Gandria and Monte Bré

 

This hike is actually two hikes that you can do separately — or connect if you have enough time and energy.

The first one is Il Sentiero dell'Olivo, which goes from a parking area just outside Lugano to Gandria, a former fishing village along the lake. The path is mostly flat with some gentle ups and downs. It’s a wide paved or gravel trail that offers great views of the lake, and there are informational panels along the way about the area's history.

The last part of the hike leads through Gandria itself, where you’ll find ancient staircases, stone arches, and charming little cafés. We ended our hike near the restaurant Le Bucce di Gandria on the main road.

From there, we simply went back. It’s about 2 km and 30 minutes one way (or closer to 45 minutes if you stop to take lots of photos, like we did).

A more challenging option would be to cross the road and continue uphill to Monte Bré. About 1 hour and 15 minutes and 450 meters of elevation gain will get you to the beginning of the next part of the hike. We had come straight from Bologna that day, so we didn’t have enough time to hike it all and come back — instead, we drove to the parking lot in the village of Bré, just above Gandria.

From there, a paved path leads to the summit of Monte Bré in about 20 minutes, with another 140 meters of elevation gain. The summit itself isn’t anything too special, but just a little further on, there’s a viewpoint that’s absolutely worth it. It overlooks Lugano and the lake and even has a nice restaurant nearby.