- Breakfast: Luzern
- Lunch: Lake Como
- Coffee: Lugano
- Dinner: Locarno
This morning, we left Luzern at 8:15 AM on the Gotthard Panorama Express (IC 21 )and arrived in Lugano around 10:45 AM. After checking the map, we realized we could venture further south and decided to go to Italy for lunch. We took another train from Lugano to Chiasso, a border town, and then a regional train (a combination of Italian and Swiss trains- use the App-Trenord) to Como, which is known for Lake Como. We arrived around 12:30 PM.
Como is a beautiful Italian town. Although I was a bit disappointed that our passports were not checked, so we didn't get a stamp- entering Italy :). We wanted a nice lunch by the lake, but the restaurants were too busy, so we opted for a cozy mom-and-pop place. Hungry and excited, we asked for their best pizza and some local wine. Interestingly, they charged five euros for the table, which seems to be a form of tipping. In both Switzerland and Italy, tipping isn't customary because the workers are well-paid.
We also discovered local metro trains between the border towns, costing Fr.1.60. However, our train back to Lugano faced delays—initially 15 minutes, then 20, and finally 40 minutes—causing a bit of chaos at the station, reminiscent of India. Eventually, we caught a train from Como to Lugano. Lugano is a bustling city, known for shopping and high-end fashion.
The train station in Lugano is on a hilltop, so we took the funicular down. Hung out, ate and drank some and
then we took another train to Locarno. It was a very quiet town, making us wonder about our decision of visiting, but we finally found the main square. It had such a different vibe from Lugano. We walked around the lake, bought some cheese, meat, ice cream, and a bottle of wine, and sat on the lakeshore. We had dinner overlooking the mountains.
Finally, it was time to wrap up the day. Locarno has fewer connections to Luzern than Lugano. It was late at night and a long ride.
We took Voralpen Express IR 26 from Locarno to Luzern, enjoyed the scenery for some time, and I hung out with the train conductors a bit. In the later part of the journey, it was very quiet for them too. I got to know some nuances of the trains in Switzerland. So RE - regional express ( Local Trains) , IR is Inter region ( Across the country) , IC is Inter City - Travel between Major Cities (long distance), PE is Panoramic Express, Long distance tourism focused. PE mostly goes around the mountain so its is slower than IC but better view . Most of the IC goes through the tunnel in the mountain.
If I were to do it again, I would skip Locarno. Instead, I would start early and stop at Lugano for breakfast first, then go to Lake Como for a late lunch. or skip Lake Como - go to Locarno first then come to Lugano. I would come back while there is still daylight. We were very tired, and it was too dark to enjoy any views on the way back.
