Switzerland

ACCOMODATIONS, CURRENCY, AND CLIMATE

Lucerne (map) is in the center of Switzerland, on Lake Lucerne. Hotel Royal or Grand Hotel Europe. (The 2nd one sounds nicer.) The 2 hotels are in the same area on the North Shore of Lake Lucerne. About a ten minute walk to city center. Near bus stop.

In Switzerland, the money is Swiss Franks (CHF). It's about a one to one conversion. Denominations up to 5 CHF are coins. Can use Euros, but get change in swiss franks.

The average May temperature in Lucerne is 46 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

GLOBUS ITINERARY

Thursday, May 22...Rhineland to Lucerne, Switzerland

A scenic day! Morning stop in the lush valleys and pineclad hills of the BLACK FOREST, renowned for its cuckoo clocks. On the Swiss border take your pictures of the thundering RHINE FALLS, then continue to picture-book Lucerne. (BB,D)

Friday, May 23...Lucerne, Switzerland to Liechtenstein to Innsbruck, Austria

Admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT, walk through the Old Town, and cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Time to shop for Swiss watches or climb lofty Mount Pilatus. Then leave Switzerland, stop in the Principality of Liechtenstein, and continue to Innsbruck in the Austrian Tyrol. Take pictures of Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. (BB,D)

ITINERARY

Without stops, Lucerne is about 3 hours by road from Karlsruhe, Germany. The page on Germany discusses the Black Forest.

Rhine Falls--wiki. The largest falls in Europe: average flow of 25’000 cubic ft /sec, 450 ft wide and 75 ft high.

Lucerne...(Wikitravel). New York Times Travel section info on Lucerne.It appears we may have some part of the afternoon and the evening in Lucerne.

Film of the city and area. Wonderful pictures of the area. Lucerne Tourist page, which has the best descriptions/maps of the area I can find.

If we get in early enough on Thursday, we could wander about by ourselves and see most of what the tour will show us Friday morning. That way, we could have most of our Lucerne time on Friday to take a boat ride and do some building/art viewing.

From the hotel, one can walk across the covered chapel bridge into old town. The Hof Church is a catholic cathedral; on the north side of the river near the chapel bridge. West from the bridge on the south side of the river is a Jesuit Church, no info about open times. East from the bridge on the south side is the harbor and the Convention Center. We culd pick up info on the boat rides that evening. We could see the nice water views in one of two bars in the Center: The Seebar and The Terrace.

In the morning we will use the tour to see the Lion Monument, which is well north of the city center, and to explain the chapel bridge to us. Then we will take off for the water. Around the city are remnants of the city wall and towers. Three towers are open to the public. The old Town Hall building is on the north side of the river.

There are boats on the lake, but I'm having trouble deciphering time and cost. Excursion and round trip timetable from Lucerne looks like we can take a 2 or 3 hour boat ride. Another site says we could get one-hour rides.

There is a Picasso museum, in a 1618 Renaissance-style building, the historic Am-Rhyn-House. A collection of paintings, drawings, original prints, sculpture, and ceramics by Picasso from the last 20 years of his life. Also "Picassso, photographed by David Douglas Duncan." Address: Furrengrasse 21; 10am to 6pm; Bus 1; 4CHF adults. It one block north of the river, 4 blocks west of the bridge next to the city Hall.

There is also the Rosengart Collection, including Klee, Picasso, Cézanne, Monet, Matisse, Braque, Léger, and Miró. The gallery is at Pilatusstrasse 10, on the south side of the river, a street starting at the train station and heading diagonally southwest. It is open from 10am to 6pm, and costs 12 to 15 CHF (discounted combo ticket with the Picasso Museum). On Fridays, the museum has a tour at 2:30pm.

TRANSPORTATION

There is a bus system, but the site is not available in English. I found from another site that if you are staying in any hotel in Lucerne, you can obtain a 3 DAY PASS for 8 CHF at the reception desk. Normally a ONE DAY PASS costs 10 CHF; ONE TRIP costs from 2 to 5 CHF depending on the distance.

The railway station is on the south side of the river, east toward the lake. You can rent bikes at the railway station, including electric bikes.

SELF-GUIDED TOUR

Here's a one-day tour one website suggests: (Tip: "Platz" means Plaza or Square)

Start in the heart of Lucerne at Schwanenplatz (Swan Square), on the north bank of the Reuss River, reached by crossing the Seebrücke bridge from Bahnhofplatz on the south bank, site of the train station.

Adjoining the square on the west is Kapellplatz (St. Peter's Church). From here, continue west along Kapellgasse, until you reach the Rathaus (Old Town Hall). Continuing to the left is the Picasso Museum at Am-Rhyn-Haus.

After leaving the museum, follow Rathausquai east toward Schwanenplatz again and cross the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), view the Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church), Wasserturm (Water Tower), and Nadelwehr (Water Spikes). Spreuerbrücke (Mills Bridge).

Make a sharp right through the Mühlenplatz (Mills Square), site of the 16 century Lucerne markets. Go east down Kramgasse to Altstadtplatze (Old City Squares). From Hirschenplatz, go east along Weggisgasse to Falkenplatz. From Falkenplatz, continue east along Hertensteinstrasse until you come to Löwenplatz - the site of the Bourbaki Panorama.

Next you'll go north along Denkmalstrasse - high above your head you'll see one of the most famous statues in the world - the Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument). Now go back to Löwenplatz and head south along Löwenstrasse to the lake and Kurplatz. A few steps east of Schwanenplatz is the site of the Hofkirche (Hof Church) are visible.

Kurplatz is a good way to end the tour. It has the best view of the lake from its northern rim. You can also take steamers from this area to visit various resorts along the lake. The view from here includes the lake and the Alps from Rigi to Pilatus. This area is great for exploring and shopping. At the end of the promenade is the Lido (beach), called Lucerne's "Riviera."

WON'T BE DOING

Unfortunately, due to height, we cannot do either of the optional tours that go up the mountains. The Pilatus Tour appears to take 4-5 hours. Pilatus is south of Lucern. (Another site, with timetable.)

The Mount Rigi tour goes to Vitznau to board a cogwheel train to Mount Rigi (6K feet high), returning by train and aerial cable car to Weggis. Rigi is north of Lake Lucerne. Looks like it takes about 5 hours. Website. Film.