Zurich or Lucerne and Other Questions
 

We are planning a brief trip to Switzerland this summer. This is our first time there. We will be staying 5 nights with the 6th night in Zurich as we depart from there on the next day.

We were thinking of staying in Zurich but it seems that it is more of a business city so we are now thinking of Lucerne itself or perhaps one of the small towns along the lake and take a boat to go from one place to another on day trips.

Please advise us on Zurich vs Lucerne and perhaps give advice on hotels (preferably not near a train station) with lake views. We enjoy seeing the old towns, visiting places of interest, good food, walking around the town and having lovely lake views to enjoy. Which of the other lake towns would be interesting to go to on a day trip or perhaps stay at for a couple of nights? We are also thinking of taking a day trip to Lichtenstein, Germany. Is this do-able?

I will appreciate your suggestions and advice. Thank you.

Well there is no need to stay in Zurich at all- sine Lucerne is only an hour by train from the station under the Zurich airport. Save an unnecessary move.

Yes, Zurich is a business city and Lucerne is a much better center if you are willing to ascend some of the lower Alps: Pilatus, Titlus, etc. If you want to ascend the Jungfrau (MUCH higher) you really should spend at least a couple of nights either in Interlaken or in one of the towns in the foothills. The reason is that the tops of these mountains are often wreathed in clouds and you can't decide to ascend until you get up in the am and check the weather at the top. And even if good at 8 am the clouds may roll in during the afternoon - so you need to be neat the mountain to get up there fast.

As for hotels we need som info:

Who and how many is "we"? And hat bed configuration do you need?

What is your nightly budget in francs (remembering that Switz is possibly the most expensive country in europe)?

Lucerne is what you want for what you desire - c great city to relax in and a plethora of sweet day trips to take - like Mt Pilatus; Mt Titlis, lake boats and yes it is easy to day trip to Liechtenstein - only for the novelty not for anything else and to Germany - I'd go to Lindau, an old city sticking out into Lake Constance.

If traveling around every day by train or boat or whatever check out the Swiss Pass (good on lake boats and city transits and free entry to 470+ Swiss museums and sites like some in Lucerne and Half-Fare Card - great sources of info on Swiss trains, boats: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

From Lucerne you can practically day trip anywhere in central/southern Switzerland - even to the Grindelwald area for a look at the most amazing array of high Alps IMO in Switzerland - take the scenic Brunig Pass rail line from Lucerne to Interlaken-Ost and then a mountain train to Grindelwald (passes fully cover) and be wow-wowed by the visual feat of glacier-girdled peaks rising thousands of feet above lush cot-dotted meadows aerial gondolas and toy-like mountain trains going off in all directions, etc:
https://www.google.com/search?q=jung...HeKpDbcQsAQIGw

On foul weather days - not unusual in the Lucerne area head to nearby Bern, to me one of the nicest cities in Europe and uniquely offering covered walkways in its lively downtown shopping streets - check out the Bear Pit - the bear being the emblem of Bern.

Lucerne is overrun with tour groups, it has gotten worse in the last years. Granted, it has a picturesque old town (even more so than Zürich, which has a beautiful old town also) and the setting by the lake and with mountains nearby is fantastic, but I wouldn't want to stay there. Better pick a small town at Lake Lucerne if you prefer this area. Weggis, Vitznau and Brunnen are most popular, each is fine.

Zürich is a business city, yes, but what's wrong with that? I enjoyed my vacation trips to Zürich very much, especially in summer it was a very laid-back atmosphere. Lots of beaches by the lake, beautiful parks, lots of excellent museums, quirky shops, excellent cafes and restaurants (albeit expensive, but it's Switzerland ...) The best is - you share all this with locals, not tour groups.

The advantage of Lucerne is that the mountain scenery is more dramatic and it is closer to the high Alps.

Sorry, forgot about Lichtenstein, Germany. You mean the castle? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichte...BCrttemberg%29

Long distance, hardly doable as a day trip.

I am personally heading to Lucerne this coming weekend and will spend a full week there. I have also spent a lot of time in Zurich, and I do enjoy that city. Its Bahnhofstrasse is perfect for strolling and window shopping when weather permits, although bundling up in December to stroll the strasse and look at the Christmas markets is very enjoyable also.

There are a LOT more tourist buses in Lucerne than I used to see in years past. I've been visiting this city twice a year since the 1990s. The buses pour into the old town area and drop their (mostly) Asian passengers off in front of the Bucherer store for shopping and enjoying the lake and the lion monument. The only places I have felt like the shop was overrun with tourists is in the small souvenir shops, and the souvenir floor at Bucherer. Other shops I frequent are not inundated at all! Restaurants have never been too crowded so as to not get a table.

I have not taken a boat ride in a number of years (I'm usually there in March and December so weather is often an issue) so I don't know if the tourists flock to the boat rides or not (I doubt it...they prefer to shop and take pictures of the old bridge and the lake).

The lakeside walking path can get busy, with lots of picture taking near the main bridge that crosses from the old town to the train station and newer shopping street.

Lucerne has a lot to offer. Day trips are very easy to do. Will you have a car by any chance? If not, trains are easy and frequent.

You asked about lakeside hotels with a view. The only one I have personally stayed at (and it's a big splurge) is the Grand National. Very expensive, but the rooms are done in beautiful antiques, and the views of the lake are fabulous (if you pay a lot extra for a lakeview room). Another option would be the Schweizerhof (sp) which is similar to the National, but a little bit closer to shopping streets/restaurants than the National.

I have the most experience with some basic (but clean) hotels a couple of blocks from the lake. Namely Ibis Styles, Ambassador Hotel and Hotel de la Paix. If basic is OK, these are all well located for walking around Lucerne. Enjoy your trip!

Hi Marianna,

I agree with Ingo that some good towns to investigate are Weggis, Vitznau, and Brunnen on Lake Lucerne. They are smaller and closer to the countryside. You can also usually get a lakeside hotel room for about 100 chf cheaper than you can in Luzern.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Everything is doable, even a day trip to Liechtenstein, although there is nothing to do or to see there.

Famous German places close to the Swiss border:
Unteruhldingen Lake dwellings, Mainau subtropica gardens,
Zeppelin and Dornier museums at Friedrichshafen, Freiburg im Breisgau and Schauinsland, small medieval city center of Rottweil.

You may have a look at
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/

I like the Hotel Montana in Luzern.

Luzern can be boring after a couple of hours walking around town so it is best to take an excursion elsewhere.

You can take the train to Rapperswil. It is in between Luzern and Zürich.

Thin

Thanks for your very helpful responses.

To answer some questions:

The trip will include me and my husband and our son and his wife.
We will have a car.
We will need two hotel rooms or an apartment with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (hard to find) or 2 apartments in the same building.
We like nice places for our rentals (villas, hotels, condos, apartments, etc) so our budget is within reason for reserving a nice, very clean, updated and comfortable place with a pleasant view in a very good location.

For a pleasant view in Lucerne get a lakeside hotel at any costs and there are some really nice ones on the long esplanade between the city center and the Swiss Transport Museum. Sweeping views across the lake and of the distance Alps.

Thank you,PalenQ, for this information.
I will do some research on the hotels. Do you have the names of any favorite hotels in this area?

No I know diddly about hotels - I have camped in Lucerne but never stayed in a hotel there. I'm sure some folks will.

Cheers - but the location I'm talking about is splendid.

The Grand National, which I had mentioned above, is along that lakeside esplanade. It is a fabulous (pricey) hotel. Worth a splurge, in my opinion. Lakeview rooms will cost you more than a standard city view (not much of a view) room. We also like to have a small "balcony" which is really just a large open window where you can step outside...not room enough to sit.

And rooms facing the lake should be quiet as only bikers and pedestrians going by - the back rooms may face a busy street.

I'm another fan of Zurich, which I thought had a lot to offer.

And another who found much to enjoy in Lucerne, but more so in the distant past than in recent years, when it can be quite unpleasantly packed with tourists.

You've already gotten some great advice about options. I would just add that you might want to consult the <i>Michelin Green Guide</i> -- even if you are using Switzerland's excellent public transportation system (which I recommend), this guidebook still provides the best information of the half-dozen or so that I used when planning my time in the area.

Enjoy!

We have decided to stay in Weggis and stay at the Beau Rivage Hotel and do day trips to Lucern and other towns. It has a pool and other amenities that we are looking for.

Does anyone have comments about this hotel?

It has been renovated and the rooms look lovely. We are considering a superior room with lake view and either a balcony (2nd floor) or terrace (1st floor). We prefer a terrace as it is larger than the balcony. Only thing is that the terraces may not have as good a view of the lake as the balconies. Also, even though I have asked, I am not sure exactly where the rooms with terraces are located at the hotel. The contact person has been helpful and has answered lots of questions, but not all. Looking at the hotels photos, it seems there are two floors with terraces but we are not sure of this.

I will greatly appreciate your comments about the hotel and the location of rooms with terraces.

Never stayed there myself but remember passing by on a boat :-) The hotel looks indeed lovely. I agree that the views from a room higher up will be better - I saw trees in front of hte hotel, slightly obstructing the view from the rooms on the 1st floor. Also, it seems to me that the terrace is maybe shared with other, neighbouring rooms. I'd prefer my own balcony, even if the room might be a bit smaller.

Make sure you spend some time in the mineral spa at Rigi-Kaltbad, admission is included if you stay in this hotel.

Weggis is a sweet location! If into walking or hiking you can take the cable car from Weggis to Rigi's summit then walk back down to the lake via neighboring Vitznau (or take trains down there) - Mark Twain famously wrote about his trek up Rigi (before there were trains) in a Tramp Abroad - when he got to the summit he complained about having to hear the incessant blowing of Alphorns, a tradition that continues to this day - at least when I was there the expletive deleted Alphorns - the Swiss equivalent of bag pipes to me - were incessantly blowing away.

Another short day trip from Weggis is to take the boat across the lake to the Rutli Meadow where the Swiss confederation with William Tell I think was formed - not much there but a neat meadow overlooking the lake.

So don't know nuttung about the hotel, your question but pardon my digression to talk about a lake I really love.

Thanks Ingo and PalenQ for the additional info. It is always very helpful, especially since we have never been there before.

We are excited about the trip!