Lucerne & Mt. Pilatus
Hopefully if you are reading this, you've had a chance to read part one of my mother/daughter trip to Switzerland, which featured tons of tips and recommendations across our first leg- Zürich. This chapter of our journey will take us through quite possibly my favorite leg of the trip, our first taste of the Swiss Alps and the dreamy city of Lucerne.
Lucerne is nestled between the peaks of the alps, just below Mt. Pilatus and next to Lake Lucerne and will really make you reconsider your living arrangements....I even texted my best friend Kate and asked her to figure out how to send my dog to me because I just fell in love with this part of Switzerland. Unfortunately she did not oblige and I have since returned to Charlotte, begrudgingly.
We knew when we went to Switzerland we would want to travel by train and made sure to buy our tickets to get us all around Switzerland and at least one other country of our chosing. For this trip we chose Italy and added the "Eurail two country select pass" on Rail Europe. This was about $1K total for the two of us but it gave us unlimited train rides for any 5 days of our trip and included a travel protection plan incase we had any changes to our trip. Getting around on the train was very manageable and mostly everyone in Switzerland speaks several languages, including English.
We departed Zürich for Lucerne and after arriving to the train station downtown we made our way to our hotel. It was only a few blocks to walk to the Hotel de Balances so we managed to walk our luggage the 10 minutes and soak up the new sights and smells. The cobblestone streets greet you as you make your way across the bridge over the Ruess. It seemed like every building was waving flags proudly as we passed through the old alleys filled with fragrant aromas beckoning us to come explore more.
This hotel was so beautiful and well appointed in a prime location in town- I can't recommend it enough if you're looking to stay near the river in Lucerne. We chose a room with a balcony as a treat for my 30th birthday which would fall during our stay in Lucerne. For our first night in town we elected to have a nice birthday dinner in the hotel's restaurant, Restaurant Balances, as it came highly recommended and gave us a great spot on the patio overlooking the river and the city. They also offer a really fantastic breakfast buffet spread with mimosas!
Day two arrived and we had a big excursion planned to go visit Mt. Pilatus! It was a short distance from our hotel to the ticket office in Kierns where you can buy your pass to the top. To get there you must take a gondola that takes you about 2/3 of the way up and from there you switch to the Aerial Cableway AKA the "Dragon Glider". This is a much larger gondola that holds a much larger capacity and has floor to ceiling windows that give you the feeling that you're gliding up the mountain (though not ideal for those with a bad fear of heights.) The ride up gives you breathtaking views of Lucerne, Lake Lucerne, and miles of greenery and mountains. You are also welcome to get off the gondola at any of the stops and hike around or take part in the many activities they have to offer on the mountain. The total timeframe to get to the top from Kierns is about 40 minutes and it's so scenic you won't notice the time.
Once you are at the top there is plenty to do, but let's face it, all you really need is the view. You can see miles and miles of Swiss Alps and have a great aerial view above Lucerne. There is even a hotel you can stay at (The Pilatus Kulm) with two restaurants, a terrace with panoramic views, and a gift shop. When you're ready to head down you can either take the Cableway/Gondola back down to Kierns or take the Cogwheel Railway to Alpnachstad (a local train station where you can transfer to head back to Lucerne, or your boat if you tour via boat). We chose to do the Cogwheel Railway which was commissioned in 1889 and is the steepest Cogwheel train in the world at 48% slope! Below is a map I found from the Pilatus experience that I've doctored up to give a good visual of what it takes to get to and from Lucerne to this excursion!
When we arrived in Alpnachstad we transferred to the train back to Lucerne and made our way back to freshen up for dinner. As we roamed around Lucerne we passed by a really cute Chinese restaurant, Li Tai Pe, and had an amazing meal. In retrospect, choosing Asian food in Switzerland (when there is so much good local cuisine to try) may sound strange, but in the moment it was all we were craving and it really was a great find. If you know me you know I eat Asian at least once a week...why would I be any different in Europe!
The rest of our stay in Lucerne was filled with exploring the streets and alleys around the river district and taking in the gorgeous architecture of this city. Top that off with fantastic wine & food, and each other's company and we had a perfect few days in Lucerne.
Up next- Interlaken!
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