The funicular train is actually a two-part process. One takes an initial ride up to the main train…read morethat also functions as a proper commute line, so be prepared to share the rather small train cars with those off to the shops and such. There will most likely be a standing-room-only situation during the tourist season. I was sort of pressed up against the glass door as we ascended up and up and up...! Those of you with vertigo issues: turn away from the view (as I did) and your palms probably won't sweat as much. The trip took what felt to be about 15 minutes, but it was maybe a bit less. Once at the top of Monte Brè (approx. 925m), one angles right and walks through a wee forested patch en route to a hilltop restaurant (and hotel, I believe) boasting a huge outside seating area. Seats on the periphery of the ample patio go faster than you can say 'boo!' as the view from them is superlative. We sat in the middle of the floor sans view (as if it really matters; it's so wondrous just to be outside at the top of Monte Brè having a meal). After the lunch respite, we walked away from Lugano down the back side of the mountain and into the small village of Brè, just nestled above the lake. One could either walk back to the funicular train and ride back down into town (we had a two-way, 23CHF ticket), take a bus from Brè or, as we did, walk down a heavily forested service road (for well over an hour) before hitting town again. A visit to Lugano would be sorely lacking if the funicular train ride up Monte Brè is missed!

Great experience, great views! A big area to have nice hiking, I think it should be slightly better…read moreindicated- it is easy to loose track of the path- I would also add more of those signs. Anyway definitely worth having a ride to the top with Funicolare- with halb tax for 8chf, and walk down 1h50 city of Bre not very interesting.

Train station is kind of OK but definitely very confusing for a tourist. We hop on different…read moretrains few times....They have few shops- Laderach chocolates, pharmacy and everybody spoke in English which was very nice. I highly recommend to buy tickets not at the machine because many were broken and glitch, but instead wait in the line inside at SBB office. they help us to purchase first class train ride to Zurich! but on the way back to Milan I purchase wrong tickets and we had to leave the train after they checked our tickets. Again so many different train companies that I got confused. Also platforms may change so watch out. Also we had ticino card provided by our hotel and we had all public transport for free. Was so convenient, we could even use funicular for free instead of taking steps.

This station is located up the hill from the lake. We took the scenic train back to Italy after the…read more'Maggiore Express' boat ride. The scenic train is located across the tracks and down a flight of stairs. We purchased our tickets as part of the boat expedition but you can take the scenic train w/o the boat ride and purchase your tickets at the counter also located in the underground station. This is not the ticket window in the main station. Walk around the end of the tracks and there is a covered stair case going down. This is where you purchase your ticket for the scenic train. It makes many stops at very remote areas and take in beautiful scenery. If you are not taking the scenic train, there are ticket windows and ticket machines in the main terminal as well as waiting area and a coffee shop is nearby.

My son and I wanted to go to the top of the mountain to experience the extraordinary views. I…read morerecommend that you pay attention to the weather before you go up because we did not, and everything was totally fogged in at the top of the mountain, and there was no view. The gentleman at the cash register did give us a special discount, which was very nice. You need your ticket to get back on to come down the mountain, so make sure that you have it available. You can also hike down, but it looked like the hike was expected to take over an hour and, there was snow and ice on the ground so it did not seem to be a wise decision for the day we were there. There is a restaurant on top of the mountain and a small church that was locked up. We enjoyed our trip, but I'm sure it would have been much more impactful if there had been a great view visible.

We got stuck in Lenno and needed to find a way down to Moltrasio. The ferries had stopped running…read morethat route for the day and we didn't have time to wait for the bus (and didn't know where and how to purchase a pass). Fortunately we were able to randomly find Lake Como Driver on google. I think this is a husband and wife team running a small "taxi" service (but really more like a black car service). Alessandro doesn't speak much English, but we were able to work out pickup and drop off locations over the phone with his wife. Prompt pickup, nice car (newer model Range Rover), and easy to work with. I'm assuming they'd prefer to be booked on a longer term basis, but we were super happy he could pick us up on short notice. Also, both were very nice. Starting off with a buon giorno and parla inglese and finishing with a grazie probably helps (i speak zero italian, but it's always good to make an effort!). Mostly I'm writing this because the ride was pleasant, but also because there are so few reviews for car service around Lake Como. Hope it helps someone!

From the owner: Transfers to/from airports, railway stations, hotels…read moreTransfers to/from destinations in Italy and abroad Excursions, guided tours and various activities Evening/night transfers to/from restaurants and discotheques Meetings, congresses, expositions, weddings "Safe Driver" services Shopping tours Tailor made activities

Stayed here for two nights with my family and it was perfect! The staff were incredibly friendly…read moreand helpful. They anticipated every need and had a wealth of knowledge. The location was unbeatable and close to incredible restaurants and shops. Also, the breakfast was the best I've ever had at a hotel. Highly recommend!

Stayed in this beautiful hotel for a week on business, and it was perfect. Service was friend,…read moreattentive, and efficient. I had a single room, but with plenty of room to spread out and work in the evening. The hotel is immediately next door to the funicular, so getting to and from the train station is very easy. It's also in a pedestrian area, within easy walking distance of excellent restaurants and shopping, as well as beautiful sights. The highlight of this hotel was the breakfast - simply the most amazing variety of food and beverages I have ever seen at a hotel.

Our group is staying at the Novotel & I noticed there is a bus stop for the Lugano City Tour right…read moreoutside in the corner. I asked our receptionist to contact the company to find out if the bus would be coming today as it was a rainy day. Just our luck, they were! Paulo arrived right around 11:15am and was extremely patient and kind. There was 25 of us that boarded and we paid 10 Franks / 11 Euros to take the 40 minute ride. The weather was perfect and the route was lovely. We stopped at the city center for about 10 minutes to take photos and wait for others to board & departed. Our group was very pleased. Definitely recommend if you are in the city. One of the stops is in Cassarate, right in front of the funicular that takes you up to Monte Bré! Really easy and convenient way to go around town as an alternative to public transportation or taxi. Thank you, Paulo! 5/5

This little train is a nice way to see parts of Lugano and find out where some of the sights are…read morebefore heading out on foot. The driver provides audio in both Italian and English. Although not terribly motivated/talkative, you get the general idea: this is on the right, that is on the left. Stops include right in front of one funicular, and around the corner from the other. We picked the train up along the waterfront near The Old City Center Fountain. In all it takes about 45 minutes from beginning to end. There are several 'cars' on this train. The front seat in each is 'single', facing forward. The center and back seats include two rows facing each other for a total of six guests. You would have to sit with legs 'zippered' to fit everyone in if it is adults facing adults. A small child across from you would cause no leg room problem. I am not sure €9 is a good price for this tour as it is a quick trip and does not provide much in the way of information on the city. However, it is a great way to get to and from the funicular's and may be worth the cost to save time and energy walking. Either way, we had fun.

Every room is a suite. Every room has an outdoor space, often with a stunning view of Lake Lugano…read more Every aspect of this hotel is infused with old world charm and the staff are incredibly helpful and kind. It may be a bit isolated, but panoramic views typically require such logistics. But that shouldn't matter. There are several restaurant choices inside. The Havana Deck is a great bar/lounge. There are outdoor spaces to dine and relax. A few things to note, you will pay a fairly high price for this experience. It's a 38 Franc cheeseburger. Is the cheeseburger worth 38 Franc's? Also, no, it's good, it's delicious, it's pretty overpriced. As of the writing of this review, 38 Francs is about $48 USD. But breakfast is included in your stay so, assume you would have paid half of that for breakfast and we're back to even. I've stayed at the Parco 4 or 5 times now. I know the secret pathway from the Paradisio train station up to hotel - this is a must to know if you're traveling by train. Otherwise, you have a long, winding walk to the train station. Go down the the lowest level, hand a left out the stairs, and then exit into a cement stairwell. Walk up that short flight, then walk along the cement sidewalk and slippery wet steps until you can see the train station. Do not fail to take this advice. Walking on the street is a 20-minute effort, the path is 3-minutes max. Sometimes in the morning, on a weekday around 7am, when a large number of guests are getting ready for their workday, the shower will slightly fluctuate from the perfect temperature to slightly too hot, then slightly too cold. But the water pressure is amazing, the towels are always fresh and hung right by the shower, and a quick chill is something people have experienced in Switzerland for quite some time.

Absolutely amazing & sweet hotel! We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and I am so glad we…read morechoose this hotel. The service was impeccable and attentive. Very good location. 1 stop from the Lugano Center by bus or train. It comes every 15 minutes, we never waited longer. Also you can have a short walk to the funicular that goes to Mount Salvatore ( for that one you have to pay even with Ticino card). First of all - if you come with big luggage like us - take taxi! One can't rely on public transport because you will have to climb the stairs (approx. 10 floors) and then you come trough the back of hotel were you don't have access without a room key. Our room wasn't ready when we arrived so we went to town and when we came back from the back door we didn't had key and intercom didn't work either. Had to call hotel with a cellphone to open door for us. Rooms are very clean and spacious. We got upgraded to the suit and we had nice panoramic lake of Lugano view. But one can't enjoy patio too much because mosquitos are very brutal there. When we got to our room we had complementary bottle of champagne and greeting card. It was so sweet and welcoming. Our suite room had a complementary coffee and tea. But however water wasn't included. First evening we ran out of water and we went to get water and receptionist sent us to the hotel bar at Cuban place where they sold us Fiji water bottle for 10 francs!! While I discovered later there was a water in mini bar ( inside of the fridge) at the hotel room for half a price. Its funny because when we came to the receptionist the guy ask the same question and she sent both of us to the bar. It kind of disappointed me because 10 franc for water its more than we paid at Michelin Star Restaurant. Also they have water jar in the lobby but only during day time! Next day I just went to refill my bottle there. Hotel has good premises - I enjoyed my time at the pool, sauna and steam room. They also have small gym as well. And few restaurants. cuban bar was very nice with little options for snacks which was perfect because we didn't want to have a big meal that was at main restaurant. Cuban bar has a very nice view of Lugano and great cocktails. We spent there at least 3 evenings enjoying a great view. I highly recommend their salmon gravlax and tartar both were amazing. Also we tried their tasty burgers and they were nice to split it for us. We didn't had breakfast included but last day we were leaving for Milan and decided to take a breakfast which was 35 franc per person. I think it's very expensive for very simple buffet style breakfast. We just had an omelet and coffee each. Another bonus was Ticino card - ASK FOR IT!!! We didn't had to pay for for public transport in Ticino area and we went to Fox town, Lugano center, and funiculars for free! In general - good hotel and decent price with nice pool and restaurants on site. Nice steam room & sauna to relax. And very attentive service. They even left us complementary Swiss dessert day before we check-out to thank us for choosing them. I highly recommend this place and we will definitely consider when we come back!

This was a decent hotel. Nothing to brag about, but clean rooms and a decent breakfast were nice…read moretouches. They did hold our bags for us while we went out for the day after we checked out, and were pretty accommodating. We did get a really good rate because they were doing construction in the courtyard. It didn't really matter, they didn't make much noise and there wasn't much of a view anyway. It is located a short walk from the city center, and maybe a 15 minute walk from the train station. Beware, you're going up a long steep hill to get back to the station. Prepare to be uncomfortable (sweaty). One thing that was annoying, I came to the lobby to make a phone call. I went in an open conference room adjacent to the lobby, but was kicked out by the receptionist, told I had to reserve the room. Later that afternoon, there was another man in the room, making a phone call! I'm guessing he didn't schedule it, so it was kind of annoying being asked to leave. Consistency is key.

What a beautiful way to spend the afternoon in Lugano. Loved the spring breeze on a lovely day in…read moreMay. The flowers were in bloom. The sky blue with clouds. Swans in the lake. Perfect for an afternoon stroll.

Beautiful Foliage. Paved Park. Popular Among Runners, Walkers, Bikers, Photographers. Views of…read moreLugano. Tranquil Space Amidst City Center. Free to Visit.