Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: Switzerland: Lucerne City Walk

May 26, 2015 ---- After strolling through Old Town Zurich, we hopped on an evening train to Lucerne or Luzern. It was pouring rain when we got there, and it would also be rainy the next day, so we had to change our plan for hiking or going up to the mountain. Luckily Lucerne is an interesting town where we could spend half a day strolling around and visiting some churches and a museum.

Accommodation: Any hotel/hostel in Switzerland is expensive. We stayed at "Lion Lodge Luzern" for two nights and were happy with it. We got a private twin-room with shared bathroom and shower. The hostel is located very close to the Lion Monument and about 10-15 minute walking from the train station. The shared kitchen was well equipped and very useful for a budget traveler since food in Switzerland is expensive. WiFi only worked in the community room downstairs, but it seemed to work ok in our room on the 2nd floor. Overall, it was a clean, affordable and convenient hostel to stay for a few nights.

Transportation: The train from Zurich to Lucerne runs frequently, and you can save up to 50% on the train ticket if you buy a "Supersaver Ticket" which is available for purchase two weeks before your travel date. The Luzern Train Station is right in the middle of the city, and you can take a bus from there to anywhere in the city. In fact, if you stay in the city center, you probably don't need to take any public transportation since all the attractions are within walking distance. Nathan and I didn't take any bus while strolling through the entire city, but if the weather were nice and we went off hiking, we would have had to take a boat, train or bus to get out of town. Check this website for more info: http://www.luzern.com/en/public-transportation

Food and Restaurants: Food is expensive, about double the price in Germany or France. We traveled in Switzerland for six days and never dined out a single time. Even buying fresh ingredients from a grocery store and cooking yourself a meal can be very expensive. Coop and Migro are the two supermarkets you can find everywhere in Switzerland. Nathan and I were traveling on a budget and we brought our food from Germany for the entire trip. We only bought bags of mixed salad and a few cans of Swiss beer while we were there. There is a farmer's market located around the Chapel Bridge where you can buy organic goods or get a free sample of Swiss cheese.

Attractions: There is a lot to do around Lucerne area. On a rainy day, it will be better to stay in the city and visit some churches and museums. If the weather turns nice, clear and sunny, heading up to the mountains or hiking on one of the gorgeous trails is a must. In the city, Chapel Bridge or Kapellbrücke and the Lion Monument are the most visited sites. If you love mountains, Mt. Pilatus, Mt. Rigi and Mt. Titlis are worth a day-trip. If you love hiking, there are plenty of hiking trails for all levels of physical ability. For more hiking ideas: http://www.wanderland.ch/en/wanderland.html or download a PDF file here: "Hiking Tips Lucerne"

Our Trip Itinerary: Unfortunately it was raining on and off on the day we were in Lucerne, so we had to change our plan and stay in the city. We got a free map from our hostel, and there was a "City Walk" route that we could follow. It was a very nice walk through the Old Town and past all the major attractions Lucerne had to offer. We took our time visiting churches, bridges, squares, and the History Museum and spent about 4-5 hours to complete the whole thing.

Our Favorite Site: I loved the view from the wall called Museggmauer. There are many towers on the wall, but from one of them we got a 360 degree view of the entire city. The weather also turned out better when we climbed up the tower, so it was the right moment to be there.

Our Disappointment: The Historisches Museum is a disappointment. The display of artifacts was boring and I felt more like I was walking through a storage room than a museum.