Next country on our European adventure – Switzerland!
First up in Switzerland – Lucerne!
Lucerne was an adorable and beautiful town on Lake Lucerne. We were only there for half a day and stayed one night in an Airbnb.
Traveling from Ireland to Switzerland
We flew Swiss Airlines from Dublin to Zurich for less than $200 a person! The great part about flying within Europe, it is generally cheaper than flying within the US. They also gave us delicious Swiss Chocolate!
Word of Caution about the Dublin Airport – they only allow a very small clear bag of toiletries in your carry on. I had a bag that was clear in the front, but it was too large/not all the way clear. They made me take all my toiletries out and put them into clear small plastic bags, we were already running late so this caused a lot of stress for me! Thankfully, we still made our flight. The Zurich Airport is connected to the train station. We bought our ticket from Zurich to Lucerne (€20 each) from one of the electronic ticket machines.
No need to buy train tickets ahead of time in Switzerland – they do not change prices or sell out (this will be a different story for Italy, which I’ll talk more about in a later post).
The Switzerland trains were my favorite between the 3 countries we visited. They were always on time and the cleanest! No Joke, we were on a bus that stopped for 2 minutes because it was running ahead of time.
Things to do in Lucerne
- Walk along the Chapel Bridge (pictured below).
- Stroll along this very walkable town.
- Climb up the clock tower, Zytturm, an old city wall for breathtaking views! This clocktower dates back to the 1500s.
- Buy Chocolate to take home for friends, family, and yourself.
- Eat at a restaurant along the Reuss River
- Check out the Lion Monument!
There are tons of hiking trails nearby Lucerne! One of the most notable is Mt Pilatus. Although we did not visits Mt. Pilatus, there are tons of activities.
Chocolate and Fondue
Two things that are a MUST in Switzerland – buy chocolate and eat fondue.
Switzerland is home to Gruyere cheese and makes some of the BEST fondue in the world!
One of my favorite chocolate shops was Max Chocolatier! Not only is their chocolate well crafted and super tasty. The story behind this shop will melt your heart!
We stopped at Pfistern Brot for dinner. A cute restaurant with plenty of outdoor seating along the Reuss River. My only complaint about this restaurant is our service was extra slow. They gave us our bread for the fondue and made us wait another hour till they served us our fondue. It was worth the wait, but I was a little upset to see other groups/couples receiving their fondue before us (when they were seated after us). The fondue was very filling and neither of us had room for the actual dinner we ordered.
There are tons of little romantic restaurants along this river. I highly recommend stopping at one of them to enjoy a peaceful and romantic dinner as you watch the sun set over Lucerne and the nearby mountains. The service may had been our slowest of the whole trip, but the scenery and ambeince of the evening made it SO worth it!
Kimmy's Joyful Kitchen 