The Fortress of Bellinzona
The Fortress of Bellinzona and its Castles
Once upon a time, there were knights and drawbridges. Where? In Bellinzona, of course! Take a trip back in time to its castles, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
Discover all that Castel Grande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro have to offer with your camera at the ready. Castellated walls, towers and imposing doors: in an instant you’ll be catapulted back into the Middle Ages! Imagine the exploits of the knights and immerse yourself in the life of a different era. The Fortress of Bellinzona offers their visitors a real page out of Medieval history.
You can buy your Fortress Pass online or at the InfoPoint in Bellinzona or at the ticket offices of the three Castles, and visit the Fortress with its walls, the Castel Grande museum, the Archeologia Montebello exhibition route and the temporary exhibitions.
Are you mainly interested in visiting the exhibitions? Then purchase the new Expo Pass: a combined ticket allowing access to the temporary exhibitions of Castel Grande, Sasso Corbaro and the Museo Villa dei Cedri!
OPENING HOURS
Winter period
04.11.2024 - 05.04.2025:
From 10:30 to16.00 (with extended opening during the period from 21.11.2024 to 26.01.2025)
Summer period
05.04.2025 - 9.11.2025:
From 10.00 to18.00
During the winter period, only Castel Grande remains open. The castles of Montebello and Sasso Corbaro can only be visited in their outer and inner courtyards.
An itinerary to listen to
Discover the history of the Bellinzona's Fortress and find out all the curious anecdotes!
#bellinzonaevalli
Discovering the Fortress with our favourite team!
UNESCO Statement
"The fortified ensemble of Bellinzona located in the canton of Ticino in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, south of the Alps, is the only visible example in the entire Alpine Arc of medieval military architecture comprising several castles, linked by a wall that once closed off the whole Ticino Valley, and the ramparts which surrounded the town for the protection of the civilian population. Bellinzona thus constitutes an exceptional case among the greatest fortifications of the 15th century, both by the dimension of its architecture, influenced by the site and topography, and by the excellent state of conservation of the ensemble. The origin of Bellinzona is linked to the strategic situation of the site that controls, by the Ticino Valley access to the principal Alpine pass constituting the passage into the Milanese, in fact, the whole of north Italy to the regions located farther north to the Danube and beyond. The ensemble comprises three castles and a network of fortifications with towers and defence works that command the Ticino Valley and dominate the town centre."
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