Hello lovelies, we once again travelled for a weekend. This time we didn’t travel far though, because we spent a weekend in Lucerne with kids. Staycations are great - as much as we like to explore new places, cities and countries, when we visit new places in Switzerland, I just have to say again and again that it's great to live in this beautiful country. And of course, I can absolutely understand why the whole world is drawn into beautiful Switzerland. The mountains and beautiful lakes are unique and often leave you astonished.
We have been to Lucerne many times, but we always discover new beautiful corners and this time we made an extensive boat trip on Lake Lucerne for the first time. But more about it later...
Another advantage of holidays in Switzerland is the short journey, in just 40 minutes we arrived at the hotel. The children were thrilled and said we should always choose such close destinations for our holidays in the future (we all don’t like long car rides, by train is something different).
Hotel
We stayed at the new Holiday Inn Express* in Lucerne-Kriens. It’s located in the new district Mattenhof and therefore very convenient for various activities and also at the foot of the Pilatus.
We had 2 connected rooms, which we liked very much. Modern, attractively furnished, bright, friendly and also a good size. In addition, each room has free Wi-Fi. There are also family rooms with a small kitchen. Having 2 rooms with a connecting door was very convenient for us and the girls enjoyed their newly gained autonomy a lot - including a long TV night with their "own" TV. Alternatively, there is a sleeping couch in the rooms which you can let your kids sleep on.
The train station is located directly behind the hotel and Lucerne main train station is only 2 stops away (7 minutes), so very central. During your stay at the hotel you also get a ticket for the entire public transport, another plus point. And by the way, from the rooms you can enjoy a great view of the mountains.
Breakfast is also included. It’s a classic buffet in the friendly and bright breakfast room with terrace. I would have wished for more vegan options, e.g. it would have been nice if the soymilk is already at the buffet and you don’t have to ask for it. But there is a wider choice of bread, cereals, fruits, vegetables and jams.
Right next to the hotel you will find an Asian restaurant Nooch, where we went for a delicious dinner on Friday evening. They had classic Asian wok dishes, but also vegan sushi and curries - so everyone will find something.
A weekend in Lucerne with kids
Activities
Boat ride
Apart from the picturesque old town and the Kappel bridge, there is a lot to discover and experience in Lucerne. But we have completely dedicated ourselves to the lake this weekend. The Lake Lucerne boat company (SGV)* kindly provided us with a day ticket. So we went directly on one of the many ships in the morning and got comfortable there. Our first destination for the day was the RÜTLI (the place where the Confederation of Switzerland was summoned in 1291) - that was the wish of Papa Frei, because he went there last as a child.
As with so many excursions, but especially on a boat trip on Lake Lucerne, the journey is the destination. On this 2.5 hour ride you can marvel at the beautiful mountain panorama around the lake, pass the cutest places and impressive buildings.
From Lucerne the trip takes you via the "Verkehrshaus", Weggis, Vitznau, Beckenried and Brunnen. At most locations, there is also access to the mountain railways directly at the boat dock, e.g. to the Rigi. I can also recommend that very much, we once spent a very nice weekend there including an overnight stay and thermal bath.
The boat ride is very entertaining, you can enjoy the panorama, let yourself be pampered culinary and if, like our children, you are very curious and lucky, then you can get a direct insight into the work of the captain. He was very nice, explained everything to the girls and they spent quite some time in the "cockpit" (haha, I just don’t know how this is called with a small ship, also bridge?!).
Rütli
Then we reached our destination "Rütli" and got off board. After a short walk up hill, you reach the "Schwurplatz" (Swear Square) and a little further on is the Rütli meadow. It’s really very idyllic, but smaller than you might imagine. Of course you will be greeted by friendly cows, so all Swiss stereotypes are directly fulfilled :-)).
So we got taste of Swiss history and then ate lunch in the restaurant Rütli. But even if I repeat myself , this trip was worth it alone for the great view!
From the Rütli meadow we then climbed the trail “Swiss Path” all the way to Seelisberg. The path is partly steeper, leads through a forest and after about 1 hour you have arrived in Seelisberg. I would say this path is also great to climb with kids (but not suitable for a stroller). Incidentally, every Swiss citizen, divided into cantons, owns a 5-millimeter-long leg of the «Swiss Path», did you know that?
I don’t need to say anything else about the view, I think the pictures speak for themselves :-). After we arrived at the idyllic Seelisberg, we took the Treib-Seelisberg-train to get back to the lake. From the dock we went onto the next ship (this time the Diamond) for the return trip to Lucerne.
We arrived in Lucerne in the late afternoon, strolled a little through the old town, bought a picnic and enjoyed this at the lake. There are many beautiful places around the lake where you can have one. Even if the shops close at 4 pm on Saturday, you will find a wide range of groceries in the central station, e.g. Migros and Coop.
Panorama tour
For the evening we decided on another boat trip with the PANORAMA-YACHT SAPHIR. This 1-hour tour with audio guide is really exciting. You learn a lot about the environment, history and famous people who had fallen for the charm of Lake Lucerne. A very nice ending of an exciting day on and around the lake, which we can highly recommend.
In general, we had a very nice family weekend and are once again thankful we have so many great activities so close to us. Also nice is a trip to the Pilatus, we have already reported on this. And the Museum of Transport in Lucerne is always worth a visit, with both tall and small children.
I hope we were able to inspire you to spend a weekend in Lucerne with kids. We will be back for sure!
Love, Verena
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*We were invited by Holiday Inn Express and the boat company SGV for this weekend – this blogpost reflects my own opinion.
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