From Our Lens – Cruising Around Lake Lucerne in Central Switzerland
Our mission for Switzerland was simple – to get outside and explore.
We skipped the lazy, overcrowded beaches of the Mediterranean to instead surround ourselves with towering rocky mountains and pretty freshwater lakes. Switzerland reminds us of British Columbia in many ways. It’s the perfect playground for outdoor enthusiasts of all walks, serving up virtually every kind of adventure one can dream up.
I wanted to lace up my hiking boots and head for the hills, but that wasn’t in the cards for this trip. Traveling with a 10 month old baby means stroller friendly activities are on order, so we decided to jump on a ferry and cruise around Lake Lucerne (also known as the Vierwaldstättersee or “Lake of the Four Forest Cantons”). Not a bad way to spend a summer day if you ask me!
Grey overcast skies and damp humidity greeted us that late summer morning. Not exactly cruising weather, but you take what you’re given. The forecast called for sunshine, so we put faith in the weatherman and hoped for the best.
There are several lake cruises to choose from, ranging from short one hour tours to full day excursions. Our game plan for the day was to reach the peak of Mount Pilatus by taking the world’s steepest cogwheel railway from Alpnachstad. To do so, we boarded the 3-hour round trip ferry but got off the boat at Alpnachstad instead of making the return trip back to Lucerne (more on our trip to the peak of Mount Pilatus in an upcoming post).
Here are some photos from our Lake Lucerne experience.
Baby B making a funny face while the ferry prepares to depart from central Lucerne
Lucerne city-scape views from the open deck of the boat – should we add it to this list?
City views of Lucerne from the lake, a lovely European city!
The pointy medieval watch towers overlook the Old Town and waterfront buildings
Mount Pilatus looms over a lakeside village
They don’t make homes like this in Canada!
The Swiss Alps hide behind a curtain of morning haze
The boat floats around the calm lake, passing through steep fjords – a fabulous natural setting!
Interesting table top mountain blanketed by morning haze
The town of Hergiswil with Mount Pilatus in the backdrop
The boat leaves Hergiswil and travels to the town of Stansstad
Mount Pilatus packs some serious WOW!
Baby B fueling up on the upper deck of the ferry
Swiss version of Coke Zero
Enjoying the moment
Not a bad view?! The lake water is so green that its reflection makes the white boat look green!
Picture perfect summer day in Switzerland
Thinking about cruising around Lake Lucerne?
Where to catch the boat – the piers are located beside the main Lucerne railway station (Bahnhof Luzern), near the futuristic Lucerne Kunstmuseum – you can’t miss this landmark. If I remember correctly, our boat departed from Pier 2. There are several ticket and tourist info booths with English speaking material.
How long is the trip – to take the boat to Pilatus Kulm you will need to get off at the Alpnachstad station (you can also take the train from Lucerne). It takes about 90 minutes to get from central Lucerne to Alpnachstad station. Check the seasonal schedule here.
Price for the trip – if you have a Eurail Global Pass or Swiss Pass the trip is included, no additional fees required. Otherwise, prices will depend on kilometres travelled. When we visited in Aug 2012, a one way trip from Lucerne to Alpnachstad was 25 Euros for 2nd Class and 38 Euros for 1st Class. Round trip was 42 Euros for 2nd Class and 63 Euros for 1st Class.
Have you visited Switzerland? What was your highlight?
Share your experience and travel tips in the comments section below!
Wow, these photos are gorgeous! It really is a picture perfect summer day in Switzerland 🙂
We lucked out! We actually woke up to thick clouds after a night of intense thunderstorms, so it was great that the travel gods parted the skies just for us! 🙂
Very nice story, as well as the photos. I also like the info and tips that you give about the places you visit. Baby B seems to now be a pro when it comes to traveling 🙂
Thanks Sanja, I’m glad you enjoyed the photo story!
Yes, Baby B is certainly logging some miles 🙂
WOW. Beautiful photos! Baby B is already so well traveled 🙂
Thanks Debbie! 🙂
Wonder how many countries your baby will visit over his lifetime since he’s starting so young. I had no idea that Lake Lucerne was that colour of green.
We didn’t realize it was so green either, until we were miles away from the city. The lake area reminded me of British Columbia and New Zealand
Lucerne looks amazing! My step-grandfather has a home there- this really makes me want to visit! Beautiful photos too.
You should get out there Sarah! It’s a beautiful place, especially in the summer
I would love to take this cruise. I loved Lucerne — even though I was there on a very gray November day. Beautiful pics of your the lake and city — and the family!
Thanks for stopping by Cathy! How’s things with you?
Seeing the landscape from the deck of a boat was a great experience, we’d recommend it 🙂
Almost though that was a Canadian Flag for a second lol… looks like you all had a nice day out there. Looks like a beautiful place too 🙂
Hah.. yes, the flags are quite similar, aren’t they?!
We just did a cruise on Lake Lucerne as well, but we did the shortest one. It was nice, but I think the longer one that takes you to more of the villages is better! That was a budget buster for us, though 🙂
I hear ya. Switzerland is not cheap! Fortunately we had Rail Europe passes, so the boat trip was actually included – bonus! 🙂
I love how you guys still travel with your baby, such a good role model for other North Americans. You can really still travel and see these beautiful sights even with kids.
Thanks Ayngelina! Our hope is that other parents realize that life doesn’t stop when you have kids. In fact, it gets so much more rewarding. Sure, you can’t party like a free spirited backpacker, but seeing the world through your child’s eyes is quite special 🙂
Been to Lucerne a few times, but never took a boat trip. Looks good, and looks like you had some really awesome weather for it. I run into bad luck when I have tried to go over the years. Enough to think that Switzerland is just really wet all year long.
We caught some great weather that day, although it turned quickly and by evening it was a full on thunderstorm. So you are not alone in experiencing the wetness of Lucerne! 🙂
Great photos — and a great trip to do with the whole family! Lake Luzern is one of my favorite places I’ve been in all my travels so far.
Thanks so much guys! Glad you like the photos – we had a great subject 🙂
I loved Lake Lucerne when I visited last year about this time great views and your photos show it off perfectly. Great that you travel with the newest family member, getting an early start as a seasoned traveller 🙂
It’s been a lot of fun showing the little man the world. He’s quite the little globe trotter! 🙂
Despite the cloudy weather the photos look absolutely stunning. And what a beautiful family, too! 🙂
One of my favorite spots in Switzerland, which reminds me that I’ve got about 10k photos I need to get organized from her to do up a time lapse video. Ugggg.
Really beautiful pictures.
Did you take a stroller on this day trip at all or just the carrier – we are planning on going with my 10month old in 3 weeks, but he is not a fan of the carrier. So this blog was really helpful
Hi Dee – yes, we did bring our stroller with us. You can leave the stroller on the lower level of the boat.