If you are looking for some local adventure in Ticino, then you’ve come to the right post for hiking in Ticino inspiration! Ticino is a great place for hiking for all levels of fitness, with routes you can combine with funicular or on steady elevations to avoid challenging areas.
This post is fully based on our personal experiences of hiking each location in Ticino. Most hikes we have done have been during good, dry weather. So we look forward to expanding the list here with a few wintery, autumn and spring related hikes soon!
Hiking In Ticino Locations
Cimetta
Location: 6645 Minusio
At an elevation of 1,671m, Cimetta is an easy mountain to reach for spectacular views, hiking, nature walks and a few sporting activities. It’s a popular hiking in Ticino location with its’ easy access to the top.
The panoramic views are well worth the trip to the top using not 1, but 2 cable cars as well as a chairlift to the top.
The top is perfect to have a homemade picnic. If you didn’t bring your own snacks or drinks while visiting Cimetta, we can recommend to stop at the restaurant. While here, you can also watch the paragliders from taking off and landing nearby.
Cimetta is great to visit from Spring to Autumn seasons, but it is also possible in Winter. Of course based on the weather, you need to dress appropriately to make sure you don’t get burnt in the summer or freeze in the winter.
For full information, click here.
MONTE BRE
Location: 2X6P+45 Lugano
Located close to the stunning Swiss city of Lugano is the mountain of Monte Bre. With a short funicular ride to the top or an enjoyable hike, you can discover the wonderful beauty of Monte Bre.
The highlights of the mountain include the stunning 180° views of Lake Lugano and the Ticino region, a beautiful restaurant and multiple hikes that you can take around the mountain top.
As you might notice, Monte Bre is on one side of Lake Lugano with Monte San Salvatore on the other side. Both have amazing views looking down to the city of Lugano, so we can understand why it might be hard to pick which one you visit!
For full information, click here.
Monte Generoso
Location: W2J9+GX Val Mara
Monte Generoso, the majestic mountain standing tall on the southern border of Ticino Switzerland, is one of the local’s hiking in Ticino paradise. With its breathtaking views of the Alps and the surrounding Italian lakes, hiking Monte Generoso is perfect in combination with the Capolago train.
Whether you’re a seasoned hiker, just starting out, or a tourist who wants to use the train the whole way and back, this mountain has something to offer for everyone.
You can hike up to the peak from the train very easily, else to consider hiking from a lower point.
Before heading right back down to Capolago, it’s a lovely little spot (if you hiked down) to get a drink at the restaurant. We did this since we hiked down and had to wait 30mins for the train. So it was the perfect opportunity while we waited. We would have hiked further down, but it was already late in the day and getting much colder, so we decided to wait for the final train down.
For full information, click here.
We have a fully-loaded, high content Ticino Guide listing local things to see, do and explore with each season: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
CLICK HERE
PIORA VALLEY – Lake Ritom, Lake Tom and Lake Cadagno
Location: 6776 Quinto
For a beautiful day hike in Ticino Switzerland, consider hiking around three beautiful lakes in the Piora Valley. This three lake route is easily reachable from the start of Funicular Ritom, for those who hike often or occasionally.
There are a few routes to hike, but we focused on the route starting from Lago Ritom, via Lago di Tom to Lago Cadagno. This stunning route covers just under 7km and takes a few hours without stops.
You can start at around 1830m elevation and reach 2022m elevation during the route. So there is not much gain, however we did also deviate from this route to reach a local peak in the area which got us up to 2250m elevation.
For full information, click here.
Balladrum ascona
Location: 5P4X+FR Ascona
For a gorgeous, fun and slightly challenging hiking route, you can follow the local hiking paths from Ascona all the way to the viewpoint of Balladrum. This forestry route is perfect for those who want to take a hiking path for a few hours, to enjoy stunning views at the end of it.
This scenic spot is a must for those visiting Ascona and want to see Lake Maggiore from above too! It’s ideal to take this hike within a few hours, but most enjoyable when you are flexible with time and can sit, relax and enjoy along the way.
From the Balladrum viewpoint, you can see clearly down to Locarno on one side, and down towards Ronco sopra Ascona and Brissago in the distance. It’s a great hiking in ticino option to combine with the village!
For full information, click here.
MONTE SAN SALVATORE
Location: XWGW+PF Lugano
With a bright red funicular ride to the top, you can see the stunning views and the delightful highlights of Monte San Salvatore.
The main highlight of the mountain is of course the gorgeous 360° views of Lake Lugano and looking down to the smaller villages surrounding the lake, a great place to eat and a few local hikes that can be started from the top.
If you don’t wish to stop and eat something at the local restaurant, taking a seat and enjoying the view with a cold drink is a must. The restaurant terrace area has seating right on the edge of the railing, allowing you to dream away with the mountainous views towards Italy.
For full information, click here.
Monte Tamaro
Location: 4V38+H9 Gambarogno
If you want to explore canton by hiking in Ticino with views towards Ascona, then Monte Tamaro is perfect for the walking boots!
To the peak of 1962m, Monte Tamaro is a great mountain for all ages. You can hike to the very peak, but also decide to enjoy the stunning views of Bellinzona from Alpe Foppa, where the restaurant and adventure park is based. It’s worth spending at whole day here, so plan ahead and have fun!
Based on the route we experienced, this is a red and white Swiss hiking route, where you first follow a zig zag road to the weather station building. This part is doable with children as we saw many along the path who looked around the ages of 7. It’s a pretty casual uphill climb so also suitable for those who want to enjoy a small hike from the restaurant area. It’s around 40 minutes to 1 hour to the weather station at an average pace.
For full information, click here.
Monte Boglia
Location: 22H5+W2 Lugano
For a lovely day hike in Ticino, consider your next route to the peak of Monte Boglia. It can be hiked all year round, which we decided to hike this peak during the Summer. With an elevation of 1516m, Monte Boglia is a popular hiking route among locals and tourists alike.
On a clear day, you have outstanding views of both the Ticino canton of Switzerland and Italy to the East of Lugano. We loved this route during Summer, but you can choose to hike it any time of the year. It’s very doable from the village of Monte Brè further down.
For full information, click here.
Summary Hiking In Ticino
If you want to hike one of these locations, well, we can totally recommend them as they are based on our own explorations to each one.
For our level, we are not hiking that often, but when we do, we use the funiculars to get to a certain point first and then usually hike for a few hours with a round-route. All routes shared above can be made longer based on your level of fitness, so make sure to check this out before visiting them!
These local hiking locations are all great for the Summer. We look forward to also hiking at some of these and more during Winter – which may have snow by then!
Hiking Tips
Keep in mind that some funiculars are only open from late Spring to early Autumn. So some of our hiking routes start from the funiculars, else you can still hike to these locations but the route would be longer without the funicular.
Make sure you have plenty of drink and snacks with you. The last thing you want is to run out of energy along the way on an enjoyable hike.
Dress appropriately for the weather and expected weather throughout your hike. Even during the Summer, you could expect thunderstorms, hail or winds. So look at the forecast beforehand to be sure it’s safe and take the clothing you will need.
Take suncream, sunglasses or waterproof gear depending on weather too! Since, you should protect yourself regardless of being on the mountain or not.
Make sure your camera (if you take one) or phone is fully charged before you start, or take a power bank with you to stay connected. As well as to take all those stunning photos!
More hikes to be added soon!
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