Lunch in Lugano
 

We are stopping in Lugano on our way to Como for lunch. Any recommenations? Maybe a nice hotel/restaurant overlooking the lake?

Also should I be concerned about parking in the town with all our luggage in the car -- how safe is it?

Also, tipping in Switzerland -- 10%? ((b))

The Movenpick restaurant in Lugano's city park is actually pretty good and has a great setting, plus you can have a nice stroll around the lakeside park before or after lunch. They do some very rich, luscious ice cream desserts there too. Normally, you don't need reservations as it's a fairly spacious restaurant.
I guess your luggage would be safe if it was completely out of sight. But there are no guarantees anywhere these days, even in Switzerland.

If you can get to Morcote, a beautiful village on the lake, a short bus ride or boat ride from Lugano, go there. We had a very memorable pasta lunch at one of the lakeside cafes. I wish I could remember the name of the place, but it's close to the boat launch. And the village itself is definitely worth seeing.

Finding a parking space in Lugano isn't that easy. We've driven down to the road next to the promenade and have found a parking garage to park in. This might be your best bet.

Lugano has a wonderful old town. I like it better than the promenade because, unlike the busy road and noises along the promenade, the old town is car free.

Can't recommend a restaurant because we often go to Manor, a department store in the old town, next to the piazza, and choose something from their wonderful bakery. Definitely worth seeing just for their selection and reasonable prices.

Morcote is about 15 min. from Lugano.

Gandria!

Just a bit east of Lugano - on the road to Lake Como.

The perfect spot.

After a bit of research, I'm pretty sure our place in Morcote is Osteria Portici. Now I want to go back!

i believe tip is included in the price. When we were there, we were told that it was customary to round up to the next Euro.

Schuler:

We loved the Manor, too in Lugano. I'd be embarassed to tell you how many meals we ate there during a week in Lugano last July. It was air-conditioned, open until 10 or 11 pm, reasonable and comfortable. We enjoyed the fresh pasta, pizza night, fresh fish, etc. During our 6 wk plus trip to Switzerland, we always searched for a Manora restauant (there was a good one in Locarno, too) and were never disappointed in quality or price. But, the Lugano Manora was the best!

Hello Budman:

Your suggestion of a nice hotel/restaurant overlooking the lake is fully met IMO by the Splendide Royal on the promenade just outside of downtown Lugano:

http://www.splendideroyal.com/en/par...lendide_lugano

I first became familiar with the hotel by doing just what you are doing -- lunch during a stopover-- and was mightily impressed with the entire scene. This experience led me to using Lugano and the Splendide as a destination on a number of occasions. If you have lunch there, check out the flambe dishes prepared tableside.
Good luck. Gradyghost

gradyghost, That place looks really nice. We will be coming off an overnight flight and driving 2.5 hours, so we'll still be pretty grubby. We're going to be back there for an all-day trip later, so I will definitely keep it on my list.

Tuck, Gandria's a possibility. Any other recommendations? ((b))

Going to Locarno tomorrow. 27 Celsius is a great reason to go down by train with the kids. I used railclick and got tickets for SFr. 56.-- and SFr. 28.-- for 1/2 Tax. Destinations: Schwyz - Locarno and back

ttt ((b))

Hi Budman,

We did the opposite of your drive (Como to Zurich)last year. To answer your other post, I would definitely stay on autobahn and cruise. Even on the autobahn the drive seemed to take longer than expected.

With that in mind, I would think that after your flight and the drive, you may not have the energy to lunch in Lugano. We had planned to stop and poke around Lugano on our way by, but it was much more bustling and filled with traffic than what we expected.

Where on Como are you going? We took the car ferry from Mennagio to Varenna which was fun. Where are you headed after that?

Whitey

PS Thanks for the tip last year - We stayed in Weggis and took the ferry into Luzern at dusk. It was nice not fighting traffic and looking for parking!

PPS Checking my notes, I remember the drive from Mennagio to Lugano being very tight in spots. It's not an easy 1 hr stretch, so you may want to re-group over lunch if indeed you are heading that way.

Hi whitey, glad Weggis worked out for you. We loved it.

I may end up driving straight thru, but looking for options. We're staying in Lenno, just South of Menaggio. Since we have a car, I thought it would be better staying on that side of the lake and ferry to Bellagio. ((b))

Sounds like a good plan Budman. Como is perfect for relaxing and getting over jetlag. Have a good trip and have a couple of cold ones for us poor slobs not on vacation!

Whitey