Swiss Miniature Village, Lugano

Advantages: Good value for money; Well looked after
Disadvantages: Wish there was more!!

...The Isle of Wight model village is situated in the pretty village of 'Godshill', approximately 3 miles inland on the south side of the island between the towns of Newport and Shanklin. ***** Godshill ***** Godshill in itself is well worth a visit, with traditional thatched cottages and several tearooms, with attractive gardens, ideal for enjoying a drink and piece of cake on a warm day. There are also gift shops, a free car park, with ample parking and of course, the model village. ***** The Model Village ***** The model village is a family run business. In the website, it is described as being: 'Godshill's secret garden' and there is no denying that the model village has charm and appeal. The model village consists of: 2 churches, 4 pubs, an airfield, a working railway, 3 hot air balloons, an airship, 2500 miniature... Read review

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Advantages: Vibrant, cosmopolitan city and stunningly beautiful lakes
Disadvantages: Pricey, dirty and plagued by annoying gypsies

...and the food is Italian. However, when you look beneath the surface you start to notice that this isn’t the real Italy after all, but a sort of Germanicised Italy. The streets are clean and have little or no graffiti, the people are quiet and reserved and everywhere you look there is the distinct ‘scent’ of money in the air. There is a bank on virtually every street corner! If you reach Lugano by train you will need to take the funicular railway down to the town centre. The ferry point is close to the main square and from there you can explore the lake. Lake Lugano is not a particularly big lake and is surrounded by steep wooded mountains, which makes it look very ‘fjord’ like. One interesting lakeside village is ‘Campione’, an anomaly of politics and geography, being a sovereign Italian territory completely surrounded by Swiss land. Overall... Read review

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Advantages: good place to visit
Disadvantages: ?????

...park opposite the entrance. There are a few wheelchairs available free for use if you should need one. Bekonscot is really a landscape with 6 little villages covering 1-½ acres. It really is like a collection of real villages all with roads, and a miniature railway connecting them. Although the village is set in the 1930’s I can see elements in it of the village community I grew up in, in the 1950’s. There is a pathway for us giants to walk around and view the goings on of the people in the miniature village. As you walk around the village you can see a zoo, a castle and a windmill. If you wished you could stop and watch the cricket match on the village green see if the bowler has fallen over it is a very slow moving cricket match. So move on to watch the activities at the coalmine a hodd of coal moves around this model... Read review

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