Ed

Luzern, hands down. <BR> <BR>It has much of the character that I believe most would think of associated with "Swiss". Pleasant, most attractive city. Nice excursions nearby, including mountains and the lovely lake, as well as a few things of interest in the city. <BR> <BR>Rome.Switzerland.Bavaria <BR>www.twenj.com

richard j vicek

Good evening, again "momrath" <BR>Have to totally agree with Ed on Luzern. <BR>Some things that can be done out of <BR>Luzern are: <BR>The Lake, its boats. <BR>The old town of Luzern, the river and <BR>the Lion Monument. <BR>A trip on the boat to Vitznau and up <BR>Mt Rigi, in time for lunch, return same <BR>way. <BR>A trip by boat to Alpnachstad, up the <BR>incline railway to Pilatus Klum, again <BR>in time for lunch and return down cable <BR>car and gondola to Kreins, city bus back <BR>to Luzern. <BR>A train to Engleberg and up the cable <BR>car to the top of Titlis, however would <BR>suggest taking a picnic lunch just to <BR>break the lunch routine.. <BR>The Swiss Transport Museum in Luzern is <BR>good for a half day, or any day of rain <BR>or clouds obscoure the mountain tops. <BR>The only place in Switzerland that I <BR>could recommend other than Luzern from <BR>Venice is Lugano. From Marco Polo <BR>Airport in Venice it is but a 45 min. <BR>flight. <BR>Venice to Lugano is about a 5 hour <BR>direct IC Train, dep 1258 arr 1754 <BR>Luzern is approximately 3 1/4 hours <BR>further up the line from Lugano. <BR>Richard of La Grange Park, Il.. <BR>

Tony

Looks like the guys above will have convinced you its Lucerne,and I'm not going to argue although I find it to have a slightly cynical attitude to tourists - take their dollars, don't be too friendly sort of thing. That said the trips mentioned in earlier posts are certainly well worth it. Leaving Venice on the 1258 will mean a late arrival in Lucerne, and you would certinly want to make the train journey over the St.Gothard Pass between Lugano and Lucerne in daylight. Try train No.IC610 departing Venice 0800, arriving Milan 1055, with a simple cross platform connection onto train No. EC4, departing Milan 1125, arriving Lucerne 1535.

s

momrath: <BR>I'm the lone voice crying in the wilderness: "Montreux, Montreux . . ." <BR>It's my favorite European destination, probably because it marries French culture (architecture, food) with the beauty of the alps and Swiss order. Here's what I do there: <BR> <BR>Spend a morning walking along the 11km flowered lakeside promenade from Clarins to Villeneuve, passing the Chateau Chillon along the way; there are plenty of cafes to stop and have a coffee & snack along the way to replenish your strength. Top it off with a wonderful pizza & beer lunch at a lakeside cafe in Villeneuve, then take the ferry back to Montreux (I think the ferry stops in late Sep/Oct). <BR> <BR>Take the train from Vevey to Chexbres, then spend a morning walking the vineyards down to the lake, hitting Rivaz & St. Saphorin. For lunch, find an auberge with a lake view or see if any of the cellars are having a cheese/wine tasting. I've heard that Cully (esp. the Augerge du Raisin) and Lutry are worth a trip as well. <BR> <BR>Spend a day in the mountains, taking the train to the jet-set resort of Gstaad. On the way back, stop at Chateaux d'Oex, where the only successful round-the-world-by-hot-air-balloon balloon was launched. Or stop at Glion and walk the rest of the way down to Montreux on a staired-path through the forest. <BR> <BR>Spend an afternoon in the medieval village of Gruyeres, making sure to sample the berries in creme-double. <BR> <BR>Spend an afteroon in Nyon at the Roman museum and the Caesar's columns nearby. <BR> <BR>Spend a morning walking up to Montreux's old city & the museum & the old church. Fantastic views from the old church (can't remember the name -- but it's prominent in the old city). Have lunch at the restaurant at the museum. <BR> <BR>Here are the websites: <BR>www.montreux.ch (find their picture gallery -- it moves, but should be under "tourism" somewhere) <BR>www.vevey.ch <BR>www.lake-geneva-region.ch <BR>www.gruyeres.ch <BR>www.nyon.ch <BR>www.concierge.com (type in "Switzerland" as a destination, then go to "Lausanne & the Alps"). <BR>www.myswitzerland.com <BR> <BR>E-mail me if I can help with other information -- but keep in mind I'll be out of touch 15 - 23 May. <BR> <BR>s <BR>

Sheryl

Montreux hands down!

Gayle

Hi Momrath, what a great choice to be made! Both are lovely towns, and I would recommend both, but have another read of Richard's reply - He's right, Lucerne has so much to offer. It's a treasure. Just reading Richard's reply makes me want to go there and follow his suggestions. In your situation, with not a lot of time, Lucerne is the perfect place as everything is so accessible with the least amount of stress! So many things to see and do and in a magnificent setting. Enjoy -and don't fret over your final decision, because with Switzerland you cant go wrong - Gayle

Mary

Hi--we made this exact trip in mid-March; took the train from Venice at 11:00; switched in Milan and went to Luzern (the connections were super easy). The ride was spectacular and very comfortable. <BR> <BR>We also stayed two days--Luzerne is not very big so it was the perfect amount of time; do take a boat ride up the Lake. <BR> <BR>I assume you are flying out of Zurich--an express train goes from Luzerne straight to Zurich Aiport --it takes about an hour and drops you directly inside the terminal. Very convenient. <BR> <BR>If you do decide on Luzern, we really enjoyed the Old Swiss House for dinner--it looks really touristy, but was full of locals and the food was excellent. <BR> <BR>Enjoy--I must warn you about sticker shock--Italy vs. Switzerland--we laughed when we got our credit card bills from Italy and then the bills from Switzerland--big difference; the dollar is really great right now in Italy; Switzerland is expensive, but beautiful. Not to diminish your excitement, just good to know for planning purposes! <BR> <BR>Let me know if you want more information. <BR> <BR>Mary

Mary

Oops Momrath, apologies; read your post too fast and missed that you are from Indonesia; ignore my comments on the strong dollar--that can be a note to our American friends. <BR> <BR>have a great trip! <BR> <BR>Mary