A Brief Visit To Lucerne and Safenwil, Switzerland

Waking up one morning from deep sleep we saw an amber glow in the skies. Looking out of the window, we were blown by the magnificent painting like sky of Lucerne. We had our first ‘Why is Switzerland Called So Picture-Postcard Beautiful’ moment.

On a brief trip to Paris, we had taken out two days (yes, only two days) to make a quick trip to Lucerne and Safenwil. And we wanted to drive it because we wanted to see and experience more of the ‘land’. Paris to Lucerne is a roughly 6 hour drive, and the gorgeous route is surrounded by blossoming farms and small stretches of forests.

We entered Lucerne in the evening while daylight was still around. After hanging around till dinner in the city we headed to the Gasthaus zum Kreuz, our wonderful hotel. A beautiful old lodge, it is barely 2km from city center, and has a wonderful view of the alps, notably Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi.

Next morning, after hearty Swiss breakfast, we headed out towards Mount Rigi.

Overlooking the Lake Lucerne, the region around Mount Rigi is an excellent hiking spot with many well marked out trails. We walked in the meadows for a couple of hours and it was time to head to Safenwil. A Swiss friend from this village had invited us over, and thankfully because of that we got to see this lovely village, which wouldn’t have been on our travel radar..Often the best and most memorable trips are those where you make a connection and we did, on this trip. Safenwil is roughly a one hour drive from Lucerne, passes through excellent Swiss countryside and small villages. It was time to say good bye to Lucerne and head to Safenwil…

 

What to do in Lucerne: The city itself has plenty to see including the Swiss Museum Of Transport. The entire region being mountainous, there are plenty of hiking trails. In the winters you could go skiing.

In the city itself, try and see the Chapel Bridge, a 200 meters covered wooden bridge attached to the Water Tower which was built in around 1300 AD. It has some 111 paintings inside. Go visit the Jesuit Church, Francesan Church, the Hof Church, the Lion Monument or Musegg Wall (the city walls from 13th century AD)

[box type=”success” width=”100%” ]How To Reach : Lucerne is very well connected by Train, Road and close to Zurich airport.

When to Visit: If you want to visit for Winter season, try January- February. April-May is low season, as the snow is melting, its generally slightly wet too. July/August is summers and high season again. October is low season and December is Christmas!

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