Hello! My friend and I will be staying a couple nights the Como area in early November. In looking at the map, it's right next to the Switzerland border, so we'd like to make a quick trip to say that we've been in Switzerland. :) Is it worth it to go all the way to Lugano, or is there anything fun to see in Chiasso? Or is there a destination between those two that you'd recommend?
I sincerely doubt it, but also, is there a place to get a passport stamp?
Thanks!
Passport stamps are a thing of the past, at least as far as Europe is concerned. Now you get an entry stamp when you enter the Schengen zone, and an exit stamp when you leave. Anything else is just a souvenir, and if you read the fine print on your passport, you'll see that non-official entries into your passport can invalidate it. So just leave that to the professionals and buy a cow-bell instead.
Now you certainly can travel to Switzerland. There is the big Foxtown Factory Outlet shopping mall in Mendrisio. Lugano is nice. It would be a good day trip if only so that you can experience Swiss Sticker Shock after being in Como.
While staying in Bellagio, we did a day trip to Lugano, which was easy and rewarding. The views of Lake Lugano against the mountains are breathtaking, and we enjoyed this chic small city, which is a mix of Swiss efficiency and beauty with Italian charm. We took an early morning boat from Bellagio to Mennagio, and walked into town about 10 minutes from the port to the Autobus fermata (bus stop). Buy your ticket at the little tobacco store a few doors down. From there, the bus ride took about an hour, passing by Swiss style chalets on the way towards the border. Once in Lugano, we took the kitschy tourist red choo-choo for a tour around the city. It made stops in the city center, where we had lunch and did window shopping at the chic shops, and at the funicular ride going up the hill for great views, and then walked along the lake. We were back in Bellagio by 5:00. I would recommend this day trip to get a slice of Switzerland, Italian style.
Nothing to see in Chiasso. Its main point of interest is the huge railway freight yard. No passport stamps either, Switzerland is in the Schengen area so there is officially no passport control (but custom controls are possible and in this troubled period of refugees even passport controls are possible, especially if traveling by train). The short railway stretch to Lugano is somewhat scenic as the line runs along the lake shore - it actually crosses the lake on a dam.
A classic hike is the rack railway from Capolago to the top of Monte Generoso. Worth doing only on a very clear day.
Lugano for sure. It's worth it, is spite of the outrageous Swiss prices. Don't waste time for Chiasso.
As lachera said, CH is part of the Schengen area, therefore no passport controls or stamps. You will see Swiss officers when you cross the border nowadays, and I crossed it recently, but I think they ask for passports only if you could potentially be a migrant or refugee.
