Travel Guides

Walking in Ticino : Lugano, Locarno and the mountains of southern Switzerland

by Andrew Beattie

A comprehensive walking guide to Switzerland's most captivating region Switzerland's southernmost canton, Ticino, occupies a unique position in the Alps—a region where Swiss precision meets Italian warmth, where palm-fringed lake promenades give way to wild mountain valleys and the historic St Gotthard Pass links the Mediterranean world to the heart of Europe. Few corners of Switzerland offer such an extraordinary contrast of landscapes within easy reach of a single base. This Cicerone guidebook features 38 graded day walks across four distinct areas: Lugano and Lake Lugano (including Monte San Salvatore, Monte San Giorgio, and the famous shoreline walk from Paradiso to Gandria); Locarno and the wilder northern valleys of Centovalli, Val Verzasca and Val Lavizzara; Bellinzona and Biasca; and Airolo and the St Gotthard Pass. Routes range from 4 to 19km (2 to 12 miles) and suit all abilities, from gentle lakeside strolls to strenuous mountain routes reaching 2600m, taking between 1 and 8 hours to complete. Every walk is fully described with 1:50,000 mapping and downloadable GPX files, plus refreshment information and practical details on accommodation and local transport. The guide also includes a glossary of Italian terms, and notes on history, geology, plants and wildlife. Ticino is the Switzerland that most visitors never find, too busy rushing through on the way to somewhere else—this guidebook is your reason to slow down and discover what makes this corner of the Alps genuinely special.

---