we were going to stop over in Lugano from Zurich on our way to Florence, get there afternoon, walk around, dinner, maybe boat tour on the lake and leave afternoon the next day for Florence. However, hotels (Aug) in Como are much less. How does Como compare as a destination for 1 day vs. Lugano. We have kids with us (9, 13). thanks, Elaine
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US Pacific Northwest
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"How does Como compare as a destination for 1 day vs. Lugano."
Well, as is often the case, that depends.
If by "Como" you mean the town of Como at the south end of one of the legs of Lake Como: IMO the town of Como isn't quite comparable to Lugano. The town of Como is not the same place as the "Lake Como" that people discuss here.
The reason for the precision, in the above paragraph, is: When Rick Steves (in his books and TV shows) and when folks here talk about "Como" they usually mean the villages/towns at mid-lake Lake Como: Varenna, Bellagio, and they sometimes include Menaggio in the mid-lake villages.
Most people here would rank those mid-lake villages as superior to Lugano.
However, you specify 1-day. The mid-lake villages take some time to drive to, coming from Zurich. For that reason, it may be that you're better off in Lugano.
But if you check out the Viamichelin or Google Map maps and think you can conveniently get to one of the mid-lake Como destinations, then many here would probably agree that Varenna would be a better experience (and very different than the big city) of Lugano.