Day 9 - Lucerne to Lugano

Out penultimate day saw us boarding a paddle steamer to takes us across Lake Lucerne as part of the Wilhelm Tell Express journey. It was a glorious day, both in terms of the weather and the trip. The Stadt Luzern is one of five paddle steamers still in service on the lake.

The fully inclusive ticket entitled us to a meal in the first class lounge. The menu is set and hence the choice is limited to the dish of the day. However, it met our needs and we supplemented it with an excellent bottle of wine.

The journey along the lake lasted nearly three hours, but there was plenty to see and we were entertained by the antics of the other passengers.

At the far end of the lake we joined the train at Fluelen for the last leg of the journey. This included three glimpses of the church at Wassen as the railway loops its way back and forth across the mountainside to gain height.

This time, the first class panorama coach was quite crowded. We passed back through the Gottard Tunnel and traversed the Freggio, Prato, Piano Tondo and Travi spiral tunnels in grand style.
I had booked us into a hotel in Lugano which was more central. Tucked away between two shops the Hotel San Carlo was more stylish than our previous experience in the town.

In the evening, we tucked into an Italian meal at a restaurant in the square and absorbed the ambience.

Beside the hotel, a group of folk singers performed their repertoire as we retired for the night.