Family Road Trip to Lugano in the Spring

We decided to travel to the Swiss Mediterranean to make life a little easier for traveling with all the challenges of today’s environment. Leading up to our trip we had a pandemic hiccup as my husband started coughing, runny nose and overall, not feeling well.  In “normal” times you say clearly, this could be allergies or a cold.  But these are not normal times and the doctor told him to take a PCR test to see if it was COVID. Now the thought of being quarantined in my apartment with three children, with no garden was almost a scarier thought than the idea of being sick.  Finally, after a rapid test, my husband lost some of his brain to the invasiveness of the test and the longest 15 minutes of our lives we got the green light, he was negative! Of course, our next debate was whether this was a cold or allergies?  We never did get to the bottom of those results.

Why did we choose Lugano? I wanted to go someplace as warm as possible in Switzerland. Lugano is known to have the warmest temperature so with mild winters and warm summers I thought this was the perfect place. And I told the kids this is the closest we can get to Italy for now.  Lugano is in the South of Switzerland and is in the region Ticino where everyone speaks Italian. The landscape reminds me of the Caribbean (even if everyone calls it the Swiss Mediterranean) with tropical plants and palm trees.

What to do, I realized after this trip you can actually stay in the region for 7-10 days with a car because you can go for many day trips close by. We focused on family activities to the classics like the Swiss Miniature park which takes about 45 minutes unless you are with a 2/4 year old it can take about 20 minutes as they rush to the end to reach the mini train you can ride.  Next door to the park, there is a nice playground for the kids of most ages to have some fun afterwards. There is also a lake so in warmer months you can even swim in the water and make the experience into a day.

Next up, the Funicular railways via our car and we choose to go up to the top of Monte Brè, where you can see all of Lugano and even into Italy.  A spectacular view, playground up top for children, lots of walks and picnic areas which we partook in since restaurants were closed.

We also went to the classic Ciani Park via the bus from the hotel and when we arrived at the park it was an urban oasis filled with art exhibits and tulips this time of year. They also have a small park and beach areas for warmer times in the year. We took a nice stroll, stopped at the playground for a snack and some fun.

Our last classic, a cruise around Lake Lugano with an ice cream. This is a must do, you get to see the city from the water perspectives, and it is a site to see. Check out the pictures as words cannot describe how beautiful the colours are along with the uniqueness of the stops.

Where to stay, before I get into that I was thinking about the Hotel feeling when you check in. That overall excitement of exploring a new “home,” trying to figure out how the shower works and stopping for a moment to enjoy our new surroundings for a few nights. We choose the Splendide Royal as it is in my network as a Travel Advisor (message me about the perks when booking through Travel by LAC) followed for its family friendly atmosphere and pool.  We cannot go someplace without a pool for the kids. It is quite centrally located, and the staff was very friendly. 

Overall traveling in a pandemic, I felt like I had to do a more pre-planning in advance since restaurants were close, packing a picnic on the drive to and from, finding a good spot to stop for the picnic like a park (I found a great one in Sempach next to the like and sent it to a client too) to meet the needs of our children.  During the trip, carefully planning the day to either find a bakery where to buy sandwiches, packing a picnic and or grabbing a pizza to ensure you do this before a child has a breakdown.

Lugano is a city filled with vibrant colours, life, art, and much more I recommend a visit to the Ticino region hands down as it will not disappoint.

About the author:

Lori Castelnuovo, has been in the travel and tourism industry over 15 years with experience in luxury hotels and meeting planning companies. As an experienced traveller herself, she knows how to take an experience from ordinary to extraordinary.  Her goal is creating experiences that stay with people so they may travel with ease, efficiency and enjoyment! Please follow her on
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• We decided to travel to the Swiss Mediterranean to make life a little easier for traveling with all the challenges of today’s environment.