Lugano is a pretty lakeside town in Ticino Switzerland and is a great base from which to explore the area. Food = excellent. Try the 'grottos' which are unique typical restaurants to Ticino. The food is excellent and countrysidy. In Lugano (Masagno) 'grotto Della salute' is very good. Others are mainl around the countryside. Hiking is very good. Look at some local guides. In the actual town there is not a lot to do more than walk around for a day. The beauty is staying there and exploring around. You can also reach Milan easily in an hour by train.

We went for a short walk to the nearest village. Need to be fit as steep. Otherwise there is a bus but need to check on times as not every hour. We ate at the hotel - super breakfast with plenty of choice. As we were not overdressed we ate in the bar in the evening or in our room, which was perfect. For two need to count at least CHF 100 a day including lunch and dinner.

I know lugano quite well as my daughter used to live there so i would say i love the colourful buildings and buzz in the town. People are friendly and so many good places to eat and have an aperitif. I find lugano is a very vibrant and lively place and theres always something going on there.we got a free travel card from the hotel for public transport which was so useful.

We stayed at Hotel Colibri which had the friendliest staff and magnificent views over the lake. The rooms was clean and excellent value with a nice pool with an island set in well kept gardens. The meal was not to standard but the breakfast was superb with tables enjoying the best view over lake Louganis. In contrast we then stayed in the massively overpriced Hotel Seegarten. The hotels location is superb but the rooms are very worn out and need refurbishing. The reception staff unhelpful and surely. We asked for milk for the coffee in our room and were told we would have to ask for room service. The pools was very nice though and the breakfast was excellent.

It is nice because it is outside of the city of lugano so you can enjoy quiet holidays but also close to the city so you can drive there in 15min. The hostess is really kind and helpful, i regret we didn’t eat there, with a quick peak in them restaurant i saw some ribs on the grill! We should have eaten there but we were in the city of lugano and instead we ate pizza, once again! Next time we know!

Lugano was beautiful especially by the lake and the inner town. A nice buzz atvapertivo time. But it was also expensive, the boat trip around the lake was lovely but needs better development more stories and a wider area covered. For solo travelers not much! Time to have communal tables for apertivi or casual suppers so people can chat with others rather than looking at phones!