Congress City: Lugano, Switzerland
General Information
⇒Currency & Exchange ⇒Opening Hours ⇒Lugano Discount Card
⇒Phone Numbers ⇒Offical local agent ⇒More info ⇒Jamie's Favourites
Do you see the pink building in the trees on the lower left? Our Congress Center is just behind that building.
About Lugano
Lugano, the largest town in the holiday region of Ticino, is not only Switzerland's third most important financial centre and a conference, banking and business centre, but also a town of parks and flowers, villas and sacred buildings. With Mediterranean flair, Lugano offers all the advantages of a world-class city, combined with the cachet of a small town.
- 53,000 inhabitants
- 1,087 inhabitants per km2
- 48.74 km2. in surface at 273 metres above sea level
- 3rd financial market in Switzerland
- 100 and more banking institutes present in the city
- 735,096 hotel overnight stays in 2005
- 73 hotels in the city of Lugano for 5'580 beds (in 2005)
Above text and figures taken from ⇒Lugano Tourism
Currency & Exchange
The monetary unit of Switzerland is the Swiss franc that may be divided into cents. 5, 10, 20, and 50 cent coins, as also 1, 2, and 5 franc coins are in circulation.There are 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 franc banknotes.
Foreign currency and traveller’s cheques are exchanged in banks, at railroad station exchange offices (the main ones are open until 22:00), in airports, in certain tourist offices and hotels.
Opening Hours
Shops are generally open from 8 or 9:00 to 18:30 from Monday to Friday (with an interval of one or two hours). On Saturdays they close at 16:00 or 17:00. In cities, supermarkets and department stores are open all day long and once a week they are open in the evening (only in certain periods). Banks are open from 8:30 to 16:00 from Monday to Friday and are generally closed on Saturdays (in big cities they don’t close for the lunch break). It is possible to exchange currency at the main railroad stations and airports, where the exchange office is open until 22:00 and in some places even until 23:00.
Lugano Discount Card
If you are staying in a Lugano hotel ask at the desk for a “Lugano Welcome Card” which when stamped by the hotel gives you discounts on many Lugano area cultural sites, excursions, pools, etc.
Useful Phone Numbers
Ambulance 144
Police ( emergency call ) 117
Fire 118
Motoring Assistance 140
Lugano Information Assistance 1818
Weather Report 162
Municipal Police +41 (058) 866 81 11
Lugano Tourism +41 (058) 913 32 32
More phone numbers may be found at:
⇒http://www.lugano.ch/en/tools/numeriutili.cfm?miniToolID=5
Official local handling agent
⇒Amiconi Consulting has been appointed as the exclusive local handling agent for the 9th International Alexander Technique Congress. The Company will be able to assist you with accommodation bookings and transfer needs from and to the nearby Italian international airports of Milan Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo Orio al Serio, and will organize tours, sightseeing, pre and post Congress tours of the city and the beautiful southern region of Switzerland, Ticino.
Amiconi Consulting provide a special Booking Form for us.
Please ⇒download and use this form (PDF 82KB) when inquiring about accomodation offerings.
Amiconi Consulting
Via al Forte 10
CH - 6900 Lugano
Tel +41.91.921 38 12
Fax +41.91.921 38 13
⇒www.amiconiconsulting.ch
⇒info@amiconiconsulting.ch
For more information about Lugano visit the following sites:
Lugano Tourism ⇒www.lugano-tourism.ch
Ticino Tourism ⇒lagolugano.ticino.ch
And for a more personal look on Lugano and a lot of useful links visit this interesting site:
⇒Expat with Kids - The funky guide to Lugano
When in Lugano go to one of the ⇒official tourist offices which can be found ⇒here.
Jamie McDowell's Personal Lugano Top Five:
5. Ice Cream Parlours. Many and various.
4. Cutlery Shops: The best nail scissors in the world. Italian design and Swiss manufacture, the best combination.
3. Lido (swimming baths near the Congress Centre) Weird opening times but a great place for a swim.
2. Funicular railway up Mont Bre (east side of Lugano) where you can see where you've been. Take you camera.
1. Manora. Eating Heaven, Cafeteria Paradise. Even on the Sunday when you arrive, dazed and confused, it will be open late! Check it out.