Hello - We are new to this forum and are preparing for a short stay in Lucerne at the end of a Rhine River cruise in June. It is our first trip to Europe, so we look forward to learning from the responses here. We will be in Lucerne from ~ noon Sunday until early Wednesday morning and are trying to see/do as much as feasible during that short time. We have already planned for a guided walking tour on Sunday afternoon, and if time permits, a cruise on Lake Lucerne. (Cruise can be moved to Monday or Tuesday if necessary, but it is a priority for us.) And we plan to visit either Mt. Rigi or Mt. Pilatus. But that still leaves us with at least a full day unplanned, and we would like to have ideas of another day trip which would allow us to see more of the country. We have read that the Golden Pass route is beautiful, especially between Zweisimmen and Montreux, but since we have hotel reservations all three nights in Lucerne, it is too far to do a round trip from Lucerne to Montreux in one day. Should we consider just going as far as Interlaken Ost, then back to Lucerne? Or are there any other areas that we could visit that would be a reasonable day trip by train from Lucerne? We appreciate any suggestions for our itinerary. Thank you!
Posted by
Seattle
4637 posts
If the weather cooperates, take a train to Engelberg then cable car to Mt. Titlis (3238 meters above sea level). That's my plan when we are there in May.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32350 posts
Laura,
To begin with, I'd suggest stopping by your local Library to see if they have a copy of the Rick Steves Switzerland guidebook. That will give you lots of ideas on touring and day trips from Lucerne. One point to mention about travelling in Switzerland is to bring money as it's not cheap!
If you just want a short cruise on the lake, you can combine that with a trip to Mt. Pilatus. Take the boat from Lucerne to Alphachstad, the Funicular to Pilatus and then cable car down to Kriens, returning to Lucerne by Bus. It's a very easy trip and that will use one of your days.
Lucerne also has some interesting sights such as the incredible Museum of Transport, the famous Lion of Lucerne, etc. You might want to include some shopping time to stop by the posh Bucherer jewelry stores to pick up that $20k Rolex watch you've always wanted.
If you're willing to spend a long day, you could also take a day trip to the Berner Oberland, which is a big favourite with many here. Travel time from Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen is about 2H:20M each way. From Lauterbrunnen you can explore Mürren, Gimmelwald and the famous Schilthorn, or go to the other side of the valley and see Wengen and the Jungfraujoch. The Schilthorn was made famous by the James Bond movie, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Those are a few ideas to check out. Once you've decided on something, the well travelled group here can help you work out the details.
Posted by
Switzerland
408 posts
Lucerne itself deserves time - you can easily fill a day wandering around the old town, going up the city walls, enjoying a meal with mountain views at the riverside, even take a swim in the lake. On a nice summer day, it is hard to beat, so don't discount just enjoying a full day in town!
Re your post, round trip to Montreux on the Golden Pass would be a very long day consisting almost solely of sitting on trains. Nice scenery, yes, but I wouldn't do it. Interlaken is a much easier trip (under 2 hrs with the normal "Interlaken Express" train), with great scenery. Interlaken itself is of limited interest in my opinion, but you could either continue on to Lauterbrunnen etc (depending how early you get started and how much time you want to spend on the train), or just do the round-trip and enjoy the landscape.
If you are mainly interested in mountain scenery, there are also other options closer to Luzern. Tourist favorite is Engelberg/Titlis only 45 mins from Luzern (take the walk around Trübsee - fewer people, nice views) but there are many others - Melchsee-Frutt (1hr22mins) offers relatively level walking trails in mountain scenery with alpine lakes. Klewenalp (1hr10mins) is also nice and can be combined with a short lake cruise, etc.
I know most visitors want to prioritize mountains, but just keep in mind that there are often summer thunderstorms in Switzerland (esp in the mountains), so have back-up plans too. Bern, for example, makes an easy and interesting day trip from Luzern, rain or shine.
Posted by
USA
311 posts
Consider an easy day trip to Bern, the capital of Switzerland.