mainetrvlgrl

We are going to Northern Italy/Switzerland for three weeks in just a few weeks. Having traveled to Italy the last few years, I feel confident about our plans there. However I am still trying to hammer out our plans for Switzerland (its our first visit). We will be in Lugano for 3 full days, and Lucerne for 6 full days, and Zurich for a day before flying home from there. We like light hikes, exploring towns/cities, food/wine, and really just want to get to know an area.

Are there activities in Lugano, Lucerne, or Zurich that are not to be missed?? Day trips? I have the train travel booked from main location to main location. We have a flexi Swiss pass and 50% discount card in hand.

Thanks in advance!

kja

From Lugano, you might want to visit the Valle Verzasca. I also thought the walk down Monte San Salvatore very pleasant.

Are you not spending any time in the Bernese Oberland?

Edward2005

I would shave a few days off Luzern and spend them in Murren or Wengen in the Bernese Oberland. The scenery there is spectacular and there are endless hiking opportunities of any difficulty level.

nytraveler

I would not do 6 nights in Lucerne but split the time between Lucerne (trips on lake steamers, cute towns and ascent Mt Pilatus as well as explore the Old Town, original walls, etc) and time in a smaller town in the foothills of the Jungfrau.

There are numerous towns with a lot of great hiking paths and you;re close enough that ascending the Jungfrau wont be an all day trip on a train - but a more manageable train/cog railway to the top- and you can spend more time at the top.

neckervd

Lugano is a train, bus, boat and cableway transport hub with endless possibilities. Tons of well signposted and signmarked hiking trails at altitudes between 200 metres and 1600 metres in the wider Lugano area and up to 2000 metres in the Locarno area.

Don't miss
the 3 medieval castles and the small historic city center at Bellinzona,
the copy of Leonardo's Last Supper at Capriasca,
the botanical gardens at Brissago Islands,
the scenic villages of Gandria, Morcote, etc.
the alpine panorama from Monte Lema (to reach by chairlift),
the famous paintings in the main churches of Lugano,
the scenic mountain valleys above Locarno (Valle Verzasca, Valle Onsernone....) and Bellinzona (Val Calanca),
Swissminiatur at Melide........

If you like scenic mountain landscapes, you may leave your Lucerne bound train at Airolo and go on by Swiss PostBus over 3 alpine Passes to either Meiringen or Goeschenen from where you reach Lucerne by another train (full day trip with intermediate stops at viewpoints and glaciers like Rhone Glacier or Stein Glacier).

mainetrvlgrl

Thanks to you all for the great suggestions. I'm afraid that our agenda is set, so no Murren/Wengen this trip. But I feel confident we'll make the most of our time in Lucerne

Thanks!

bvlenci

We were in Lucerne last week, and found it a good base for all sorts of day trips. We had to pick and choose.

One trip we made was to Basel, mainly to see the terrific Gaugin exhibit at the Beyeler Foundation, which I believe ends in a few weeks. The museum, designed by Renzo Piano, is in a lovely park-like setting. The city itself was fairly attractive; we could have spent more time there. We followed a suggested walking tour (I forget where I got it). The Cathedral was pretty impressive, and we also liked the little ferries that go endlessly back and forth across the Rhine, powered only by the current.

Another trip we really enjoyed was to Brienz, where we took a little steam train to the Rothorn Kulm. It's not a terribly high mountain, but the ride was very scenic and there was some snow on the top, as well as a decent (and reasonably priced) restaurant. There were lots of hiking trails marked at the top, but we didn't have the right kind of shoes. There is also an open air museum of traditional life just outside of Brienz; you can get there by bus. We skipped that and just walked around the town, which has a number of charming little streets, and a nice lakefront walk. The train ride between Lucerne and Brienz is very scenic.

We stayed four nights and could easily have stayed another two. You could take a day trip to the top of Mount Pilatus, or to the top of Mount Rigi. There are hiking possibilities on all of these trips.

We also would have liked to take a day trip to Bern.

From Lugano to Lucerne, you can take the train to Flüelen, changing trains in Bellinzona. Then you can take a boat to Lucerne. This is mostly the route of the William Tell Express, except it's much cheaper if you just buy the regular tickets and travel in second class. You can get a full meal on the boat. We took it in the other direction, but unfortunately it was a rainy, misty day and we missed most of the scenery.

Lucerne was full of tourists, mostly from various parts of Asia. It's a beautiful city, and there's a lot to see and do there. I recommend the Rosgarten Museum, which has a fabulous collection of works by Picasso. None of the other places we visited was very touristy. On the steam train from Brienz to the Rothorn, many of the other passengers were Swiss families on an outing.

mainetrvlgrl

wow, thanks bvlenci! All of those things sound fantastic. I am glad to know Lucerne will be a good place to day trip to other places. I'll be excited to share what we do and where we go.

Thanks again!