Lake Lugano attractions map

Lugano lake Morcote Villa Scherer / Luganersee Morcote

Two posts combine Ticino sights on the maps. In the first there are lake Lugano attractions: the lake, the surrounding mountains and the Italian part between Lake Lugano and Lake Maggiore. Please note that it is possible to visit places around Locarno and Bellinzona from Lugano, but it is not as convenient and close as it seems on the map (dense population, traffic, narrow streets). Therefore, I would recommend two separate overnight stays.

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Bad Aussee Lakeside. Lake Grundlsee, Lake Toplitz, Lake Altaussee

Bad Aussee Lakeside Lake Toplitz / Bad Aussee Grundlsee Toplitzsee Wanderung

Bad Aussee lies as if in a hollow – such a feeling is created when you go down from the federal road. It would seem that from Hallstatt – a stone’s throw, but the roads are so exhausting that it’s the same as beyond the ridge. This is a completely independent resort town with a large number of tourists, despite the fact that the local two lakes are barely visible on the map compared even with relatively small Lake Hallstatt. True, depending on what to compare – in Styria, the Grundlsee lake is the largest.

At least one trip from Hallstatt region to Bad Aussee Lakeside (especially Lake Grundlsee and Lake Toplitz) is worth making – this is a very pleasant, calm trip with beautiful views, which will take you at least half a day and can easily turn into a full day.

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What to see in Saxon Switzerland and Osterzgebirge. Maps

Dresden Bastei rocks / Dresden Bastei Felsen

Saxon Switzerland is for those who like to climb rocks, and for those who just like to walk in the mountains without performing the feats. What to see in Saxon Switzerland? The mountains are not too high, but the landscapes with rocks of different shapes are amazing. As a cultural program, there is a fortress and a number of castles, and Dresden with its museums is within easy reach. Over the past decade, the entertainment infrastructure along the Elbe has also grown. And if you then go further north, then mountain holidays can be combined with water holidays – there you will find the Upper Lusatian region with many lakes.

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Schwäbisch Hall. Pie and Spring Festival

Schwäbisch Hall Pie and Spring festival Kuchen und Brunnen Fest

The first part was about Schwäbisch Hall picturesque old town. Not only buildings here are old, but also the traditions. Pie and Spring Festival (Kuchen- und Brunnenfest) dates from 1316.

Already the Celts discovered a source of salt in these places and founded the first saltworks. Thanks to this source, the city flourished in the Middle Ages.

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Nuremberg Zoo (Tiergarten Nürnberg)

Nuremberg Zoo Nürnberg Zoo

The Nuremberg Zoo (Tiergarten Nürnberg) is one of the two remaining in Germany, where dolphins are kept (the second is in Duisburg). In Europe, the number of such zoos is steadily declining, as the discontent of ecologists grows. They believe that animals with such high intelligence cannot live in such a limited space together. They become too aggressive.

The dolphinarium has problems with the survival of newborn dolphins and the leakage of the new pool, and continues to be under constant criticism from ecologists. But for now, the zoo would like to keep the dolphinarium.

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Local public transport in Germany

Local public transport in Germany / Nahverkehr in Deutschland

The Deutsche Bahn website, of course, shows a lot, but still not everything. It does not show local public transport tariffs, and local tickets will also have to be bought from regional transport associations.

Federal railway fares apply if you are traveling to another region. Therefore, it may turn out that traveling with the family for 10 minutes to a neighboring city will take as much money as 40 minutes to a neighboring region, because Deutsche Bahn included children in an adult ticket, but local public transport system requires ticket for them.

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From Ulm to Ellwangen. Albtrauf and Bavarian Swabia

Swabian Alb Albtrauf Schwäbische Alb

Let’s see what is interesting in the Swabian hinterland. Swabians live both in Bavaria (Bavarian Swabia region) and in most of Baden-Württemberg. On this map, it will be an extension of the Swabian Alb – an upland that abruptly breaks off towards Stuttgart – and its spur Albtrauf, passing into the Danube valley.

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Nuremberg old town

Nuremberg old town / Nürnberg Sehenswürdigkeiten

Nuremberg (Nürnberg) is a great intermediate point on the way somewhere. Here you can not only spend the night, but also see something, limit yourself to half a day or spend a couple of days. It is easy to find attractions in the area for a week. But for a long stay, I would choose another city for the accomodation.

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Bad Teinach Zavelstein castle and crocus fields

Zavelstein Krokusblüte / Zavelstein crocus fields

Once the inhabitants of the small town Zavelstein thought about the fact that the use of the land kills wild crocuses, and decided to fix it. First, they fenced off a piece of the fiel. Then they achieved that almost the entire field near their village fell under protection. They did not give it away for the construction of houses, did not build a nursing home, did not plow it up for rapeseed. But simply guarded so that once a year you could look at purple fields.

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