It takes around two hours to get to Lugano from Zurich or Lucerne and around three hours from Basel or Bern, so you can leave your car behind for a bike weekend in Ticino. All the more so as SBB offers bike transportation free of charge. So there's no need to search for a free bike compartment or make a paid reservation for self-transport of bikes through the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

Bicycles can be handed in free of charge at Bellinzona, Chiasso, Locarno, Lugano or Mendrisio stations. You can pick it up again at a station of your choice in Switzerland that offers bicycle delivery. At least that's one journey less on the travel budget.

Few restrictions

The free offer from Swiss Federal Railways is valid from April 12 to October 31, 2019. Special bikes such as tandems, recumbent bikes and tricycles are excluded from the offer.

Reservations are only required for groups of ten or more people.

www.sbb.ch/veloversand