The Bellinzona Castles, a UNESCO World Heritage site, consist of three well-preserved medieval fortifications. Built to control and defend strategic routes through the alps, they played a crucial role in the defense of northern Italy and Switzerland during the Middle Ages.
Today, you can explore the castle grounds, walk the ramparts, climb the towers, and learn the history of the castles and region in their museums. The castles look like they are straight out of a fairy tale or perhaps a life-sized Playmobil set, ready for your imagination to run wild.
There are lots of options for your visit: you can visit one or more castles, reach them by foot or shuttle, see some for free or pay to see it all. We’ve got all the info and advice for planning your trip below.
Note: We visited the Bellinzona castles as part of a press trip sponsored by Ticino Tourism.
| Location: | Bellinzona, Ticino, southern Switzerland |
| Car: | Parking: Piazza del Sole 7, 6500 Bellinzona 2hr from Zürich without traffic |
| Train: | 1hr41 from Zürich HB to Bellinzona, Stazione |
| Open: | main castle year round, other castles mid-March through early November |
| Cost 2024: | Three castle pass: CHF 28/adult, CHF 18/child, CHF 70 family |
| More info: | www.bellinzonaevalli.ch |
Overview
There are three castles to visit: Castelgrande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro, as shown on the map below. These castles were built in the medieval age and, in the 1500s, were part of a fortress protecting Switzerland from Italy. Now they are an UNESCO World Heritage site and can be toured by the public. More about the castle history here.
At each castle, you can walk around the ramparts, climb the towers, learn history in the museums, and soak in valley views. The castles are a bit similar but each has a bit of a different character and views. So if you have time, I recommend visiting all three.
More about the individual castles lower down in this post…
What we liked about the castles
We spent most of our time just wandering the walls, imagining fighting off invading armies and dropping hot oil on the enemies through the grates above the outer walls. If your child is ready for some imaginative play and needs props, don’t worry; the castle gift shops sell bow & arrow kits and costumes for kids.
We visited two of the museums and learned a bit, but if you want lots of historical info, you might consider a guided tour at Castelgrande.
For families, I liked that each of the castles had large grassy areas where the kids could run around and be silly and not worry about breaking anything or falling off something. Then I could take lots of photos in peace and wrangle them with a loud voice without bothering anyone.
How to get there
The castles are located in Bellinzona, a town in the Ticino region of southern Switzerland.
If you are traveling from Zürich or Lucerne, we really recommend traveling by train instead by car since there can be lots of traffic at the Gotthard tunnel. It’s an easy and fast train connection from both Lucerne and Zürich, faster than driving in most cases.
By train:
Take a train to the Bellinzona station, a direct train connection from Zürich or Milan. Travel time from Lugano 29 mins, Locarno 17 mins, Ascona 50 mins, Lucerne 1h25, Zurich 1h40.
Castel Grande is about a 10 min walk from the station.
By car:
The closest parking to the castle is Autosilo Piazza del Sole (Piazza del Sole 7, 6500 Bellinzona). This parking is accessible by lift and so is the castle. Another option is P+Rail Bellinzona at the Bellinzona train station. Travel time by car – from Locarno/Ascona 30 mins, Lugano 40 mins
How to get to the castles
The main castle, Castelgrande, is right in the center of the Bellinzona old town, a 10 min walk from the Bellinzona train station. Many people use the elevator on Piazza del Sole to reach the castle entrance.
The other two castles are on the hills above Bellinzona. You can either walk to those castles or take a shuttle tour. Many choose the shuttle because of the elevation gain.
Walking to the castles
If you want to walk to all the castles, it’s a 5.5 km loop as shown below, plan about 3 hours including time visiting the castles. It’s about a 15 min walk from Castelgrande to Montebello (about 600m distance with about 60m elevation gain mostly on stairs). From Montebello to Sasso Corbaro, it’s about 1.8km and 150m elevation gain, part on forest paths, partly on sidewalks. For details, see this loop trail between the castles.
We did a longer hike way up in the hills above the castles, about 8.5 km, which took about 5 hours with time visiting the castles. See Bellinzona Castle Hike for details.
Shuttle Tour
Because of the hills, many people take a shuttle tour, which lasts 90 mins, visiting each of the three castles. You can buy tickets when you get on the shuttle or from the Ticino Turismo office at the train station. You can get off at any of the castles and catch the next shuttle.
Tours depart at 10.00, 11.20, 13.30, 15.00, 16.30 at Piazza Collegiata (Sunday – Friday). On Saturdays, the 11:20 and 13:30 tours depart instead from Piazza Teatro, probably because the Saturday market blocks some of the streets. More info about the shuttle here.
Public Bus
You can also take the public PostAuto bus up to the the highest castle, Sasso Corbaro, then walk down the hill to the middle castle Montebello, then finish in the old town at Castelgrande. PostAuto Line #4 runs between Bellinzona, Piazzale Stazione and Bellinzona, Cast.Sasso Corbaro, about every two hours on weekends and holidays, only a couple times a day on weekdays. It costs CHF 2.10 for a one way ticket. Check the schedule before heading out.
Planning your day
Tickets for the Castles
While you can visit the outer castle areas for free, the castle entrance fees let you explore more: walk the ramparts, climb the towers and visit the small museums/exhibitions inside the castle.
You can pay entrance fees at each individual castle or buy the Bellinzona pass, which covers all three castles. In 2023, this costs CHF 28/adult, CHF 18/child, CHF 70 family pass.
If you are staying in a hotel, hostel or campsite, you get the Ticino Ticket for free, which gives a discount on the Bellinzona pass and discounts on many other attractions and free public transportation all around the Ticino region.
Opening Times
You can visit the outer grounds of the castles 24/7 but the museum and inner castle features (ramparts & towers) have opening times as follows:
- Castelgrande – open daily year round 10:00 to 18:00 (closes at 16:00 in winter).
- Montebello & Sasso Corbaro – open daily 10:00 18:00 mid March to early November, closed in winter
You might want to plan your trip during one of the special events at the castles, like the Medieval festival (25-26 May 2019) or the open air cinema on the castle grounds in August.
Accessibility
It is possible to visit the grounds of each castle with a stroller or wheelchair. But inside the castles and museums, there are lots of stairs and no lifts. Castelgrande has the best access for wheelchairs and strollers, with a lift taking you up to the castle grounds, where you can explore much of the outer grounds without stairs.
Photo story
Castle in town: Castelgrande
Castelgrande is the easiest to visit, right in the old town, an easy 600m walk from the train station. This is a good choice if you are short on time or energy.
You can visit the castle grounds and some of the ramparts for free 24 hours a day, including what you see below.
I loved the big grassy areas inside the castle walls, which makes it easy for kids to run and explore. However, there are no barriers on some of the ramparts, so be careful with small or rowdy kids so they don’t fall off.
For a small fee, you can explore more of the ramparts, climb the tower and visit the museum. We visited at sunset, so we didn’t visit the museum or inner parts of the castle. We’ll just have to go again so I can tell you about it.
Our kids also loved running around the plaza just below the castle, which is frequented by skateboarders.
Castle in the middle: Montebello
Montebello is about a 15 min walk (600m) above Bellinzona. You can walk there on a trail with stairs, take a shuttle or drive there (there is a small parking lot adjacent to the castle). I think this one is the prettiest with the best family photo opps.
It has small museum inside the tower talking about the archaeological history of this area and artifacts found here.
We loved the big grassy area in front of the castle with lots of room for a picnic with a view.
Castle on the hill: Sasso Corbaro
Sasso Corbaro is highest on the hill, about a 1.8 km walk from Castelgrande or 1km from Montebello. Most people take the shuttle here because its so far up the hill. If you choose to walk up, part of the trail is on footpaths in the neighborhood and forest and part is on sidewalks along the road.
Since this castle is highest on the hill, it has the best views from the ramparts and towers, but the views are quite similar at all the castles. There was a small art exhibition inside the castle, which changes seasonally.
Are you ready to explore the castles yet?
See our other Bellinzona posts and all our Ticino posts.
4 Responses
Did you say plan 3 hours to walk the whole 5.5km loop AND visit the three castles? Isn’t that too little time? I was thinking 6 hours (2 hours to walk, 4 hour allowance for the three castles).
If you plan to go inside the castles, you will need more time. I think your estimate sounds good.
Thanks for the info! Do you know whether there is a parking spot for a big motorhome? thanks!
It’s a good question and unfortunately not one I know the answer too. I’d recommend calling the tourist office in Bellinzona. They should speak English and be able to help you. Good luck!