Monte San Salvatore
Monte San Salvatore
4.5
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  • weltraveled30
    191 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great views
    Beautiful mountain. Reached by a funicular car, which you have to change over half way up the mountain. There is a little museum near the top which is interesting , it’s free but odd opening hours, maybe check opening on way up to the top. You can spend plenty of time taking in the wonderful views at the top. We didn’t try the restaurant at the funicular summit, it has great views ..
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 18 October 2023
  • rajkk
    New Delhi, India271 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth it!
    We were luck to have a glorious sunny day on the day of our visit and the views from atop were stupendous. The view of the Melide causeway was indeed spectacular and among the most beautiful sights we had see. The summit has an eating establishment , though we did not try it, and has relevant bits of information placed all around. The funicular ride is enjoyable and the originating base station is a quaint , colourful building that makes for good photographs. The funicular car at the base station is clearly visible and is a nice background for photos. One should check up on the operation dates of the funicular railway as it closes for a certain time-period for maintenance.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 8 January 2024
  • Michelle C
    8 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Short visit to Lugano
    Only a short visit. The best aspect was the funicular, it's a must. Views from the top are truly breathtaking. Twas very cold and breezy at the top so dress for the weather, there are loos at the top, a chapel and a restaurant. The funicular was a bit steep in both price and incline, worth it though for the views.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 24 April 2024
  • GeneralShamu
    New York City, New York1,174 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Midday Visit (Carrier needed for those with small children)
    We visited late morning/midday during a sunny/cloudless break of an otherwise rainy day. With almost no one there it was really amazing to see. The funiculars run in two sections so you switch to a second one midway up/down. They run every half hour on the hour. At the top you have several viewpoints as well as a museum (15 minutes, 30 max). Restrooms located near where you get off the funicular at the top. There is also a nice restaurant at the top with views overlooking the lake. Parking available on site, no strollers allowed unless they are fully collapsible to go into the the funicular. Not really wheelchair/stroller friendly as steps are involved, including to use the restrooms at the top (shaking my head). Carrier a must if you have a small child.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 May 2024
  • rememr
    Singapore, Singapore1,150 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mountain with vast history of San Salvatore and St. Gotthard Railway
    Accessible via funicular. On Monte San Salvatore, there is a restaurant, church with paranomic terrace, network tower, museum and numerous easy to hard nature trails. The easy ones can be easily done within 30 minutes although note that it has some steps involved so it is not recommended with pram. There are also many informational banners providing interesting snippets and facts along the trail on the history of the St. Gotthard Railway. My favourite quote in one of them: “One does not travel to arrive, but to travel”.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 31 July 2024
  • Cheryl C
    Charlotte, North Carolina120 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An experience well worth the time
    We traveled to the restaurant by funnicular, which was a delightful experience in itself. The restaurant was situated on the edge of Lugano mountain overlooking the city below. It was beautiful. Usually restaurants that have this kind of view do not have good food. This was not the case here. The food was fresh, delicious, and prepared with care.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 1 August 2024
  • Highflyer31
    Sydney, Australia140 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must for Lugano with 360 degrees view from the top.
    A must visit if you are in Lugano. We really enjoyed the excursion to Monte Salvatore. The ride is solit into 2 rides to get to the top. I highly recommend it for the views and the museum about San Salvatore. I enjoyed the spectacular views from the top. It was just out of this world. We climbed to the top and had the most amazing 360 degrees views of lugano. Make sure you carry a jacket or scarf as you could be cold in the cooler months. Check the operating hours as it varies by season.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 23 September 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,341 reviews
Excellent
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378
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RahulJindal
Chandigarh, India615 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2019
Top of Lugano, beautiful view. The good part is the journey through train to the top, which actually was fun and enjoyable, seeing the kind of height. But after which there is nothing extraordinary, just a restaurant, so you can sip wine and enjoy the view. Infact we started getting bored after a while, since we had had breakfast just before reaching Salvatore and there was nothing else to do except eating.
Written 11 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark Abbey
Lugano, Switzerland330 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019
Going to the top of San Salvatore will offer you a stunning view of the lake from all directions. On a clear day you might even spot the skyscrapers of Milan in the distance. Definitely worth a visit. One of the best ways to get the most of the views is to go down on foot, there many paths and one takes you back to Paradiso and the station of the funicular.
Written 7 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pichtee
Lausanne, Switzerland185 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Couples
Take the little train up in mountain San Salvatore. The view on lake Lugano is really amazing. You will need to change of train at the middle during the way up.

On top of San Salvatore, there are a few observation places, or walks for those who want to exercice. There is also a restaurant but because of COVID, choices where very limited.

The best view is from the roof of the church.

The museum of San Salvatore is free and hosts a nice little exhibition. Nothing amazing, but nice to visit.

Be sure to arrive early because there can be long lines.
Written 8 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GeneralShamu
New York City, NY1,174 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Family
We visited late morning/midday during a sunny/cloudless break of an otherwise rainy day. With almost no one there it was really amazing to see. The funiculars run in two sections so you switch to a second one midway up/down. They run every half hour on the hour.

At the top you have several viewpoints as well as a museum (15 minutes, 30 max). Restrooms located near where you get off the funicular at the top. There is also a nice restaurant at the top with views overlooking the lake.

Parking available on site, no strollers allowed unless they are fully collapsible to go into the the funicular. Not really wheelchair/stroller friendly as steps are involved, including to use the restrooms at the top (shaking my head). Carrier a must if you have a small child.
Written 3 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Patty
Washington DC, DC290 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
TLDR; even if you're not a hiker, you can hike this if you really want to

This past semester, I studied abroad in Lugano. Our program director always kicks off the semester with this hike. We, the students, did not know what we were getting into. Personally, I have never hiked in my life and don't exercise regularly. However, we were being forced to do this whole day hike, so I got excited. Right at the beginning, everyone was getting tired. We had only cleared one flight of stairs at this point. As time passed by, more and more people fell behind. We saw the cable car going to the peak. We wished we were on it.

After the couple flights of stairs, the hike gets much harder. I was heaving and sweating more than I ever had in my life. There were probably 60 people in my group on this hike, and I manage to make it to the front five. How? I have no idea. I keep walking and huffing and puffing. Even though I was severely dehydrated, I only stopped for water once. Why, you ask? Because a group of boys was behind me and I would never in a million years let them pass me. Finally, after what seemed like ten days but was more like a couple of hours, we reached the top. The view is truly spectacular.

The worst part was going down. The trail we took was right on the edge of the mountain. In all my fatigue and cloudiness, I really thought I was going to take one wrong step and end up falling down the mountain. Our feet were stepping inches away from the edge. It wouldn't have been a problem if the ground was flat like a traditional trail, but it was covered in big and small loose rocks that would turn our ankles with every step. Still worth it! The weather was nippy in January, but perfect for the hike since it cooled us down.
Written 19 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pato
Geneva, Switzerland89 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Family
We walked to the top in about 1.45 starting from Lugano city center. First u Walk along the lake till the fountain then straight up the road for about 500m. It is then well indicated with the yellow marks. Nice stroll with many viewpoints. When arriving at the top all was close including the funicular so we had to walk down, but it was very quiet so that was the bonus. The view from the top is great.
Written 24 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wilson Miller
San Diego, CA20 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2022
After taking the train from Locarno to Lugano, we hiked Mount San Salvatore. The trail itself is not particularly interesting, as nearly all is a simple dirt path along densely forested ridges. The high Alps in central Switzerland are a much better choice for this. Views from the summit, however, are well worth the visit, with panoramas of Lake Lugano and the surrounding mountains. Would likely not visit again, but well worth the ascent for a first trip.
Written 24 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michelle C
8 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
Only a short visit. The best aspect was the funicular, it's a must. Views from the top are truly breathtaking. Twas very cold and breezy at the top so dress for the weather, there are loos at the top, a chapel and a restaurant. The funicular was a bit steep in both price and incline, worth it though for the views.
Written 24 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

750tinon
Lugano, Switzerland313 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Solo
For the starting point of the via ferrata, park at the intermediate stop of the funicular or get off here.
From here a steep path starts which climbs towards the via ferrata in about 35 minutes, excellent for warming up...The via ferrata starts with a vertical wall and continues after about 40 minutes of climbing along a path towards the second wall. In another 15 minutes you reach the summit. Medium difficulty and excellent view of the city and Lake Lugano!
To return, you can follow the direct path by turning left and in about 40 minutes it takes you to the starting point. Longer and more beautiful is the tour going to the right which takes you to the summit of San Salvatore. I recommend climbing to the top of the lookout point to get a view of much of the lake! Then returning along the path for about 4 km you will return to the starting point!
Google
Written 21 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

rajkk
New Delhi, India271 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
We were luck to have a glorious sunny day on the day of our visit and the views from atop were stupendous.

The view of the Melide causeway was indeed spectacular and among the most beautiful sights we had see.

The summit has an eating establishment , though we did not try it, and has relevant bits of information placed all around.

The funicular ride is enjoyable and the originating base station is a quaint , colourful building that makes for good photographs.

The funicular car at the base station is clearly visible and is a nice background for photos.

One should check up on the operation dates of the funicular railway as it closes for a certain time-period for maintenance.
Written 8 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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