Zürich to Lugano on Oct 28

Short summary – read this first

A traveler is arriving in Zurich early morning on October 28 and staying in Schauffhausen. Since the weather is rainy in most of Switzerland, they are considering a day trip to Lugano, and they seek advice on train options and whether Lugano is the best place to visit in the southern region for their limited time. They already have the Swiss Travel Pass.

Key takeaways:

For a quick day trip, taking a regular train from Zurich to Lugano is recommended instead of the scenic route.
Lugano is an excellent choice for a day trip in Ticino, but Bellinzona is another good option for those interested in castles.
Make sure to check train schedules to optimize your time, as the journey takes about 2.5 hours one way.
Since you have the Swiss Travel Pass, you can enjoy free travel on trains, which can save you money.

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AI-generated summary

Anonymous
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26 October 2019 at 12:16:06 #824309

We arrive early morning Monday October 28 to Zurich and are staying in Shauffhausen. The weather around most of Switzerland that day looks extremely wet and rainy, except for the southern part. Therefore we thought we would take a train to the south for a day trip. We have never been in this area and are thinking of Lugano? I’m assuming it’s just a regular train from Zurich to there or should we be taking a special “scenic” train? We have the Swiss Travel pass. Also, is Lugano the best destination to see in the southern area for a day tripper? We realize this will probably be a 2.5 hour journey but we are ok with that as we can‘t check into our hotel back in Schauffhausen until late in the day. We are open to suggestions. Thank you!

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Anna
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Reply 1 of 1 • 26 October 2019 at 13:29:44 #924241

Hi JHStubbs,

Good idea to travel south to escape the rain. Lugano is my first choice for a quick day trip in Ticino but Bellinzona is nice too for the castles: http://www.myswissalps.com/be llinzona. You can read more info about what to see and do in Lugano here:
http://www.myswissalps.com/lu gano/activities

There’s a scenic train that goes to Lugano via Lucerne called the Gotthard Panorama Express. But you do need to make seat reservation. For a quick day trip I think it’s fine, and faster too, to just take the regular trains.

More info about the Gotthard Panorama Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/go tthardpanoramaexpress

Safe journey and Herzlich Willkommen in der Schweiz!

Regards,

Anna

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