Tony and I have taken the train to Milano a couple of times now, and one of the stops on the way down is always in Lugano. Switzerland is already a picturesque and beautiful country. The beauty stops you in your tracks and steals your breath because you’ve never seen anything like it. However, Lugano takes these feelings one step further. The gorgeous homes built into the sides of mountains, the water glistening from below – God himself must have crafted this city because you just can’t help but stop and stare at it.
Tony’s parents were visiting us this weekend and it was the perfect time to see this city up close and personal. SBB was having a special where Tony was able to purchase one ticket for 129 CHF. As long as one person of 4 had a 1/2 pass card, we were able to travel all over Switzerland for one day – any mode of transportation – until midnight hit. A tad like Cinderella’s story, I suppose.
We enjoyed the scenic ride down and were once again hit with the awe and wonder that happens when looking at Lugano. We departed the train and immediately had to walk a good ways down to get to “lake level”. There were tons and tons of stairs and ramps and while going down was a breeze, I knew going up would be another story.
The city was like walking into Italy, except we were still in Switzerland. As I have heard many people say about this great town, it has the charm and loveliness of Italy but the infrastructure that Switzerland is known for. Meaning, it was clean, things functioned properly and on time, and the rules made sense. It was weird to hear Italian spoken at every turn, as I am so used to that song-like Swiss German on my walks through Zurich.
Given the beautiful weather, we embarked on a boat tour around the large lake. There were multiple grottos, which were restaurants, museums, homes – built into the side of the mountain and yet on the water at the same time. It was like Venice at the bottom of the buildings. You could see the water lapping at the foundation. But then the backside was carved into the mountain. It was one of the coolest things I had ever seen. If we had had more time I would’ve made sure to stop at every port.
We ended our day by eating some hearty pizza (what else?) and then we rushed back up to the train station to make it just in time for the next train to Zurich, HB. Tony’s poor mom was a real trooper and for not being used to 100 stairs a day like us, made it just in time.
We all fell asleep on the train ride back. The smooth ride and sound of the engine lulled us to nap happily, our bellies full of cheese and bread.
Lugano is extremely special and I look forward to returning very soon.
Looking to visit Lugano? From Zurich there are multiple trains that leave from HB each day. With a 1/2 pass card, a round trip ticket is about 70 CHF. The ride is 2 hours and 38 minutes so it might be worth staying overnight if you make the trip down. Coming back, a train to HB is about every hour, every hour and a half.
Milano is only 1 hour further but be warned – as soon as you cross the Italian boarder there are no longer guarantees with the trains. Be prepared for delays!
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