Private Lugano, Morcote & Gandria Lake Tour

Lugano Centre: Piazza della Riforma and San Lorenzo

Lugano is the main city of Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland, and its centre combines Swiss order with an Italian love of squares and cafes. The Piazza della Riforma, the meeting point of this tour, is the city's living room, framed by the neoclassical town hall of the 1840s. From here the Via Nassa runs under long arcades of shops, and narrow lanes climb towards the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, whose Renaissance facade of the early 16th century overlooks the rooftops.

From the cathedral terrace you see the whole bay with Monte San Salvatore on one side and Monte Brè on the other. Your guide spends around an hour and a quarter in the centre, telling the story of a city that grew from a lakeside market into a centre of trade and culture. Lugano station, just above the cathedral, is about two hours by train from Zurich and an hour from Milan.

The Lakefront and Parco Ciani

Lugano's lakefront promenade runs for more than a kilometre beneath lime trees and palms, with views across the water to the wooded slopes and the villages of the opposite shore. At its eastern end lies Parco Ciani, a public garden laid out around a 19th-century villa. In spring it is famous for camellias, magnolias and azaleas, while summer brings shade from tall cedars and plane trees, and benches line the water's edge.

Your guide leads you through the park to the lake, where the mouth of the Cassarate river meets the bay. This is a lovely place for photos and a short rest before the drive to the villages. The best time to visit Lugano for the gardens is April to June, though the mild climate keeps the lakefront pleasant almost all year.

Morcote, Pearl of Lake Lugano

Morcote lies at the southern tip of a peninsula reaching into Lake Lugano, about 20 minutes from the city by our private car. Once a busy port and the home of wealthy merchant families, it keeps a lakefront of arcaded houses and small palazzi, with stone lanes rising steeply behind them. In 2016 it was voted the most beautiful village in Switzerland, and its artisan shops, cafes and flowered balconies make it easy to understand why.

A long stone stairway climbs from the village to the church of Santa Maria del Sasso, whose origins go back to the Middle Ages and whose interior is decorated with frescoes. From its terrace, the view sweeps over the roofs to the lake and the Italian shore. Your guide gives you about an hour and a quarter here; many visitors call this private Morcote tour the most beautiful part of the day.

Gandria, the Village on the Rocks

Gandria is a small former fishing village built on the steep rocky slopes of Monte Brè, east of Lugano and close to the Italian border. Cars cannot enter its centre, so its houses are linked by a maze of stairways, covered passages and tiny squares, with loggias and terraces hanging above the water. The parish church of San Vigilio rises among the houses, and lake boats stop at the landing below the village.

Across the water, the Swiss Customs Museum recalls the days when smugglers crossed the lake between Switzerland and Italy. Your guide leads you through the lanes, where there are small shops and cafes with lake views. Many travellers ask how to get to Gandria from Lugano: by boat, by bus, or on foot along the lakeside trail, which is how this tour approaches it.

The Olive Tree Trail

The Olive Tree Trail follows the shore of Lake Lugano between Castagnola, on the eastern edge of the city, and Gandria. Olives were grown here for centuries until harsh winters and changing farming ended the tradition, and in recent decades groves have been replanted along the path. Information panels explain the history of olive growing in Ticino, the varieties and the uses of the oil, among terraces, gardens and Mediterranean plants.

The full trail takes about an hour on foot, mostly level with some steps; on this tour you enjoy a scenic stretch with your guide, at an easy pace with photo stops above the water. Is Gandria worth visiting? Arriving by this trail, with the village slowly appearing on its cliff, is one of the most memorable experiences around Lake Lugano. Our driver then brings you back to the centre.