We will be driving from Fuessen to Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen next month and it looks like (from the Via Michelin directions) we will be going through/past Luzerne along the way. We are hoping to spend 3-4 hours seeing a bit of Luzerne and wonder if that's feasible to do on the way? Originally we were planning to go there as a day trip from Lauterbrunnen, but if we'll be passing right through it, we thought that would allow us an extra day to stay in the Alps, & less time travelling back & forth. I appreciate any thoughts.
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
I think 3-4 hrs. in Lucerne will be fine. That will give you enough time to walk the bridge, stroll along the streets for shopping or lunch, and see the Lion Monument. Your visit in Lauterbrunnen will give you your Swiss Alps experience. I think your plan will work well. I traveled this route several years ago and it is breathtaking. Have fun!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
What route does Via Michelin show? When I drove this route, I left Ga-P a little after 9 am, and passed Fuessen about 40 minutes later, took secondary roads towards Kempten and then on to Lindau for lunch. After Lindau, took the autobahn around the southern edge of the Bodenesee to St. Gallen, Zurich, Luzern and finally to Interlaken. I arrived close to 7 pm.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
OK, I plugged the data into Via Michelin and I see a few differences, but not enough to change the time estimates that much. Via Michelin routes you towards Liechtenstein, whereas I went by St. Gallen... but both routes are by autobahn and there isn't that much of a discrepency between the two distances. Also, Via Michelin automatically has you driving along the A7 begining at Fuessen, but if you zoom in on the map, you'll see the symbol indicating that the road is still under construction. I haven't driven in this area for a few years, so I couldn't say whether or not the road is open yet. It certainly wasn't last time I was there... and looking at Google's latest satellite image, it looks the A7 still remains very much a work in progress.
I'm still not sure why the big difference between Via Michelin's estimate and my actual experience. Via Michelin is usually pretty accurate. But I specifically remember being surprised how long it took to drive this distance. I think you can easily make Interlaken by 5 pm if you leave at 7 am (a big if, in my experience it is quite difficult to actually leave that early on vacation). But exploring Luzern on the way doesn't sound feasible.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I've driven the route and it takes nearly all day. 3-4 hours in Luzerne is too much time, unless you don't mind getting to Interlaken very late.
The Bodensee is closer to your halfway point, you may want to consider stopping there for lunch.
EDIT: Looks like when I originally read your post (early in the morning, pre-coffee), I thought you were driving from Interlaken to Fuessen... don't ask me how my brain flipped that around. I've edited my response accordingly, but that still doesn't change the time estimate.
Posted by
OP
Alpine, CA, USA
47 posts
Thank you both, but now I'm a bit confused by the differing comments.
Tom...we had really hoped to see the just the sights Denise mentioned in Luzerne as a supplement to our time in the Alps. I'm confused at how the drive takes all day...is the timing on Via Michelin incorrect? It says Fuessen to Interlaken takes 4hr 15min, so we'd hoped to leave Fuessen early (say by 7am) to give us some time to stop in Luzerne. It looked like about 3 hrs to Luzerne, then about 1 hr from there to Interlaken. We have to drop the car off in Interlaken at 5pm. While we don't want to stress out about the timing, it just seemed the most time/cost efficient way to fit Luzerne into our itinerary. Having never been to Switzerland, we're relying on yours and other travelers advice to help us out.