Description: Whilst we were staying in the Lugano area in the south of Switzerland, one of the activities that we did was to go on a boat trip around some of Lake Lugano. With our trusty swiss pass in hand, we were able to get on this boat trip completely free of charge, and in actual fact did the trip twice whilst we were there - firstly to relax on the boat for the one hour cruise, and then the next time, we got off and on the boat to visit the beautiful town of Gandria.
We did no stay in the actual town of Lugano, but instead stayed in the suburb of Paradiso, further around the lakeshore. The lake cruises however stop at both Paradiso and Lugano, so this was very convenient for us, and we also used the boat to get to Lugano itself in the afternoon, rather than walk around the promenade in the sweltering heat.
As I said, on one of the days, we took the boat to the little town of Gandria, which is perched on the lakeshore, with its cafe;s and houses sweeping up the side of the surrounding cliff walls aroudn the lake.
The main area of Gandria is actually car free, although if you are driving you can leave your car just a little outside the main area and it is only a short walk into the town/village itself. You can also walk around from Lugano to Gandria, should you be feeling energetic, as there is a footpath around the lakeshore to follow, which seemed to be pretty flat. If the climate had been slightly cooler we would probably have considered doing this, but not in 30C+ weather. We opted to be dropped off by the boat instead.
It is important that you pick up a timetable in advance to be able to plan your times in Gandria, as the boat times are quite spread out.
As you approach Gandria from the Lake you realise how beautifully situated it is, and wonder how such houses/cafe's were built in tiers sloping up the cliff side. Once you get off the boat, there is a distinct lack of signage, however I suppose that is the beauty of the place - you can just explore til your hearts content.
The town is made up of a vast array of restaurants, offering views out on the lake, however, we were there well before lunch, so didn't ingulde in any food in Gandria. What makes this town however so un-Swiss like, and oh so Italian, is the narrow climbing streets, that seem to go on forever, and the quaint little houses, as well as the italian signage of restaurants etc.
We simply took our time exploring the area, and actually found a wonderful little pottery shop selling ceramic bowls/plates etc all designed and painted by the owners. We were able to pick up a few souvenirs here, and it was about the only shop that we saw that was open on the Sunday that we visited.
There is also a church on the island as well - The Church of San Vigilio, which seemed to be open so visitors could enter.
One of the main attractions around Gandria, that we didn't do, again really due to the heat and the walking required, was the olive path, that takes you between Gandria and some of the local villages on an olive trail, exploring the history of olive making and looking at some ancient olive trees. Again, if the weather had been slightly cooler, we would have ventured to do this, but it required walking up more narrow stepped streets in the heat of the day, and we were just too warm to do that. Our climate in the northern ireland does not make us well equipped to deal with that kind of heat.
After exploring a little bit of the town, and enjoying simply wandering around, we went back to wait for the boat, and were entertained by some local musicians playing some brass instruments at the boat terminal, which was very quaint.
All in all, if you are staying in Lugano, it is definitely worth a little boat trip out on the lake with a few stops along the way, including spending a morning or afternoon at Gandria. We would have liked to have lunch in one of the restaurants, but wanted to move on to explore Lugano itself. If you have a swiss pass there really is no reason for not taking a visit, as it is completely free to get there!!
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