Alpine mountain coaster in Switzerland: Monte Tamaro
Roller coaster through the Swiss mountains! That was the best introduction I could have had to my now favourite part of Switzerland: sunny Ticino, the southernmost canton combining the best of Swiss landscapes with Italian hospitality.
My first visit was a day trip with friends – many late summers ago- and it remains one of the most fun, low-effort adventure days I’ve had in Switzerland. Since then, I have visited the region in every season and want to keep revisiting whenever I have a chance.
What Is Ticino, and Why Should It Be on Your Switzerland List?
If you are planning your first trip to Switzerland, chances are your list already has Jungfrau, Interlaken, Lucerne, and maybe Titlis on it. Those are wonderful, and they deserve their reputation. But there’s a whole region most first-time visitors never even hear about: Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton in the south.
Ticino sits on the other side of the Alps from the rest of German-speaking Switzerland, and it feels like it. It’s sunnier, the architecture leans Italian, the food is closer to northern Italian cuisine than Swiss classics, and towns like Lugano and Locarno sit right on palm-lined lakes that look more like the Italian Riviera than what most people picture when they think “Switzerland.”
This is the region I recommend to people who tell me they want to see something beautiful but not on every other traveller’s itinerary. Monte Tamaro is a perfect example: a short trip from Lugano, easy to reach, and still relatively unknown outside Switzerland. If this is your first time hearing about Ticino, consider this your introduction, and consider Monte Tamaro your reason to add a day or two here.
Getting There: Rivera-Bironico
Monte Tamaro is reached by cable car from Rivera-Bironico, a short train ride south from Bellinzona, and just 15 km from Lugano. If you are based in Lugano, Locarno, or Bellinzona, this is barely more than a half-day trip.
It also works as a day trip from further north. I went from Basel. Here’s roughly what to expect depending on where you’re starting:
- From Lugano / Locarno / Bellinzona: 15–45 minutes each way, an easy half-day outing
- From Zurich: around 1h50–2h20 via the Gotthard Base Tunnel, comfortably doable as a day trip
- From Lucerne: around 1h50 on the direct InterCity/EuroCity base-tunnel route, the same ease as Zurich (skip the scenic Gotthard Panorama Express for this one; that’s a 5.5-hour one-way journey best treated as its own trip, not a way to reach a day trip)
- From Basel: around 2h45–3h each way, so a longer day (5.5–6 hours of round-trip travel), worth an early start. This is the route we took, and it’s genuinely doable if you leave in the morning
The Treno Gottardo is worth knowing about specifically. It runs hourly and connects Basel, Lucerne, and Zurich directly to Bellinzona and Locarno along the historic Gotthard route, so it covers most of these origin points on one line.
The valley station is a short walk from Rivera-Bironico station, and there’s a car park if you’re driving (A2 motorway, Rivera exit).
If you’d rather stay overnight in Ticino instead of doing the long day trip, browse hotels in the area here.
The Cable Car Up
The cable car ride to Alpe Foppa takes about 10 minutes, climbing to 1,530 metres. The panorama cabin means you get uninterrupted views the whole way up: Bellinzona, Lake Lugano, and on a clear day, Lake Maggiore, opening up beneath you. There’s a small lake right at Alpe Foppa, just below the restaurant terrace, a quiet spot to sit for a few minutes before the adventure activities start. It’s a nice contrast to everything that comes next.
Fare adults: CHF 20.80 instead of CHF 26.00/CHF 27.20 instead of CHF 34.00
Fare children: CHF 10.40 instead of CHF 13.00/CHF 13.60 instead of CHF 17.00
The Chapel at the Top: Santa Maria degli Angeli
Before the adrenaline part of the day, take a few minutes at the Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli, the chapel designed by Ticino architect Mario Botta right at Alpe Foppa. It’s an unusual, striking building, not what you’d expect to find at a mountain adventure park, and it’s a nice quiet contrast to what comes next.
The Main Event: Coaster Bob
This is the reason most people come up here, and it’s genuinely as fun as it looks.
Ride specs:
- Length: 800 metres
- Altitude drop: 80 metres
- Top speed: 50 km/h
- Two-seater carts with individual manual brakes
- Ages: open to children 3+; kids under 8 must ride with someone 8+ and at least 1.35m tall
You control your own speed with a hand brake, which makes it feel more like an actual toboggan run than a fixed-speed ride. You can go as fast or as cautiously as you want on the banked curves. The views over the Ticino pre-Alps the whole way down are the part photos genuinely don’t capture.
Pricing:
- 1 run: CHF 5
- 5 runs: CHF 22
- 10 runs: CHF 42
- Cable car ticket to Alpe Foppa is separate and required
Book Monte Tamaro cable car + Coaster Bob combo tickets via GetYourGuide →
Other Things to Do Up There
The Coaster Bob is the headline act, but Alpe Foppa also has:
- Adventure Park: treetop rope courses for various skill levels
- Zip line / Flying Fox: across the valley
- Paragliding: tandem flights, if you want the view from higher up still (also bookable as a gift experience via Tinggly, use code EUROPEDIARIES for a discount)
- Hiking: the Monte Tamaro–Monte Lema traverse is the standout route (about 5h30 one-way, with Lake Lugano on one side and Lake Maggiore on the other), or a shorter 2-hour version if you just hike up from Alpe Foppa and back. If you want to make a two-day trip of it, there’s a mountain hut on Monte Tamaro where you can stay overnight.
- Mountain biking: 70 km of marked trails, with e-bike charging stations at Alpe Foppa
For Families: Splash & Spa Tamaro
If you are travelling with kids or just want to end the day differently, Splash & Spa Tamaro, a full water park and spa, sits right at the valley station in Rivera, a short walk from the cable car and open 365 days a year. A lot of families we saw at Monte Tamaro were clearly combining both in one day: adventure up top, water park to finish. Worth knowing about if you’re planning a longer visit.
Book Splash & Spa Tamaro tickets here →
End the Day in Lugano
Ride over to Lugano for a slow finish: a walk along the lake and, of course, ice cream. It’s a nice way to close an adventurous day, and Lugano is close enough (about 15 km) that it barely adds to the trip.
Practical Info: Getting Around Cheaply in 2026
SBB Sparbillett (Saver ticket): Up to 50% off regular point-to-point fares, available from 6 months before your travel date up to the day before. These are quota-limited, so book early for the best price, and note they are tied to a specific train (no changing your connection once booked). Check on sbb.ch.
SBB Spartageskarte (Saver Day Pass): If you are combining multiple stops in one day (say, Bellinzona in the morning, Monte Tamaro in the afternoon), this can work out cheaper than individual tickets. In 2026, prices start from CHF 29 with a Half Fare Card (Halbtax) or CHF 52 without, for unlimited travel across the whole GA network area: trains, buses, trams, and boats, for the day. Sometimes, you can also purchase 49 CHF day tickets from Interdiscount or Coop stores. These are only offered couple times a year, but worth keeping an eye out for.
RailAway discounts: If you book a Sparbillett, you may also be eligible for up to 50% off leisure attractions through RailAway, worth checking before you buy separate cable car tickets.
Ticino Ticket: If you’re staying overnight in Ticino, ask your accommodation about the Ticino Ticket, which offers discounted entry to Monte Tamaro and other regional attractions.
Season & hours (2026):
- Low season: April 1 – June 30 & September 1 – November 8, 08:30–17:00
- High season: July 1 – August 31, 08:30–18:00
- New for 2026: winter weekend/school-holiday openings (late Dec–early Jan, mid–late Feb)
One thing worth checking before you go: confirm the current status of the cable car on montetamaro.ch the morning of your visit.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
