Switzerland – Lucerne

Lucerne, Switzerland

Beautiful lakeside Lucerne, with its ancient wooden bridges and towers across the fast flowing river. Steamboats ply the lake, with pretty chalet style buildings and heavy winter-ready buildings standing in small squares and alleyways. Walk the city walls, visit over-the-top rococo decorated churches and find the carved stone lion at the pond. When all is done, take a long walk along the lakeside promenade to see snow-capped mountains, even in Summer, reflected in the still waters of the gigantic lake.

I wanted to visit around 3 or four places on this trip. Well, that’s what I did as I visited Zurich (click here for info), Lucerne  and Basel (click here for info), on a week trip. I managed to slip into Vaduz in Liechtenstein (click here for review), for 2 days as well, as it borders Switzerland and was easy to get to.

My next trip to Switzerland would have to be a separate one as I still want to see Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux and Berne – watch this space!

Of the three swiss cities I visited on my 4-city tour, Lucerne is perhaps the prettiest and most medieval throwback of them all. Street upon street is a museum of old, preserved and perfectly maintained buildings that evoke a long-gone period of time.

The bridges across the River Reuss are unique in their ancient design and construction. They were actually something I was not expecting or have ever seen anywhere else. The impressive, and still largely intact, city walls with tremendous views over the city and Lake Lucerne were another unexpected delight.

The city feels very affluent (yep, most of Switzerland is, but here was more so). People were well dressed and everything maintained so well in a grand way that showed money was available to keep these standards high.

How to catch the train from Zurich to Lucerne.

I based myself in Zurich and took the train to Lucerne for a full-day visit.

1. There are around 4 trains per hour to Lucerne from Zurich
2. Fares vary from about 7 to 13 CHF depending on which train you catch.
3. Times again vary from 1hr 20 mins to 50 mins depending on the service, as some require a change of train.
4. Click here for SBB Swiss train info,

The route takes you from city centre to city centre, so are really convenient for city viewing. The minimalist, concrete Lucerne train station is a contrast in looks to the very grand/classic style of Zurich’s and is quite impressive in its design as you exit, with the views over the lake to one side and upstream river/city views to the other.

What is impressive is that the trains are modern, comfy, super clean and well maintained. They are often the double decker style which will give you great viewing (and photo opportunities) of the surrounding countryside as you whizz by.

My train unfortunately had a mechanical failure on route at a station (unusual in itself) but we had to wait only 20 mins for the following next service that sped us on our way. If you are planning on doing multi cross-Switzerland routes then look at the Swiss Railway passes as these offer great value over a week or more of intense rail travel. Click here for travel card info on Swiss Railways.

What to see and do in Lucerne.

Lucerne is another very walkable city with lots of pedestrianised city centre streets, café stop offs and quaint restaurants. You will however, need a good pair of legs if you want to climb up the incline to the city walls and walk the length of them. – but don’t miss out on it as that is one of the best parts of Lucerne.

I arrived at the large central train station in Lucerne and made straight for the Tourist Info Office in the building. The tourist info office in the station is big, with really helpful staff and offer a great free map.

Free city walks start from here on certain days just outside, that I had heard about but decided I wanted to do it solo.

So, I walked out of the station and across the way is the Conference Centre with its massive flat overhanging roof and the open-air bus hub in front of you.

Lake views, Lucerne.

But firstly, take a look at the lake and opposite bank. This is one of the best views of Lucerne. Grand buildings (mostly hotels), expensive apartment blocks and residential houses line the bank of the lake and give a very swanky and affluent view.

Marvellously maintained walkways, parks and green area, yachts, viewpoints, green forests, mountain views, church spires and palace like buildings are in abundance – great photo opportunities here!

Lake trip boats. Lucerne.

Near to you are the lake boats and their boarding jetties and moorings. Stay a while and you will see numerous tourist lake trip boats pull in and leave, but remember that many of these boats are also normal commuter routes for the Swiss too.

Old Train Station entrance Monument.

The big water fountain and open walkway near the Conference Centre are full of passing tourists and citizens. The old entrance to the station is still preserved as a unique arch/monument to its past and you can still walk through the original (but solitary) station entrance.

Opposite is the majestic Monopole Hotel in a fine French Napoleonic design. There are seating areas and open spaces here to use to gaze out at the lake and it’s a great area to rest before or after a city walk.

I knew I only had a full day in Lucerne and so had earmarked in advance what I really wanted to see and then would see if I could fit in the secondary visits, if there was time. The very thing I wanted to see most was just a few minutes up the road form the station, so I headed there first to make sure I saw it in full.

Rosengart Collection.

Classic Modernist and Impressionist art are now accessible to the public in the Rosengart Collection Lucerne, (click here for opening hours and info). Previously, these works had adorned the private rooms of the Rosengart family.

This turns out to be the perfect first visit choice as I ended up in art heaven! I was expecting a fabulous gallery but this was stunning.

I spent far more time than I planned here as I thought the other places can wait as I was enjoying this museum so much, being the arty vulture that I am.

The Museum is on 3 floors and full of art from – hopefully I get most here – Chagall, Utrillo, Braque, Calder (sculpture), Cezanne, Dufy, Leger, Matisse, Kandinsky, Modigliani., Miro, Seurat, Renoir, Pissarro and Monet to name just some of them.

However, this Museum has a huge collection by Picasso (the main reason I was here, as I adore his works) and Klee, that virtually have a floor to themselves each.

Unfortunately no photography was allowed in the Museum, which is a great pity. I wanted to show some of the great works here. You will just have to visit it yourself to see them I guess!

A little history about this place now. I want to tell this as this Museum is not just another art gallery set up by a city for the public. It has a really unique, interesting past and even present that needs to be known.

It came about because of the Rosengart family. Angela Rosengart, (born 1932 and still living), along with her father was an art dealer/collector. She mingled with many artists of the 1930-60’s and was even a close friend of Picasso (who even sketched her 5 times!) and Klee.

She had artworks hanging in her home by the dozen – imagine having original Picasso’s on your walls – and collected loads more. She gave 8 of these to Lucerne City in 1978, as a gift, who displayed them in a city collection (and more from her that she added) for the public.

In 1990 she set up a foundation to ensure the works had funds to continue being displayed. In 2002, after buying the present building (a lovely old bank building in a 1920s art deco style) she opened the whole building up to the original works and added in her huge collection.

Hundreds of sculptures and artworks are here now – what a terrific, future thinking lady, and here I was marvelling at the works! A true benefactor/philanthropist.

From here it was a few minutes’ walk down the side street from the museum towards the river for another famous sight.

Chapel Bridge or Kapellbrücke.

This is a unique sight. A low-level wooden bridge on stilts that runs at several angles across the river. It is roofed in terracotta coloured tiles on big sloping eaves and houses important painted frescoes under the triangle roof supports.

It also has a stone tower near one side of the embankment. In Summer it has big window boxes along its outer sides filled with flowers. It certainly looks strangely out of place as it is so low in the water as a bridge i.e. no normal sized boat would fit under it and why built in several angles across the river?

You can walk across it as it is pedestrian only and not actually very wide at all. You definitely get great views of the city and down/upstream from its sides, but be aware that it does get very busy as an attraction, so step to one side or you will hold up everyone.

I crossed back across the river to where I entered the bridge. There is another low lying mainly pedestrian bridge  near here that gave great unobstructed views up the river. Nearby, just past The Lucerne Theatre – a well-known performing arts centre for opera, dance and theatre – was my next place to visit.

Jesuit Church, Lucerne.

This 17th century baroque church with its twin towers topped with onion shaped domes was lauded over in the guidebooks. Inside it is a splendid painted and decorated masterpiece. The ceilings and walls are painted in white and pink with central murals. The massive brown/gold coloured organ structure thus stands out against these colours.

While I was in there the choir was practising with the organ delightfully playing. I recorded parts of the practice as I sat a while watching them high up above. It was so peaceful and enchanting.

From here, walk along the pedestrianised area past a grand government building and preserved old edifices to the Franciscan Church a little further along.

Franciscan Church.

It has a peaceful outer courtyard set with trees and a small fountain and is so quiet considering you are in the middle of a city. Inside parts of the vaulted ceiling are intricately carved and painted in biblical scenes and figures despite the rather plain white walls.

Several side chapels hold carved altars of various colours and one pink and reddish dappled altar piece stood out with inserts of old paintings.

Alte Suidtersche Apotheke.

A walk along the next pedestrianised area shows a few grand buildings but also a curiously corner overhanging building, never did work out what it was for! Further along from here is a small but interesting building. Its shape is medieval/castle/arches in a weird collaboration and it’s called the Alte Suidtersche Apotheke. It is actually the oldest apothecary or pharmacy shop in Lucerne, dating from 1833 and is still in use today.

Dam and weir on River Reuss.

From here head straight down the road to the river, arriving at the small but fast flowing weir. To the left is a small dam made of wooden posts that forms part of the hydro-electric mini dam on the other side of the river. This small and unique complex has a bridge crossing it and the river.

Spreuer Bridge.

This is another old wooden, low level bridge with a big sloping tiled roof. The roof supports are very similar to the Chapel Bridge further down the river and have death as its theme of depictions.

Just before the entrance are two museums- Natural History and a Lucerne History one. I skipped them both as reviews said they were nice but not big on anyone’s list. From the other side of the bridge you have two options. To follow the roads and explore more old, well preserved buildings and churches in what is the Old Town area or head towards the first of the 9 towers incorporated into the ancient city walls.

I chose to head to the first tower that starts the walls off, next to the river.

City walls and towers.

The climb up the stairs to reach the wall tops is steep and quite long as the towers are huge. The views from the first towers give great vistas down the river, seeing the bridges and some distant mountains.

These towers were built at various times between the 13-15th century and incorporate huge tall stone walls along which you can walk for the most part. They are not usually open in winter and there are sometimes restrictions on which tower is open. The tower called Zytturm has a colourful painted clock on its top – the oldest one in Lucerne – and also a small museum of clocks inside.

Views from the top of the walls are stunning as you not only get to see way over the rooftops of the city but to the nearby Lake Lucerne and the distant snow-capped (even in Summer) Alps.

Old Town Area, Lucerne.

I walked as far as I could as some towers were not open.  After taking in the views as much as I needed, I descended down into a part of The Old Town area. Here I continued through the streets, taking pics of any interesting building that I passed by – there were lots that fitted that category!

Lucerne Old Town area is very much like Zurich’s and Basel’s, in that the streets with their ancient, preserved buildings are a museum in themselves. My meanderings took me through the square with St Peters church to one side, past the old City Hall and beautiful clock tower. I ended my route at the famously decorated Hotel Des Balances, the ornate Wine Market Square and the Corn Market Square. So many buildings wonderfully painted and decorated in old designs.

I needed a break, so a coffee pit stop at a nearby café was in order. There are so many places to stop for refreshment, so just chose one that takes your fancy and sit down as they are all so quaint and historical.

From here was a long walk back through the entire length of the Old Town area to my next visit place, so I was hoping it would be worth the 25 mins to get there.

The Lion Monument.

I arrived at the Lion Monument to be greeted by hordes of tourists debarking from coaches nearby and filing in through the gates. This was not pleasant, as there were hundreds of people here in organised, noisy groups and the area got a cramped feeling. I waited a good 10 mins for several of these groups to disperse (as quickly as they appeared after getting their selfies!) and then I had more space and peace to move around.

This monument was a bit disappointing as it was basically a lion carved into the rock of an escarpment in front of a large pond. It wasn’t as big as I expected, or intricate and it seemed a bit lost on its own in a public park area.

It dates from the early 19th century and was made as a memorial to the Swiss Guards who died in a massacre in 1792 during the French Revolution.

From here it was a walk downhill, back towards the northern shore of the lake. Just before the lakeshore is a side street and further along it is a set of swiss chalet, wooden-fronted, coloured buildings with a wide view along its street to a solid looking twin spired church.

Hofkirche St. Leodegar.

The spires of St Leodegar can be seen from many parts of Lucerne. From the other side of the lake, they stand out as a back drop to any photo. The inside walls are rather plain but individual altar pieces in several chapels were wonderful, colourful creations in gold, red or black.

The church has its own gardens to relax in and are so peaceful.

The area around the church is reminiscent of a small village area with the obligatory cafes, tourist shops and old timber front houses painted red and white.

Lake Lucerne quayside.

This area is a walkers paradise. Wide, long walkways, tree lined boulevards with side drops of majestic classical styled hotels, gardens, statues and seating areas. Everything you need to enjoy yet more wonderful views across the lake to the Alps and the small lake trip boats plying the waters.

Several lake excursion boats leave from here and the area was fairly full of people enjoying the sun on the large open-air grassed area, walking the paved areas, swimming in the lake and generally enjoying the sun and exercise.

Row upon row of elegant up-market apartment blocks and hotels lined the lakeside further up and I had seen enough of the lake after my 20 mins meander along its shore, so it was simply a hop across the lake entrance bridge back to the train station nearby.

Of all the cities I have visited so far in Switzerland, I feel Lucerne is my favourite. It has an atmospherical Old Town area, unique city walls and towers, views across a lake to the snow topped Alps, wonderful museums and art galleries and unique wooden bridges. A truly captivating city to visit.

June 2017.