Paul

After staying the week in Italy I have 4 free days until I have to be in london, so can I go to lucerne for these 4 days and then fly from there to London? Is there much to do there for a non skier in winter?

lynlor

Maybe not for four days.<BR> <BR>I do have another question about Lucerne. I have always pronounced the "c" in the word with a "s" sound. A friend of mine always pronounces the "c" with a "z" sound. Which is correct? <BR><BR>Sorry I didn't answer your question, but I have only been to Lucerne once for one day and that was some years ago.

s

Hello Paul,<BR><BR>Yes, I think there’s more than enough to do in Luzern, even for a non-skier. I think the scenery is even more dramatic with low clouds hanging on the mountains and the lakes veiled in fog. The cold streets also seem to take on more character. So, I say, yes, go!<BR><BR>However, Luzern doesn’t have its own airport. You’ll be flying out of Zurich, which is about an hour away by train (the train goes right to the airport).<BR><BR>I assume you’ll be arriving by train from Italy, and I also assume you’ll be arriving sometime after noon. With those working assumptions, here’s what you can do for a few days:<BR><BR>On arrival, after checking into your hotel, you should explore and enjoy the old town with its many buildings, squares, & bridges to capture your imagination: Kornmarkt, Weinmarkt, Hirschenplatz, Rathaus, Jesuitenkirche, Kapellbruecke, & Spreuerbruecke. These are are very close together, within a few blocks of one another. You’ll also find lots of cafes tucked into the old town where you can have a warm cup of coffee or tea; there are also several large department stores nearby where you can pop in and warm up. A bit farther away from the old town are the Lion Monument and the Musegg Ramparts, the old town walls dating from the 1300s. Find a city map w/sights & attractions at www.luzern.org.<BR><BR>On the second day, you should take a ferry ride on the lake, which is a pure spectacular delight. These ferries can range from a two-hour tour of the upper lake or an all-day trip to Fluelen. There are many small towns and villages around the lake where you can interrupt your jouney for a leisurely walk through town or a long walk along the lake. Some towns that are calling me back are Weggis, Vitznau, & Brunnen. There is also the Rutli Meadow, where the Swiss federation was first formed in 1291. Check the boat schedules & options at www.lakelucerne.ch. See these towns at www.brunnen.ch, www.weggis.ch, & www.vitznau.ch. <BR><BR>On the third day, you should make an excursion to one of the mountain tops close to Luzern. Take the ferry to Vitznau, then the rack-railway to Rigi; the trip takes about 1.3 hours. You can also get to a lower slope on Rigi via Weggis, and connect to the rack railway to the summit. Another mountain excursion is to Mt. Pilatus, south of Luzern; this trip takes about an hour. Finally, there is the excursion to Mt. Titlis and Engelberg. In addition to being the start point for the cable car to Titlis, Engelberg has a fabulous Benedictine monastery. The train to Engelberg takes about an hour. The websites are: www.pilatus.ch, www.titlis.ch, & www.rigi.ch, and www.engelberg.ch.<BR><BR>You can spend the fourth day relaxing, walking along the lakeside, returning to the places you liked best, or getting to the places you didn’t get to in the first three days. Many people here really enjoy the Transportation Museum, for instance, or you could make an excursion to the city of Bern. Theoretically, you could travel to the Jungfraujoch, but the journey takes 4.18 hours each way, so I don’t think that’s feasible.<BR><BR>You can check out train schedules & fares at www.rail.ch.<BR><BR>Have a great trip!<BR><BR>s

Rex

&lt;&lt;I do have another question about Lucerne. I have always pronounced the "c" in the word with a "s" sound. A friend of mine always pronounces the "c" with a "z" sound. Which is correct?&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>Luzern is predominantly a German-speaking city which is, of course, very accommodating to French speakers.<BR><BR>The "phonetic" (American) representation of Luzern, spoken by a German speaker would be roughly "lootsern". The "Ts" sound is the same as in "pizza" or in "Nazi". The "er" rhymes with "merry", not "her".<BR><BR>The Frnech spelling Lucerne has a "hard s" consonant sound. The "er" is basically the same as in German.<BR><BR>and in both languages, the vowel sound of the first syllable is is somewhere between "lyou" and "loo".<BR><BR>As for the travel plans issue, I have never been to Europe in winter - - but from Italy, I would advise a non-skier to consider some other Mediterranean destination en route to London. Malta?<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

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Ingo

I definitely second s' recommendations. Great suggestions, as usual!<BR><BR>I am impressed by Rex' explanation. By the way, I didn't know that Malta is "en route" from Italy to London. IMO Lucerne is more reasonable.<BR><BR>Ingo

Rex

Thanks for the kind remarks, Ingo. I didn't mean that Malta is on a straight lione connecting Italy and London. But I susopect that you can fly from Italy to Malta, and then Malta on to London for the same cost as traveling from Italy to Luzern, and then onward to London.<BR><BR>And for a non-skier in winter, it might appeal more.<BR>