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I’ve always revered Switzerland as the delectable birthplace of Toblerone and raclette, a faraway wonderland where people wore nice watches and frolicked about on snow-capped mountains. While I had been there once (a quick stop in Basel and Rhine Falls last summer), I never really knew much about Switzerland, and hadn’t ever prioritized it on my list of ‘must-see travel spots’.
Moving to Munich, this perspective changed slightly. Switzerland was now only hours away, an accessible weekender that became increasingly more tempting. The deal was sealed when I laid eyes on a perfect photo of Lucerne and realized I had to see it for myself. When a long weekend finally popped up in May, the choice of where to go was clear.
Setting off from Munich, we rented a car and took the scenic route down to Lucerne, a journey filled with winding roads, rolling green hills and cute villages dotted along the trek. As we crossed the border and edged closer to our final destination, the scenery became all the more ridiculous. The warm hues of golden hour engulfed all our surroundings, turning everything we saw into some sort of painting. Pulling the car over immediately, we watched the sun come down from a quiet spot nestled in the mountains, surrounded by the vibrant colours of the sunset bouncing off trees.
Right then, I knew I was in trouble. Switzerland already had me, and I had barely been there for an hour.
Further reading: 50 Unique Things to do in Switzerland
lovin’ life
What I would discover in the next two days is that Lucerne is not just beautiful, it is ridiculously, jaw-droppingly gorgeous. In extreme cases like these, one is at a loss for adequate descriptions and adjectives (a true rarity for wordy folks like myself), but I will try my best!
It could be the bright turquoise water coursing through the River Reuss, or the gentle glide of swans over Lake Lucerne, but there is an unmistakably magical ambiance that emanates through this city. After checking in to our hotel, we wasted no time in setting out for a night time stroll through Lucerne, one of the highlights being Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a sight practically ripped from the pages of Harry Potter. Besides its unique look, this bridge is also the oldest wood-covered bridge in Europe, with a gorgeous interior lined with a variety of paintings (many of which were destroyed by a fire over 20 years ago). Kapellbrücke is one of the best-known symbols of the city, and I’m sure you can see why:
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a great deal of time in Europe in the past two years, with plenty of charming cities that have caught my eye, but genuinely… Lucerne is something special. We were blessed with two solid days of sunshine during our visit, and the city seemed to come alive with the warm Spring weather, with everyone outdoors, enjoying the warmth and bright blue skies.
Million dollar view courtesy of Grand Hotel National
One of Lucerne’s greatest perks is its proximity to nature, with its vast shimmering lake and its location surrounded by mountains. With only a bit of time to spend in the city, we were faced with the tough decision of which mountain to explore. After some research, our minds were made up: we’d be spending a half-day up Mount Pilatus, home to the world’s steepest cogwheel train, the longest toboggan run in Switzerland and the less-official title of ultra badass mountain (as coined by me). 
Our visit was marred by a bit of bad luck. We were beyond excited to ride the cogwheel train up Pilatus (again, the steepest in the world!) but were gutted to find out upon our arrival that its opening had been delayed by a few days. Standing by the deserted cogwheel station, we let the disappointment creep in for a few minutes, but quickly bounced back to our Plan B: taking the gondola up. After a long wait for parking (arrive early, folks!), we hopped into our adorable red car, which zipped us over 2000m up in the air, with stellar views as we climbed higher and higher.
wheee!!
If you’re looking for things to do in Lucerne, I highly recommend the venture up Pilatus. Even in May, there was snow, and plenty of cool activities for all ages. For half the day we kept busy breathing in the fresh mountain views, walking through icy snow tunnels and even having a go at the toboggan run (yup, the longest in Switzerland!) Now, although this was an activity that even kids flawlessly whizzed through, I was genuinely terrified (because I am me, and I am lame). But luckily, you could control your own speed, which meant I was able to go at an (admittedly) grandma-esque pace while enjoying the gorgeous scenery.
Due to our time constraints, we weren’t able to try every activity on the mountain, which is a real bummer because the giant ropes course looked like so much fun! Maybe it’s for the best though… I’m not sure clumsy-me would have survived.
We capped off our perfect day with a sunset stroll through Lucerne, which glows the most incredible of colours when the sun comes down. On this particular night, the city became awash in shades of light purple, which made the scene absurdly perfect.
A dreamy post-sunset view
After prying ourselves from our gorgeous hotel balcony, our second day was spent taking in some of Lucerne’s major sights, ducking into quirky craft shops and snacking on ice cream along the way. It was my idea of a perfect Sunday, strolling through the sunny streets of Lucerne, climbing the old city walls for idyllic views and ogling goods at the pop-up flea markets along the river. Some must-sees for me were definitely the Lion Monument, a sandstone memorial for Swiss mercenaries who died during the French Revolution, and the Musegg Wall, which has four climbable towers open to the public, boasting the most incredible views of the city you’re bound to get.
Here’s the bottom line: Lucerne is gorgeous, and there’s examples of this all throughout the city. If you’re looking for a place where you’ll be mindblown by nature, where you’ll fill up your memory card with photos and a place that you’ll dream about for years to come, then this is it. Add Lucerne to your bucket lists, because it is oh so worth it.
Until next time, beautiful city!
I was generously provided with complimentary admission to Mount Pilatus, but as always, opinions are entirely my own 🙂
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Catherine says
Oh my goodness, it looks beautiful! I’m going to Switzerland (Geneva) for the first time in August and am so excited!
C x | Lux Life
Christina Guan says
Yay! I’ve heard so many great things about Geneva. Hope you have a blast!!
Emilee says
Just wow!! I have to go here, this has definitely been added to the bucket list, thanks so much for the inspiration x
Christina Guan says
No problem at all!! Hope you get to see all of this for yourself very soon 🙂
Suzanne says
Wow!! I’ve been to Lucerne and it is indeed the most beautiful city in Switzerland. I can still remember the fresh air blowing, the swans, and more importantly the view. What a lovely time we had there.
Cheers!
Christina Guan says
So happy someone else feels the same way!! I definitely thought the swans made everything so much more perfect… just like a crazy fairytale painting 🙂
Kevin Wagar says
I haven’t been to Switzerland yet, but it seems to be filled with incredible towns. Your amazing photo’s sure make for a convincing case for Lucerne!
Christina Guan says
Switzerland is also pretty small, so with a car you could see a lot of the country in one trip. Happy I’ve sold Lucerne well though 😉 Cheers, Kevin!
Rodrigo says
I want to visit Switzerland as soon as I can. And Lucerne is certainly on the list of cities I’ll visit.
Christina Guan says
you won’t regret it, Rodrigo! 🙂
Voyager says
Lovely post about Lovely Lucerne, I simply fell head over heels in love with this town. Unfortunately we could not spend as much time as we would have liked to. Also we were there in the winter. I vow to return some day 🙂
Christina Guan says
I imagine it would be a different kind of magical in the winter. I feel the same way about returning though… it’s so lovely!
Cai Dominguez-Travelosyo says
Switzerland is sooo beautiful. It looks pure and heaven. I love the architecture. I love the ambiance. Everything here is love. Wish I could visit here soon 🙂
Christina Guan says
Very different from the Philippines, that’s for sure! It’s so so beautiful, Cai. Be sure to stop by when you’re in Europe!
Jessica says
Switzerland is just too expensive for me as of the moment to explore but I have been eyeing Lucerne as one of the cities to visit. And oh, dear, thank you for bringing me here thru your stunning photos. Hope to see them by myself, soon! 🙂
Christina Guan says
Oh goodness, I know! It is sooo not budget-friendly, but the country itself is absolutely stunning. 🙂 My wallet cried a bit but my heart was happy so it’s all good haha.
Mar Pages says
Bookmarked from the second photo, you are absolutely right- unbelievably stunning! I have a soft spot for a view of mountains in the distance and Lucerne looks like one of the best.
Christina Guan says
it is indeed! Mountains are my favourite too, coming from Vancouver haha. Switzerland is mountain heaven! Hope you get to see it soon 🙂
Rachel says
Ugh, Lucerne just looks SO stunning. It’s on my bucket list, for sure! I don’t think I’d ever be able to leave!
Christina Guan says
You’ll never WANT to leave haha that’s for sure 🙂 (though your wallet might make you feel differently)
Doreen Pendgracs says
Hi Christina. I’ll be in Lucerne next month, so thx for this great post. I’m really looking forward to it now that I’ve seen your pics!
Christina Guan says
Yay! you’re going to love it, Doreen 🙂 Hope you find plenty of great chocolate there as well!
Malissa says
Hi! I’m wondering what time of year you went. I’m trying to plan on an April trip and it looks like maybe you went in spring? And how many days did you spend there?
Christina Guan says
I went in May and it was gorgeous, but I think we got quite lucky with the weather!! I was only there for two days total, which was fine because it’s a small city, but you should allow for extra time of course if you want to explore the nearby mountains (which I definitely recommend!)
Kathy Edmondson says
I visited Lucerne several years ago and was captivated. I so wanted to husband to have that experience and we will finally have the opportunity the first of April this year. I so appreciate your reflections and gorgeous photos and have shared them with him and the other couple traveling with us. Our excitement is so enhanced by your blog. Thank you!
Christina Guan says
Ahh Kathy, that’s so exciting! I hope you, your hubby + friends have the best time ever in Lucerne. 🙂 Thanks for reading <3
Indhira says
Wow watching your pictures have me even more excited for my trip there in 2 weeks. You captured this city beautifully and I can’t wait to taste their food , I heard is scrumptious. Thank you for sharing and Cheers!
Christina Guan says
Awesome! I hope you have an amazing time in Lucerne, Indhira <3
Elo Boost says
I really love your site.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you make this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m hoping to create my very own website and would love to know where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Cheers!
Christina Guan says
Hey Elo! The theme I use is 15zine and I use Visual Composer (+ the Ultimate Add-ons) to build my pages. Hope that info helps!
Kay Bouldin says
I’m going in May 2017. So excited. What’s the weather like in May? Trying to decide what to pack.
Going with a tour group. Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Christina Guan says
Hi Kay, when we were there in May, it was absolutely beautiful! Almost summer-like weather 🙂 Although I think it depends, so I’d check the weather reports before you go. I personally packed quite a few dresses and nice clothes (as Lucerne is a rather fancy city) but if you are planning to visit the mountains, definitely bring something warmer. Hope you have a great time!
Kay Bouldin says
Your pics are beautiful.
Christina Guan says
thanks, Kay!
Aine Lawlor says
Hey Christina, whereabouts is the viewpoint in Lucerne that overlooks the city, river and bridge? 🙂
Christina Guan says
Hey Aine, so if you walk the city walls, there’s a bunch of towers along the way that you can climb up! I can’t remember the exact name of this one but it was either the last one or one of the last. Hope that helps 🙂
Priscilla says
It’s so fun to read travelblogposts of my hometown:) Glad you liked it.
Best wishes from Lucerne
Priscilla
Christina Guan says
I LOVED Lucerne. Hope I can go back soon. Thanks for reading, Priscilla!