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This is Part 2 of our review of places to see in Europe. Please read Part 1 to learn why we wouldn’t recommend United Airlines for your next international trip.
For our European trip, we decided to start our vacation in a charming city southwest of Zürich called Luzern. For our first trip to Switzerland, we wanted to choose a city that was authentic, easily walkable, and on the water; this meant that Luzern was the perfect choice for our needs.
Transportation
To get to Luzern, we boarded the Swiss Federal Railways train from the Zürich Airport. After a brief stop at the main Zürich train station, we quickly continued on to Luzern and enjoyed the breathtaking views of the hillside and lakes on the way.
After the quick 65 minute rail trip to Luzern, we were greeted to the beautiful architecture of an old European city.
After taking the local city bus and settling into our Airbnb, we decided to set out on a walk towards the main downtown to see what Luzern had to offer.
Luzern
The town of Luzern is quite charming and fun to explore. After we got through the newer section of town, we found ourselves in an older part of town complete with cobblestone roads, old buildings, and footbridges crossing the rivers that feed out from the lake the city sits on. These bridges were really neat and made it easy to cross between the two sides of town.
Besides the city’s charm, we also had waterfront dining, chocolate shops, and other small businesses. The food in the town was great and I am looking forward to sharing more about the food of our trip in a later article.
After walking through the town, we decided to go to a fort that sat up on a nearby hill. While the walk was steep, it did offer some breathtaking views of Luzern. From the top of the hill, we could climb the fort’s clocktower and walk along its walls. This experience provided us with a great view of the city, including from the image taken below.
Nearby activities
Besides all of the activities in the town, Luzern also provided a lot other regional activities. These included taking ferries across the lake to other nearby cities as well as taking the Swiss Federal Railway to other small towns. These small towns were something that we wished we had more time to explore, as they sat on beautiful lakes and provided an excellent sport to indulge in the Swiss culture.
Is a trip to Luzern worth it?
Overall, a trip to Luzern is something we definitely recommend. From its charming city center to the activities surrounding the area, Luzern is definitely a spot you should try to visit. While the area was very walkable, it would be challenging to get around for people with mobility issues as the area can be hilly with uneven roads.
I hope this review of Luzern will help inspire you in planning your next future vacations. Follow along as we continue our review of the numerous attractions in Europe in the coming days.
Kyle’s Tip
Kyle’s Tip: As someone new to international travel, I was intentionally worried I would have trouble communicating in the German-speaking part of Switzerland that we visited. However, I quickly learned that people in this area were fluent in many languages. Thus for other travelers that are worried about visiting Switzerland and facing a language barrier, there is no need to worry as most people are able to speak a combination of English, German, French, and/or Italian to help you get around.
The other thing to keep in mind is that you will need a way to connect your tech to the local power-outlets. Before this trip, we decided to buy this SublimeWare Power Plug Adapter as it provided us an easy way to keep connected on our trip by providing us with power conversion for both European and UK-style plugs. We highly recommend buying a power converter before you trip so you to can stay connected on your trip.
