ICER is located on the USI university campus in the center of the city, within a ten minute walk from Lake Lugano and the beautiful old town. There is no single conference hotel, but participants can find many hotels within walking distance.
We strongly recommend booking early, because August is high season with lots of tourists visiting.
Hotels in the Area
Lugano is a tourist destination, with a multitude of hotels in all price ranges. Switzerland can be expensive, and Lugano is one of the more beautiful places in Switzerland. Lugano has a few luxury hotels where the most exclusive suites can cost USD 2500.- per night, but it also has a few hotels with room rates below USD 100.-. Most of the hotels are somewhere in-between, with prices between USD 150.- and 200.- being common.
Here is a small sampling of hotels within walking distance often used by guests of the university:
- Hotel City Lugano; closest
- Hotel Lido Seegarten; at the lake front
- Hotel Zurigo Downtown
- Hotel Pestalozzi Lugano
Note that hotel stays include a Ticino Ticket for free public transportation within the state (Cantone Ticino) and reduced fares for boat trips on the lakes or cable cars up the beautiful mountains. This is a great deal not just to get around the city (which is mostly walkable), but also to explore the neighboring towns and valleys.
Hostels and AirBnB
Even in a tourist destination in expensive Switzerland you can still find room rates for under USD 100.-. Often visitors stay in AirBnB apartments (a particularly good deal when staying as a group), in the local youth hostel, or in a guest house (called “Garni”, essentially small 1-star or 2-star hotels).
Youth Hostel Lugano Savosa
The Youth Hostel Lugano Savosa has a swimming pool and palm trees, and includes breakfast! Like a hotel, but unlike AirBnBs, it also includes the free Ticino Ticket for free public transportation within the state! However, the number of rooms is limited!