Day out in Lucerne

Lake Lucerne

Visiting Lucerne was something I had wanted to do for a long time. Alf and I had been through Lucerne to go to the top of Pilatus last summer but we hadn't seen anything of the old town. Back at the end of October when a friend came to visit from Glasgow, I decided to brave going on the train with Baby Suisse and the pram to go and spend a day there. Baby Suisse is quite a chilled baby and usually content to be out and about so I wasn't overly anxious about the journey and being away for the day.

And what a great decision this was! It had snowed a few days before hand but we enjoyed the most magnificent blue skies. The view of the white-capped mountains from Lucerne was rather spectacular!

We picked up a map from the Tourism Office and decided to do the recommended walk in order to see most of the important sights in the old town in as short a time as possible (I didn't want to push my luck with Baby Suisse's patience...). As soon as we left the station, we hit the world-famous Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke):

Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, and was originally built in 1333 as part of Lucerne's fortifications. The Kapellbrücke includes a Wasserturm  (water tower) which was used as a prison, torture chamber, and later a municipal archive.

Wasserturm

The bridge also contains a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century.

From the bridge, we could also spot the impressive Jesuit church:

Lucerne's old city centre makes for a very pleasant stroll and is full of nice shops (shops aren't so pram-friendly so we didn't manage to indulge in some shopping...probably best that way!). Everywhere you look, you can spot lovely painted facades, water fountains and charming old buildings:

After a spot of lunch (which included Chügelipastete, a Lucerne's speciality), we set off to gaze at the Lion Monument:

Löwendenkmal

This giant lion hewn in the rock commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. 10m long and 6m high, it is a truly impressive and solemn sight.

Although we couldn't go on the walls because of the pram, we walked alongside the old city fortifications (Musegg Wall) dating from the late 14th century.

The view from the top of the hill were worth the struggle of pushing a pram up a snowy road!

On our way back to the railway station, we walked past Lucerne's second famous bridge, the Mill bridge (Spreuerbrücke). Dating from the beginning of the 15th century, it zigzags across the Reuss river.

After a quick look around in a fabric shop, we decided to head back to the station to start the 90 minutes journey back home.