Walking in Ticino

Switzerland's southernmost canton, Ticino, occupies a unique position in the Alps, a region where Swiss precision meets Italian warmth, where palm-fringed lake promenades give way to wild mountain valleys and the historic St Gotthard Pass links the Mediterranean world to the heart of Europe. Few corners of Switzerland offer such an extraordinary contrast of landscapes within easy reach of a single base.

With walks suitable for all abilities, from gentle lakeside strolls to strenuous mountain routes reaching 2600m, this Cicerone guidebook by Andrew Beattie covers 38 graded day walks across four areas, ranging from 4 to 19km (2 to 12 miles) and taking between 1 and 8 hours. Routes are paired with 1:50,000 mapping and downloadable GPX files, with refreshment information provided for every walk.

• 38 graded walks across four areas, covering Lugano, Locarno and Lake Maggiore, Bellinzona and Biasca, and Airolo and the St Gotthard, with every route fully described from easy lakeshore paths to challenging mountain routes reaching 2600m
• Lugano and Lake Lugano are covered in depth with detailed route notes for Monte San Salvatore, Monte San Giorgio, the Denti della Vecchia ridge and the famous shoreline walk from Paradiso to Gandria
• Locarno and the wilder valleys to the north, including the Centovalli, Val Verzasca and Val Lavizzara, are fully described with route notes and access information for some of the most dramatic and least-visited walking in Ticino
• The St Gotthard Pass and Airolo, at the historic crossroads of the Alps, are covered with complete high mountain route descriptions, including the circuit of the summit lakes and the remote Val Bedretto, reaching altitudes of up to 2600m
• 1:50,000 mapping and downloadable GPX files for every walk, alongside a glossary of Italian terms, notes on history, geology, plants and wildlife, and practical information on accommodation and local transport

Ticino is the Switzerland that most visitors never find, too busy rushing through on the way to somewhere else. This guidebook is the reason to slow down, step off the train at Lugano or Locarno and discover what makes this corner of the Alps genuinely special.