24 hours in Paradise

Ride up Mount San Salvatore on a funicolare (cog-wheel incline train) for a 360-degree view of Lugano and the surrounding areas. Stroll along the lake promenade with its beautiful gardens and water fountains. Take a boat tour of the lake while listening to big-band” hits playing on the loud speaker interrupted occasionally for a recorded mini-tour of the small Venetian-type villages.

Quick Tips:

We regret that we did not ask about the “Swiss Pass” earlier in our trip, because it offers 50% off certain attraction fees and transportation. Ask for a discount on tours if you have a Eurail Pass; you will be surprised at what you can save on various attractions. The best way to find the “inside” information is simpl;y to ask. We found most people friendly and happy to help us. Hotel and B&B Operators are wonderful sources for out-of-the-ordinary activities and restaurants. Best hints for stress-free traveling: be flexible, be adventurous, keep an open mind, talk to the “locals” and use unlimited passes when available.

Best Way To Get Around:

Lugano has two directions: up and down. The train station sits high above the city with the lake promonade below. Between them are winding cobblestone streets, large piazzas and great shopping areas. The only transportation you need are your feet. There is a cog-wheel tram that will take you between the train station and the lower city for a very small fee (approximately 30 cents), but you will miss some very interesting views. Most of the surrounding villages on Lake Lugano can be reached by car, train or bus. There are a few however, such as Gandria (see picture) that are only accessible by boat.

Our plans, originally, were to stop in Venice for a couple of days on our way back to Zurich for our return flight home after visiting Treaste, Italy. However, when we arrived in Venice, it was raining and not very pleasant. Since we had Eurail Pass train tickets, we were able to choose another destination on the spur of the moment. That destination was the beautiful Italian town of Lugano just across the Switzerland border. We arrived after dark but quickly spotted a hotel sign near the train station.

The Hotel Federale was full, but the desk clerk said she had one room, if we were willing to use the toilet facilities down the hall and shower downstairs in the exercise sauna. The price was right ($61.94 USD for both of us), and our sense of adventure said, ''Go for it.'' The room was more than adequate, two twin beds, a small T.V. one chair and a sink. The toilet facility was just a few steps down the hall, and it appeared that we were the only guests using it. The shower was quite nice also; we just had to remember to take everything we need with us since it was two flights down.

After a good night sleep, we went to the hotel’s very elegant dinning room for breakfast, which was included in the room rate. A buffet style, offering breads, cheese, ham, cereal, yogurt, jellies, jams, and fresh fruit was offered. While enjoying our café latte, we noticed that the waiter who took care of the entire dining appeared to know everyone, as if they were frequent visitors. This made for a delightful experience.

After a wonderful day of mountain and boat tours, we were ready for a delicious, authentic Italian meal. While walking earlier on the promenade, we noticed a restaurant that appeared to be very popular, with locals filling the tables inside and out. Since it had a wonderful view of Lake Lugano it seemed the perfect spot for our last evening in Switzerland.

We arrived at "The Spaghetti Store" at about dusk. The day had turned cool so we had to sit inside, but were fortunate to be seated at a large window. The menu had so many choices, none of which I could even read, so I asked the waiter for his recommendation. Obviously, we ordered spaghetti and Chianti. The food was good, but the atmosphere was spectacular. After dinner, a walk on the promenade with all the lights reflecting on the water and a wonderful end to our three-week adventure.

Following breakfast, we stopped at the front desk and told the English-speaking desk clerk that we only had 24 hours to spend in Lugano and asked what she would recommend. She suggested a trip to the top of Mount San Salvatore and gave us good directions to get there. We quickly discovered that everything in Lugano, built in the midst of the Swiss Alps, is either uphill or downhill, and a source of some great exercise.

The ride up Mount San Salvatore was spectacular. The funicolare (cog-wheel incline train, cost $10.14 USD per person) took 12 minutes to reach the top, with departures every half hour. The 360-degree view of Lugano and the surrounding areas was breathtaking. Dark clouds moved in quickly and positioned themselves midway between us and the lake, yet did not block the view, but only enhanced it. My photographs of this site are incredible. From the top of San Salvatore, a panoramic hiking tour leads you through a natural park and allows you to view the treasures of the local flora. With a gourmet restaurant, a self-serve restaurant and a free picnic area there is a nice variety of refreshments for any taste. There is also a museum and an old church that were quite interesting. Then back down on the funicolare, a long walk along the shore of Lake Lugano for our next adventure.

Another recommendation by our Hotel Clerk was a 3-hour boat tour of Lake Lugano and gave us a 50% off certificate for the boat tour. By the time we arrived at the boat to purchase our tickets ($10.36UDS each) it was raining. But that would not deter us from this adventure. While the other passengers were sitting inside, viewing the sites through rain drenched windows, we found a spot on the deck with a wide overhang that protected us from the rain, pulled up two chairs and enjoyed the scenery.

Beautiful 'big-band' hits were playing on the loud speaker interrupted occasionally for a recorded mini-tour of the small Venetian-type towns we were passing given in four languages, Italian, French, German and English. The messages told about the history of each village, famous past residents and modern day utilization. The Village of Gandria, for instance, does not allow any cars as there are no roads 'Have boat-will travel.'

The lake stretches for many miles each side of Lugano and enters into Italy on the southern leg. Just as you leave one village and cannot imagine anything more beautiful, you come across the next village, which proves that theory to be wrong.

The boat was large enough for everyone on board to find a comfortable area, including bench-type seats on the upper decks or in the full-service restaurant below.

Walking in Lugano is an experience of sites, sounds and wonderful aromas. I use the term "walking" but actually we were "lost" trying to find a money exchange as we needed to have a few Swiss Francs on the train ride back to Zurich. The streets meandered through beautiful piazzas, past sidewalk cafes, shops and specialty stores, candy shops, and open air food markets. No one in Lugano appeared to be in a hurry. It was mid-day on a weekday and there were so many people shopping, enjoying coffee and people watching. We enjoyed the beautiful architecture and unique old buildings. In the area we were in, there were not many streets that allowed vehicles, everyone was on foot. No—we never found the money exchange.

Later, after dinner and a walk on the promenade along Lake Lugano, we were making our way back up the hill to our hotel, when we heard the most marvelous music. Since we didn’t have any particular place to go, we following the sounds and found ourselves in a large open-air square, surrounded by buildings which made the echo of the music sound wonderful. An American group was presenting a free concert of big band music. We pulled up a few chairs and enjoyed the entertainment- even 'stole' a dance in the piazza as we were leaving.