This post is about a year overdo, but last September Ben and I spent a few days in Switzerland and I’ve been meaning to share our experience with you!
Switzerland was such a pretty country with landmarks such as Bern’s Zytglogge clock tower and Lucerne’s wooden chapel bridge. The country is known for its sprawling lakes, hiking trails, mountains and, of course, its chocolate and watches! We spent four days total in Switzerland–two in Zurich and two in Lucerne–and had such a great time. Below are a few details from the trip and some ideas if you’re planning your own!
DISCLAIMER:
Switzerland is expensive with a capital E. We knew it going to be pricey, but until you’re there paying $20 for a hamburger and $15 for a beer, you have no idea how quickly your money will deplete. We had an especially hard time with this since Ben and I are big eaters and drinkers and really enjoy that part of traveling. I would suggest planning ahead and making sure you save a little extra then anticipated. Also, if you’re on a strict budget, grab some apps and drinks from the grocery store and make your own picnic in town or by the water!
HOW WE GOT THERE:
We were Amsterdam prior to Switzerland and then heading to Rome after, so we booked a one way flight on KLM into Zurich. The flight took about an hour and it was $100 per person. Even though the price was a little steep for an hour long, one way flight, I will say that we loved the airline and had a great experience. Everything was pretty seamless; there were no delays and the baggage made it there in one piece. They even served everyone on board a ham and cheese sandwich and, I mean, I normally don’t trust mile high mayo, but this free sandwich was legit. You know it has to be pretttttay good if, after a year, the sandwich still sticks out in my mind as a major highlight lol.
ZURICH:
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and is known as the global center for banking and finance. Even though it carries such a heavy title, we didn’t feel like we were in the center of a banking mecca while we were there. The city had an intimate feel and sported gorgeous views of Lake Zurich and the Limmat River–plus, downtown was bustling with people, restaurants and shops.
WHERE WE STAYED:
I LOVED our Airbnb while we were Zurich, it was so dang dreamy! This little studio apartment was on the 3rd floor of a residential building, centrally located and had the most incredible view overlooking the Limmat River and Old Town. One side of the space was wall-to-wall windows and we spent a ton of time relaxing with them open and watching the sunrise/sunset.
WHAT WE DID:
Zurich was very easy to navigate and we were easily able to fill up two days with fun things to do. We invested in a public transportation ticket thinking it would make it easier to get around, but in reality you could quickly walk everywhere, so I wouldn’t worry about purchasing one! Here were a few of our favorite spots:
Altstadt: Also known as Old Town, Alstadt is an Instagramers dream. Wander around the medieval streets and stop into one of the many quirky cafes.
Lindenhof: If you’re a sunset fanatic like me, make sure Linderhof is on your list. This spot is elevated and overlooks landmarks like the Grossmünster Church and city hall. Head up before sunset with a picnic dinner and enjoy!
Grossmünster Church: Anytime we see a church while traveling, you’ll find me instantly Googling if you can go up to the towers. Grossmünster was no exception and we found that you could go up it for a small price. The cost was only a few dollars and I’m so glad we did it, the view from the top was ah-mazing.
West Zurich: Before we left on our trip, I saw a photo of an umbrella covered street in Zurich. We found out that this spot was actually in West Zurich outside of Gerold Chuchi restaurant and decided to check it out! Do it for the gram, am I right? We took a train to District 5 and came face to face with a trendy area that we wouldn’t have explored otherwise! It was filled with re-purposed industrial buildings that were converted into quirky bars, restaurants and shops.
And those were our top spots in Zurich! Next up–Lucerne!
LUCERNE:
Lucerne was one of the cities I was most excited to explore. We took a train from Zurich which ended up taking about 45 minutes and costing $25 per person. You can book directly through Rail Europe.
WHERE WE STAYED:
The main/tourist part of Lucerne is teeny tiny, so when I was looking for a hotel, I realized that hotels in a “prime” location on the water were only about a 3 minute walk from those considered on the outskirts. I decided to save some money and book us at Ameron which was a pretty boutique hotel a block from the bridge/water. It was around $150/night (very reasonable for Switzerland) and very clean!
I will say that if you’re looking at hotels in the area and you’re going in summer, verify that they have AC. I found that a few of my top picks by the water didn’t have AC and that was definitely a deal breaker for us.
WHAT WE DID:
We had amazing weather for pretty much our entire 17 day euro trip with the exception of our time in Lucerne. It was also the one city where we had prebooked an outdoor activity and let me just say, the weather gods were definitely not on our side. We did end up having a little sunshine on the day we arrived and so we were able to walk around and check out the sites before the sky opened up!
Hammestschwand Lift: This was our rained out activity. WHY WEATHER GODS, WHY? If you’re unfamiliar, the Hammestschwand Lift is the highest exterior elevator in Europe and it’s located on a lookout point on the Bürgenstock plateau which overlooks Lake Lucerne. If you want to go, I would suggest booking the Hammestschwand Sunrise tour through the Bürgenstock Hotel and Resort (linked above). The tour includes your boat ride to and from the resort and then it’s up to you to follow some signs and hike to the lift itself. The cost is about $50 per person and from what I saw online, that view can’t be beat!
Chapel Bridge: If you go to Lucerne and don’t see the Chapel Bridge, did you ever really go to Lucerne? This is the world’s oldest surviving truss bridge (dating back to the 14th century) and runs diagonally for 200 meters and is basically the center of the city. We walked across it a few different times, but found it the prettiest early morning when the crowds weren’t out yet!
Old Town: My favorite part of the city and a great spot to walk around, grab a drink or food and take some photos. A lot of the area is pedestrian only, so it’s really easy to wander and check out the sites.
Lion Monument: Not going to lie, we had no idea what this was and only went because it was raining and we needed something easy to do! Once we got there and read up on the history, the monument had a lot more meaning. The lion represents the Swiss Guard which was massacred while trying to protect Louis XVI at the Tuileries Palace during the French Revolution.
Hofkirche St. Leodegar: The prettiest church located right in the city. It has renaissance style architecture and a pair of towers that you can go up and explore. Definitely check out the interior and then go up and enjoy the view, it’s gorgeous!
Annnnd that’s it! Like I said above, food was crazy expensive so I don’t have a lot of good meal recs for you, but we loved spending time in these two cities. I hope this helped if you were planning a trip and if you have any questions, please leave them below 🙂
