Lugano for Newcomers: Puntocittà Zona Blu, Crèche
Lugano for newcomers
New on Lake Lugano: How to Settle In to Lugano
The first few weeks
Lugano is the largest municipality in the canton of Ticino and the largest Italian-speaking municipality outside Italy; the city lies where the Cassarate flows into Lake Lugano, between Monte Brè and Monte San Salvatore. The official language is Italian. This guide sorts out your first weeks: registration at the Puntocittà, permit, health insurance, flat-hunting, parking and waste. We handle the transport as a home removal.
We have no branch in Switzerland: we come from Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21) and carry out moves to Lugano and back. To cross the border you need form 18.44 and an inventory list; removal goods that you have used for at least six months remain duty-free. Your belongings are covered under the HGB (§ 451e: €620 per m³). The route and customs are described on the page Moving Berlin – Lugano.
Request a Quote for Your Move to Lugano
Fixed price after a survey, with customs papers
We calculate your move to Lugano after a free survey or on the basis of photos and video. The fixed price applies as long as the scope stays the same – whether a flat in Molino Nuovo, Besso or Pregassona. We include hillside access, the floor, carrying distance and clearance at the border. Request your non-binding quote.
Quotes available individually based on workload, scheduling and the desired scope of services.
Before Moving Day in Lugano
Customs, hillside, parking space
We come from Berlin and bring your household goods to Lugano. Before moving day we go through form 18.44 and the inventory list for customs with you, and check how steep and narrow the access to the new address is and where the vehicle may stop – space is tight in the old town around the Piazza della Riforma. At night and on Sundays and public holidays, driving bans for heavy lorries apply in Switzerland; we set the delivery day accordingly. We give you the price after the survey (fixed price), and your belongings are covered under the HGB.
Packing Service
Office Move
Student moves
Furniture Transport
Six First Steps in Lugano
These tasks come up after moving to Lugano – from the Puntocittà to the Ecopunto. The information comes from the city of Lugano and the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM); the city's pages do not give a registration deadline, so clarify it directly at the Puntocittà.
Report your arrival at the Puntocittà
B or L permit
Take out health insurance
Apply for the zona blu
Buy official bags
Find a crèche place
Shared Load to Lugano
If you move to Lugano with little furniture to study at the USI or for a first job, you do not have to pay for a whole lorry. With a shared load, your belongings share the loading space with other consignments heading for southern Switzerland. We agree the delivery day and customs papers in advance, and here too your belongings are covered under the HGB.
Lugano
for newcomers
When you are new in Lugano, many questions arise at once: where do I report my arrival, and which permit do I need as an EU citizen? By when must my health insurance be in place? Does my new address actually belong to the city of Lugano – Paradiso and Massagno are separate municipalities? How do the zona blu, the bag fee and crèche places work? And how do I get to work or university without a car? We have summarised the information from the city of Lugano below. For the move itself we advise you on timing, customs, hillside locations and packing, so that everything is right on moving-in day.
Paperwork in the first few days
Moving In on a Hillside or by the Lake
Companies, practices and special cases
Frequently Asked Questions About Living in Lugano
21 Quarters: Where to Live in Lugano?
Through mergers between 1972 and 2013 – including Castagnola-Cassarate, Breganzona, Pregassona and Viganello – Lugano is the seventh-largest Swiss city by area. The city is divided into 21 quarters, such as Centro, Besso, Molino Nuovo, Cassarate-Castagnola, Breganzona, Pregassona and Viganello. Important: Paradiso and Massagno are separate municipalities – there you register with the respective municipality.
The lakeside promenade stretches from the Parco Civico to Paradiso, and many quarters lie on hillsides. We deliberately do not give reliable rent figures – compare offers, have a dossier with a debt enforcement extract (Betreibungsauszug) ready, and check the gradient, bus and route to work before you accept.
Working, Studying and Commuting on Lake Lugano
After Zurich and Geneva, Lugano is the third-largest financial centre in Switzerland and is known as a university, congress and cultural city. The Università della Svizzera italiana, founded in 1996, has its headquarters in Lugano with the faculties of communication and economics as well as informatics. The urban area, with around 150,000 inhabitants, extends into the Italian provinces of Varese and Como, and many people commute across the border.
Lugano station lies on the Gotthard line Zurich/Basel–Milan with EuroCity, Intercity and the Ticino S-Bahn; according to the city, regional trains have run more frequently since the Ceneri Base Tunnel opened. Within the city, TPL runs 15 bus lines, and the funicular connects the centre and the station. By car you reach Lugano via the A2. By the lake, the Parco Civico with the Villa Ciani and the promenade invite you to stroll, and Monte Brè and Monte San Salvatore to hike; in everyday life you will mainly speak Italian. We set the moving date to match the handover of your flat.
Moving Prices by Flat Size
- from €344 – 1-room flat
- from €609 – 2-room flat
- from €909 – 3-room flat
- from €1,324 – 4-room flat
- individual quote – house/villa
- from €3.80/km – long-distance move
For an exact calculation we recommend a free survey.
What determines the moving price
The price of your move depends on the volume, the distance (from €3.80/km) and structural factors such as the floor and lift. A parking restriction zone may also be needed. You can also make use of our furniture assembly or a shared load.
Services for Your Move to Ticino
We offer you a complete all-round service for every type of move.
- House clearance – clearing made easy
- Company move – for smooth business operations
- Shared load – flexible and cost-conscious
- Home removal – reliable and personal
- Furniture transport – safely packed and delivered
- Move with assembly – everything from a single source
From Berlin to Lake Lugano – and Back
We come from Berlin-Moabit and plan every move to Switzerland ourselves – in a structured way, from the survey and the customs papers to assembly. Destinations with their own page are shown in the locations overview, and routes and customs on the long-distance moves page.
Registration in Lugano: Puntocittà, Opening Hours and Quarters
In Lugano you register at the city's Puntocittà counters. According to its own website, the city handles arrival notifications, changes of address, departures and household declarations as well as certificates of residence and stay there; some steps are also possible via the city's online counter.
- Puntocittà Lugano Centro: Via della Posta 8, 6900 Lugano, tel. +41 58 866 60 00. Monday, Wednesday and Friday 7.30 to 12 and 13.30 to 17.00, Tuesday and Thursday 7.30 to 18.00.
- Puntocittà Pregassona: Via Sala 13, 6963 Lugano-Pregassona, tel. +41 58 866 65 11.
- Identity card and passport: separate office, Via Serafino Balestra 4, by appointment only, tel. +41 58 866 64 64.
The city's pages do not state which deadline applies for registration; clarify this directly with Puntocittà. For orientation when looking for a flat: according to its quarters page, the city is divided into 21 quarters, including Besso, Breganzona, Centro, Molino Nuovo, Pregassona, Viganello and Cassarate-Castagnola. Cassarate and Castagnola therefore form a single quarter. Paradiso is not on this list. So if you find a flat there, check with which municipality you have to register.
You can find more details on costs and quarters in the Lugano moving guide.
Everyday Life in Lugano: Zona Blu, Rail and Bus, Rubbish Bags and Crèches
If you live in Lugano without a private parking space, you use the zona blu. According to the city, residents without a private parking space may park in the public spaces of the blue zone if they are registered in the zone. There are annual, weekly and day cards. You apply for the annual card online via the egov.lugano.ch portal; guests of zone residents can receive day cards for up to 14 days per year and vehicle. Contact: Polizia, Sezione amministrativa, Via Beltramina 18b, tel. +41 58 866 80 35.
For public transport, the city points to the expansion since the opening of the Monte Ceneri tunnel in December 2020: according to the city, the important regional connections now run every 30 minutes between 6 am and 8 pm, and in the evening until midnight. The city bus network has also been made more frequent, and the funicular to the SBB station has been renovated.
- Waste: since 1 January 2020 a bag fee has applied in Lugano alongside a basic fee. Non-recyclable household waste goes in the official bags; for recyclables there are 48 Ecopunti and 6 Ecocentri.
- Crèches: the nidi d'infanzia look after children up to three years old. Public crèches are run by the autonomous institution Lugano Istituti Sociali, and there are also private providers.
From Germany you reach Lugano via the route in our long-distance moving guide for Lugano; customs questions are covered on our page on international moves.
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