Lake Lucerne travel tips

The aristocracy of Switzerland began acquiring a taste for the Swiss Alps as early as the 1760s. Lucerne—a small fishing village at the foothills of the Alps, with its temperate climate and easy access by road and rail—made the perfect launching pad for hiking and mountaineering. By 1835, the first hotel opened in Lucerne and the city soon grew into one of the largest tourist destinations in the country. In 1903, Swiss entrepreneur Franz Josef Bucher purchased a plot of land on the north shore of Lake Lucerne for $900,000 Swiss francs. After a three-year construction, Palace Hotel Luzern opened its doors, setting a new standard of luxury for hospitality, not just in Switzerland, but in Europe at large.

Jul 29, 2024 • 7 min read

Spend any length of time in Switzerland and you’ll come to realise just how distinct the seasons are here and how well the country wears them.

It was a handpainted sign on a wooden barn that piqued my interest in Gruyères. I was travelling from Emmental to Montreux last year, following the wonderful Golden Pass rail route. Our train paused at Montbovon, the start of a steep climb up to the line’s final dramatic mountain pass. There was the prospect of stunning views of Lake Geneva ahead. To the right of the railway, I spotted the bold sign: “La Gruyère vous salue” (the region, like the cheese, lacks the village’s final “s”).

With its crystal clear lake and rugged snow-capped mountains, Lucerne has long been one of Switzerland’s most popular destinations for an alpine retreat. Europe’s upper strata were drawn to the alps as early as the 1760s, for mountaineering and hiking. But Lucerne really took off in the 19th century, following the opening of the first hotel in 1835, the expansion of alpine health resorts and Queen Victoria visiting the town for a long summer retreat in 1868 as she mourned the death of her husband.

Travel has gotten weird. First, nobody did it for a couple of years. Then everybody did it at once and airports fell apart. “Revenge travel,” became a thing. Airports mostly figured out how to keep track of luggage, and people kept going places—too often the same ones. Major cities across Europe have enacted anti-tourism policies.

It’s no mystery why Switzerland is so beloved of outdoor enthusiasts and landscape artists everywhere. The power and beauty of the natural world is laid bare here, and immersion in the country’s flower-strewn alpine meadows, forested canyons and ice-encrusted mountain peaks promises to energise and inspire you.

Switzerland has been waiting for you. The country is a charming blend of everything you would ever want from a holiday break. Great efficiency, genteel calm, pretty Alpine views, silky smooth snow, rewarding museums, incredible Gothic architecture and much more. Both its alluring outdoors and its compelling cities are all here to be enjoyed. A mix of these two elements are always at your fingertips in the fascinating world of the Swiss cantons – there are 26 incredible cantons to explore in the country. The beauty of the cantons is that you never have to choose between a city break or a stay savouring Mother Nature, they can be had together – it’s all available for you in one single trip. This makes Switzerland an ideal all-year-round holiday destination as you get the very best of everything here.

Switzerland has a reputation for being the destination of choice for ski fiends and adrenaline junkies, but Lake Lucerne, right in the heart of the country, is perfect for anyone who appreciates taking it slow.