Beat the February doldrums in Swiss cities

Free rides on the cities trams and buses, like here in Basel, is included in most of the offers. basel.ch

Swiss cities are offering attractive cultural packages certain to put some colour into a grey winter's day.

A weekend (two nights and three days) in either Lausanne or Geneva costs as little as SFr135 ($79).

In Lausanne, the deal includes free access to the city’s public transportation network, a Swiss Museum Pass, granting free entry for three days to Lausanne’s world class museums (250 participating museums across Switzerland) and discounts in selected shops and restaurants.

Visitors taking advantage of the “Weekend in Geneva” package are entitled to a two-hour tour of the city and various discounts and privileges.

In Lucerne, the “City Highlight” package is a little more costly, starting at SFr165. Like Lausanne though, Lucerne has placed the emphasis on culture and includes a pass to the local museums.

Klee and Picasso

It is part of Lucerne’s efforts to make its cultural attractions better known. The tourist office will expand the offer in the spring to coincide with the public opening on March 26 of the world-class “Rosengart Collection”.

The collection counts important works by several masters from the 19th and 20th centuries, with the focus on paintings and sketches by Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso.

Lucerne’s City Highlight package also provides visitors with discounts on excursions to the top of Mount Rigi or Pilatus, and on the boats that ply Lake Lucerne.

Basel is asking as little as SFr122 for two nights in one of its hotels. Public transport is free with the offer, but visitors have to fork out another SFr25 per day for the “Basel Card”, which grants entry to the city’s museums and lists other discounts.

The weekend packages can be booked through the cities’ tourist offices, and in some cases, directly over the Internet.

swissinfo