My husband and I took a four day trip to Zürich & Luzern from Amsterdam, in April of 2019. This itinerary is based on that experience. Want more visual inspiration? Check out the video of the trip!
Day 1: Had an early flight into Zürich airport (Flughafen Zürich) and then took the train 75 minutes to Luzern. Download the mobile app ahead of time, so you can quickly and easily buy the correctly timed ticket (CHF 15.00). This train runs every 30 minutes, and offers some gorgeous views.
We were so excited to be by a lake, we headed directly over to Inseli Park. We simply sat on the water's edge and took in the amazing views. We then headed across the Seebrücke (bridge), and dropped off our bags at Hotel Pickwick, as it was too early to check in. Simple, no frills room with a lovely staff, amazing views and is in the center of town. Wanting to soak up the sunshine, we grabbed a beer at Storchen; more of a wine bar but they had an open table outside in a nice plaza. The beer was local- Eichhof - I usually don't like lagers, but I drank it almost exclusively this trip. If you find it, you must try it.
About a ten minute walk north, you will find the Lion Monument, which pays homage to the deaths of the Swiss Guard in 1792. If you want more history, you can also check out the Bourbaki Panorama (CHF 12.00). For lunch, we headed back into town for Stadtkeller; make a reservation if you are planning to go here for dinner. This restaurant is known for the Swiss Fondue (which we had with bread, but you can order with meats and vegetables as well) as well as their ‘concerts’ with traditional music. You can buy tickets separately or as part of your dinner.
After lunch, we headed to the ferry terminal, Luzern Schweizerhofquai, where we found a boat tour that was about to leave in a few minutes and decided to check it out. You can buy tickets at the dock for this 1-hour boat tour or online (CHF 25.00). After grabbing an audio guide, we made sure to get a spot outside and on the edge to guarantee unobstructed views.
Night 1: For dinner, we made the mistake of not making a reservation. Fortunately, we were able to find a seat at the bar of Wirtshaus Taube; the food was fantastic and the service was friendly. I had the Chapubrogg–Röschti (Rösti) served with traditional toppings. I had another local lager, Ur Bräu, which was also good.
After dinner, the sun was setting perfectly. We wandered down the river and crossed back and forth on the Spreuer Bridge; a 1400s wooden bridge. We then crossed the Chapel Bridge; originally built in the 1300s, and still has paintings from the 1700s.
Day 2: The next morning, Luzern had their Saturday Market. Located off of Unter der Egg, we strolled through (mix of produce, flowers, crafts and bakery items) on our way to the bus stop to head to Mt Pilatus. Note: our hotel provided us with a visitor card (provided free public transit within the city, you can pick one up at the visitor center as well). Near the bus stop was Bachmann, where we grabbed coffee and a pastry while we waited for the bus.
Take the #5 bus (stop 'Hirzenhof') ten stops to 'Kriens, Zentrum Pilatus'. From there you walk about 5 minutes to the Kriens Valley Station. Prices vary, but for a full up and down ride it was about CHF 50.00. You can choose to not go all the way to the top or hike part of the way. We chose the full up and down ticket; however, we did stop halfway down and experienced the longest summer toboggan ride in Switzerland; Fräkigaudi Sommer - Rodelbahn; (CHF 7.00). This entire experience was fantastic, absolutely breathtaking views. We had a beer and sat outside on the lawn chairs; I could have stayed all day. There is even a hotel at the top, if you wanted to splurge for a night. Honestly, I think it would be worth it.
On the way back to the hotel, we noticed there was a huge food cart area set up and decided that would be fun for lunch. It ended up being the Street Food Festival, where I tried Kenyan food (when in Switzerland, right?). There was also live music and beer; a fun way to experience the locals instead of something touristy. When we got back into town, we decided to walk the medieval wall of the city, the Musegg Wall. The Schirmerturm is a good place to start; it is one of a handful of towers along the wall (which you are able to climb up). Free.
Night 2: Needing a little snack, we stopped at dieci Gelateria; they have a passion fruit gelato that is AMAZING. We then headed over to Hofkirche St. Leodegar; a 17th century gothic church. For dinner, we made a reservation for Made in Sud, a lovely little Italian restaurant; friendly vibe and good food.
Day 3: The next morning we stopped into Rathaus Brauerei for a coffee and pastry. This seemed like a lovely place for lunch or dinner as well. After soaking up the last views of Luzern, we hopped the train back to Zürich.
Wanting to stretch our legs a bit, we walked around Park Platspitz, if you walk to the point, there is a fountain as well. We then headed to our hotel to drop off our bags; Hotel Marta; minimalist rooms, clean and had a nice little breakfast. On the way to lunch, we passed by Predigerkirche Zürich; a Protestent church built in 1231. A fountain is right on the corner as well; Fuente de Predigerkirche. Due to it being Easter Sunday, we did not go into any of the churches around town. We decided on Swiss Chuchi Restaurant; fondue is their specialty but they have other items as well (which is what we ordered). This was in Altstadt or Old Town, where you can simply wander up and down the streets where there are lots of shops and cafes.
After our meal, we crossed the Rathausbrücke (town hall bridge) where you get a nice view of the river with the mountains in the distance. We headed up the hill, into Lindenhof park; this was my favorite thing to do in Zürich. We played a game of life-size chess and got amazing views of the city. In need of a caffeine boost, we headed to Honold; where there is also a great selection of chocolates, pastries and cakes. As it was my birthday, I picked out a few slices and we headed back to the hotel to check in, eat cake and plan the rest of the evening.
Night 3: We decided to have a relaxed rest of the day in the Bellevue area. We crossed the Quaibrücke bridge, where we saw a ferris wheel and the Ganymede Statue. We then made our way back and bought some drinks from a small convenience stand, and headed to the waterfront. We spent a long while just people watching, listening to live music and were even able to see someone playing an alphorn! When we were ready, we grabbed dinner at Sternen grill; named the best sausage in Zürich (I thought it was very good). On our way back to the hotel, we spotted the same gelato shop as we had in Luzern, dieci Gelateria. I couldn't help but get passionfruit again.
Day 4: After breakfast at our hotel, we took the S1 train from Zürich HB Main Station to 'Uetliberg' for the Lookout Tower (about a 20 minute ride, plus a 10 minute walk). Again, you can use the app or buy from one of the machines. There is a restaurant/hotel and lots of hiking trails in the area as well. The tower itself has a pay gate that is a little confusing, but I believe it was CHF 2.00. You get a lovely view of the area.
After heading back into town, we had enough time for lunch before checking out and heading to the airport. We settled on The Butcher; a local burger chain with a wide variety of gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options (in addition to meat). It was a very tasty burger.
Things to Note:
Switzerland’s currency is the Swiss franc (CHF); we used our credit cards for almost everything, but did pull money out from an ATM just in case.
If you are getting a temporary phone plan to cover Europe, make sure Switzerland is included.
Switzerland is expensive. Meals are probably the easiest way to save money; utilize lunch time for traditional dishes, as there is normally a cheaper menu. Also, buy snacks/alcohol at a market and find a place to sit and enjoy the views instead of tucking yourself away at a bar.
Things I would change:
I would not have done much differently, but I think I would have liked to have planned to hike a little bit on Mt. Pilatus.
More of a note than a change, but we spent about 24 hours in Zürich, and that was plenty. I think Switzerland's charm is all about nature rather than the cities.
Foods to try:
Rösti (hashbrown), Swiss Fondue, Raclette (Swiss cheese served melted on potatoes, meats or vegetables), Nusstorte (sweet nut tart), Zurcher Geschnetzeltes (veal cooked with mushrooms, cream, onions and wine) and of course the chocolate!
General Travel Tips:
Figure out an idea of sites you want to see; this will determine a centralized area for where you should stay (unless noted, we walked everywhere on this trip very easily).
Mark everything on your google maps. This also seems to be the best (walking) navigation app.
Other:
Planning for a trip, especially overseas, can be stressful and overwhelming. Hopefully this gave you a realistic itinerary of things to do for four days in Switzerland. I try to do as many quick links as possible, to send you directly to the website so you can get the most accurate and up-to-date information possible (fees and timetables).
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Safe and Happy Wandering.
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