Switzerland Guide
Ticino
Cardada
When sweltering, overcrowded Locarno (210m) gets too much, it's easy to make an escape into the cool, wooded hills above. By the top station of the Madonna del Sasso funicular in Orselina (395m) is the lantern-like base station – designed by architect Mario Botta – of a futuristic cable car that rises on an ear-poppingly steep course to the plateau of Cardada (1350m; 
www.cardada.ch ). A short stroll left from the top station, set amidst fragrant pine woods and fresh breezes, is the "Observation Platform", a gracefully designed catwalk suspended off a huge A-frame that extends out over the edge of the hill above the treetops; from the end, an eagle-eye view takes in Ascona, much of Lago Maggiore and the mountains. There's a couple of simple restaurants up here and some easy strolls in the pine forest – many of them wheelchair accessible.
A return ticket from Orselina to Cardada is Fr.27. If you're coming up from Locarno, ask for a discounted ticket at the base station of the Madonna del Sasso funicular that includes the whole round trip (to Cardada Fr.30).