MONTE SAN SALVATOR FUNICULAR - LUGANO
125 Years of Vertical Family Fun-icular Sightseeing
The Monte San Salvatore Funicular has been a fixture in Lugano for 125
years, celebrating its anniversary in 2015, one of the first of its kind,
built in 1890. Lugano, the largest of the cities of the Ticino region
of Italian speaking Switzerland, where the Italian lakes meet the Swiss
Alps, is somewhat defined by its hillside rides, made up a main center
nestled between the hills, with tiny villages that cling to the steep
lake shore. In Luguno, along the rail line from Milan to Zurich, requires
a funicular to get from the main railway station to the lakeside center
of the old town with boutique shops, compact malls and the broad promenade
along the lake shore where cruise boats land, and moored sailboats bob
in the tide.
Lugano
caresses the shore of Lake Lugano in a half crescent lined with La Belle
Epoch
era hotels, which defined the lakeside city as a tourist
destination since before the turn of the last century. The mountain of
San Salvatore lies to the southern edge of the city where the lake wraps
around the 912 meter peak. The mountain provides a beautiful 360 degree
view of the city and lake on one side and the watershed into Italy and
the the Italian village of Campione, famous for its gambling casino on
the other. The Monte San Salvatore 
funicular
provides a 12 minute ride up through hillside suburbs to the top of the
mountain, from March to November. There is a restaurant at the summit
in the former church building with both an indoor and outdoor
terrace view of the Italian side. From the top station is a five munite
up the walk to the summit for the round about views. Along the path
is a small
museum
of nature with feature exhibit on the study of lightning (the top of
Mount San Salvatore is probably not the best place to observe a lightning
storm if you don't happen to be a scientific instrument).
What
is a funicular, you ask? Basically, an up and downhill railway where
the passenger floor and seats remain level, as opposed to being
level with the wheel tracks. Many European mountain cities have one,
several in Switzerland. At the observation level on Monte San Salvatore
you'll find a series of period posters of other mountain trains and cable
rides in Switzerland, from the mighty Jungfrau with the world's highest
train station, (see Jungfraujoch
Rail Ride to Top of The Alps), Mt Pilatus near Lucerne,
with the steepest funicular style cog train as well as aerial cable (see Mt
Pilatus Lucerne). The oldest mountain train is Mt Rigi
in Vitznau, though it is not a funicular (see Mt
Rigi Steam Cog Train) which can be a stop
if taking the Wilhelm Tell Express train route from Lugano to Lucerne
(see Wilhelm
Tell Express).
The
Monte San Salvatore Funicular runs from 9 am to 7 pm in the
shorter days. In summer the funicular runs until 11pm for a night time
view
of
the sparking lights of Lugano. The funicular station of San Salvatore
a bit of a walk from the old town, near the Paradiso rail station and
is a stop on the tourist train which runs along the lakeside. You can
ride both ways, or ride up and walk down the winding path back to town
if feeling energetic - taking about an hour and half. Hiking routes also
descend to the Italian side for more robust adventure. The fare is 23
Swiss francs for adults one way, 30 Swiss francs for
round
trip,
children
6-16
are
half price
and under
6 free. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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San
Salvatore Funicular
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SEE
ALSO:
SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGIOLI CHURCH
BELLINZONA
CITY OF TOWERS
LOCARNO'S
VISCONTI CASTLE
ASCONA
- SWISS RIVIERA ON LAKE MAGGIORE
