Hi Ingrid,

So surprised that your post got 91 views but no one responded - so I will! I'm in Ponte Tresa, at least for the moment. Almost signed a contract for a Lugano apartment yesterday but it hasn't gone through yet.

Are you a member at the Lugano Expat Meetup? We're having a get-together this Friday night. Let me know if you can go. Would love to meet another English speaking mom.

As for me, I was born in Zug and then moved to San Francisco raising my family. My daughter is now 18, she wanted to stay in SF and I just moved back to Ticino 2 weeks ago. And yes, I'm having major culture shock! Who would have thought...

Looking forward to connecting.

Cha~zay

Dear Chazay,

Thank you so much for your kind answer to my post. It made me smile. ;)

Thanks for the invite but I am rather busy. We are in the process of moving abroad and therefore lots of going-away parties and dinner are scheduled.

Who would of thought that we'd be leaving Lugano after only 4 years!?!

It is a real pity that we could connect earlier, I would have loved to have a coffee with you.

Hope you get a positive answer on your Lugano appartment.

Warm Regards, Ingrid

Hi Ingrid,

Yes, funny how we come and go through life. For you it's another chapter away from Lugano and for me it's a new chapter in Lugano. Ah, such is life.

I wish you all my best and lots of success to wherever you're heading to!

Best wishes,

Cha~zay

Hi guys, 

I'm thinking of moving to Lugano after staying the last 12 years in Geneve.

What are the tax rules there .. anybody knows how they compare to Geneva?

How about administration/ burocracy?

What parts of Lugano to look for nice housing..

I was there for a week last month to check it out and it looks dreamy but not sure if there is enough to do as its rather small compared to Geneva.. Any hints, tips, advice welcome..

Hi Sandro,

A couple, friends of mine, has lived there for 3 years. I've visited them a couple of times and here's what I've heard and seen:

1) Much cheaper rents

2) Stunning views and nature: lakes, hiking, skiing , boating

3) Much smaller city and therefore less "urban" things to do such as bars and clubs

4) A lot less expats to do stuff with, like you find in Geneva, nevertheless there are a few of them, so you will not be totally alone

5) Obvious easy connection to Italy for weekend trips: Milano and further

6) Very restricted job market and lower salaries than Geneva/Zurich. If you lose your job, most likely you'll find yourself looking for jobs in Zurich because there aren't many offers in Ticino. By the way, that's what happened to both of my friends who are living and working in Zurich now.

I'd say that if you have a good job, it could be a very good life with a different flavour than Geneva, still being in Switzerland, keeping the permit, etc.

Hi Sandro,

It all depends on what you're looking for.

Having come from San Francisco to Lugano in 2011, I experienced quite a culture shock. So much so, that since my last post above I moved to Los Angeles and last I moved to France, right outside of Geneva.

This February I moved back to Lugano, signed a 3 year lease and it is growing on me. As I'm getting older I prefer nature, hiking and the quiet, instead of the hoopla of the bigger cities. And Lugano is great for that. If you want action, Lugano is not the place.

Geojusto summed up Lugano in a very nice way. I'd like to add the wonderful benefit of having a small airport with great connections.

If I wasn't an entrepreneur able to work anywhere, Lugano would not be the place (as compared to Zuerich or Geneva). With tens of thousands of Italians working in Lugano for much less than what the average Swiss can afford, the situation is much worse than it is in Geneva. And frankly, rents are not much cheaper here than they are in Geneva.

So, it all depends on what you're looking for, what you can spend, and if you depend on a job or run your own business.

Good luck and feel free to ask if you need help!

Hi Cha-Zay and Geo,

Sounds wonderful indeed, I'm an entrepreneur and for me it does not matter where I live in the world :-) as I love sports and nature.. and so does my wife this does sound very nice indeed.

I was a bit concerned about the airport, I guess Milano will be the airport for me (international travel). 

We are definetely not into the hoolah hoop and night club scene of any big city :) yes I moved on years ago ha ha.

Having worked with several starups out of San Francisco I definetely understand your culture shock.

Basically I'm looking for a nice appartmen close to the city centre an ideally with a nice lake view. I've gotten several offers from real estate agents with rents between 3500 to 5000 so yes, not much cheaper then Geneva :-)

Moving from canton to canton I guess is not evident tax wise and administration wise.. any ideas o that topic?

Lugano is definitely better than Geneva, tax wise. Send me a PM so I can send you my email and I'll send you the tax break down for each canton.

3500-5000 is too much, way too much. Unless you're looking for a house or a large apartment.

The best place to look for housing is immoscout24.ch and tutti.ch. I can send you a few numbers of local apartments for rent that I see on my way to town. I have a stunning view and there are a few apartments for rent in my neighborhood.

Here are a few places that will have beautiful lake and mountain views (in no particular order). It also depends on how high up you want to be. There are many places with great views but right on the water. Others are way up with much broader views. It also depends if you have a car or you plan to take the bus. Some of the mountain towns here have great bus connections while others use the Post Auto a few times a day.

Castagnola

Ruvigliana

Aldesago

Pregassona (alta)

Breganzona

Lugano (Besso district, by Moncucco Hospital)

Paradiso

Agra

Montagnola

Muzzano

Bosco Luganese

Cademario

Vernate

Pura

Ponte Tresa (CH)

Be careful with the towns listed after Muzzano. While beautiful and close to thei airport, the morning and afternoon traffic into town is horrendous.

Figured I might as well attach a picture of my view.

The first three are from my balcony, the last one is from my daily hike to Bre.

If nature is what you like, you'll definitely love this region.

Wow these are breathtaking!!

These I took while on holiday there 2 weeks ago :-)