Switzerland
Things to do in Lugano
25 places7 stories1 routes
Sightlore has 25 places to explore in Lugano, and 7 of them come with a 60-second story in 5 languages. Point your camera at a landmark to learn its name and story, and earn points and badges at the places you actually visit.
Lugano's must-sees
The city's most important places. In the app you see how many you've visited and earn a badge when you've seen them all.
- 1
Swissminiatur
Open-air miniature park opened in 1959 in Melide, showing models of buildings from all over Switzerland.
- 2
Cathedral of Saint Lawrence
Lugano Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Lawrence in Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland.
- 3
Ciani Park
Lugano's main historic park on the lake shore, the largest urban garden in Italian-speaking Switzerland.
- 4
Morcote
Morcote is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Ticino situated about 10 kilometres from Lugano in the district of Lugano on the shore of Lake Lugano.
Read its story → - 5
Monte Brè
Monte Brè (925 m) is a small mountain east of Lugano on the flank of Monte Boglia (1,516 m) with a view of the bay of Lugano and the Pennine Alps and the Bernese Alps. It is considered one of the sunniest points in Switzerland.
- 6
Monte San Salvatore
The Monte San Salvatore (912 m) is a mountain in the Lepontine Alps above Lake Lugano and the city of Lugano in Switzerland. The Monte San Salvatore funicular links the city with the summit of the mountain.
- 7
Gandria
Gandria is both a quarter of the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino, and a village on the northern shore of Lake Lugano, which forms the core of that quarter.
Discovery routes in Lugano
Visit the stops in any order and tap "Check in" at each one; finish the route to earn points and its own badge.
Lugano: the town, the lake and the mountains
From San Lorenzo Cathedral to Piazza della Riforma, from Ciani Park and Villa Ciani to Monte Brè and the village of Gandria, then Monte San Salvatore, Swissminiatur and Morcote.
Places to visit
Historic sites
Piazza della Riforma
Square in the centre of Lugano.
Villa Ciani
Villa inside Ciani Park on the lake shore in Lugano.
Gandria
Gandria is both a quarter of the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino, and a village on the northern shore of Lake Lugano, which forms the core of that quarter.
Morcote
Morcote is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Ticino situated about 10 kilometres from Lugano in the district of Lugano on the shore of Lake Lugano.
Castelgrande
The Castles of Bellinzona are a group of fortifications located around the town of Bellinzona, the capital of the Swiss canton of Ticino.
Villa Favorita
Historic villa in Lugano-Castagnola at the foot of Monte Brè, with 600 m of shoreline on Lake Lugano.
Museums
Swissminiatur
Open-air miniature park opened in 1959 in Melide, showing models of buildings from all over Switzerland.
Swiss Customs Museum
The Swiss Customs Museum, or Museo doganale svizzero, is a museum located in the Swiss canton of Ticino.
MASI Lugano
The Swiss–Italian Art Museum, commonly known as MASI Lugano, MASILugano or MASI, is an art museum predominantly featuring 20th-century and contemporary art in Lugano, Switzerland.
Cantonal Museum of Natural History
The main science museum of the canton of Ticino, devoted to geology, palaeontology and the natural sciences.
Museum of Cultures (MUSEC)
The Museo delle Culture di Lugano (MUSEC) was opened on 23 September 1989 with the aim of preserving most of the ethnic art collected by Serge Brignoni and coming in particular from the Far East, India, South-East Asia, Indonesia and Oceania.
Lugano Arte e Cultura
Lugano Arte e Cultura (LAC) is a polyfunctional cultural centre dedicated to music, visual and performance arts in Lugano, Switzerland.
Places of worship
Cathedral of Saint Lawrence
Lugano Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Lawrence in Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland.
Sacro Cuore Basilica
Catholic church in the Molino Nuovo quarter, built in 1922–1927 to designs by Enea Tallone and Silvio Soldati.
San Rocco Church
Church in central Lugano built in the 16th–17th centuries, a notable example of Lugano Baroque architecture.
Sant'Ambrogio Parish Church
Baroque church in the Barbengo quarter of Lugano.
Sant' Antonio Abate Church
Sant'Antonio Abate is a Roman Catholic church facing Piazza Dante in the city center of Lugano, Switzerland, and dedicated to Anthony the Great. Construction for the building started in 1633 and continued throughout the centuries.
Santa Maria degli Angioli church
Church completed in 1515, home to Bernardino Luini's fresco of the Passion of Christ.
Santi Quirico e Giulitta Parish Church
Three-aisled Catholic church in Biogno, part of Lugano, documented from the 15th century and consecrated in 1489.
Chiesa dei Santi Simone e Fedele
Parish church in the Brè-Aldesago quarter of Lugano.
Monuments
George Washington Temple
Small round monument on the Lugano lakefront built around 1850, housing a bust of George Washington since 1859.
Nature
Ciani Park
Lugano's main historic park on the lake shore, the largest urban garden in Italian-speaking Switzerland.
Monte Brè
Monte Brè (925 m) is a small mountain east of Lugano on the flank of Monte Boglia (1,516 m) with a view of the bay of Lugano and the Pennine Alps and the Bernese Alps. It is considered one of the sunniest points in Switzerland.
Monte San Salvatore
The Monte San Salvatore (912 m) is a mountain in the Lepontine Alps above Lake Lugano and the city of Lugano in Switzerland. The Monte San Salvatore funicular links the city with the summit of the mountain.
Monte Generoso
Monte Generoso (also known as Calvagione) is a mountain of the Lugano Prealps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy and between Lake Lugano and Lake Como.
Explore Lugano with your camera
Hear the stories on the spot, complete routes, collect badges. Sightlore is coming soon to the App Store.