So, we are going to spend a couple of nights in Lucerne in July and am looking at either Hotel Central Luzern or Hotel Des Alpes. Anyone have input about either or a better recommendation? Both are within walking of the train station which is important. Also, we have nothing planned but maybe the free walking tour, what did you love? We are game for whatever, thought about renting bikes...
Thanks for any advise.
Posted by
9 posts
Last September, we went on the Best of Switzerland tour and the tour stayed in Hotel Des Alpes. The hotel is a short walk from the train station and is situated overlooking the Chapel Bridge. We were fortunate to have a room with a very small balcony that overlooked the bridge. It was a lovely sight , especially at night time when all the lights are on in the area. I would stay in the hotel again. The breakfast downstairs was quite nice with a good variety of choices. If you can get a room that overlooks the river and the bridge, it is very enjoyable. Since the hotel is right on the river, there is some noise from the outdoor seating at the many restaurants there. We were on the 3rd floor, so the noise from talking never bothered us. If you have a good part of a day available, I would highly recommend the trip to Mt. Pilatus. We chose to start the trip with a paddlewheel boat ride on Lake Lucerne (the boats are right near the train station) to the steep cogwheel train that leads up to the mountain. On the way back, we took the cable car and, then, gondola down to where you walk about 10 minutes to the bus back to the train station. The trickiest part was finding the bus, so make sure you have good directions. There is lots of information online about Mt. Pilatus. You can do the trip in reverse, too. Bus, gondola, cable car, cogwheel train, and paddlewheel boat. What a gorgeous view at the top of Mt. Pilatus. We watched a man spread out his parachute, check the wind, and step off the mountainside to paraglide around the mountain down toward Lucerne. Very peaceful.
Posted by
OP
Portland,Oregon
250 posts
Peony Gal
Thanks for the input, I am going to research your suggestions. Thank you!
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6462 posts
We did the trip to Mt. Rigi which is a lovely boat ride to Vitznau where we took a cog train to the summit. The view was spectacular as I would imagine Titlus and Pilatus are as well. The boat ride and train up to Rigi are included in the Swiss Travel Pass if you are purchasing that.
Posted by
Florida
1450 posts
I have stayed at Hotel des Alpes twice and can echo the positive review, however it is expensive. I have also stayed at The B and B in Luzern and it can also be a good value. It's about half the cost and it is situated in a quiet residential area a short but ride from the main train station.
Posted by
Vacaville, Ca
1441 posts
I just book a night at Hotel des Alspes myself for May next year, based off of suggestions from this site.
Posted by
30 posts
We stayed at Waldstaetterhof across from the rail station in late May, in a business double. It wasn't noisy, breakfast was generous, and great location. Room was good sized by European standards.
We took a boat across to Weggis and all the way up Mt Rigi, really liked it but views depend on weather so you might need to wait until you're there to decide.