Switzerland – The most beautiful place on earth (Part 1)
I’ve always heard people talk about Switzerland as being one of their most favorite places in the world to visit and now I know why. The country is beautiful and the city of Lucerne echos that sentiment. The top sights (Chapel Bridge, the Lion Monument, and the Nine Towers) make this city one you should put on your travel list right away!
Lucerne
When you land in Zurich there is a train in the lower level that can take you straight to the city of Lucerne. The travel time is approximately 48 minutes to get there. I unfortunately didn’t take a picture of the machine that prints out the tickets but its fairly straightforward to use. There is a line for a teller if you feel a bit intimidated by a machine. The total cost one way is 28 CHF (Swiss Francs).
We stayed in the “old town” section of Lucerne which is about a 10 minute walk from the train station. The best part is that you get to pass one of the most iconic sights of Lucerne;
Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke)
The bridge itself runs diagonally across the Reuss river and is named after the nearby St. Peter’s Chapel. The bridge has a bunch of paintings inside dating back to the 17th century but many were destroyed in a 1993 fire that also brought down part of the bridge. It has since been restored and is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe.
St. Peter’s Chapel, Mill Bridge, Fountains
Close by is St. Peter’s Chapel which is worth a stop to see the intricate ceiling artwork and grandness of the church. Further down is Spreuer Bridge (Spreuerbrücke) or Mill Bridge and its similar to Chapel Bridge but much shorter in length.
I’d also like to point out that during your walks you might see several fountains with spouts. If you have a water bottle handy, instead of buying water from the store, just refill your water bottle from the fountain! They all carry clean drinkable water. And if you don’t believe me here’s a link https://lucernewater.ch/
About a 15 minute walk from Chapel Bridge you can visit another one of Lucerne’s famous sights;
The Lion Monument
It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. The stone relief is situated in a nice park where you can sit and enjoy the art while wondering how they actually did it.
After head over to:
The Nine Towers
Its on the way back to Old Town and another 15 minute walk from the Lion Monument. After climbing some stairs and walking along the wall you can enter some of the towers. The clock tower has on display the mechanics of the larger version on view. You’ll also get to see Lucerne from a great vantage point for some pictures. Not all of the towers were open when we went but definitely check out the clock tower if you can.
Lake Cruise
A trip to Lucerne wouldn’t be complete without a walk around the lake front and a cruise. For about $28 USD you can take a 1-hour tour boat at Lake Lucerne’s Pier 7. Truthfully an hour is all you need to appreciate the stunning lake, mountains, forests and meadows. There’s audio commentary if you’re into that sort of thing (I am).
Lucerne was great to visit and I hope you’ll check out my next post where we took day trips to Jungfraujoch mountain, the towns of Grindelwald & Interlaken, and First mountain!
Some more random pictures of Lucerne.
