most beautiful square in the city, not far from the courtyard of the neoclassical Civic Palace. If you come during the second week of July, don’t miss the Summer Jazz Festival.
The rest of the year, stroll through the maze of narrow streets where the architecture gives off a Tuscan and Ligurian feel, while the high standing and number of luxury boutiques dotting the cobblestones are a reminder that you’re still in Switzerland. Strolling down Rua Nassa, take a look at the church of San Carlo Borromeo, and then continue on to the church of Santa Maria degli Angioli if you like visiting religious buildings. For a relaxing break from your visits to the city, enjoy the Ciani Park and the green surroundings that you enjoy on the shores of the lake. Not far away, between the ferry terminal and Viale Carlo Cattaneo, there are numerous bars where you can enjoy a drink on the terrace. If you can afford a hotel in Lugano, there is no need to search for a place to stay.
the eastern districts
On the other side of the small river – Cassarate -, there are less central areas in terms of access to services and social life (museums, bars, restaurants, historical monuments), but a neighborhood to stay in if you want to escape from the cities to find nature: to the east of Lugano is on the slopes of Monte Brè, from where you can take the funicular to enjoy, 925 meters above sea level, a splendid view of Lake Lugano. Be careful, there are few hotels to stay here, but you can find other accommodation solutions, for example, a room or an apartment to rent to the locals to stay in Lugano and enjoy the lake.
