Why go now?
Go in mid-August and you’ll catch the Lucerne Summer Festival, one of the world’s great classical music festivals. And you can enjoy the evening light over Lake Lucerne, as you emerge from the Jean Nouvel-designed concert hall. For a city of only 80,000 Lucerne punches way above its weight in terms of visitor appeal. It’s almost too picture-perfect, sitting pretty at one end of Lake Lucerne with the hills all round giving a pleasant cosy feeling.
It’s almost too picture-perfect, sitting pretty at one end of Lake Lucerne with the hills all round giving a pleasant cosy feeling.
Beyond the lake are the mountains, snow-covered all year round, dominated by the vastly impressive peak of Mount Pilatus. As well as a very well-preserved Old Town, there are sunny old squares, intriguing churches, an impossibly picturesque wooden bridge, wide lake-side promenades, and right at the city’s heart the startling black severity of the Culture and Congress Centre (KKL), which provides a sharp contrast to the quaintness all around. The city is packed with history, thanks partly to its strategic position as a gateway between Protestant Northern Europe and Catholic Italy. Some cities are a risk for a weekend break; with Lucerne satisfaction is practically guaranteed.
Getting there
Lucerne lacks an airport, so the best way to reach it is to fly to Zürich (by Easyjet or Swissair) and take a train direct from Zürich airport. It takes as little as 45 minutes, costs around CHF 24 (?16.50) and like nearly all train journeys in Switzerland is amazingly picturesque. Lucerne is bang in the middle of Switzerland,
jordans for cheap, so you can reach it by rail in just over an hour from Bern and Basel, and from Lugano in 2.5 hours.
Where to stay
Special treat
It’s eye-wateringly expensive, at around CHF 684 (?470) for a “romantic package” for two for one night, but the Palace Hotel (1) at Haldenstrasse 10 (0041 41 416 16 16;
palace-lucerne.ch) is one of the world’s legendary holsteries, still suffused with the luxury of the pre-First-World era when it was built. It has a wonderful restaurant with views to die for over the lake,
cheap real jordans, which is worth a visit in itself.
Check availability:
Palace Hotel, Lucerne
The Palace Hotel is one of the world’s legendary holsteries.
Mid-range
Hotel Hofgarten (2) at Stadthofstrasse 14 (0041 410 88 88; ,http://www.kaasts.com/Kaas/forum/newtopic.htmlcheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg;
hofgarten.ch) is situated in a rambling old building from 1670 with winding staircases and rooms individually decorated in high-modernist style from CHF210 (?144). Both this and the sister Hotel Zum Rebstock (at St Leodegarstrasse 3) have fine in-house restaurants.
On a budget
Stern Hotel (3) at Burgerstrasse 35 (0041 41 227 50 60;
sternluzern.ch lies in the middle of the Old Town and has been newly spruced up in clean, uncluttered style. Doubles from CHF130 (?90). There’s also an in-house restaurant offering the likes of veal in pastry for CHF24 (?16.50).
On arrival
6pm
From the railway station, walk along the shore of the river Reuss in a westerly direction, and cross over via the 14th-century wooden bridge known as the Kapellbrücke (4). The gabled modern roof is a modern reconstruction after a disastrous fire in 1994, but the water tower is original, as are Heinrich W?gmann’s fascinating 17th-century triangular roof panels, with scenes mingling mythical and historical themes. Then take a stroll eastwards along the Rathausquai and the Schweizerhofquai, and admire the setting sun over the lake.
Walk along the shore of the river Reuss, and cross over via the 14th-century wooden bridge known as the Kapellbrücke.
8.30pm
Eventually you’ll come to the Restaurant Olivo (5) at Haldenstrasse 6 (0041 41 418 56 56;
grandcasinoluzern.ch), just off the Nationalquai. It’s part of the Casino, but gambling is not obligatory. There’s a choice of a grand main dining room, or the lake-side terrace. The current four-course menu costs CHF89 (?61) and includes wild turbot, brie filled with mascarpone and summer truffles,
Kicksokok.com, and passionfruit cakes with sour cherry sorbet.
Day One
10am
Visiting the Lion Monument (6) involve the long walk up Lowenstrasse (Lion Street), but it’s worth it as this is the most touching monument in the city. The 10-metre-long statue of a dying lion carved out of a rock-face commemorates the 800 Swiss mercenaries who were killed defending Louis XVI during the French Revolution. Entrance free.
11am
Retrace your steps a very short distance to the Bourbaki Panorama (7). One of few surviving 19th-century panoramas, this one portrays the French army of the East under General Bourbaki crossing into Switzerland during the Franco-Prussian War (0041 41 412 30 30;
bourbakipanorama.ch; open daily; admission CHF12/?
.
Noon
Wander round the tiny streets of the old town (Altstadt), which is just north of Rathausquai on the North side of the river Reuss. If there’s time, cross the river Reuss to view the Jesuit Church (
, a fine building dating from 1666 and a reminder that Lucerne is very much a Catholic city.
The Jesuit Church is a fine building dating from 1666, and a reminder that Lucerne is very much a Catholic city.
2pm
Lunch at Brasserie Bodu (9) at Kornmarkt 5 (0041 41 410 01 77;
brasseriebodu.ch), an old-fashioned, wood-panelled bistro with leather-backed banquettes. Bouillabaisse, sirloin steaks, couscous and succulent escalopes de veau are around CHF35–45 (?24-?30).
3.30pm
Even for non opera-goers, a visit to Tribschen (10),
cheap jordans free shipping, the lakeside villa of Richard Wagner, is a fascinating glimpse into the domestic life and social circle of a 19th-century giant. You can walk to it along the southern shore of the lake, but it’s quicker to take a no. 6,7 or 8 bus from the train station to Wartegg (0041 41 360 23 70;
richard-wagner-museum.ch; open daily but closed for lunch between 12pm and 2pm; admission CHF8/?5.50),http://opdat.jagtservice.dk/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=5525cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg.
6pm
Unwind with a stroll in the lakeside park of Inseli (11), right by the train station. You can play table-tennis and drink at the summertime bars Volière and Buvette.
8pm
Dinner at Mill’Feuille (12) at Mühlenplatz 6 (0041 41 410 10 92,
cheap air jordans;
millfeuille.ch), a very classy restaurant very close to the northern end of the other famous wooden bridge, the Spreuerbrücke. A typical three-course set menu at CHF65 (?45) includes sweet and sour pepper soup, Pak Choi en Papilotte, Sirloin Steak and panacotta.
Mill’Feuille is a very classy restaurant very close to the Spreuerbrücke wooden bridge.
Day two
10am
The Sammlung Rosengart (13) at Pilatustrasse 10 is a small jewel of an art gallery. Put together by collectors Siegfried and Angela Rosengart, it has 32 paintings and around 100 smaller works by Picasso, and an entire room filled with 125 tiny works of Paul Klee, as well as works by Cézanne, Monet, Bonnard et al (0041 41 220 16 60;
rosengart.ch; open daily,
cheap jordans online; admission CHF18/,
cheap jordans for sale?12).
12,http://forum.tagks.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=4372968cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg.30pm
Take an early lunch at the World Cafe at the Culture and Congress Centre (14) at Europaplatz 1. Choose from six or seven wok-cooked dishes at around CHF20 (?13) from the excellent world cuisine buffet,
cheap jordan shoes, followed with very European tarts and pastries, and enjoy the views over the lake.
2pm onwards
You could stay put in the KKL and visit the Art Museum which houses temporary exhibitions of contemporary art (0041 41 226 78 00;
kkl-luzern.ch/en; open daily except Mondays; admission CHF 15/?10). Alternatively, take one of many boat trips on offer. The Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (0041 41 367 67 67;
lakelucerne.ch) offers longer trips with à la carte dining, as well as one-hour round trips, starting at either the Schweizerhof (rail station) or on the Bahnhofquai by the KKL. Departures vary seasonally, and cost from CHF 25 (?17). From May to October you can also make the so-called Golden Round Trip up Mount Pilatus. It starts with a boat from Lucerne to Alpnachstad, followed by an ascent on the world’s steepest cog railway to the summit. From there a cable car brings you down to Kriens, where bus no. 1 takes you back to Lucerne. The round trip costs CHF 97 (?32.50). For prices, timetables and online booking see
pilatus.ch/en.
Lake Lucerne with Mount Pilatus in the background.
City checklist
1. The tourist office at Zentralstrasse 5 can also be accessed from platform 3 of the train station (0041 41 227 17 17)
luzern.com.
2. The Lucerne Museum Card gets you one entry into eleven museums across two consecutive days, at a cost of CHF 36 (?24.00).
3. Lucerne’s Carnival or ‘Fasnacht’ is said to be the rowdiest in Switzerland. From so-called Dirty Thursday until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday the streets are packed at all hours with musicians, acrobats and actors dressed as ogres, jesters and witches.
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