Lugano is well connected by rail. Direct trains run from Zurich in around 2 hours 15 minutes and from Milan in about 1 hour 15 minutes — the journey through the Gotthard Base Tunnel (opened 2016) has dramatically reduced travel times from the north. From Geneva, the journey takes around 4 hours with a change. The rail connections to Italy are particularly useful: Milan is the obvious gateway for international arrivals.
Lugano has its own small airport with limited scheduled services, primarily connections to Zurich. Most visitors arriving by air fly to Milan Malpensa (roughly 90 minutes by road or a combination of bus and rail) or to Zurich and take the train south. By car, Lugano sits on the A2 motorway corridor through the Gotthard Tunnel, which connects it directly to the Swiss motorway network.