Entry/Exit Requirements

Citizens from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Singapore, Europe’s Schengen area, the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (Efta) do not require visas to enter and stay in the country for up to 90 days. To enter the country, you need a valid identity document that is recognised by Switzerland, such as a passport or an official identity card from an EU/Efta State.

Transportation to/from Lugano

By plane

Lugano Airoport is situated just 15 minutes away from the Lugano town center. Flights to Lugano are available from Zurich, Geneva, Rome with Swiss International Airlines or Etihad Regional.

Malpensa Airoport (Milan, Italy) is a 1 hour drive from Lugano. An express bus is available that directly connects Lugano main station to Malpensa Airport with just one stop at the border. Make sure you book the shuttle in advance. Go to the Jet Bus website or to the Malpensa Express website to see the schedule and click on “prenotazione online” to make a reservation online.

Zurich Airport is a 3 hour train ride from Lugano that will take you through central Switzerland and through winding tunnels to cross the Alps. Well worth the trip for rail enthusiasts.

By train

The Swiss FFS Railway Network allows travellers to reach Lugano conveniently by train. In fact, the city is on the important Gotthard railway axis linking Northern and Southern Europe.

Travel times from: Basel- 3h 45′ ; Berne- 3h 46′ ; Geneva- 5h 30′ (via Olten or Milan)/ 6h (via Zurich) ; Zurich- 2h 40′ ; Milan- 1h ; Rome- 4h 57′ ; Paris- around 10h (depending on the type of train and stations) ; Munich- 7h 30′ (via Arth Goldau- Saint Gallen) ; Berlin- 11h 30′

More detailed information can be found on the FFS site.

By car

From Milan (79 km – 1h 10′): A9/E35 motorway, in direction of Como- Saint Gotthard

From Basel (263 km – 2h 40′) / Zurich (207 km – 2h 24′): A2/E35 motorway, in direction of Lucerne- Saint Gotthard- Chiasso/Italy

From Geneva (via Berne 432 km – 4h 30′): A1/E25 motorway in direction of Bern- Zurich, then continuing on the A2/E35 in direction of Lucerne- Saint Gotthard- Chiasso/Italy

Keep in mind that in order to travel on Swiss motorways it is necessary to display a motorways windscreen sticker (cost CHF 40.- valid from January to December); it can be purchased at Customs posts.

Lugano is a fairly congested area of Switzerland and not the easiest of towns to get around or park in. We therefore recommend you avoid this alternative if possible. Should you choose to come by car you can access Lugano through the motorway exits (Lugano Nord and Lugano Sud) and then follow signposting for the Palazzo dei Congressi. An underground parking is available at the venue.

We strongly advise you to use public transport as it is an efficient and easy solution to the very congested traffic situation in Lugano.

Directions to CSCS

Those going to the XTreme or Advisory Council meeting on Sunday can find directions to CSCS in the mobile program under maps or use this one page reference sheet. You may also reference the CSCS visitor information page.

Some informations about Switzerland

• Switzerland is bordered by five countries: Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein.
• Switzerland stretches 350 km from east to west, and 220 km north to south.
• The very highest mountain in Switzerland is the Dufourspitze in the Valais, with an altitude of 4’634 m (15’203 ft.).
• Switzerland has three main topographical zones: the mountainous alpine region (60%), the central plateau (30%), and the Jura mountains (10%).
• Life expectancy has almost doubled for the Swiss since 1900. A man born today can expect to live 79.8 years, while a woman’s life expectancy is now 84.4 years.
• Switzerland has the highest percentage (0.01%) of people over the age of 100 in Europe.
• The biggest Swiss private corporation is Nestlé. Set up by a German political refugee in 1866, it is now the biggest food company in the world. But most Swiss businesses are small or medium sized: more than 99 per cent of enterprises have fewer than 250 full-time workers, but employ about two-thirds of the total work force.
• Switzerland is traditionally a Christian country, both Catholic and Protestant, and the Federal Constitution still begins by invoking the name of God.
• The Swiss national hero William Tell may never have existed, but like Robin Hood, he may have some basis in fact.
• One of the most influential philosophers of the 18th century, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, was a citizen of Geneva.
• The Helvetii, a Celtic tribe who battled Julius Caesar, gave their name to the Swiss terrirory. The Latin name for the country, Helvetia, still appears on Swiss stamps. The letters CH appearing on Swiss cars and in internet addresses stand for the Latin words “Confoederatio Helvetica”, meaning Swiss Confederation.
• Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in Switzerland in 1957.
• Swiss women only got the vote at national level in 1971. In Appenzell Innerrhoden, they had to wait until 1990 before they could vote in cantonal elections.