Bellinzona ( BEL-in-ZOH-nə, Italian: [bellinˈtsoːna] ; Ticinese: Belinzóna [belĩˈtsona]) is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sasso Corbaro) that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000.

The town lies east of the river Ticino, at the foot of the Alps. It stretches along the river valley, surrounded by the southern ranges of the Lepontine Alps to the east and west, and by the Lugano Prealps to the south.

The toponym is first attested in 590 in Latin as Belitio or Bilitio (in the accusative, Bilitionem), by Gregory of Tours. The name is Lepontic in origin, possibly from belitio ('juniper') or belitione ('juniper bushes').