I'll be spending a couple of nights there soon, and I keep wondering why so many people say it's lovely. What is it that makes it so lovely? We arrive very early on a Saturday morning. I know there is a market every Saturday, so we'll probably wander there. What else is recommended for our two days? By the way, we are staying at des Alpes -- view room with balcony requested. Diane

The views of the lake are something out of a storybook, with the wooden bridge and the old world architecture and the snowy mountains all around. I only spent a few hours there, so I don't know how much there is to DO. I'm thinking excursions into the countryside nearby would be nice.

http://tinyurl.com/l7wd9

Luv
I guess you should google lucerne and see the photos of the city. Here are a few things which you should see or visit in Lucerne.

>fortification wall-walk across and visit all of the towers-don't miss the tower with the clock.

>Visit the Lion sculpture

>Take the tram to Kreins and then take the telepherique up to Mt.Pilatus. Have a look around the area and then take the cog wheel train down the other side of the mountain-this is one of the steepest cog wheel trains in Switzerland. Then take the boat across the lake, stopping at all of the other villages before they arrive back to Lucerne.

>fondue supper on the boat floating around the lake.

>visit the covered bridge with the stone tower.

>visit the other covered bridge a bit further down the river.

>Have a drink at the evening along the river. There are a lot of good cafes to perch yourself for the evening.

>Visit to the churches in Lucerne

>Go to a (live)theater or opera in Lucerne

>Visit the numberous platz throughout Lucerne.

>Visit one of the Swiss Banks and buy a small gold or silver bar. You can buy some very small bars and they're really nice for memories. You can get a jeweler and have the bar put into a frame.

>Tried the food in Lucerne. Make sure that you eat Fondue and Raclette.

>Visit to the Transportation Museum.

Now, this could go longer and longer. I could take you to a small shelter up in the hills above Lucerne. The woman cooking the food is about 80 years old. You have to bring a bar of chocolate to her, if you want something to eat. The choice of the meal is either veal chops or veal sausage. That a few bottles of beer. I don't have an address-you just know where it's located. It's very Swiss.

If you can go through this list in three days, I'll give you a few more.

Blackduff

I hope that you can be encouraged about the beauty of Lucerne by seeing my photos (skip thru Holland and Germany, if you like - 1st photo of Lucerne begins just after midway of the middle row of 'squares')

http://tinyurl.com/jluqz

Adjacent to the Lion Monument is the Glacier Garden. See the effects of the glacier that covered this part of Switzerland at one time. Visit the museum in the house of the family that used to live on the property. Very interesting.

Also in the same general area is the Bourbaki Panorama, a very well-preserved panorama painting with audio description in several languages depicting a famous event in Swiss history.