Located in the heart of Switzerland, occupying the banks of the Reuss River, the14th-century Lucerne is considered to be one of the most picturesque places in the country.
Miles of emerald-green meadows dotted with charming houses, church spires, and ancient towers edge around the sparkling Lake Lucerne with snow-capped mountains in the background. All these make Lucerne look straight out of a picture postcard making it one of the most astounding places to visit in Switzerland. The place even inspired Mark Twain and Leo Tolstoy to write about its beauty.
The city has beautifully preserved architectural relics from a lifetime ago, which lend an amazingly romantic and old-world charm to it. The Old Town area still seems to have held on to its 17th-century charm with its medieval-era buildings, red thatched-roof houses built of stone, charming town square areas, twin towers of the Hofkirche, the Lion Statue, and the 900-year-old St. Peter’s Church all dotted along cobbled streets. The area is known for its striking murals like that of Jesus turning water into wine and a meat cleaver outside an old cluster of butcher houses.
There are lovely cafes for one to enjoy decadent Swiss chocolates, coffees, and cheese and plenty of souvenir shops. The 13th-century Chapel Bridge, the oldest wooden bridge in Europe, with its flower-laden walls, art gallery-like sidewalks and astounding views of a setting sun behind the Water Tower.
You also get amazing views of the Lake and swans over the water framed by the Alps in the distance from the Chapel Bridge. There is the 17th-century Jesuit Church, famed for its gorgeous Baroque architecture and is a major landmark in Swiss history. Lucerne’s Glacier Garden is famous for its 20,000-year-old remnants like mussels & fossils from the Ice Age.
The city is also famous for operating the world’s steepest cogwheel train up to the summit of Mount Pilatus, translating to ‘cloud-capped’, famous for mystical stories about its resident dragons and spirits. Another snowy peak that you can visit is Mount Titlis via the world’s first revolving cable car. The summit offers undulated views of the surrounding peaks, rocky crevasses, and stark glaciers.
The summers in Lucerne are comfortable and the winters are freezing cold. The warmest month is July with temperature averaging around 24°C and January is the coldest, with temperatures plummeting to around 3°C.
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