398 posts
Hi swiss>3, and welcome to MySwissAlps!
That’s quite a long way to go for a day trip – a minimum of 2 hrs 43 min from Zürich or 2 hrs 30 from Luzern.
Tourist attractions won’t be affected by the public holiday, but shops, offices etc will be closed. Shops in railway stations generally remain open.
You can find information about what to do in Lugano here:
https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lugano/
To make the best use of your time, you might prefer to eat at restaurants you come across in the course of your sightseeing, rather than picking one that you have to go out of your way for.
However, I will mention a lovely traditional grotto restaurant in a remote lakeside setting on the far side of Lake Lugano: the Grotto dei Pescatori. It’s only accessible by boat, and boats are not frequent, so it might not suit you timewise.
https://www.grottodeipescatori.ch/
You can check the boat times in the SBB timetable. The stops you want for planning are Lugano Centrale (lago) and Grotto Pescatori (lago).
Make sure not to miss the last boat back to Lugano!
The SBB timetable is here:
https://www.sbb.ch/en
Help with how to use it is here:
https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/
Hope this helps!
Alpenrose
2486 posts
Hi swiss>3,
I think an early start would be advisable if you are planning to visit the Lake Lugano area from either Zurich or Lucerne. That way you can make the most of the day.
Do use the Swiss timetable that Alpenrose provided, you can plan and gauge journey times to see what is doable for yourself and your husband.
Kind regards,
Yolanda