Welcome to the sunny side of the Alps - Ticino

• Campsites for mountaineers and swimmers.
• Trips: falconry or zoo, cable car or summer bobsleigh, bathing lakes, or mountain villages.
• Italian climate, Italian flair, combined with Swiss thoroughness.

Still Switzerland, but somehow already Italy:this is how you can describe the canton of Ticino. Because here the Swiss speak Italian, the child-friendliness is legendary, cuisine, ice cream and cappuccino are really delicious - and also the way of life has something of Dolce Vita. Look forward to camping parks on the northern shore of Lake Maggiore or on Lake Lugano. If you want to go high: alpine peaks as high as the Adula rise up to 3,400 metres. There are hikes for every taste: whether to the three castles of Bellinzona, over the dizzying suspension bridge of Carcasc, through the valley of the Ticino, or up to one of the many panoramic mountains. Tips for hikes suitable for children to water or mountain playgrounds or alpine farms are available at almost every campsite in Ticino.

If you feel like culture after enjoying nature...

The Erba Museum in Bellinzona conveys playful art. In Caslano near Ponte Tresa there is a chocolate museum, and in Melide almost the whole of Switzerland has been recreated in miniature /b>: around 130 buildings embedded in a 1.4-hectare park landscape. If you like shopping and then relaxing in street cafés, the Piazza Grande in Locarno is the right place for you. Medieval fans will discover the Visconti castle in the city. Or you can enjoy the fantastic lake view from the pilgrimage place Madonna del Sasso in Orselina. The children love animals? How about a spectacular flight show in the Falconeria Locarno. The zoo in Magliaso with its lion family, many monkeys, owls and more is also one of the most popular destinations in Ticino.