Lucerne: Famous Chapel Bridge City

I wanted to visit Pilatus, a mountain near Lucerne.  However, a lady from the tourist information center told me that the weather was not conducive for me to stay on the top of the mountain.  She showed me the webcams site that was supposed to have a beautiful panoramic view from Mt. Pilatus.  All I saw was clouds.  Therefore, I explored Lucerne instead of the mountain.  I did not know anything about Lucerne, including the famous Chapel Bridge, before my visit.  However, I have found Lucerne is easy to travel because the city is small and has many sights located in a walking distance.  In addition, Lucerne provides more sights to see, compared to Zurich.  Lucerne will probably satisfy expectations of tourists who visit Switzerland for the first time. 

I do not have any interesting story to share my food experience in Lucerne.  :(

Lucerne is famous about its Chapel Bridge and maybe Lion Monument.  (The official city guide listed the Lion Monument as one of the most well-known monuments in the world, although I learned it in Lucerne for the first time.)  However, I loved the following sights:

• Musegg Wall (Museggmauer) - You can climb towers and see their inside.  In addition, you can overlook the city.
• Old City Squares - A lively area of Lucerne!  You can see many beautiful historical buildings and many shopping opportunities.

Here are other parts of Lucerne that I visited:

I often use a quick tour to grab an overview of the city when I have a short time to stay in the city.  For example, I joined a famous second-storied-red-bus tour to understand an overview of London on my first day.  I did the same thing in Lucerne.  I joined the city tour using a steam-train-looking car.  It was exciting to ride such a cute transportation to explore a medieval-looking town.  The tour provided a multi-language guidance of the city via the head phone.  However, it never stopped by any sights for photo taking.  The tour moved so quickly that I could not take clear photos through the cart window.  In addition, I later noticed that Lucerne was such a compact city that I could finish visiting desired sights on foot.  Despite benefits that the tour provided, I could have used some tour time for something else, such as the boat trip.  I think the tour that I joined would be a choice if you do not want to walk any more and finish a city tour quickly. 

I did not stay a night in Lucerne.  If I came back to Switzerland, I would have a overnight stay in Lucerne because I want to increase my chance to visit Pilatus.

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To Lucerne:

I used a train from Zurich to Lucerne.  A round-trip ticket, which was second-class, cost 46 CHF.  A one-way trip took approximately 50 minutes.

Within Lucerne:

To make a long story short, I recommend walking.  I have finished walking to the sights where I wanted to visit for half a day.

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• Stop by the tourist information center next to the Lucerne train station before you explore the city.  You can get a map and city guide free, which were very useful to get around on foot.  The staff there was very helpful and friendly. 
• Consider staying a night in Lucerne if you plan to visit any mountain nearby, because the weather on the mountain is unpredictable.
• Lucerne is similar to other Swiss cities: It is easy to walk to sights. 
• Maybe, you are tired of hearing this:  Bring a good pair of walking shoes. 
• You can use the round-trip ticket as many times as you want for 24 hours within the valid zones, including Zurich and Lucerne. 
• I think that the second-class coach between Zurich and Lucerne is clean, safe and comfortable.  I recommend buying the second-class ticket unless you really want to avoid a rush hour on weekdays. 
• Be sure to carry a valid transportation ticket.  I was told to present my ticket several times during my trip.  The penality for having no valid ticket is seriously expensive.
• I visited Lucerne on Sunday in summer.  Unexpectedly, souvenir shops and restaurants were open, especially at the waterfront area.  However, specialized stores, department stores, and boutiques were closed. 
   

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