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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Campione d'Italia
Go for one night, not a base: a 2 km exclave with a casino, a lakefront and four small churches, 20 min by bus from Lugano.
Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave on Lake Lugano, ringed by Swiss Ticino. It is about 2 km long and 1 km wide, so you walk it in an afternoon. Swiss francs are the working currency, Swiss phone and postal systems apply, and the nearest big town is Lugano, 20 minutes by bus. Most travellers come for one night, a casino evening or a lake swim, then move on.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and crowds), Nov–Mar (many places shut early)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CHF
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget Fr. 80–130 excl. bed · Mid Fr. 130–220 excl. bed · High Fr. 220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- All emergencies (EU-wide) 112 · Police (Italy) 113 · Ambulance (Italy) 118 · Swiss emergency (fire and ambulance serve Campione) 144
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a bar | Fr. 3–5 |
| Plate of pasta or a grotto lunch | Fr. 18–30 |
| Beer: draught / can from a minimarket | Fr. 6–9 / Fr. 2–4 |
| Lido Comunale entry | Fr. 5–7 (check) |
| Bus 439, Campione to Lugano | About Fr. 3 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | Fr. 15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LUG · Lugano
- About 20 min by road to Campione; small airport, few routes.
- MXP · Milan Malpensa
- About 1 h 15 min by road to Campione; the practical long-haul gateway.
Typical fares
- Bus 439, Campione casino → Lugano
- about Fr. 3, about 20 min (check)
- Boat, Campione → Lugano
- about Fr. 15, about 20 min (check)
- Train, Melide → Lugano
- short hop on TILO; buy at the station (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk. The exclave is 2 km (1.2 mi) long and 1 km (0.6 mi) wide, and most of it sits along the shore; the mountainside above rises to about 600 m with little to see. Bus 439 (Arcobaleno) links the casino terminus with Melide and Lugano, about 20 min to Lugano. Boats on Lake Lugano stop at Campione in season.Walk. The exclave is 1.2 mi (2 km) long and 0.6 mi (1 km) wide, and most of it sits along the shore; the mountainside above rises to about 600 m with little to see. Bus 439 (Arcobaleno) links the casino terminus with Melide and Lugano, about 20 min to Lugano. Boats on Lake Lugano stop at Campione in season.
See and do
Known for
- Italian exclave inside Switzerland
- Casino di Campione
- Lake Lugano waterfront
- Santa Maria dei Ghirli frescoes
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lugano | Bus 439 from the casino terminus, or a lake boat in season | About 30–40 min |
| Melide and Swissminiatur | Bus 439, about 10 min | About 20 min |
| Como | Bus or train via Lugano and Chiasso, then Trenord or SBB | 1.5–2 h |
| Milan | Train from Melide via Chiasso, or SBB from Lugano | 1.5–2 h |
| Varese | Train via Lugano and Mendrisio, then regional rail | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Campione centre (Piazza Roma and the lakefront)
- Walk to the casino, port and churches; very few rooms, book ahead.
- Bissone and Melide (Switzerland)
- Just across the border, 10–20 min by bus or car; more choice and often cheaper.
- Lugano and Paradiso (Switzerland)
- Widest choice of hotels and restaurants; 20 min by bus 439 or boat.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | ScusiSKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
| I would like the bill | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Swiss francs are the working currency; euros are often accepted but at a poor rate. Carry francs.
- Phone and post run on Swiss systems: +41 dialling code, Swiss postcode CH-6911, Italian code I-22060.
- Campione moved into the EU customs territory in 2020, so customs checks are possible at the border even though both sides are in Schengen.
- The casino is the main evening draw and the main employer: check dress code and entry rules before you go.
- The mountainside above town is steep and mostly trees; do not plan a viewpoint hike without a map.
Very safe for a town of about 2,200 people; the real risks are the border paperwork, the steep mountainside and casino losses. Keep your passport with you: you cross a national border on foot.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Campione d'Italia yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Italian exclave inside Switzerland
- Casino di Campione
- Lake Lugano waterfront
- Santa Maria dei Ghirli frescoes
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Comune di Campione d'Italia (official town site): www.comune.campione-d-italia.co.it/
- Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano (official boat operator): www.lakelugano.ch/en
- Arcobaleno (Ticino public transport, bus 439): www.arcobaleno.ch/en
- SBB timetable (Swiss Federal Railways): www.sbb.ch/en/timetable.html
- Wikivoyage: Campione d'Italia, revision 5239724 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5239724
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Campione d'Italia
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- All emergencies (EU-wide)112
- Police (Italy)113
- Ambulance (Italy)118
- Swiss emergency (fire and ambulance serve Campione)144
No embassies in Campione. Most countries keep embassies in Rome and consulates in Milan; Switzerland handles some services locally. Check your own embassy's list before you travel.
Campione runs on Swiss francs and Swiss phone and post systems, so treat it as a Swiss-Italian hybrid: francs for cash, +41 for calls.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/campione-ditalia). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.