TR: yk solo 5-day trip to Switzerland; May 2026
 

Hello! For those who are curious/ confused — this is still the original "yk"! Recently the mods and tech staff helped me change my username to a longer one, as "yk" no longer works with this site as it has too few characters. Thankfully they were able to move all my posts (since 2004!) as well my trip reports to the new username.

Last week I took a 5-day trip to Switzerland (which I didn't realize beforehand - it was a long holiday weekend there due to Ascension Day) ; my longest solo trip ever since my son was born 13 years ago. If you remember me from the old days, I used to go on solo trips a lot with focus on art and music. Well, life happens and circumstances change. Since I am the main caregiver for our son (my husband is out of the house 12 hrs a day for work), it is difficult for me to go away especially when he was younger. Even now at middle school, while my son is self-sufficient for the most part, I am still needed to do drop-off/pick-up for certain after-school activities because my husband doesn't get home until well after 7pm.

I certainly had not planned on returning to Switzerland so soon; we had just taken a family trip there 2 summers ago. But then late November Lucerne Festival announced they are launching a new "Pulse Festival" over 2 weekends in May, curated by famous Icelandic pianist Vikingur Olafsson. And during the second weekend, he has brought in several of my beloved artists in a number of super cool programs. A quick check on airfares showed a surprisingly affordable sub-$500 r/t to Zurich on Icelandair. Then a quick check on Zurich Opera House website shows 2 operas that weekend that I would not mind seeing.

Hence this trip idea was born: Lucerne for 2 nights (for 3 concerts) and Zurich for 2 nights (for 2 operas). In between, I even have 1.5 "free" days for hiking, which led me to this thread discussion
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...d-may-1735434/

Planning a trip to Switzerland is easy; everything is so well-connected, most websites are available in English, everything is just so orderly and so user-friendly. To me, it's a joy to go there because of the ease and low-stress, not to mention the beautiful scenery.

Day 0 - 1
My Icelandair flight departs Boston at 8:50pm. I decided to take public transit from my suburb, 14 miles from Logan. It took 2 buses and 1.5 hrs to travel that 14 miles. For the first flight, I paid extra for a seat close to the front because of my previous transit experience at Keflavik Airport. Icelandair is known for short connection time but long immigration lines @ KEF. If your incoming flight is late, then you pretty much have to run to your connecting gate! (we also go through passport control in KEF as it's part of Schengen). When we went to Switzerland (in/out of Geneva) 2 years ago we also flew Icelandair and the transit was super stressful. So to me, it was worth paying to sit closer to the front. In the end it was not needed; we arrived early and had plenty of time for connecting. I also pre-paid for a meal on my second flight, as I was worried I would not have time to get food at KEF.

Keflavik is almost 1/2-way between Boston and Zurich — 4.5hr for first flight; 3.5 hr for second flight. I slept maybe a total of 3 hours combined. Although I did not prepay for a seat on the KEF-ZRH flight, I was assigned a seat in row 7, which is fantastic, and the middle seat was open! Being in Row 7 is key ... our plane arrived at the gate at 1:01pm. I know the next express train to Luzern is at 1:15pm. In any other country, there is no way you can make it. But for Zurich Airport in Switzerland, yes it is possible! Me being in Row 7 meant i was off the plane quickly. I ran with my rollaboard, quickly exited the terminal and crossed the street over to the train station building. And because the SBB app tells me which platform the train departs from, I just headed straight to the platform without needing to stop to consult the departure board. This is why I love Switzerland so much. Not only I made it on the 1:15pm train, I even had a few minutes to spare. Literally it took me 10 minutes between getting off the plane to getting on the train. (FTR, I bought my train ticket on SBB app when the plane was taxiing to our gate. Since it's a full-price ticket @ 31 CHF, it is valid for any train that on that calendar day)

The express train arrives in Luzern at 2:25pm. (1 hr to travel 40 miles; vs ahem... back home it took me 1.5 hrs to travel 14 miles). The hotel I booked - Hotel Central - is only a 2-min walk from the station. I picked it because of its proximity to both the train station and to KKL concert hall. (KKL is located next to the train station). Hotel checkin is at 2pm so my room was ready when i arrived. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of my single room (except for the bathroom, which is tiny). The hotel also provides the visitors lucerne card, which is available to download on my phone (apple wallet), though I never ended up using it. Once I settled in, it was time for a much needed nap.

I woke up around 4:30pm, showered and changed, and then headed downstairs for a cup of coffee. The hotel includes free breakfast, and also free coffee and tea throughout the day in the breakfast room, which is a nice perk! Then I went out for a walk. Original forecast said it would be raining but it turned out to be quite a pleasant afternoon/evening. Did you know there is a open terrace on the top level of KKL? It has a fantastic view of the lake and the town. The concert that evening started at 6:30pm, and it was marvelous. After the concert I was too tired to look for a sit-down restaurant for dinner, so I just grabbed a small sandwich from the chain Brezelkönig which has an outlet inside the train station. I took it back to the hotel and ate it in the breakfast room with a cup of camomile tea. Then off to bed.
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View from the KKL terrace
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At 9pm after the concert - quick walk for a view of Chapel bridge

Hello YK, thank you a lot for the trip report. It look as your day 0-1 went perfect under all points of view, great! I'm eager to know how it went the following days!

day 2 - Basel
 

First, a THANK YOU and acknowledgement to the invaluable advice given to me by fellow Fodorites: neckervd, Ingo, Finsteraarhorn, Melnq8! They were super helpful in giving me suggestions, helping me navigate the SBB day passes, weather forecast websites, as well as practical advice.

The Metro Swiss weather forecast website was especially useful, given that I came to realize the forecast for areas surrounding Luzern during 1.5 "free" days was going to be rainy :(

Day 2 (Friday)
I have 1/2 day free as my evening KKL concert is at 6:30pm. Originally I was hoping to go on a hike at nearby Bürgenstock. But I realize there is no point to do so if weather is going to be crummy — pretty miserable to be hiking in the rain AND being clouded in. I mean, the point of these hikes is for the views. When I look at the Metro Swiss forecast website — one of the features is "probability of precipitation" for the whole country — i notice that Basel has the least chance of rain. Basel is the only big Swiss cities that I have never been, so I figured why not, esp seeing that Basel has an excellent art museum, which would be an option for a rainy day.

After the very decent free breakfast at my hotel, I got on the 8:30am direct train to Basel (72 CHF r/t, full fare), arriving at 9:44am. Although cloudy, it was dry in Basel and I walked over to Kunstmuseum Basel (opens at 10am; 25 CHF for general visit excluding special exhibition). They have a special exhibit on Helen Frankenthaler (extra fee) but I decided to skip it. The Kunstmuseum has a decent overall collection: Hans Holbein the Younger spent his early career in Basel and there is a room full of his paintings. Of course these are not as famous as his later paintings after he went to England. Their Old Masters collection is pretty good, and I also enjoyed the more modern artwork, ranging from Van Gogh to Mondrian to Giacometti to Rothko to Flavin to Beuys. I spent just under 2 hours in the museum.
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Entrance to Kunstmuseum Basel

By then it's lunch time. I had researched online prior to the trip for restaurants that offer spargel - white asparagus that is only available in the Spring. I found a restaurant near the museum called Elsbethenstübli which advertises it on their online menu, and I had emailed them for a reservation for 1pm. They did not have issue with me showing up at 12:15pm instead. I ordered Spargelsuppe (cream of white asparagus soup) and Frische Spargeln mit Sauce Hollandaise & Schinken (asparagus with hollandaise sauce and ham) from their special Spring Menu. That plus a bottle of 35cl mineral water came out to 45.40 CHF

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Asparagus soup - you know you are at a traditional Swiss restaurant when there is a cowbell hanging by the window
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Asparagus with hollandaise sauce and ham

to be continued...

I've been waiting for this. So far, so good!

Nice report. We actually love Basel's main art museum for its collection of Swiss and German classic paintings. Also for the fact that it's seldom crowded so you can have all the French Impressionist paintings pretty much to yourself on a weekday.

Re restaurants, if you want a very good meal at a reasonable price, take the lunch menu at Schluesselzunft, on Freiestrasse not far from the Rathaus. From Monday through Saturday (they are closed Sunday) they offer a daily choice of three-course meal in the bistro (informal) part of the restaurant. There are three multi-course lunch specials every day: a meat choice, a fish choice, and a vegetarian choice. You get a soup or salad starter, the main course, and then a dessert. Everything made from scratch. Price for these multi-course lunch specials: around 26 francs. If none of the daily specials appeal, they have other bistro choices like Caesar salad, fish and chips, hamburger, steak tartare, etc. The food really is excellent (we eat there at least once every two weeks, sometimes more often). The restaurant also has a handsomely decorated interior. https://schluesselzunft.ch/en/

Enjoying your report !
And welcome to the forum yk2004 :)

Yk- Great report and I really like your pictures . I really would love to go back to Basel but might have to go when spargel is in season.

Day 2 continued
 

Day 2 - Basel - Continued

After my spargel lunch (I love spargel), it is time to head down to the Rhine by way of the old town. It has started sprinkling but not bad enough to take out my umbrella. I haven't done much research on Basel so basically I'm just following google map, walking down the pedestrianized zone and found my way to the beautiful Basel Town Hall. It's market day in the square in front, so it was a bit difficult to get a good photo of the town hall as the stalls are in the way. And just before I arrived at the river front near Mittlere Brücke, there is a small side street with a number of very old buildings, some dating back to the 1400s.
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Basel Town Hall - beautiful!
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Some pretty old houses by the river
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Then I crossed the Rhine via Mittlere Brücke - one of the oldest bridges that span the Rhine, over to the other side of the river. I decided to walk along the riverbank eastward, thinking I will cross back on the next bridge.
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The famous Mittlere Brücke spanning the Rhine

About halfway between the Old bridge and the next (newer) bridge, I saw this barge in the river that is attached to a wire? Hmm, that's interesting, I thought. Thanks to this amazing device I have on hand, a quick google search gave me the answer - it is LEU one of the Rhine ferries that "are attached to a long wire cable and are driven purely by the current of the Rhine itself." How cool is that? Besides, the ferry crosses directly to the base of Basel Cathedral, which is my next destination. By taking the ferry will cut down on the distance I need to walk. However, according to the website, the fare (2 CHF, the cheapest thing I have found in all of Switzerland) is cash only. I did not plan on getting any Swiss Francs cash on this trip given everything can be paid with card, so I had no cash on me.

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Spotted LEU crossing the river with the wire attached!

I waited until LEU arrived back on my side of the river, then I asked the ferryman if it is cash only. To my delight, he said they accept card payment as well, so happily I hopped on the ferry and enjoyed this short but unique and scenic ride across the Rhine.

On the opposite side of the bank, there are stairs that lead you up to the cathedral Pfalz (terrace), which has a lovely view of the river and Mittlere Brücke. By then the rain had stopped and the skies began to clear. I headed inside the cathedral for a visit : it has a free audioguide inside for self-guided tour. I also read that one can climb the tower (for a fee) of the cathedral for an even better view, so I inquired about that. Unfortunately, they have a policy of having minimum of 2 people going up the tower together (for safety reasons). There was a couple heading up at that time so I asked if I could join them, but the cashier lady insisted that I need to actually know the person(s) I am with. So no tower-climbing for me.

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Beautiful view from the Cathedral Pflaz (terrace)
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Unique coloring of the Basel Cathedral - built with red sandstone

By then it was 2:30pm and I figured I should catch the 3:13pm direct train back to Luzern (arr: 4:30pm) so I can have time for a rest before my 6:30pm concert. I was hoping to get myself some ice cream but there aren't many ice cream shops i could find, and the only one I found, Amorino , had a line out the door. Short on time I skipped ice cream but instead looked for another one of Basel's fountains.
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This fountain is right next to KFC
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Neptune fountain

After resting back at my hotel, I set off for first of 2 concerts this evening. First was the Danish String Quartet at 6:30pm, my beloved ensemble. The program was supposed to end at 8:20pm and I had a dinner reservation at 8:30pm at Wirsthaus Taube, same restaurant where we had eaten 2 years ago. However, the DSQ had such an enthusiastic reception that they ended up playing 2 encores, so I arrived at my dinner reservation 10 minutes late. Luckily they held my table for me (the restaurant was full and they were turning away diners!). I felt bad as they gave me a table that could seat 4. I also told my server that I only had 1 hour to dine, as I needed to return to KKL for a late night concert that starts at 10pm. He assured me it would not be a problem after I told him I was getting spargel from the menu. I did not order a soup to start as I did not want to risk running late. I ordered the large portion (400gm) of grüner und weisser Spargel mit Frühlingskartoffeln und Sauce Hollandaise (green and white asparagus with spring potatoes and Sauce Hollandaise). That one dish, plus 5 dl mineral water, plus an espresso came out to CHF 45.70
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More spargel

Then it was back to KKL for the late night concert — Morton Feldman's hypnotic Piano and String Quartet
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Good Night, Luzern!

In conclusion, even though I did not get my planned hike around Luzern, I made the most out of it by heading to Basel, a new-to-me city, got my fill of art, and then a lovely afternoon stroll in the old city, got to cross on the old bridge, ride the cool ferry, visit the cathedral. And I did not get rained on! All-in-all a very excellent Plan B

Emancipation of the Mums - I too had my first trip overseas without family less than 6 months ago. Such a weird feeling. But at 17, my daughter can cope without Mum for a while. Good opportunity for some father-son bonding. Glad to see you are making the most of the me-time!!

Lavandula

Brava yk! You are my travel hero. Feldman is new to me so I'll YouTube him. I wonder if you felt the same way traveling solo as I did after so many years??? Nice to set one's own agenda; missing a pal to share ups and downs?!

Wonderful shots and detail as always.

yk, thanks for the TR and telling us about solo travel. That’s something I have avoided so far, to me sharing the joys of travel with someone close is part of the whole experience.

We’ve been looking at Switzerland the past few years, hope to get there in the next year or two. Our previous visits were more than 10 years ago, so it’s probably changed a lot since then. DH and I first visited Basel 40 years back, spent a magical weekend there.

Enjoy the spargel, I most heartily approve, and keep it coming! Thanks again!

Several of you commented about me back in solo-traveling mode after all these years... it is like riding a bicycle, no? I've done it so much in the past that it just felt pretty normal this time around. I do miss having my son with me at times; he is a good companion and he sees and remembers different things. But not having him around means I don't have to "stress" about him being bored at the art museum or at the concerts, or whether he will find things to eat at the restaurants i picked. He also likes to sleep so I would not be able to start my day as early. Though now that he is older he is more agreeable (except when it comes to sleep), but those art & music activities will still not be his priorities. I also think that this trip is short enough (5 days) that I haven't reached the point of missing having a companion.

Lavandula, I hope you enjoyed your solo trip! I am sure your daughter survived... soon enough she will be on her own, no?

TDudette, the Morton Feldman is an acquired taste! It was more of an endurance test for the performers than for the listeners. The piece doesn't really "go" anywhere... just kind of simple modulations for 90 minutes, which means the performers have to pay 100% attention or they will get lost!

geetika, I personally feel that you won't find a huge change from 10 years ago. My previous visit was 2010, and then in 2024. I did not find a big change between those 14 years, except for the bigger crowds at the famous spots.

BTW, Melnq8 you are leaving for your trip soon, no? Or have you left already?

If anyone traveling to Basel would like to visit the top of Tower 2 (the tallest building in Switzerland), drop me a private message. On a clear day you can see the Black Forest, a chunk of Alsace, all of Basel city, and a good bit of the surrounding countryside. On a really clear day, you can even glimpse some Alpine peaks. In autumn and winter there are amazing sunset views. The summer thunderstorms can also be fun to watch.

There's a cocktail bar on the top floor, drinks are on me. (the bar is open only to employees and registered guests of employees)

yk - yes, we leave Monday!

WeisserTee, oh wow, I had no idea! I will have to take a rain check on that... and a reason to return to Basel :)

Have a fun trip with your nephew! I look forward to reading about your trip when you get back.

yk - thanks for this very interesting trip report with excellent pictures. Too bad you could not do the Bürgenstock hike but it seems Basel was the perfect destination for that day. I like this city a lot (too long that I visited :( ). Amazing museums! On one of my visits we were lucky that a local gave us a tour of the town hall and Minster church including rooms that the standard visitor cannot see.

Weisser Tee - thanks for this offer. Bookmarked ;-)

I didn't know white asparagus was called spargel, but yummy. I enjoyed some in France last month.

Day 3
 

Day 3 (Saturday)
Luzern to Zurich, by way of ... Lugano ???

Today is the FREE day I have, and all I need to do is move myself from Luzern to Zurich. In an ideal world, the weather would be perfect with cloudless skies and comfortable temperatures for hiking Mt Rigi. But today is not that day. It was another overcast day in the Luzern area with rain in the forecast. Even the hotel staff apologized for the crummy weather when I checked out.

If I hadn't received advice here, I probably would have just stuck around in Luzern and then take the train to Zurich early, and maybe even pop in for an opera that evening. But thanks to neckervd's suggestion, the Ticino area forecast looks sunny, and I had already bought a Saver Day Pass, so I figured why not. I did not even realize one can zip down to Lugano in under 2 hours by train! (I bought the SDP just 1 week prior, so had to pay 106 CHF for 2nd class)

I suffer from jetlag when traveling so I was up super early, packed my bags and headed down for breakfast right at 7am opening time. This gave me enough time to catch the 8:18am direct IC train to Lugano (1hr 40 min). Good thing I got to the station on the early side and got a seat, as I could not believe this 16-car, double-decker train would be completely full! It appears that every Swiss person has the same idea as me? Almost everyone has hiking gear, so at first I thought perhaps they are heading to Arth-Goldau station to hike Rigi. But nope, almost no one got off and more people got on, to the extent that the cars were standing room-only. I dunno, for someone coming from the US, this is really astonishing (I wish Americans would embrace public transit more, and that public transit actually works.)

I am curious however, where are all these Swiss people going hiking in the Lugano area? (most only have a daypack so it doesn't look like they are doing multi-day hikes)

This is my first time traveling through the Gottard Base Tunnel, and when we came out of the other end, wow, the rain clouds were nowhere to be found and it was a cloudless blue sky. It felt like we have arrived at a different country. After arriving at Lugano train station, I quickly located the lockers and stow my rollaboard. Again, the ease of travel in Switzerland is simply mindblowing. The lockers have English display option; you close the door, confirm the locker number, tap your CC/phone to pay, and out comes your receipt with a QR code (8 CHF for 6 hrs for a medium size locker). The whole process takes less than 30 seconds.

Then I looked for the next train to Paradiso station, which is only a 3-min train ride. From there it is a short walk to the base station for Monte San Salvatore funicular. By then it was 10:15am and there were maybe 20-30 people in front of me. It took me a while to realize I could have bought a ticket online and skip the ticketing line, but by then it was almost my turn at the ticket window anyway. I bought a single ticket (25 CHF), and was able to get on the next funicular. Similar to Monte Bre funicular, the San Salvatore funicular is also in 2 segments; halfway up the mountain you get off to change for the next car on the opposite track. The second track is super steep (61%!)
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Staring down the steep funicular track

At the top is a restaurant, a few viewpoints, a church, a museum, and most importantly, WCs. Even though I had read in advance that the church roof offers a great view, I was too distracted by the hiking routes so I forgot to go check it out :( I did take a quick look in the museum (has a hodgepodge of stuff including religious artifacts and paintings, geological samples such as ammonities, and information about the cave systems inside the mountain).
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Beautiful Day in Ticino
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View from top of Monte San Salvatore before the hike

At around 11:10am I set off for my hike — San Salvatore to Morcote — which is said to take about 2hr45 mins (along either Route 8 or Route 9 on the map). My goal is to take the 3:20pm ferry from Morcote back to Lugano, so I figured I should have plenty of time.
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I was planning to follow either Rt 8 or Rt 9 on this map to Morcote

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Wayfinding sign at the start of my hike. 2hr45min to Morcote Ferry

The first section down to Ciona is a rather steep descent; I did wish I had hiking poles with me to help alleviate the stress on my knees. This section had the most hikers. It took me about 40 minutes to get to Ciona. After Ciona the trail is much more gentle. The next town on the route is Carona, which I reached after another 25 minutes (now about 1hr 10 mins since I began). Despite that, the wayfinding signs in Carona is still showing a 2hr15m hike to Morcote. How can I be hiking for over an hour yet based on the signs, I had only covered 30 minutes of hiking??? I was starting to get worried if I could even make it to the Morcote ferry if I'm hiking so much slower than the signs seem to indicate!
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Beautiful rose bush by a residence in Ciona
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40 minutes into my hike at Ciona — 2hr 10 min left to Morcote ferry
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35 minutes later arriving at Carona - why is there still 2hr 15 min left to get to Morcote Ferry???

And then somewhere in Carona I got lost for about 5-10 minutes as I was following a couple but after a while realize that's not the direction I wanted, so had to back track. By then the hiking crowd has thinned a lot, and I was left with 3 hikers (1 couple and 1 single man, they weren't traveling together but started chatting with one another). My pace is a bit faster than them but I would stop every now and then to let them catch up, just so that I know I'm not alone hiking in the woods. Not that I felt I was in danger of hiking alone, but rather having some sense of security knowing that I'm probably on the right trail, and also if I fell/got hurt or something there would be people to call for help.

Eventually I found myself hiking Rt 9 as I reached Santuario della Madonna d'Ongero 20 minutes later, but I did not check to see if it was open. By now I have been hiking for 1.5 hrs and the wayfinding sign still shows I have another 1hr50m to go. Argh!!! I continued on and next stop is Chiesa di St. Maria Assunta in Torello. After that, I seemed to have lost the 3 hikers behind me. I knew I was going the right direction and I was on a trail, so I did not want to backtrack at that point. Now looking back with hindsight 20/20, when I reached Madnooa d'Onegero, I should not have gone the direction to Torello, but rather follow the path to Morcote via Alpe Vicania. But at that time, I was mostly following the directions that would take me to Morcote the fastest (and the folks I was hiking with were also going that way)!
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Santuario della Madonna d'Ongero
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Church in torello

I would say for the last 45 minutes or so, I was on a narrow path that hugs the side of the mountain, but I can also see the water and the Italy on the other side, and I was mostly alone until I caught up with another couple whom I had briefly seen a while back. Eventually I reached the outskirts of Morcote - on the west of the old town quite a bit above the water, where there are just beautiful mansions with expansive views. By then I ran into 2 locals and asked them for directions to the ferry, and they said "just keep going straight down!" At the very end of the trail where it meets the town center, is a conveniently located gelato shop. I checked my time - it was 2hr55min since I started! If you subtract the 5-10 minutes where I got lost, then the whole hike did end up being 2hr45min as advertised. Of course I treated myself to a gelato! (4.50 CHF for the smallest size; 2 scoops. Probably the second cheapest thing I bought in Switzerland.) Due to my poor planning, I did not pack any lunch on the hike; all I had in my backpack was 2 bottles of water and a bar of Cailler 64% dark chocolate ;)
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The last stretch - I know I wasn't on the "right" route on the map but also know this is the correct direction. Italy is on the other side of the lake
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Coming down the last steps of the route into Morcote old center

Majority of the route I took was in the woods and shaded, which means I didn't really have any spectacular views except for at the start of the hike, and towards the end when I was almost at Morcote. In between there wasn't anything particular interesting except for the few spots I pointed out above. Nonetheless, it was a fun (albeit a bit uncertain at times) experience and I got to get some exercise done, and Morcote itself is an extremely picturesque town. The hike ended up being 10 km long?

Did I say Morcote is super cute? Funny now that I look back on my TR from 2010 (the last time I was in Ticino), I commented back then that Morcote was very picturesque. (We only passed by it on the ferry but did not disembark). Today the town is pretty packed with tourists, given it is such a beautiful Saturday (on a holiday weekend). I walked around the city center — quite small — and debated what to do next. By now it was 2:20pm. I could wait for the next local bus to take me back to Lugano, or wait one hour for the 3:20pm ferry. I really felt like riding the ferry so I decided to wait. I could either walk around town more (there are some sights back up the hillside), but my legs are really tired from the hike. Instead I picked a restaurant, ristorante Barcaioli, right across from the ferry stop for a proper pasta lunch. I had housemade Tagliatelle con funghi porcini (v delicious!), and a 5dl San Pellegrino. Lunch was 31 CHF (my cheapest sit-down meal on this trip).
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Morcote - very cute town
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my delicious pasta lunch

Suddenly I saw the ferry coming (reason why I picked this restaurant) so I quickly paid and headed to the pier. There was quite a crowd waiting to get on, and we had to wait a long time just for the pax to get off the boat. Then they were only letting a few people on the boat and closed the gate. I was like... what's going on?! If I couldn't get on this boat, the next one isn't for another 2 hours! The local people around me then explained that this boat is going the other direction — to Porto Ceresio — before coming back to head back to Lugano. Well, I looked at my watch, yikes the boat is actually 20 minutes behind schedule, which means we will have to stand here for at least another 20 minutes before it returns to pick us up.
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arrivederci, Morcote!

Eventually the boat came back, we all got on, and off we go (saver day pass covers the ferry). Such a beautiful day to be on Lake Lugano! Eventually we made it back to Lugano 20 minutes late at around 4:40pm. I was not too concerned because the train I plan to take to Zurich doesn't depart until 5:02pm and I should have time; if not, I could take the next direct train at 5:30pm.

From the ferry pier I navigated through throngs on people out and about on this gorgeous sunny day. Even though it has been 16 years since I was last there, I still had some vague collection of where things are, but also with help with google map. I found my way to the funicular — next one is due to leave in 1 minute — so I got on quickly! My SDP QR code works for the turnstile and this saves my legs from hiking more!

The top station of the funicular is right at the train station. I retrieved my luggage with the QR code, but I had to pay an addtional 4 CHF because I went over the 6-hr limit, then off to the 5:02pm train. Whoa, this is another 16-car, double decker train and again it is full. Some open seats were reserved so I dare not sit there. Eventually found an empty bench seat (that sits sideways) by the luggage rack. Folks who got on after me had to stand. When we got to Bellinzona, the train did not depart on time. Eventually the conductor came on to say there is a medical emergency on board and they have to wait for an ambulance. The delay was over 35 minutes but once we got going the rest of the trip was fine.

For Zurich, I stayed at the same hotel we stayed at 2 years ago, Swiss Night by Fassbind. I like its location close to the Opera House, but in a very quiet residential street/neighborhodd, but also only a 3-min walk from Kuntshaus tram stop. From Zurich HBF, I caught Tram 3, and 3 stops later I'm at Kuntshaus. It took <15 minutes to get to the hotel from HBF.

I had more or less napped the entire 2.5 hrs on the train; with some energy back, I walked down Limmatquai to check out the restaurants. I guess I was hungry and eventually opted for Swiss Chuchi, a very touristy restaurant, where almost everyone ordered raclette or fondue. I was probably the only person who opted for their spring spargel menu. The prices made my eyes water... I ordered Hausgemachte Spargelsuppe (Home-made asparagus soup), Spargeln mit Hollandaise Sauce + Kalbsschnitzel grilliert 150 g (Asparagus with hollandaise sauce + Grilled veal escalope, 150g). Adding an apfelschorle 33cl, the totaly bill was 61.50 CHF.
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cream of asparagus soup
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spargel with veal

Finally it's time to head home... on foot. I clocked in 28000 steps / 11 miles today.

Edited to add:
The "recommended" San Salvatore to Morcote route should be either:

San Salvatore - Ciona - Carona - Madonna d’Ongero - Alpe Vicania (location of grotto restaurant) - Morcote
or
San Salvatore - Ciona - Carona - Parco San Grato - Alpe Vicania - Morcote

But as you could see on this map; instead of following the yellow routes, I went to Torello and then followed the grey path (shown with red arrows) along the coast, hence missing Alpe Vicania altogether.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0bda14e8b.jpeg

Ingo, I guess that means that I have to plan another return trip to the Luzern area ;)
and of course I'm now reading Adelaidean's report and I thought to myself, I should head back to Dresden and environs... still have not been to Leipzig yet!

How was the white asparagus prepared? I see that you had them in Amboise! My first encounter with them was actually in Belgium a few decades ago.

It was served three ways: shaved raw, steamed spears, and a cream soup. All were delicious.

It's amazing that you went from one side of Switzerland to the other and back on the same day and Ticino looks gorgeous. I'm looking forward to our own trip to Switzerland in a few weeks. You're giving me ideas on possibilities if the weather isn't great in one part but fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

yk - "Ingo, I guess that means that I have to plan another return trip to the Luzern area https://www.fodors.com/community/ima...orted/wink.gif"

Absolutely yes. And I am sure you will - if alone for the concerts ;-)

"and of course I'm now reading Adelaidean's report and I thought to myself, I should head back to Dresden and environs... still have not been to Leipzig yet!"

Oh yes, absolutely wonderful trip report that covers some places travelers from abroad rarely every visit. Leipzig is definitely worth a couple of nights, too. And both Dresden and Leipzig offer so much in regards to music/concerts!

Wow, that multicourse white asparagus meal sounds amazing!

Yes, I too was surprised! It would never have occurred to be to travel down to Lugano if it wasn't suggested here on Fodors. Enjoy your trip! If you already have a Swiss Pass, then hopping on the train to head somewhere is a no-brainer. I'd say that if you can swing it, 1st class is worth it simply because 2nd class can get very busy.

I also have never been to Czech republic... maybe a trip combining Prague and Saxony would be good!

:-D Adventure in Ticino! The train to Sunny Ticino while is raining in central Switzerland became a classic after the opening of the Alptransit tunnel under the St.-Gotthard massif. And I believe it's hard to keep orientation on the hilly Mount Arbostora, encircled by the strange form of the Lugano lake. Already for the locals, the more for tourists! All in all: very well done! And thank you again for the great trip report!

Day 4
 

Day 4, Sunday - Zurich

I finally got a good night's sleep and woke up at 8am! The sun is shining in the cloudless sky; today is absolutely a 10/10 spring day with temps in the comfortable 60sF. I paid extra for breakfast at the hotel (20CHF). Not cheap but considering 20 CHF doesn't buy you much in Switzerland, and there are really no places to get breakfast nearby, it was worth it for the convenience. Somehow the spread seems to have less variety than I recall from 2 years ago, but still decent enough. I was ready to head out around 10am.

Sunday in Zurich means many places are closed, shops are closed too. What to do then? My 2 operas are at 2pm and at 8pm, so I have a morning to kill. I checked the map and decided to walk over to the Botanical Garden University of Zurich, (free admission) about a 20-min walk. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice and peaceful it is there. The 3 greenhouses are fun to visit, as they contain lots of exotic plants from different parts of the world. I spent about an hour browsing.
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Botanical garden with its greenhouse domes

From there, it's a quick walk down to Zürichhorn garden by the water, as I saw on google map that there is a "Chinese Garden" (free admission). It too is very nice - it was a present from the Chinese sister city Kunming as a sign of friendship between the two cities. Inside has a pond with koi, stone bridge, rock mountains, traditional corridors and pavilions.
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Entrance to Zurich's Chinese Garden
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Very typical chinese garden with corridors and pavilions
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Pond and stone bridge and pavilion

After that I walked towards the Pavilion Le Corbusier, the last building designed by the famed architect. It was around 11:50am then and the building opens for visits at 12n, so I decided to wait. I wasn't sure if it was worth my time and money (15 CHF) but after my visit I was glad I did it. I love the aesthetic and it has free audioguide inside the building on the different floors. I also was glad I went right at opening time so there were only a handful of visitors. I spent 45 minutes inside the house and it's time to head back to the hotel to get ready for the 2pm opera.
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Exterior of Pavilion Le Corbusier
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Main space inside
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One of the nooks

My legs have been aching after walking 11 miles the day before, and I added another 4 miles from this morning, so I decided to buy a 24-hr ticket on ZVV, as I would need a ticket to get to the airport tomorrow anyway. It was 14.40 CHF for 3 zones (includes Zurich airport) which would allow me to have unlimited rides for the next 24 hours. So then I just hopped on the next tram towards Bellevue, then change for another tram back to Kunsthaus. The trams in Zurich run frequently and efficiently, which also explains why you don't see traffic jams on the streets because why would you need to drive if the trams are more convenient?

back at the hotel I quickly changed, and then hopped back on the tram (both line 8 and 9 go down the hill to Bellevue, and they come every 5 minutes. I never had to wait more than 3 minutes for the next tram) and headed to the opera house. In case you haven't noticed, I hadn't had lunch yet. I did have a hearty breakfast this morning at the hotel but I should grab something to eat, except it was already 1:30pm and I don't really have time. There is a Babu's bakery a block from the opera house so I hopped in and bought some pastry bun (filled with cream) for 5 CHF, and ate it quickly before heading in for a concert performance of Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust.
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my CHF 5 lunch

After the opera, I walked over to Sternen Grill right at Bellevue. Every time I pass by it, there is a huge line waiting. Well, maybe I should check that out. This is around 5pm and the line wasn't long, and I opted for takeaway and bought their St. Galler Bratwurst (140g) "World famous” Sternen Grill Bratwurst, served with a crusty bread roll for CHF 8.90. I quickly hopped on the next tram to return to my hotel and ate it back in my room while it was still warm. :) Then it's time for a nap before the evening performance.

I headed back out around 6:30pm, checked out the waterfront by the opera house. The Knie Circus has set up a huge tent for their family circus show next to the opera house. And there were lots of people enjoying the nice Sunday afternoon by the water. I wasn't entirely hungry and there is a Movenpick right across from the Opera house and they have outdoor seating. So I guess it's ice cream for dinner then! I ordered a coffee ice cream sundae — 2 scoops of coffee icecream with cold espresso (10.80 CHF) — to ensure I can stay awake for the next 2.5 hrs. In the end I needed not to worry as the singing in the opera (La clemenza de Tito) was top-notch. Got back on the tram and back at the hotel in no time.
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Beautiful Day in Zurich - you can see the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Waterfront is filled with locals
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Knie circus tent seen from the Opera House balcony
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my dinner

(FTR, last time when I was in Zurich, I walked between the hotel and the opera house. It is about a 15-min walk, and hence why I picked this hotel. I could have totally walked this time but my legs were tired and the trams are so conveniently and i have the 24-hr ticket.)
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Gute Nacht, Zürich!

Thank you, Finsteraarhorn! It was a fun trip and I hope I will be back again soon!

You were quite busy in Zürich, too, yk! LOL I liked strolling along the lake, Zürichhorn, Chinese garden ... never made it into Le Corbusier's pavillion. Two operas in one day - wow! Especially since the Berlioz is quite heavy stuff. Not a fan of Clemenza di Tito here, I must admit.

But I see lots of options for you to scratch the opera itch in Dresden and Leipzig, and also in Prague. Yep, that combination would be a wonderful trip for you. And you could also easily follow Adelaideans steps in Stadt Wehlen, the Railjet train to Prague stops in nearby Bad Schandau (all in the National Park.)

I am always packing way too much on my trips and then when I get home I feel like I need another vacation to recover. 😅
A trip to Dresden, Leipzig, and Prague will really need a minimum of 2 weeks... and my son only gets one week of vacation at a time, unless it's Christmas break or summer vacation. Neither is ideal... I could take him to Dresden / Leipzig for next April's vacation (1 week), but right now I have my sights set on Cinque Terre.

I'm with you on needing a vacation to recover from my vacations. As for the Czech Republic, Prague is awesome but Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov are very worthwhile too. The 3 would fill a good week.

Day 5
 

Day 5 - monday - Zurich to home by way of Iceland; in a full circle kind of way

My flight out of Zurich to Iceland's Keflavik airport is scheduled at 2pm. Knowing how efficient Zurich Airport is, I figured I did not need to leave my hotel until 11am. Gone was yesterday's sunshine; instead it was a grey, chilly day. On my agenda for the morning was 2 things: 1) souvenir shopping, and 2) Chagall windows at Fraumünster.

Since Fraumünster does not open until 10am, I went shopping first. The only souvenirs I can afford in Switzerland are chocolates. I decided to get 2 kinds: some fancy kind from chocolatier, and some not fancy kind (but still good) from Coop. There is no shortage of fancy chocolatiers in Zurich, though I ruled out Teuscher and Läderach because we have both of them in Boston. The day before when I was getting my pastry from Babu's by the opera house, right next door is Vollenweider Chocolatier. I figured it should be good enough, with the bonus fact that it is close to my hotel and it opens at 8:30am. I bought a PYO box — 12 pieces of chocolate + 4 champagne truffles + 4 pink champagne truffles = CHF 42.75
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My box of chocolates and truffles from Vollenweider Chocolatier. They gave me a free pink champagne truffle.

Next I headed to Coop City right by Bellevue where they have a good size supermarket in the basement, and you can find 2 walls of chocolates (including touristy boxed tins). I bought 2 bars of Cailler chocolate — 1 milk chocolate and 1 crémant chocolate noir — each bar is a whopping 300g, for a total of CHF 14.30
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One of the 2 walls of chocolates at Coop City basement supermarket

Mission accomplished, then I walked over to Fraumünster, arriving right at 10am to revisit the Chagall windows (CHF 5 admission fee). We did not have time to see them 2 years ago, but I did see them in 2010, and also on my 2003 solo trip. Despite an overcast day, the windows are still very vivid. The place is very quiet - not sure if because it was still early or if it was a monday or if Zurich isn't really on tours' circuits? It was a very pleasant and peaceful experience enjoying the windows without hoards of tourists elbowing me. I did not stay long; perhaps 20 minutes, then walked over to Bürkliplatz to catch the tram back to the hotel. Finished packing the chocolates into my carryon, checked out and headed back to the tram stop for tram #3 to HBF.
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Fraumünster from across the bridge
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the 3 central panels by Chagall

At the Zurich Hbf I tried to buy a gift for my son from Decathlon... in Basel (on that rainy day) I saw many bikes with a rain cover for the bike seat from Decathlon, which my son will find useful. Sadly they were out of stock.

I got to Zurich airport just before 12 noon; going through security took no time, and i did not have to go through immigration here, so I headed for the Aspire lounge for some lunch before boarding.

To finish the TR with a full circle... as I boarded my flight to KEF, there is the usual delay in the aisle as you wait for others to stow their luggage. Well, sitting in the aisle in the 3rd row in Business class on my flight was none other than Vikingur Olafsson! Who is he again, you ask? He's the Icelandic pianist who curated the Lucerne Pulse Festival (and also played in 2 of the 3 concerts I attended). So of course I had to chat with him while I was stuck standing there 😆 I actually had talked to him a few nights ago when I ran into him in the concert hall, so I am pretty sure he remembers who I was. In retrospect, not surprising at all he was on that flight, as the festival ended the night before in Lucerne so it makes sense he is flying home to Iceland first thing Monday.

Transitting via KEF back home is tight on time just like last time 2 years ago. Except that since i've done it once, I am a lot more relaxed about it. I also paid extra ($28) for a seat close to the front in row 10, and guess what, my entire row (both sides of the aisle) was empty. Seems like everyone else was unwilling to pay and they were all stuck at the back of the plane. I was able to get out pretty quickly (the FAs made an announcement asking those whose destination is KEF to stay seated, but of course 90% of the pax are transit passengers). The immigration line is once again long like Disneyland, but just like last time, it moves pretty quickly. I even had time to go use the bathroom and refill my water bottle before heading to my gate, which was "closing." I was probably one of the last people to board. The gate agent changed my seat and assigned me to the penultimate row, row 40, in the middle section, but assured me that I have all 3 seats to myself. HA, I ended up having a "lie-flat" seat! (jokes on me as my last 2 trips I was lucky enough to fly business and had true lie-flat seats and not this time) I pre-paid for an entree on this flight because I knew I would not have time to buy food at the airport given the tight connection. $24 for the smallest beef noodle salad... quite a rip off! The same goes for my outbound flight KEF-ZRH where I paid $17 for 2 tiny open face nordic sandwiches.
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My $24 small beef noodle salad

Our plane touched down at Logan airport 30 minutes early, which I was super happy about, until the captain came on the PA to say we don't have a gate for at least 30 minutes. Boo.

Will I fly Icelandair again? ugh it's hard to say. Their prices are very competitive; I would not be able to take this trip if I were to fly nonstop on Swiss, which cost 2x as much. But Icelandair are super strict when it comes to carry on size, and it really is no frills — no free food on board (not even the trans-atlantic portion), the only free drinks is water, coffee and tea. Even for soft drinks you have to pay. And the food on board is expensive and small portion. Transitting at KEF is stressful with tight connection time.

I'll wrap up the TR with another post with my thoughts on this trip.

yk - thanks again for this detailed trip report. We share the chocolate addiction ;-) I would have bought that Cailler chocolate, too. But the box from Vollenweider seems very expensive. Has it really become such a luxury product? I remember buying truffes from Schiesser in Basel about 20 years ago and it was affordable. Hm, the exchange rate was different back then ...

I hope you saw the Giacometti windows as well. How lucky I was there was no admission fee yet when I saw the Chagall windows many years ago.

What a funny and pleasant coincidence the pianist was on the same flight as you and you could chat with him! I often go to the stage door after an opera or concert to let the musicians/singers/conductor sign my program and chat with them. And then I see them a couple of days later in the tram or in the grocery, LOL!

Yes, I saw the Giacometti windows as well as the rose window by Chagall. The cathedral provides a leaflet with descriptions.

Zurich is... expensive. I was almost glad it was time to leave as I really cannot afford the prices there. Of all the European countries I could have picked for concerts and operas, I picked the most expensive one to visit 🤣

The chocolates are expensive, but they are really good. Even my son who doesn't have a sophisticated palette, could tell they are of v good quality.

Final thoughts
 

Just a few thoughts about this short trip:

1. Switzerland remains one of my favorite countries to visit: for the ease of getting around as a tourist, for its punctuality and predictability, for the scenery
2. Switzerland is expensive; it feels pricier than 2 years ago when we were there due to the unfavorable exchange rate (it's 10% higher compared to 2 yrs ago),
3. I have been to Luzern in 2003, 2010, 2024. But all those times were a quick visit. In 2003 I think I stayed overnight one night but the other 2 were just a brief day visit. I never felt particularly drawn to it. This time, although I ventured no farther than a 1/4-mile radius from the train station, I liked it more. Perhaps it's because I was out and about in the evenings after the daytrippers were gone, or perhaps mid-May is not high tourist season yet. The town feels particularly beautiful and quaint during the late afternoon & evening hours. I would like to return another time, hopefully with better weather, so I can explore the surrounding areas. I have done lake cruises and been up to Mt Rigi before, but those were all v rushed done in a day-trip format.
4. I am split about my impressions on Zurich. I dont' think it's a very interesting city — feels too rich and too sterile to me. OTOH I did have a lovely time on Sunday walking in the botanical garden and in zurichhorn and by the opera house seeing people of all ages and families enjoying the nice weather. The prices in Zurich are even higher and TBH I don't think I could afford staying for another night there.

I usually do a cost post-mortem after my trips but I will skip it this time because this trip was all about concerts and operas. The rest were bonus. I have listed in my TR the prices I paid for meals and admissions and train tickets. My airfare was sub $500 but after the extras (seat selections, meals), it came out closer to $670. The Luzern hotel was just under 500 CHF for 2 nights. The Zurich hotel, I completely lucked out. It was CHF 505 when I booked months ago but 1 week before my stay I rechecked the rate and it had gone down by CHF 110. I was able to amend by reservation and ended up paying CHF 404 for 2 nights.

Concert tickets at Luzern festival were reasonably priced (compared to US), but opera tickets at Zurich are expensive. Their house is not that big and unless you pay for the top prices, your sightline will be significantly obscured.

Thank you again for this report: very useful and very entertaining! Also thanks for sharing your final thoughts: I think they point out very essential considerations. Arrivederci!

Excellent information again. Unfortunately Switzerland has become so very expensive that I have turned to other European countries for vacation.

one last comment
 

I forgot to say that May is such a wonderful time to visit Europe! Before the descend of massive crowds and oppressive heat (tho I see that they are having a heat wave this week). I wish I could do this every year but it's unlikely given May is the busiest month in the public school year. It was a miracle I pulled it off this year in between my son's many end-of-year events (I missed his last day of standardized exam).

Thanks for the report. I'm so happy that you enjoyed your hike in Ticino.
You made the experience that in Swiwtzerland, there are always more (most ao then) signmarked trecks that you find in guide books.
You took the "wrong" way at the public pool of Carona and got therefore a longer itinerary.
Once at Torello, you tookt he best possible paath, marded in grey at your curious map.
I always use the official swisstopo map, where you find ALL trails (with elevation curves).
https://map.geo.admin.ch/#/map?lang=...xelkarte-farbe

If you want to know where go hikers who leave the train at Bellinzona or Lugano, just have a look at the following fotos.

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Monte Generoso cog wheel raiilway station. 6 different hiking trails down to Swiss or Italian bus stops.

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Tamaro Hut. A short hike from gondols station. Trails to bus stops above both, Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano

[img alt="
Bosco Gurin. Mountain village above Locarno. Hikes to bus stops in Val Vergeletto, Val Onsernone and Val Formazza (Italy)"]https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodors.com-vbulletin/1920x1080/boscogurin_estate_escursionismo_1_1ee1f69acc4a0c30 a202e7ce9f90bb1ad5989a41.jpg[/img]
Bosco Gurin. Mountain village above Locarno. Hikes to bus stops in Val Vergeletto, Val Onsernone and Val Formazza (Italy)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9edaed9310.jpg