We recently spent three nights in Switzerland and it wasn’t nearly enough time! We stayed in Lucerne, which sits amid snowcapped mountains on Lake Lucerne, and Mürren, which sits at the foot of the Schilthorn peak and is only accessible by cable car.
Lucerne
I know I’ve really only been to two cities in Switzerland, but this one is my favorite. The entire city is walkable, but like, really walkable. Everything was within a 15 minute walk of our hotel. Our hotel, by the way, was incredible. You must stay in a balcony room at the Hotel Des Alpes. We almost slept on that balcony because it was so perfect. It had a beautiful view and was a great place to watch all the people bustle about below.
I recommend crossing the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), although I’m not sure why you wouldn’t if you’re there! Its construction dates back to 1333, but it was partially destroyed and rebuilt because of a fire in 1993.
The Lion Monument was designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and carved in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. It’s an impressive piece of art in person and much more massive than it looks in photos.
The Musegg Wall is a part of the rampart walls built in 1386; the wall is still almost entirely intact. The oldest city clock, built in 1535, is in the Zyt tower. This clock is allowed to chime every hour one minute before all the other city clocks. It is terrifying to be next to the clock when it chimes so maybe plan accordingly. I’m afraid of heights so that probably didn’t help.
Lucerne has lots of hidden treasures. It’s such an old city yet has so many modern aspects. You can explore the whole city in less than a day, but you’ll want to stay much longer! The grocery stores even had several vegan options akin to those you’d find at our Whole Foods.
Disappointment in Winteregg
During our night in Lucerne I saw this post on Instagram:
So instead of leisurely making our way to Mürren, we decided to get up at 5am to catch the first train out so we wouldn’t miss the Alpine cattle descent. But when we got there, no one had any idea what we were talking about. Apparently the cattle descent had happened weeks ago! Why did you mislead me, @murrengimmelwald, WHY?! We ran into a few other people who were also there for the event but I don’t think anyone was as disappointed as I was. It still haunts me.
Mürren
So we continued on to Mürren which was just a short train ride away. Once again, our hotel, the Eiger Swiss Quality Hotel, had an incredible view and I highly recommend. Their breakfast bar was astonishing. There was a mimosa bar and a build your own smoothie station!
Later that day we had a paragliding reservation with Airtime Paragliding. My husband was beyond stoked and I was beyond terrified. Heights are not something I enjoy, but something I definitely faced often during our time in Switzerland. The hike up the hill to our takeoff point was intense. I was wheezing pretty hard and had to take a break. I’m going to blame the altitude and not my complete lack of exercise. Once we donned our helmets and neon jackets, we jogged down a hill where the wind lifted us up right away! It wasn’t bad at all until we reached the cliff, then my stomach lurched a bit. But overall, I felt very safe. There’s something about sitting in a seat-like harness that makes you feel more secure. But the best part was that we landed in Grindelwald where we saw cows!
The following day we took a cable car up Schilthorn. Our first stop was Birg (8783 ft) which included the Thrill Walk. This cliff path has several sections that you need to walk, climb, or crawl through, including a chain length tunnel above a 820 ft drop. It took some coaxing to get me through that one, but I did it! My husband lost his glasses in that tunnel. Legend has it a goat now has excellent vision and has started his own religion.
At the summit of Schilthorn (9744 ft) is Piz Gloria, a revolving restaurant that was featured in the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. I suppose this is why my veggie burger was branded with the 007 logo.
Mürren was such a beautiful and quiet village where a lot of people apparently vacation with their dogs. Not that I’m complaining, but how were there so many dogs?! I definitely hope to return one day, and maybe I’ll bring Dash.
