We have 2 days in Luzern before moving on to Murren for 4 nights in early September. We are planning on getting a Swiss Travel Pass. On day 1, we are thinking about the 1 hour panoramic boat cruise and a walking tour of the city. Seems like a nice way to settle in. On day 2, I was looking at the boat that goes from Luzern to Flueln. It is almost 3 hours each way if you do not disembark, so that would fill the entire day. Is this the route most tourist would take to see the lake? Are there stops along the way that are "must see"? I'd hate to go all the way to Flueln just to find out that there is nothing to do or see there. I see 3 other routes from Luzern (Rigi, Meggenhorn, and Alpnachstad). Would any of these routes be better suited for tourists? Note, I plan on summiting Schilthorn, so I don't need to go to the top of Rigi. I am currently looking at the "Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees (SGV)" website.
Posted by
Green Bay
21150 posts
Interested in Swiss Nationalism? The Ruetli Meadows can be accessed by lake boat. This is the legendary site of the Ruetlischwur, the oath by the leaders of 3 Cantons (Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden) to ally themselves against the Austrians, thus the founding of Switzerland. Kinda like the Swiss Boston Tea Party.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
"I plan on summiting Schilthorn, so I don't need to go to the top of Rigi."
I did both, and found the experiences very different. But if you don't want to go up Rigi, you can just take the boat to and from Vitznau; this gave me varied and constantly changing vistas on the lake, and was quite memorable without being as long as the trip all the way to Flüelen would be.
Posted by
OP
Jersey Shore
339 posts
Thanks, good information.
Posted by
Switzerland
50 posts
There's not much to see in Flüelen other than the Lorelei islands. However, if you're interested in hiking there's the Weg der Schweiz
(https://www.myswitzerland.com/en/experiences/route/the-swiss-path-hiking-in-historic-cantons/) where you could walk a stage or you could just take a train back to Luzern from Flüelen. That would only take an hour.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC
381 posts
You could go as far as Brunnen, which is a lovely spot on a sunny day.