This is an update to an earlier thread that I posted asking if I had to pick one, should I go to Lugano or Locarno? I posted this when I was planning my trip. This website doesn't allow old threads to be reopened so I'm reporting on our experiences.
My husband doesn't like to change accommodation very often-- he prefers to do daytrips -- and I get that, but I was planning our trip last May, and it just worked to be close to the sites you want to see. I tried to pick either Locarno or Lugano. In particular, I wanted to go to the Valle Verzasca (Lavertezzo is the village), which is near Locarno, and I also wanted to go up Monte San Salvatore in Lugano. While planning, I didn't really see a difference between the two cities , and wow, I was wrong about that.
Despite all the responses to my original post telling me to go to Locarno, I ended up doing both. And I'm so glad I did! (some said Ascona, which I understand is fabulous, but walking distance from Locarno. . . next trip)
We went to Locarno first, and had a lake view room at the Hotel Millennium. Gorgeous. We arrived in the afternoon and had a lovely sunny late afternoon on our balcony. The next morning we woke up to socked-in rain, and used our free Tocino pass (comes with the hotel room) to bus up to Lavertezzo in the Valled Verzasca. It was a Wednesday, and everything was closed except one coffee shop (we were the only ones in there), but we're from Vancouver, so we hardly melt in the rain. Yes, we got soaked, but it wasn't cold. we walked all over both sides of the river and had the entire place to ourselves, except a few locals walking their dog, or herding their sheep. Back in Locarno for dinner, under an umbrella, we wandered to a gastronomically delightful restaurant near old town.
The next day the sun came out again and we were off to Lugano for one night. What a different place! Much bigger city, and even more money oozing out. Business people milling about in certain areas, along with fashionable people. Both Locarno and Lugano are cities, but the feel is very different. Locarno feels "Holiday" and Lugano feels "things happen here" . That said, Lugano isn't just a cosmopolitan city, but has gorgeous scenery. The lake and surrounding mountains are beyond stunning. If I were a millionaire, this is where I'd live. That said, it wasn't uncomfortably high-end or more expensive than anywhere else in Switzerland. And Monte San Salvatore was absolutely amazing.
I hope to revisit both, but if I had to pick one, I'd go for Lugano.