Monte Generoso is located at the southern end of Lake Lugano in the canton of Ticino and offers spectacular 360° panoramic views from its peak. Visitors can explore the mountain by embarking on 51 kilometers of hiking trails, including the Nature Path and Ice Pit Nevere, or take a ride in the oldest steam train still operating in Switzerland. For those daring enough, they can marvel at Monte Generoso's scenery from the air by paragliding from the summit. After an activity-filled day, refuel with hearty delicious food from either the “Fiore di pietra” gourmet restaurant or “Generoso” self-service restaurant . Unforgettable memories are sure to be made visiting this extraordinary mountain. ** Climbing Monte Generoso in Switzerland**

There are a few options to get you to the top. You can take a train from Riva San Vitale to the top. For a Family of Four it will cost you 108 Chf. to ride the train up and back.

Monte Generoso has a Swiss and Italian side. There are many different hikes leading you to the top, which you can find here. We decided to hike with our kids and opted for a shorter (4 hour) hike from the Bella Vista parking lot.

You have a few options to arrive at the Bella Vista Station. You can take the train from Riva San Vitale, hike from Mendriso, or drive to the Bella Vista station. We decided to drive to the station as we knew a 4 hour hike would be long enough for our family. Fair warning, the drive up is a bit narrow and windy and parts.

From the station you can park in the parking lot and begin the hike. It is about 2 hours to the top. Part of the path follows along the train tracks, so if you were to get tired you could always hop on the train.

The last few kilometers to the top of the mountain are fairly steep but offer beautiful views of the Swiss and Italian valleys below.

Once you arrive to the top you can see Lake Lugano below. On top there is a famous building designed by Mario Botta “Fiore di pietra” (Stone Flower). You can enjoy a self serve restaurant or a sit down restaurant with 360 degree views below. The building is quite fascinating in itself. You can also access the roof for even more incredible views.

A climb to the top of Monte Generoso will not disappoint. We throughly enjoyed this hike and the views it had to offer. The hike down takes about half the time, which makes it a little under a 4 hour hike roundtrip from the Bella Vista parking lot.