Travelogue – Lucerne & Mt. Pilatus, Switzerland

On a work trip last year to Zurich, we took the train to Lucerne in central Switzerland for a day trip. It took less than an hour and the train dissects through the Swiss mountainside with lakes for company all the way.

The train station is impressive but we exited to a murky Lucerne shrouded in a low-lying fog.

The city of Lucerne is located in the heart of Switzerland on Lake Lucerne, which is an awkward shape and stretches like elastic into a variety of directions creating stunning and distinct glacial valleys.

All around the lake are steep mountains and beautiful meadows and hills. It is a haven for exploring and enjoying and I was surprised how busy it was on a cold and wet day when were there in September.

Lucerne is in the German speaking part of the country and has existed since the fall of the Roman Empire. The city is rich in historic sights and attractions with its own medieval defenses with the Musegg Wall fortifications and its nine towers forming a striking crown on top of the Old Town.

The Old Town is something out of a Hans Christian Anderson book, famous for its picturesque squares, medieval buildings with decorated facades and narrow cobbled streets. Many buildings feature detailed frescoes that tell historical or biblical stories.

We walked the Old Town in the rain, but it was still spectacular and the coffee shops and restaurants were all busy, the rain deterring no one from any of the artisan chocolate shops that are on every corner.

Lucerne’s Old Town Boulevard rests between the Town Hall and Chapel Bridge sat on the River Reuss, the bridge the most photographed destination in the city and a symbol of it’s charm. Lucerne’s oldest and iconic wooden bridge dates to the 14th century, the landmark had to be partially rebuilt after a 1993 fire. Inside, the bridge’s interior features 17th-century triangular paintings depicting Lucerne’s history, though many were lost in the fire.

Attached to Chapel Bridge is an octagonal stone Water Tower serving historically as a prison, treasury, and torture chamber, adding to its iconic status. Like many hundreds of others I rattled of a load of photos trying to capture it’s beauty lying low over the misty River Reuss.

The Town Hall was also worth a visit. The flag of Canton flies proudly from this pretty building with its distinctive roof and it stands majestically in the heart of the old town on the banks of the Reuss.

In addition to the Chapel Bridge, the Spreuerbrücke, located a little further down the river is another beautiful wooden bridge. Less well-known than the world-famous Chapel Bridge and somewhat shorter, and noticeably less busy, it is in no way inferior to its bigger sister.

The southern half of the bridge, built in 1408, stands at right angles to the Reuss, the northern half at an angle to it. The Needle Dam is also here that regulates the river’s water levels.

Other noteworthy places we came across by foot as we closed in on 20,000 steps were the twin spires of the Church of St. Leodegar and the architecturally unique Lucerne Culture and Convention Centre, an impressive slice of modern in this historical city.

Our host had really brought us here to visit Mt Pilatus, a 2,128m (6,983 ft) mountain massif overlooking the city and known for the world’s steepest cogwheel railway, stunning Alpine views, and dragon legends.

Pilatus is a year-round destination for hiking, panoramic views, and the “Golden Round Trip” combining boat, cogwheel train, and cable car, which we accomplished even though, I’m making an assumption here, that the weather is far more wholesome in the summer months.

The weather the day we queued for the cogwheel railway at Alpnachstad was drizzly, cold and foggy. Note: the cogwheel does close between November and May.

However that all changed after we ended the half-hour, 4.6 km journey with a gradient reaching 48%.

We exited our ‘carriage’ with some of group looking a little unsteady, not me as I have never been worried by heights, but we were greeted by a bright blue sky, sunshine and the pastoral sound of the Alpenhorn music. A lady and two men stood blowing into 12 ft wooden horns. It was beautiful.

We were way above the rain-filled clouds and we explored the peaks and views by doing a thirty minute hike mostly on well maintained paths and stairs that began at the visitor centre.

I could not get over the tiny chapel that appeared bolted to the mountain. The Neo-Gothic Klimsenkapelle is reachable via hiking trails and gondola and stands at 1,864m (6,115 feet) on the Klimsen Pass.

Our post-hike reward was a lovely lunch at Restaurant Pilatus-Kulm. It felt regal sat in its historic halls, and the lentil soup and fillet of trout was fit for a king.

Afterwards after copius photo opportunities we took the cable car down and headed back to the train station after one final pit stop at the Max Chocolatier boutique.