A road of seemingly endless hairpin bends snakes up to this minor ski centre (with 30km of pistes) and high-pasture village of slate-roofed, whitewashed houses. It is the only village in Ticino where the main language is German, a result of Valais immigrants. This heritage is spelled out in artefacts at the stone-and-wood Walserhaus.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.13 MILES
This is the big one. At 3454m above sea level, Jungfraujoch is Europe’s highest train station: a once-in-a-lifetime trip, with views of the deeply…
21.62 MILES
If ever a view in Switzerland is going to leave you dumbstruck (and there are a few great ones to choose from!), it will surely be the infinite swoop of…
26.75 MILES
Rising dramatically above the Old Town, this medieval stronghold is Bellinzona’s most visible icon. Head up Salita San Michele from Piazza Collegiata, or…
18.22 MILES
Marking the cantonal frontier with Uri is the vertiginous Furka Pass (2431m), the run up to which offers superlative views over the fissured Rhône glacier…
19.23 MILES
Coming from Valais, the mesmerising Rhône Glacier is first seen from the tiny hamlet of Gletsch. This glacier is the source of the Rhône River, which…
26.97 MILES
On cloudless days, you can see Lake Maggiore from this 13th-century hilltop fortification. The fortress is one of Bellinzona’s most impressive with its…
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Santuario della Madonna del Sasso
17.38 MILES
Overlooking the town, this sanctuary was built after the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared in a vision to a monk, Bartolomeo d’Ivrea, in 1480. There’s a…
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27.2 MILES
From central Bellinzona, it’s a 3.5km hike south to the Castello di Sasso Corbaro. Perched high on a wooded hillside, the castle has an austere beauty…
Nearby Ticino attractions
0.17 MILES
The heritage of Valais immigrants is explored in the artefacts on display at the stone-and-wood Walserhaus, which provides snapshots of a more rural way…
2.17 MILES
A winding forest road brings you to this broad, sunny, upland valley. The prettiest of its towns is Campo, with scattered houses and Romanesque bell tower…
4.88 MILES
A smooth road follows a mountain stream through this valley, where narrow meadows are cradled between steep rocky walls. Its tightly huddled stone and…
5.18 MILES
The centrepiece of Cevio is its vibrant 16th-century Pretorio (magistrate’s court), covered in the family coats-of-arms of many of the area’s rulers,…
8.6 MILES
Dwarfed by the scale of the mountains and forests rising above it, the close-knit hamlet of Gresso, with a population of just 30, is scenically perched at…
8.83 MILES
At the end of the Val Bavona, just after San Carlo, a cable car rides up to Robiei dam and its startlingly turquoise reservoir, tailor-made for a day’s…
7. Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
11.44 MILES
The centrepiece of Mogno is this extraordinary 1996 cylindrical church designed by Mario Botta. The grey (Maggia granite) and white (marble from Peccia)…
12.02 MILES
This pretty village sits surrounded by woods at the head of Val Lavizzara. From here the road leads to the dam holding back the emerald Lago Sambuco, from…