Lucerne, or Luzern, depending on where you’re reading this is absolutely gorgeous
Lucerne Tips:
Switzerland is insanely expensive. I’m sure you’ve heard how expensive it is before, but truly it is the most expensive place I have ever been. Be prepared.
Also on the money front, Switzerland does not use Euros like most of the continent, they use Swiss Francs. Personally I did not need cash for anything, so it was not an issue
I stayed at Hotel Bellevue which was just outside of the main city center via an easy bus ride. The views of the lake and mountains were really great!
Most hotels come with a Lucerne Visitor Card that gets you free access to public transportation and discounts on various attractions
Overall the city is tiny, you can see it all in 24 hours!
The city is quite touristy overall which is not my favorite vibe, but it was nice that English was everywhere as a result
If you’re on a Swiss adventure, check out my guide to Zurich here!
Adventures & Ales Top Lucerne Recommendations:
Relax by the water and soak in the gorgeous views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps!
Rathaus Brauerei: Brewery on the water lots of outdoor seating. Get. The. Soup. It is basically a mixture of beer cheese and potato soup and truly incredible!
All of the other breweries in town had really weird hours so I wasn’t able to visit them but as a heads up there are a couple others
Bierliebre & Friends: Craft beer bar also on the water right next to Rathaus Brauerei
Pastarazzi: Super fresh pasta restaurant where you build your own dish
Rathaus Brauerei
Top Touristy Spots in Lucerne Actually Worth Visiting:
Wander the town! Lucerne is really small and you can walk everywhere very easily. Here are some highlights to see:
Chapel Bridge: A historic covered bridge—be sure to actually walk across it to see the inside
Spreuer Bridge: A second, smaller covered bridge
Museggmauer: The old city wall. It is a relatively steep climb up but absolutely worth it for the views of the city
Weinmarkt: One of the main squares
Rathaus Stadt Luzern: Old town hall building
Kornmarkt: Another large city square
Jesuit Church: A pretty church overall but nothing overly impressive
St Peter’s Chapel: Another historic church, right next to the covered bridge
Mount Rigi Views
Go up a mountain!
I chose Rigi and Pilatus is another popular option.
There are several different ways you can choose to go up Mount Rigi—there’s a combination of trains, cogwheel, boat, cable car, or if you’re extremely ambitious—hiking!
For my route up I took the Voralpen Express for a short but gorgeous ride to the Arth-Goldau stop to switch to the Rigi Cogwheel that leads you directly up to the summit. This process takes around two hours to get to the top of Rigi from Lucerne.
The signage to the cogwheel is not great at Arth-Goldau as a forewarning, it is up above the rest of the normal trains.
The views from the top of Rigi are stupendous. They are absolutely breathtaking in each direction! It is freezing at the top of the mountain, as is the case with most mountains, so be sure to dress in layers
There is a restaurant at the summit that you can grab a hot chocolate, beer, snacks, or a full meal at. I would recommend planning for an hour at the summit, as the cogwheel runs on the hour
For my journey down I took the cogwheel to the Vitznau station then took the boat from Vitznau back to Lucerne. The cogwheel ride down provided gorgeous views—I would recommend sitting on the right side for the best vantage points
The boat ride was pretty, though not as “epic” as I thought it might be. When you buy your ticket you choose first class (upper deck) or second class (lower deck), the views are not drastically different from either
Overall the round trip journey was really quite expensive (almost $150) which is way more than I would’ve liked to pay but as I said above, Switzerland is really expensive so it was to be expected. It was my favorite thing I did in Switzerland—getting into the Alps was worth it for me, but just be aware of what you’re getting yourself into
