I love having guests, showing them around, sharing my knowledge as I would be a local and this weekend, since a friend of mine came over, I put my tour guide hat on again.

She arrived on Friday and flew back today at 8:45 pm so I planned an itinerary to make sure she gets to see Luzern, Mount Pilatus and Zurich in two days.

One of her criteria was not to be rushed: sightseeing, yes. Stress, no.

Day1

Weather being gorgeous (blue sky and plenty of sun), I decided to take her on top of Pilatus first.

After getting our boat ticket for a 12:50 departure (booth located along the lake, main station being in your back if you face the lake), I showed her our famous ‘chapel bridge’ – mentioned the fire of 1993 that almost destroyed one of our most visited attractions. It was not too crowded and we were able to get some nice shots.

Our boat was nicely waiting for us, we found nice spots on the lower deck to sit and we definitely made the best of our journey: soaking into vitamin D and taking pictures… Bless!

We reached Alpnachstadt not even an hour later. Queuing for the steepest train in the world (up to 48%) was quite easy even though some non educated people (funny enough they were not French!) cut the line and we were soon off to the top!

We made it to the top in 15 minutes. Our ride was very enjoyable though half way through a curtain of fog and cold was upon us, freezing our bones.

It didn’t last long and coming out of this heavy coat was like accessing to heaven: blue sky and warmth welcomed us when we arrived in Kulm (2312 meters high).

The top of Mount Pilatus offers pleasant walks if you are ready to climb up a few steps. You can also relax and borrow a deck chair and people watch, priceless!

Just be aware that wind and shade make the temperature drop drastically so make sure to pack a wind jacket to avoid being uncomfortable up there.

To go down to the valley, we jumped on a gondola to Fräggmuntegg.


From there we walked through woods, fields, up and down, surrounded by the sound of cow bells… Lovely!

After our ‘Pilatusian’ adventures, we went home to relax before heading out for dinner.

My guest’s wish was to eat a cheese fondue and I must admit, much to my embarrassment, that I find it rather difficult to find a decent one in any restaurant in Luzern, especially after you have tasted one coming from a tiny cheese maker from a tiny village.

It is very easy for a restaurant to overdo it, too much wine, too much kirsch and unfortunately on Saturday, Wilhelm Tell restaurant didn’t succeed in impressing us. What saved the night was definitely the location overlooking the lake, Pilatus and the KKL and some good white wine.

End of full but still relaxed day 1! Over!

Day 2

Another sunny day in Luzern called for some more exploration!

Our morning program involved Luzern Old town: city walls (Museggmauer),

Lion monument (Löwendenkmal)

And also the famous painted buildings

We took the 13:10 train to Zurich so my guest could discover Switzerland’s big city.

There as well sun was shining and we had a very pleasant stroll through Zurich: Fraumünster, Lindenhofplatz, Opera House, Bahnhofstrasse and the Chinese garden.

A day in Zurich could not have been complete without a stop at Cake Friends! Yes, waitresses are usually rude, offering a poor performance but cakes are lovely so I had to take my guest there…

Weekend went by way too quickly but we were able to check out Luzern and Zurich in two days without rushing, enjoying the sun, tasting good food and seeing beautiful places.

Happy trails and remember: Carpe Diem!

Travelling Luzern Pilatus Zurich