If you’re planning a visit to Lugano, you won’t want to miss out on beautiful Monte Bre! This amazing mountain village is just a quick drive or funicular ride away from the city center. Here’s everything you need to know about Monte Bre Switzerland, our hike to an epic viewpoint, and the Monte Bre Funicular.
How We Got From Lugano to Monte Bre
We had our own car and were staying in nearby Albogasio-Oria on the Italian side of Lake Lugano. This made it easy to drive up to Monte Bre Switzerland, as it was just 20 minutes over the border.
Don’t worry! If you’re renting a car in Lugano, it will be a similar driving time coming from the other way. We always use this rental company in Europe, and have found some truly amazing deals.
Once you turn off the main road along the lake, you’ll go up a winding hill to enter Monte Bre. There is a good size parking lot (map location) that only cost 1 Euro for every 2 hours. They also take Swiss Francs or credit card via the Easyparking app.
If you’re not planning to ride the Monte Bre funicular (more on that next), you can take the bus to the very top from Lugano. There is a direct route that runs from the city center to Monte Bre Village throughout the day.
Planning Your Visit
🏨 Lugano will be the most common area to stay. Popular hotels are Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola, B5 Boutique & Design Hotel and LUGANODANTE Boutique & Lifestyle Hotel.
⛵️ For a unique experience, you could spend the night in Gandria at this unique apartment. Read all about our walk to Gandria Switzerland on the Olive Tree Trail before your trip!
❄️ If you’re visiting in the swing season, check the weather before heading up to Monte Bre. Lugano is part of the Swiss Alps, so it can still be very cold in the late spring and early fall.
🥾 While you can simply go up for the view, there is actually an amazing hike that starts from the top of Monte Bre Switzerland. We’ll explain all about it at the bottom of this post, but know that we highly recommended it.
🚩 Prefer to do a group tour of the area? There are plenty of fun options like this which include the Monte Bre funicular and boat ride!
Riding the Monte Bre Funicular
There are parking options near the the start of the Monte Bre Funicular at San Michele Park or Ruvigliana station. However, you can also take the bus to the Cassarate (lower section) or Suvigliana (upper section) stops from downtown Lugano.
If you can believe it, the Monte Bre Funicular is over 100 years old! It first opened in 1908 to take early tourists to the spectacular viewpoints over Lake Lugano.
You should know that the funicular runs in two different sections. The lower level runs every 15 minutes from 7am to 9pm, while the upper section only goes every 30 minutes from 9am to 5pm. Both parts of the Monte Bre funicular have extended hours until 11pm during July and August.
The round trip price at the time of our visit was 26 CHF for adults, 13 CHF for children (age 5-15), and free for kids under 5. It makes for such a fun day trip from Lugano, and a great activity for families.
Exploring Monte Bre Village
Since we drove up to the top of Monte Bre our first stop was to walk around the small village. The funicular stops a little bit higher up, which we ended up hiking to afterwards.
Monte Bre has a rich history dating back to the 13th century. It started off as a rural agricultural village and could only be reached by foot or mule until the early 1900’s.
This is when it began to draw in different Swiss artists, including the well-known painter Wilhelm Schmid. His house is now a museum, but that’s not all the art you can see in Monte Bre Switzerland!
All over the village there are different sculptures and work from artists around the world, creating a unique environment. The town itself is beautiful and we loved strolling through the stone houses. The area is quite small, yet definitely worth visiting.
Monte Bre Hike to an Epic Viewpoint
After exploring Monte Bre village we headed for a hike further up the mountain. It took us about 20 minutes up the steep stairs to where the Monte Bre Funicular was.
This long stretch is honestly one of the most beautiful spots in all of Lugano. You’ll have a magical view of the massive lake and green mountains that surround it.
Walking further up to the top, there are two restaurants with panoramic views. We did packed our own lunch that day. Nevertheless, if you’re budget allows it, you should definitely grab something to eat (or at least a coffee) from the restaurant!
What’s the Best Way to Visit Monte Bre?
Obviously, the most popular way to get to the top is with the Monte Bre funicular. Switzerland in general isn’t a great place for budget travelers, and this area is no different.
If you are watching your spending, the bus can be a great option.It will only cost around 7 Swiss Francs round trip if you can plan your day around the scheduled routes.
For the best day possible, this is how we would get from Lugano to Monte Bre Switzerland:
- Ride the funicular to the top from Lugano!
- Walk to Monte Bre Village.
- Take the long, slow hike down to Gandria (this is the exact route).
- After seeing Gandria, you can bus back to Lugano or…
- If you have more steps in you, take on the easy (but gorgeous) hike back to Lugano via the Olive Tree Trail.
This is exactly how we would spend our day if we visited again. You’ll definitely want to include a lunch stop on the way to break up all the hiking.
Also, be sure to take a day trip to Morcote Switzerland if you get a chance. There’s just so many beautiful towns to discover around Lake Lugano!
Have any questions about this article or want to share your own Monte Bre hike experience? Leave us a comment below!
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!
