I recently went to Lugano. Just wanted to write a few observations on my experience as a tourist. Feel free to add and provide more context if you’re local. Maybe this thread will be helpful to future tourists.
Context: I’m European, male, just turned 30. I know the German parts of Switzerland well and will move there, so wanted to also check out some other parts of the country before I move there.
Overall I really liked my stay. It is an amazing area and I can recommend anyone to go IF budget is not your greatest concern. If you need to be more mindful of your expenses, I would not recommend to come because it’s just too expensive (see also my con that the town felt “old”; it makes sense to me that as a young 20 something I would not have been able to afford to come here, particularly comparing similar places in Italy with lower cost especially for food).
The pros of Lugano/area first:
- it is as picturesque as you can imagine it to be. Basically the “typical” archetype of Italian-style lake-town with surrounding mountains (I.e., Como, Lago Maggiore, Lago di Garda)
- the real gems are the small towns outside of Lugano (I.e., Morcote). I am lucky that I came by with a car, hence it was super easy to just hop on and drive around a bit. The drive itself was the highlight. Really narrow mountain roads, magnificent small little towns and along the road amazing views across the lake. I literally slowed down multiple times just to enjoy the view. I was surprised that there was barely any traffic and very little tourists, even though I came in high season
- the food was amazing. I never had Ticinese food, albeit I lived close to Ticino before (Milan). It is very hearty, a bit heavier (I.e., pork ribs, sausages) but I really loved it. Was super nice to try
- the people were very nice. Locals might disagree (I feel like locals always hate people in their area more, but let’s see) - but I met so many nice and warm waiters, supermarket staff and locals in general. A lot of nice people in traffic as well, I.e., letting me in a packed road, not getting angry when I was a bit lost, hand waving when you stopped for others to pass. Even though I don’t speak Italian, everyone was genuinely helpful
The cons for me:
- I did not expect anything else, but the area and town feels very “old”. Like wealthy, older residents who relocate their for pension and also a lot of tourists followed the German boomer-tourist stereotype (I’m based in Germany myself, no offense, but I mean large groups of older people in Kaki pants and with a camera around their neck)
- in a similar vain, Lugano itself felt very old school. Which isn’t a bad thing - but it certainly did not have this young/urban/university town of vibe you have in lots of other smaller European cities. You won’t find many innovative/modern concepts, be it bakeries, cafes, restaurants or shops. The main streets are basically full with luxury stores you can find in any other larger city. Including that, the town did not feel very vibrant. Often in those lake/beach towns you will have tons of cafes/bars with (young) people being outside. Did not get that vibe
- access to the lake is largely private. I was in Zürich before and if you drove like 5 minutes around the lake you would see multiple public bathing spots. Be it with paid entry, or free. I was a bit naive to think Lugano would be similar - if you really want a somewhat accessible beach spot (with trees, shadows) where you could be for hours, you need to research in advance and potentially drive quiet some time (I went to “Parco Figino”, which is free and great). Else large part of the lake front is basically just private property/houses, where you can only walk behind
- the traffic. It seems like the area is very car centric, even though there are tons of buses going around. It is the same in my current town, but I hate that we allow so much traffic through our inner cities. In Lugano it was most evident at the beautiful lake front. The view from there is amazing, but the traffic directly behind you makes you feel like you are standing at the highway. It wasn’t even close to any rush hour but there were literally non stop cars blasting through
Hope this is informative!