From 12 to 16 July 2017

Zurich
Zurich is located in the heart of Europe and in the heart of Switzerland, at the northern end of the lake. The multicultural atmosphere and the variety of offers for leisure activities invite guests from all over the world to visit this region, where the distances are minimal: train, plane or in the car, Zurich can be reached quickly and comfortably. Zurich International Airport has direct connections to 150 different destinations and is located just 10 minutes by train from the Hauptbahnhof, the Central Station, European railway crossroads located in the heart of the city. More than 400,000 people live in Zurich, a cultural, scientific and economic centre. Thanks to the state-of-the-art infrastructure integrated in a natural environment, studies and research are carried out here. For example, at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule ETH Zürich, the Federal Polytechnic of the city, built in the years 1858 - 1864 by Gottfried Semper and today linked to 21 Nobel laureates.150 years ago, from the moat that surrounded and defended the city, the most famous “Bahnhofstrasse” in the world arose: the shopping street in Zurich. The author of the reputation of Zurich as a paradise for shopping, this street is the most exclusive address for fashion, jewellery and watches, but is certainly not the only place to find brands urban guilds, which often hide where they are less predictable, especially in the districts of Zürich-West and Aussersihl. Not only do they win the hearts of those who keep up with the most current trends, but they also rage internationally, such as the bags and accessories of the cult brand “Freitag”.Zurich boasts the highest number of clubs in Switzerland: it is never too late here. From the house-music party in the legendary Kaufleuten, at best since the 1980s in the mascot or the gay-party in the Labor Bar, here the evenings start at 23.00 and continue until the early hours of the morning. Curfew is not at home in Zurich. In summer, the nightlife takes place not only in the clubs, but also in the open air: during the day you bathe and sunbathe, during the night you flirt and dance. The premises of the trendy district Zürich-West.The city itself has 50 museums, 14 of which are dedicated to art. The Kunsthaus, Zurich's Museum of figurative Arts, houses rich collections of paintings, sculptures, photos and videos, as well as a large collection of works by Alberto Giacometti. Also interesting is the Rietberg Museum, one of the main centres for non-European art. The Schweizerisches Landesmuseum, the Swiss National Museum – a castle – style building that dates back more than 100 years-is just a short walk from Zurich's main railway station. In Zurich, art is also lived outside museums and galleries: either in the Giacometti Hall of the police station, in the stained-glass windows of the Fraumünster church or in the open air at the Heureka by Jean Tinguely on the Lake Zurich. On the banks of the Limmat the tradition of corporations dates back to the Middle Ages. As the noble Houses of the trades testify, for example the Zunfthaus zur Waag, cited as early as 1303. Like Grossmünster, Lindenhof or the famous Öpfelchammer in Niederdorf, they are among the symbols of the city.

Lake Constance
The Lake Constance or lake Bodensee, is the third largest lake in Europe and is located on the border between Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Thanks to a bike path about three hundred kilometres away, you can do the whole tour around the lake also cycling, admire the snow-capped Swiss and Austrian Alps> in the background, exploring the myths and the German cities of Constance, Meersburg and Lindau and features the islands of Mainau and Reichenau

Mainau island

Easily accessible by boat or on foot, the island of Mainau is an immense multi-coloured flower park. The castle and the church, built by the Teutonic Knights, are from the 18th century

Reichenau island

The island of Reichenau, a Unesco world heritage site, is a charming place of worship, rich in churches, chapels and monasteries built since middle Ages. In the village of Oberzell is situated the church of San Giorgio in the NINTH century, at Mittelzell, there is the abbey of Santa Maria and San Marco and the building is romanesque most important of the whole of South Germany, and finally, in the village of Niederzell has been built in the interesting church of SS. Peter and Paul.The island still holds three important religious festivals with processions: the feast of St. Mark, the Monday after the Holy Trinity and the assumption.It is advisable to reach the island by bike to discover all the most suggestive places.

Meersburg
The unique location of Meersburg, built on steep vineyards on the lake has been an attraction for centuries. It seems that the first fortress was built by the Merovingi whose medieval structure still characterizes the image of the city.Meersburg belongs to the German way of the Fachwerk buildings (with exposed wooden structures) – one of the most important tourist routes in Germany. The bishops princes of Constance then conferred on the city its baroque silouette. They built luxurious castles in which the baroque architect Balthasar Neumann was also involved in the design. Around these representative buildings, which today are mainly open to guided tours, are arranged in beautiful little streets and the panoramic terraces of Meersburg. Here in the summer, cosy cafes and terraces of the new castle and the fortress, with panoramic city views from the top of the lake and – with good weather – on the mountain chain of the Alps. Not only the picturesque location and buildings of the past make Meersburg a holiday and hiking destination. The wide and demanding cultural program, the museums with the great offer for leisure attract thousands of visitors every year.