Bellinzona: the city of ancient fortresses

Often overlooked by tourists, Bellinzona is a stunning city with the best-preserved medieval castles in Switzerland.

Bellinzona

Due to its strategic position as a gateway to the Alps, Bellinzona had been at the forefront of defence line since ancient Romans built the first castle here in the 1^st century A.D., which was enlarged and further fortified in the Middle Ages to withstand continuous sieges, raids and invasions. Today three formidable fortresses stand as silent reminders of those bellicose days and offer spectacular vistas over the Alps.

Castelgrande, the oldest of the three citadels, blocks the passage through the Ticino valley. Its two towers, Torre Nera (28 metres) and Torre Bianca (27 metres) rise above Bellinzona's old centre. The fortress houses an excellent Archaeological Museum and can be reached by an elevator or on foot following the steep winding streets of the old town.

Castelgrande

Deep moats surround Castello Montebello and massive city walls connect it to Castelgrande. It is fascinating to walk around the fortress to see drawbridges, ramparts and murder holes. On a clear day, from the top of the castle, you can see as far as Lago Maggiore. 

The third fortress, Castello di Sasso Corbaro, is perched on a hill a few miles from the centre of Bellinzona. In the he city itself is studded with beautiful Italian-style buildings, old churches, pretty squares and atmospheric cafes. Stroll along the narrow streets of the Old Town, check out an beautiful collection of Swiss and Italian paintings at Villa dei Cedri, admire the 19^th century Italian Classical style building of Teatro Sociale that was inspired by La Scala in Milan.

Castello Montebello

Bellinzona is abuzz with interesting events all year around. The famous Rabadan Carnival takes place in February; in summer international blues stars arrive to the city for the Piazza Blues Festival; in September everyone celebrates PerBacco, the wine-growers' festival.

Photos via Flickr by: Kurt Zwahlen, Luca Pedroni, Aanjhan Ranganathan.

Bern: the city of bears, fountains and Einstein

Founded just over 800 years ago Bern, the capital of Switzerland, might not be the oldest city in Europe but it is, certainly, one of the best-looking and best-preserved. 

Bern

Start exploring the city from the Old Town (Altstadt), awarded UNESCO World Heritage status for its unique medieval features. Rows of arcaded old buildings form almost four miles of covered-shopping promenades (“lauben”), some of the longest in the world. Here you can find couture boutiques, fragrant coffee shops, up-market antiques. There are many magnificent 16^th century fountains in the Old Town. Each one more ornate than the other, they are topped with statues of Samson killing a lion, a bear in full armour, child eating ogre. 

In the heart of Altstadt stands Gothic Bern Cathedral (Berner Münster). It is filled with treasures: over 200 wood and stone 15^th century sculptures depicting the Last Judgment, stained glass windows dating back to the 1400s. Climb up 254 steps to the upper viewing gallery for spectacular views of the city a the Swiss Alps. 

Clock Tower

The 13^th century Clock Tower (Zytglogge) is one of Bern’s iconic symbol. Its large astronomical clock displays fascinating dancing mechanical figures at three minutes to the hour. 

No visit to Bern would be compete without spening some time at The Einstein Museum. The famous scientist lived in the city for six years during which he published some of his most important works. In the museum you can see Einstein’s school reports, letters, his Nobel prize certificate and many other interesting objects, films and interactive displays.

Bern Cathedral

Art lovers shouldn’t miss the Museum of Fine Arts (Kunstmuseum) with its excellent collection of 3000 painting, which include works by Picasso, Monet, van Gogh, Cezanne.

Bern has had a special connection with bears since the animal became part of the city’s coat of arms in Middle Age. The legend also has it that the Swiss capital was named after a plantigrade who lived in the forest nearby. Today, a family of bears lives in a large enclosure in the Bear Park (BärenPark) which attracts many curious visitors. 

Photos via Flickr by: Martin Abegglen, Heinz-Eberhard Boden, Andrew Nash.

Lucerne: the city of music, art and bridges

Located in the German speaking part of central Switzerland, photogenic Lucerne is one of the country’s most visited destinations. Sprawling along the shores of Lake Lucerne, the city commands spectacular views of the Mount Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps. 

Lucerne

The iconic Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) built in 1333 on the Reuss river is a great place to start exploring Lucerne. One of the oldest covered wooden bridges in Europe, Kapellbrücke is rather well-preserved apart from a portion that was damaged by fire in 1993. Under its roof, you can see a series of 17th-century paintings telling Lucerne’s story. Another beautiful, albeit less famous, is the 15^th century Spreuer Bridge (Spreuerbrücke) that feature colourful plague paintings dating back to the 1600s.

Spend a few hours wondering around the pretty pedestrian Old Town (Altstadt), which has a several half-timber buildings with painted facades and picturesque squares. 

Chapel Bridge

Old City Walls built in 1386 remain virtually intact with three of watch towers (Schirmer, Zyt and Männli), which are open to the public offering magnificent views over the old town and lake. The oldest clock in Lucerne on the Zyt tower has 'First Strike rights' by local law and so strike every hour one minute before all other clocks in the city. 

Make sure you check out the 17^th century Jesuit Church St. Franz Xaver (Jesuitenkirche), one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Switzerland that nowadays hosts classical music concerts. All year around Lucerne is filled up with sounds of music as many festivals take place here. Summer Night Festival (Luzernfest) in August, Lucerne Festival with concert series of classical music, Lucerne Blues Festival, the World Band Festival in September and many other.

Lucerne

During summer months, you can hop on a steam boat for a cruise or go for a refreshing dip in Lake Lucerne at a few clean well-organized beaches. The Ufschötti has neat lawns and ice cream kiosks, at the Strandbad you can enjoy the diving platforms, play table-tennis, volleyball and mini-golf. 

Photos via Flickr by: Patrik M. Loeff, Carlos Garcia, Patrick Nouhailler.

Riding the Chocolate Train in Switzerland

Let your inner Willy Wonka be your guide and board the Chocolate Train that runs from Montreux every summer. It is a delightful way to see the Swiss bucolic countryside and nosh on delicious chocolate treats.

You can choose to travel in an elegant vintage "Belle Epoque" carriage or an ultra-modern one with over-sized windows. The train’s early morning departure is a great excuse to enjoy fresh croissants and coffee served aboard while slowly waking up to the beautiful scenery outside. Green pastures, dramatic mountains, neat vineyards and picture-perfect villages slowly glide past your windows as the train moves towards medieval Gruyères, home to the renowned Alpine Gruyère cheese. Here you will visit a factory where the cheese is made and sample its different varieties. Gruyère cheese  has been produced in the area for centuries and it has played an important part in local economy.

After that head to the 13^th century Gruyères Castle to learn about the town’s history and admire a fine art collection. You will have some spare tie to wonder around the charming town and have lunch in one of local restaurants that serve traditional hearty dishes. Try a lamb stew (ragoût d’agneau) with local pears, Fribourg sausage, smoked ham, creamy soup de chalet, rich fondue and meringues with Gruyère double cream. Just make sure you do not miss your train!

Gruyere

Next stop – the pretty town of Broc where the famous Maison Cailler (Nestlé) chocolate factory is based. Here you will discover the secrets of chocolate manufacturing and history of the factory from 1898 to the present. 

After observing the production process through factory’s viewing windows and breathing in the tantalizing chocolate aroma you can, finally, indulge your sweet tooth and savour the heavenly Swiss chocolate during a tasting. Stock up on edible gifts at the factory’s shop and board the train to return to Montreux.

Photos via Flickr by: Rachel Glaves, Mark Weston, Nestlé.

Bern

What to see in Bern

The old town was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1983 and the city celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013. The city is also known for its bears. The Bear Park opened in 2009 is 6000 square meters of parkland along the river Aare offering a sanctuary environment for bears. But the bears are not only in a park, The bear is the symbol of Bern and you will find it as a decoration on many things like clocks, cookies and also statues.

Bern - Old Town

Albert Einstein in Bern

Bern is a city of culture with its many museums, exhibitions and festivals. Bern was the home to Albert Einstein when he created his famous formula E=mc2 in 1905. One can follow the “Einstein path” and visit his home, the museum, the “Einstein Kaffe” (coffee shop) and many other places related to the great scientist.

Things to do in Bern

Bern is also the city which has the most important Klee collection of the world. The Zentrum Paul Klee museum exhibits 4000 items around different themes.
The old town of Bern proudly offers 6 km of covered shopping area. This shopping promenade is located through historic medieval arcades and it is the longest shopping promenade in Europe. Bern is also considered as the city of fountains with approximately 100 fountains some dating from the 16th century.
Bern would not be complete without cheese. As Bern is located nearby the Emmental Valley, it is possible to experience the emmental cheese ( the iconic cheese full of holes) along the cheese route.
Plus: Clock Tower, BearsPark, house of parliament, Botanic Garden, Einstein’s house, Emmental Valley, Zentrum Paul Klee, French church, Prison tower, Rose Garden, Arcades, Fountains, Zoological Garden, Westside, Gurten, International Jazz Festival, Christams Market, Onion market and Kambly



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Lugano

Lugano is the 9th biggest city of Switzerland. Very touristic, it is often considered as a city from the “Mediterranean Switzerland” due to its mild climate and its location on the northern bay of the lake Lugano. Lugano also offers wonderful landscape composed of the Alps and the quiet lake of Lugano and is at the same time the 3rd financial city after Zurich and Geneva.
With only a population of 55.000 people, Lugano has an airport and is well connected to the other financial cities of Switzerland and any other cities.

What to see at the The Lugano - Ticino Tour

Enjoy water sports while at Lugano. Water skiing, jet skiing, boat tours and a lot other sports can be explored here. While the Alps give you a reminder of the fact that you are in Switzerland, everything else gives you a feeling as if you were in some Mediterranean city. Apart from that, visitors also do get attracted to Lugano for its mild weather and awe inspiring landscape along with a serene view of the lake Lugano. Many refer to the 9th biggest city of Switzerland as “Mediterranean Switzerland”. Yet another factor that gives Lugano its Mediterranean feel is the colors of the buildings at large as well as the architecture. Complementing that ambiance is the subtropical vegetation that adorns the city parks.

If you thought the considerably small population was a cause of worry in terms of transport, then you don’t need to be anxious at all. Lugano has an airport and is well connected to Switzerland’s other cities. A majority of the population of Lugano is Italian speaking because of which the city is known to be one of the biggest Italian speaking cities outside Italy. If you are one of the more quiet indoor-loving visitors, then you can admire San Salvatore and Bre summits from the city.

Museum Cantonale D’Arte

While you can enjoy a peaceful or fun time in the city parks, you can also visit this museum which exhibits great works of art regularly. Museum Cantonale d’Arte displays the work of genius of figures like, Degas, Renoir and even Jawlensky.

Parco San Grato

While you can enjoy a spectacular view of the lake, you can also admire the beautiful flowers in this botanical garden. Parco San Grato may be a little in the outskirts of the city but is worth a visit.