Parco San Grato to Morcote Hike – Nature’s Beauty Unveiled

Welcome, fellow Ticino Lovers!

The Parco San Grato to Morcote hike will guide you along some of the best views over Lago Lugano (Lake Lugano) and its region.

On this great family day out be prepared to discover the beauty of Parco San Grato followed by Morcote, a winner of Switzerland’s most beautiful small village.

Lace up your hiking boots, strap your camera around your neck, and get ready to immerse yourself in the captivating beauty of nature’s playground.

In this blog post we’ll share valuable tips, insider knowledge, and practical information to make your experience seamless.

You will find out how best to get to Parco San Grato and what there is to do. Furthermore, we will reveal step by step the hike to Morcote and point out the panoramic vistas.

Parco San Grato to Morcote Hike – quick overview

• From Lugano Paradiso train station head to the bus station Paradiso. 3 minutes’ walk.
• Hop on the bus to Carona, an artisans village. 10 minutes bus ride, uphill.
• In Carona explore the ancient alleys. If you visit on Saturday there might be a small market.
• Start your hike from Carona to Parco San Grato. 20 minute’s walk.
• Explore Parco San Grato with its many different trails. Stop at the playground and have a swing on the Swing the World with vistas that will keep you in awe.
• Carry on your hike to Morcote through the forest with its many chestnut trees.
• Visit beautiful Morcote and its most beautiful Church of Santa Maria del Sasso.
• To finish this captivating day, enjoy a relaxing boat cuise on Lago di Liugano (Lake Lugano) back to the city train station.

Staying in Lugano

Whether you are hiking in Ticino,  or simply enjoying the lakes, you will find great accommodation in Lugano and the surroundings. Browse the map and find your ideal Ticino Hotel.

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Where to start the Parco San Grato to Morcote hike?

Do you ask yourself where to start the Parco San Grato to Morcote hike and how best to get there?

Like everywhere in Ticino the best way to get from A to B is by using the public transport system. There are not too many parking places available throughout the city.

Also remember we will be hiking to Morcote and will return on the boat to Lugano, so you definitely do not want to have your car up the mountain at the start of this hike.

If you do stay one or more nights in Ticino make sure you have the Ticino Ticket. This allows you to travel for free on all trains and buses. Furthermore will you receive some discount on other transportation.

Ask your Ticino Hotel, Camping place or B&B provider for the ticket.

By Train & Bus: Get to Lugano Paradiso station by train from wherever you are in Ticino. From here change to the bus to Carona Paese.

It is only a short walk to the Paradiso bus stop. See photo below.

Good to know: The bus from Paradiso runs every 60 minutes to Carona Paese. On weekdays there are more frequent connections at certain times.

The day we went the bus filled up and a group of 10 persons had to wait one hour for the next connection.

Therefore if there are a lot of people at the bus stop, and you have time, you may want to walk to the stop before this one.

Or make sure you are in front of the bus line.

The hike up to Carona Paese is a steep 6km, zig-zag road.

At Carona Paese

As soon as you step out of the bus you quickly realise why many artists love this place and present their creations each Saturday at the local market located in the heart of the village Carona Paese.

Definitely take some time and walk around this beautiful Ticino village and even have a gelato before starting your adventure to Parco San Grato and the hike to Morcote.

Once you are done wandering through this enchanting village of Carona make your way to Parco San Grato. It is about a 15 minutes’ walk. Just before you enter the park area, you will find the public swimming pool. Next to it is a parking lot, just in case you are staying for several days in Lugano and would like to go swimming one day.

Parco San Grato – Lugano

Let’s escape the hustle and bustle of the city Lugano and encounter mesmerising flora and fauna in Parco San Grato.

The park is nestled on the hills above Lake Lugano and nearby to Lugano’s home mountain, San Salvatore.

The size and impressive variety of flowers within Parco San Grato makes this a park a Botanical Garden.

You will find many places ideal for a family picnic and there is even a large playground. In the same area we had fun trying out the sensory barefoot path after the fairytale trail.

Furthermore, you can walk five additional theme trails with the longest being the 2 km Panorama Trail.

If you follow the Artistic Path, where different sculptures are displayed along the way, you will eventually reach the summit where a cool swing of the series “Swing the World” is located. A nice area to spend some time and marvel at the stunning views. To get a better understanding of what there is to do in the park check their website.

Parco San Grato can easily be visited for half a day or longer, even without the hike to Morcote.

Stay the day at Parco San Grato

If you do not plan the Parco San Grato to Morcote hike, but would rather stay in the park, you can certainly have a great relaxing day up the mountain.

With the adjacent public swimming pool and the many trails within the park there is plenty to do.

Parking is limited but there are some paying places by the pool and further down along the road.

Hike to Morcote

Let’s embark on our 5.2 km hike to Morcote.

The trail is 90% within the forest, therefore perfect for a hot day. This is not the most scenic part of the hike; however, you will find every so often a look out place which gives you magnificent views down to Lake Lugano and over to the different hills including Mount Generosso.

The path starts with a short ascent leading to a stretch which is wide, gravel and mainly flat. We saw some mountain bikers coming along, which would be an alternative to hiking.

If you have not packed a picnic, you could have lunch at the Restaurante Vicania which is 3.5 km from the park.  A beautiful place located all alone in an opening surrounded by chestnuts trees and forest.

Heading down to Morcote

The downhill trail to Morcote felt long and steep, and was mainly steps.  Good shoes are definately needed here and if you do not like constant downhill this might not be the perfect trail for you.

The alternative is to stay on the wider road direction Vico Morcote rather than taking the narrow forest trail.

We took the downhill trail which is 1.8 km downhill starting at 690 metres above sea level and finishing at 290 metres.

And the last section is all stairs, in total probably over 1000 steps.

Just keep this in mind.

Arriving at Morcote – Chiesa di Santa Maria del Sasso

Wow, we finally left the forest and Morcote came into sight. Such a welcoming vista.

At the first viewpoint you have a great view down on to Santa Maria del Sasso church and Lake Lugano. Make sure you stop.

There is a gate which might be locked sometimes and I remember last time I hiked up to this viewpoint the gate was closed.

Further down you will get to the swing from the “Swing the World” association.

Definitely a great place to stop and cool down on the swing. A true Instagram worthy place.

After the swing make your way down to the church, Chiese di Santa Maria Del Sasso. Seen on many photographs and for sure once or twice on Instagram as well. A very photogenic place and the inside of the church is beautiful.

The end of our Parco San Grato to Morcote Hike

You could easily spend a few hours at the swing in Morcote and around the church, admiring the view and the tranquility.

But let’s get down to the Lake Lugano shore, dip our sore feet in the cold water and have a gelato.

And whilst we walk down there are many more places to stop and look over the rooftops of Morcote.

You can either take the 399 steps straight down, or zig zag along the Strecia da Santa Antoni path.

Both will bring you down to Lago Lugano aka Lake Lugano.

More time in Morcote

This is a place in Ticino where you can spend time walking the narrowed alleys between the houses, eat a fresh fish in one of the lake shore restaurants or simply stroll along the promenade.

If you have more time before your boat to Lugano, head up to the Parco Scherrer botanical garden located at the west end of the village.

There you will find art sculptures scattered among the greenery, and if in season the fragrance of the Wisterias dominates the air. A beautiful sight indeed.

No wonder that within Ticino’s collection of “Ticino Colours” they call Morcote the Wisteria Purple.

This brings me to the Colori del Ticino- Colours of Ticino campaign.

Did you know that wherever you travel to in Ticino you will actually realise that there is always a dominating colour present for that region?

Check out our 2022 Ticino travel blog dedicated on the Colours of Ticino to find out more.

Morcote to Lugano by Boat

We always love when a hike finishes with a boat ride. Especially one that is so scenic like the cruise along Lago Lugano from Morcote to Lugano Paradiso.

From the boat you can see the hiking trail you have just been on and get a great feel of how pretty this area is.

The boat ride takes about 40 minutes.

Buy your ticket at the ticket desk right at the pier and you will get a discount with your Ticino ticket.

For a full fare adult ticket, you pay Chf 19.20

Make sure you check the boat times correctly as they can be irregular depending on the day of the week.

And ensure the boat you are on will go all the way to Lugano and not just to Melide from where you have to change to the train for your onward journey.

Should there be no boat for when you would like to head back, there are several buses bringing you back to Lugano. Check the SBB time table to get the exact timings.

3D Hiking Map – Morcote Hike

Click on the maps to get full access.

Hiking facts

Alternative Option for the Parco San Grato to Morcote Hike

Mount San Salvatore

If you would like to extend your hike at the beginning and enjoy some more of Ticino’s views we suggest you actually start your hike to Morcote at San Salvatore mountain.

From Lugano Paradiso station it is only a 5 minutes walk to the San Salvatore funicular.

In 12 minutes, you will be swept up the 1660 metres to Mount San Salvatore, Lugano’s house mountain.

Operating hours are from 9.00 to 18:00. During peak summer time the last run is at 23:00, perfect for sunset.

Ticket price for an adult is Chf 25.- one way. 50% discount with a half tax card.

San Salvatore to Morcote Hike via Parco San Grato

At the top of San Salvatore, you have to climb up the stairs to the summit view platform. Stunning vistas are to be discovered over the entire Ticino and well beyond into Italy on one side and to the Swiss Alps on the other.

Start your hike now to Parco San Grato and from there you follow the route mentioned above.

This will add on a further 1.8 km to your day and 253 metres descent. The top altitude at San Salvatore is 848 metres above sea level.

Wrapping it up: Parco San Grato to Morcote Hike

We loved this hike and can highly recommend it. Especially if you are there on a hot summer day, or even on a beautiful autumn journey.

The Parco San Grato has so much to offer and its botanical garden is amazing.

The hike is not too strenuous but just keep in mind that there are a lot of stairs at the end near Morcote.

Should you feel that this is a problem just follow the wider route down to Morcote.

Definitely make it a whole day out and don’t miss this hike in Ticino.

More Ticino Travel Guides

If you wish like to discover Ticino a bit more than check out all our Ticino Blog posts. Maybe you would like to spend 4 days in Lugano or if the Locarno -Ascona area is more your thing, then check out the best places to see in Ticino Locarno area.

And if you, like we, love a hidden gem, then you have to visit Val Piora in the northern mountains of Ticino.

We have taken the bikes there and absolutely loved the rural nature Val Piora offers.

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Voila, it is on you know you plan your Trip top Ticino and, embrace this colourful landscapes during the Parco San Grato to Morcote Hike be an unforgettable experience. Happy hiking!

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