Riding Up to Cimetta Mountain Peak

After grabbing a pizza, we walked from the city old town to the cable car ticket station by the Frati Cappuccini, the town’s ancient monastery and itself a major tourist attraction. There are also many public transit options to get here as well, including via funicular (a rail system on a steep slope), but the walk was nice and took about 40 minutes.

We ordered the Orselina->Cardada->Cimetta round trip ticket. The cashier spoke English and German so we had no problems. The ticket cost about $40 regular, but we have a half price ticket deal so it only cost us about $20. I think this price is reasonable, and given this would be a multiple-hour long hike up the hill, completely worth it if you have limited time in Locarno.

The ticket included two cable car rides, the first one is a gondola and we were the only ones in it so had lots of room. It felt a little bit like a (slow) rollercoaster when it took off, and the views were really cool. It took us to the Cardada stop, where there was also a restaurant, fountain, playground, and viewing point. You could also start a hike from here to Cimetta, if you wanted to (we didn’t).

We had a short and pleasant walk to the ski lift-looking ride up to the next stop, Cimetta. Also a really fun experience. At the top was a stunning view point, a giant swing, and more trails going further into the mountains.

Since we had the round-trip ticket we just went down the same way we came, grabbing a coffee at a restaurant at the Cardada stop along the way. From there it’s an easy walk to the Frati Cappuccini and the rest of the way down to the city.

This is really nice excursion to get an idea of the majesty to the alps. A must-do for Locarno.