City Break: A Weekend in Lucerne

One of my 2018 travel goals was to go on a Ski trip in Switzerland. Well, the skiing didn’t happen for a few reasons, but I did spend a weekend in the Swiss lakeside town of Lucerne earlier this month.

Random Facts About Lucerne:

• Lucerne has a population of about 80,000
• Depending on where you’re standing at the Basel Airport, you might be in France, Germany, or Switzerland (at least according to my cellphone notification)
• The oldest, completely roofed wooden bridge in Europe is in this city
• Everyone I’ve met from/living in Switzerland is quite satisfied with their earnings and living standards, but it is one of the most difficult countries for non-EUs residents to gain residency
• As my friend pointed out, locals seem to love the color Olive. We lost count of the number of people of all ages we saw in olive jackets.

Getting There & Around:

Flights were booked about a week in advance and still came in cheap (thanks Easy jet)! The options are flying into Basel or Zurich. From either city, trains are the best way to get into Lucerne. Within the city, we took the public bus once but otherwise walked. To get to the Alps, we took the train to Engelberg, and then cable cars up into the mountains. Tip: check the train schedules ahead of time, or you might end up waiting an hour for the next train

 

Where I Stayed

This was my first time in Switzerland but everyone warned about the high costs. To save $$ for fun activities, we stayed at an Airbnb which was a converted attic in a family home. The Airbnb was well located, our bedroom had alp views, and our hosts made us delicious breakfast each morning. Winning!

What We Did in 48 Hours

A Day in the Alps – Views, Snow Activities, and an Igloo

This was the highlight of the trip! We spent all Saturday out in the mountains. From Lucerne, there are a few options such as Mt. Rigi, Mt. Pilatus, and Mt. Titlis. We went to Mount Titlis (we started out later than planned as we took the time to enjoy the feast our Airbnb hosts made for breakfast). The plan was to sled, snow tube, toboggan, and just enjoy the views from up there. We saw skiers having the time of their lives, but this wasn’t skiing for novices, these slopes were hard-core!

We didn’t have the greatest views at the top as it was freezing, windy, and pretty much white out conditions, but we did all the activities at the very top : seeing the glacier cave, going on the windy cliff walk, riding the ice flyer, and eating at the top, and walking the bridge. My fingers were NUMB!

Taking the rotating cable car down to Trubsee and it was time for fun snow activities for non-skiers. We had a fun few hours here, and one or more of us may have wiped out during one of the rides.

What do you do when you spot something that looks like an igloo? You head over there! At the end of the day at Trubsee Snow Park, we had an unreal moment sitting at the igloo bar, sipping on Gluhwein! Turns out the igloo is often rented out to groups. That evening,  guests were coming in to spend the night, and have a party in the igloo.

We could have stayed all day but we had to catch the last cable cars down. And so we left, watching the sunset as we glided down to earth (oops, Engelsberg) in the cable car.

 

 

Chocolate Shopping:

When in Switzerland, go chocolate shopping. While I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, a few people I know swear that Switzerland has the best chocolate in the world. So, we had to try it. I got some Laderach chocolate (fancy chocolate shop). However, after the fact, our tour guide actually advised against buying from the nice shops. Locals buy chocolate from regular grocery shops like Migros. I bought both fancy and grocery store chocolate as gifts.

Wine & Dine

One thing we missed out on was Fondue. We simply could not find a spot to have some on Saturday night. Perhaps next time? On our first night we had dinner at Wirtshaus Taube. I came prepared to only be able to afford an appetizer and water, but I had a filling meal! Great ambiance, good local food, and a little Swiss German lesson as you attempt to read the menu!

Free Walking Tour:

As usual, I’d always recommend this. We ended up doing this on Sunday morning and had to leave halfway through to catch our train back to the Basel airport. However, we learned quite a bit about the history of the city and its quirks. Our tour guide also answered important questions like: what’s the best chocolate in Switzerland and where do you shop for chocolate as a local? 

 

Overall Impression

I loved our short visit to Lucerne, and I’d recommend it for short city break either for someone living in Europe and looking for a destination for a weekend away, or for a stop on a Euro trip. Getting to be up in the alps was a dream come true, looking back at the pictures, I can’t believe I finally went!

I’d really like to visit again in the summer with the music festivals along the lake. On another visit, I’d check out Chateau Gutsch for spectacular panoramic views of the city, the lake, and the alps. I’d also love the chance to visit other parts of Switzerland like Interlaken.

 

Have you been to Switzerland? Where did you go and what did you get up to? Did you think it was expensive? For other city break posts see here and here. If there any cities I’ve visited that you’d like a post on, please let me know in the comments section below.

 

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