In central Switzerland is the beautiful town of Lucerne. Located on Lake Lucerne with the majestic views of the Alps, make visiting Lucerne a “must see.”
Lucerne is a major transportation hub. The Swiss trains are ultra modern, pleasant and we highly recommend a Swiss Travel pass that will save you lots of monies.
There is actually a “city beneath a city.” There are a number of shops and even a good size supermarket on the basement level. Old Town closes up on Sundays, and this is a good place to shop.
Visiting Lucerne was our fourth time being in 1979, 1985, 1988 and 2016. One of my first pictures in 1979 was of this woman modeling.
In 2016, we stayed close to the train station at Continental Park Hotel.
It was just a short walk to Old Town. The hotel room was comfortable.
The belief that Europeans bathrooms are too small is now a misnomer. The only problem we have is that the bathtub sides are way too high.
Many of the hotels we encountered in Europe have become “Environmentally Green.” For example, Continental Park will only change the sheets if you request them to do so.
We noticed the Swiss had developed a unique way of recycling.
The hotel was a bit pricy as it was a busy weekend with a concert. The staff is extremely friendly.
The breakfast was good. I did find the perfect omelet. I like real flat ones. They made the best omelet at Continental Park Hotel.
The Chapel Bridge will mark the entrance into Old Town.
View of Lucerne’s Old Town
The footbridge dates back to the 16th century. Unfortunately, a fire started by a careless smoker, burnt the original bridge down in 1993. It has since been rebuilt.
A smaller but original bridge constructed in 1408 is further down the River Reuss known as the Mill Bridge. You can see the waters rush extremely fast here.
Half way through the bridge walkway was this painting below:
Old Town Lucerne, indeed, has its charm.
Surrounding Old Town is Lucerne’s historic City Walls. There are nine towers that you can actually walk-in for free.
Don’t miss the city’s oldest clock built in 1535.
The vistas on top of the historic City Walls is quite impressive. All free to see.
Walking through Old Town is filled with narrow alleys and painted buildings-literally. The area of Lucerne has under 100,000 population.
Rick Steves advises eating at Manora’s in an Old Town department store called Manors. The food is served buffet style.
The price is per plate. I still haven’t figured out how they priced everything. For two hardy portions, we paid about $40 dollars—good for Switzerland!
We thought the food was quite good.
We met the manager who was extremely sweet. There was no question about “taking pictures.” We didn’t find that the case at other Manor restaurants in Switzerland.
We did go into a McDonalds to compare prices. A Big Mac cost at least $12 dollars. McDonalds was always crowded.
Even with the high cost of a Big Mac, we noticed McDonalds to always be crowded.
Located in Old Town Lucerne is the famous Lion’s Monument sculptured by Lukas Ahorn in 1821.
Situated along a cliff alcove, this monument draws over a million tourists a year. The monument was dedicated to the Swiss Guards that were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution trying to protect the Palace in Paris.
Mark Twain once said about the mortally wounded lion being “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.”
The Lion’s Monument is free. You want to come either real early or late as the tourist’s busses and people can get overwhelming.
Not far is the Bourbaki Panorama. A 6660 square feet circular painting will captivate you. It is one of the last largest paintings of the 19th century. As a Red Cross volunteer, artist Edouard Castres experienced the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian war first hand. This painting delt with a French Army that crossed over to Switzerland for protection.
We did enjoy the Bourbaki Panorama. I saw something similar to this at a museum in Gettysburg that was a colossal circular painting.
Right down the street from Bourbaki is the Catholic Church of St. Leodegar.
You can’t miss the two prominent spires built circa 1639. The church was, indeed, interesting. I did, though, miss all the stained-glass windows that many Cathedrals in Europe have.
The Swiss Museum of Transport is in walking distance around the lake.
We came across several interesting statues on our walk.
There was a form of Bocce ball being played and even a game of chess.
On a rainy day, the Museum of Transport would be an excellent way to spend several hours. There are plenty of interesting displays relating to everything in transportation: cars, trains, planes and even a submarine.
The museum is interactive with kids. The Swiss Museum of Transport is actually a phenomenal museum.
Outside the museum is the largest drill we have ever seen. It was used to build elaborate tunnels through the Alps.
On the other side of Lake Lucerne, a short walk through the woods and past a marina, is the villa of the famous composer Richard Wagner.
It is in the villa where he lived for six years from 1866 to 1872.
The views from this villa are majestic. You could easily see why Richard lived here.
We were greeted by a friendly woman from Uruguay—now married to a Swiss man. She spoke perfectly good English.
The villa is a museum today. We enjoyed looking at a number of his artifacts like Wagner’s piano.
I liked the plaster of Paris mold of Wagner’s hand.
It is in this villa that Wagner composed such works as his “Emperor’s March.”
He had guests over Christmas Day to celebrate his wife’s birthday. One of those guests was the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Below is a gift that was given to Richard by an Emperor.
A gift from the Emperor to Wagner
There are two main excursions from Lucerne: a trip up Mt. Rigi or Mt. Pilatus. In 2016 we did both.
We decided to take the ferry from Old Town to Vitznau. The ride is quite pleasant.
This ships are comfortable.
We met several couples from Scranton, PA.. Americans abroad are among the friendliness people you will ever meet.
Along the way the ship stopped at various Swiss villages.
Most people take the cog up Mount Rigi. This cog is considered the first European mountain railway built in 1871.
There is Hotel Rigi Kulm near the top of the 5899-foot mountain. We were treated with a stay at Hotel Rigi with the student group in 1988. I remember getting under the soft quilt blanket with the room being very cool for a June evening and that Kathie had two cups of clear onion broth for dinner.
Today, the dining room has changed. More like a buffet style.
We witnessed hand-gliders going off the cliff in 1988.
I will never forget seeing three military soldiers walking with their rifles and the Swiss Military jet that blew pass the summit within a few hundred feet.
When the sun is out, Mr. Rigi is lovely. The 360 degrees of panoramic views of the 13 lakes and the Alps are majestic. Mr. Rigi is surrounded on three sides by lakes. The only “ugly” point on Mt. Rigi is the communication tower that was placed there after our 1988 visit.
In 1897, Mark Twain climbed Mt. Rigi and stayed in a village named Weggis with his family for the summer. Twain described his experiences as “This is Paradise, Here.”
The mountain on the other side of Lake Lucerne that tours and tourists go to is Mt. Pilatus. You can take a 15-minute train or even a ferry to the village of Alpnachstad.
I was on the summit in 1985 with the Wetzel student group and with Kathie in 2016. Both times the summit was cloudy.
On our trip up in 2016, we had a friendly conversation with a Swiss soldier who was actually station near the 7,000 summit.
The cog trains have the steepest incline in all the world.
Legend has it that “Pontius Pilate” is buried in this mountain. More than likely the name is derived from “pileatus,” meaning cloudy. Both times, in 1985 with the Wetzel student group, and our visit in 2016, Pilatus was, indeed, cloudy.
At the top is a modern observatory with an extensive cafeteria. We met a beautiful couple from Chicago as we were sitting enjoying our cloudy views.
Both times I have visited, there has been pockets of snow making for enticing snow-balls.
1985
2016
We were able to walk around and explore the area the best we could.
