Zurich, Lugano and maybe Bologna - please advise
 

My husband & I are flying in to Zurich on Friday 21 June from Australia. We propose to stay a night in Zurich to have a look around then go by train to Lugano where I have a 4 day conference 24 - 27 June. We will be flying out of Rome (its complicated, but we don't have much choice with our subsequent itinery in Thailand) on the following Friday 5 July. We have spent a week in Rome and a week in Florence on previous trips so we thought we would spend the 6 days in Bologna, exploring the area by train. We would rather have a base for several days than always being on the move. We have a some questions - is it better to get some kind of rail pass for Switzerland (particularly my husband who will be sightseeing while I work in Lugano)? Are point to point tickets better than kilometric or italy rail passes for the italian leg (some previous discussions seem to indicate this)? Besides SwissMiniatur, are there any other model railways around Lugano or good model railway shops? We like soaking up the local ambience, eating, walking around interesting old cities & towns, taking in views, relaxing, history, art and architecture in small doses - any recommendations?. Ursula, do you have recommendations for an economical, conveniently located (between train station & Zurich centre), atmospheric hotels, b&b or pension in Zurich? Anyones thoughts and advice would be much appreciated.

If you like interesting old cities, consider staying in Luzern rather than Zurich. Others may disagree, but I found Zurich to be just another big, busy city, while Luzern to have much more charm and beauty.

Thanks for the tip, but we 'did' Luzern a few years back. The dying lion makes me cry just thinking about it. We fly into Zurich, so thought we would have a peek. Is there anyone out there still reading this who has some advice on Bologna and surrounds?

Your husband may enjoy some of the boat trips out of Lugano. I recall one in particular to a lovely island, Mercote. I went early in the morning on the mail boat and enjoyed being on the island before the tourists arrived. A nice place for lunch right on the lake. Lugano also had an interesting town center (plaza) with outdoor concerts. <BR><BR>Karen

Good evening, JO<BR>Zurich, the is an excellant model rr<BR>dealer at Franz Carl Weber, Bahnhoifstrasse, 62 on the third floor, also the Eisenbahn Center, Marketgasse, 10..naturally they specialize in European Models such as Bemo, and etc..<BR>Lugano is also a wonderful place, expecially in the later months of the<BR>year coming out of the mountains to the<BR>almost tropical weather in Lugano. The<BR>old town sectioin, limits it size, you <BR>also have the lake and its boats. Lost<BR>a good deal at the Campione d'Italia but<BR>I should have stopped sooner, found a<BR>wonderful ristorante, the Sayonara (<BR>Italian not Japanese...And loved the Hotel LUGANO DANTE.<BR>Bologna - Hve used the HOTEL ROMA, via<BR>Massimo d'Azeglio, 9, an excellant four<BR>star with 84 rooms located less than<BR>a half block from the Pza Maggiore. <BR>Bologna is an excellant walking town and<BR>also with some excellant ristorantes.<BR>Zurich - might look at the HOTEL KINDLI<BR>have used it many times in past years.<BR>Richard of LaGrange Park, Il..<BR>

Know Lugano well and have taken the train between Lugano and Zurich many times - when buying your ticket ask for an "Italian" train that services the route - they'll accept whatever eurail pass you buy and they are the nicest and cleanest. Lugano has outstanding food some better than in Italy. There are a few in old houses - expensive - but worth it. Fodor's has them listed.<BR>Definately take one onr the boat rides as other readers have suggested. Shopping is nothing to write home about or spend your money on.

This is so amusing because I HATE Lucern and LOVE Zurich. I think Lucern is sooooo tacky. It just seems very fake to me, like a Swiss Disney Land.<BR>When I am in Zurich, I like to stay at the Dolder Grand, go shopping, and sit at the toney cafes. I also think you see a better class of people in Zurich.

Jo,<BR>I think Bologna is nice and I've enjoyed visiting there but not for 6 days. I think your time would be much better spent exploring Switzerland if you haven't been there yet. Lucerne and Bernese Oberland area is fantastic. I think I'd spend as much time in Switzerland as possible. Enjoy!

Bologna is great. We stayed there a few years ago for about a week. A great walking city with good rail links - Modena is a relaxing day trip. Bologna has loads of excellent food options and manages to combine a modern city with great architecture and a relaxed pace. Enjoy.

Parma is also a nice day trip from Bologna. The Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna are worth the trip. Last time I was there we stayed at the Hotel Orologio, it seemed like they were <BR>setting up some day trips for guests to <BR>Parma and Modena, perhaps they could help you. <BR>Newt

Hi. You will enjoy spending your first evening wandering around the narrow streets in old Zurich. I only discovered them for myself after several trips passing through. Burt Wolf has a nice commentary about it at burttravels.com. I don't know why Ursula hasn't commented yet, but she's written a good bit about Zurich at this site, so do a search. While in Lugano, do try to use the lakeboats to have supper in Gandria and Morcote if you can. And as for Bologna, I hope you get more responses. I've always wanted to see the mosaics of Ravenna. Newt, if you're there, tell us more? I guess what I'd like to know is how easy is it to day-trip by train from Bologna, and how large are the cities you all have recommended (Ravenna, Parma, etc). Jo, it sounds like a marvelous trip. J.

Thanks for your replies, I am still checking this thread every few days, so post a rely if you have something to share. Jo.