How to spend 48 astonishing hours in Lucerne, otherwise known as Luzern – On a budget!

Europe is wonderful!

It’s a continent and mass of a huge number of countries with an amazing number of languages, cultures and styles. Is it any wonder that I decided to organise  Victoria’s Summer European Challenge Campaign!

I mean, wouldn’t you?

Oh, the summer!

My challenge was to visit a European city. Every weekend, through the summer holidays.

Every weekend!

For six (6) weeks!

And only to travel.

By train!

So let’s see how we’re doing.

I started off with Denmark and hopped off to Copenhagen.

Is Copenhagen a European city?

Yes. Tick!

Did I travel only by train?

Well, I booked my train with Deutsche Bahn – German Rail – and received a paid ticket for my seat on a German train, and was sent to….

Er….a coach – bus.

Organised by Deutsche Bahn.

Which took us through Northern Germany, on a ferry across the Baltic Sea!

Copenhagen was great and you can read all about it below:

• How to visit Copenhagen on a budget. Even though I missed my last connection. Again!
• Top 9 reasons why Danish food isn’t just smørrebrød, seasonal berries & herbs, but can be awfully tasty!

So let’s go to the next destination.

The next country that I went to was Switzerland, and the city that I decided to visit was Lucerne, otherwise known as Luzern!

SWITZERLAND

Switzerland, otherwise known as the Swiss Confederation, is a small federal state or Bundesstadt!

It is situated in both Western and Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east!

Switzerland thankfully, has a long history of neutrality and has not been in a state of war internationally, since 1815!

In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to numerous international organizations, is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association, but notably even though it’s not a part of the European Union, or the European Economic Area, it nevertheless, allows free movement of travel, trade and living, for EU member states.

Although a small country of just eight million people, Switzerland consists of four (4) main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian, and Romansh – a sort of Swiss Romance language.

I live in Germany and Switzerland is practically next door but…

Shock & Horror!

I had never ever been!

Mainly ‘cos it’s frightfully expensive!!

And so, I decided to cough up, and just go for it. And with a demanding growing lad too.

But where to go?

I opted to go to Lucerne.

Gulp!

My task?

To visit Lucerne. Sleep in Lucerne. Eat in Lucerne. And survive the horrendous prices. With young boy tween in tow.

Here we go.

Eeeek!

HOW TO SPEND 48 ASTONISHING HOURS IN LUCERNE, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS LUZERN – ON A BUDGET!

Lucerne is a city in the German-speaking part of central Switzerland and is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne, and the capital of the district of the same name!

With a population of 80,378 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland!

Owing to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne, Lucerne has long been a destination for tourists.

The official language of Lucerne is Swiss German, which is very different from German-German and very sing-songy…!

TAKE ME THERE?

Lucerne has excellent connections. If you’re flying, you would usually come into Zurich or Basel, and then a car or train ride away, would be about an hour. You can also come in via boat or rent a car.

We came in by train.

As you know, Victoria’s Summer European Challenge Campaign is to travel through the summer by train. Being that I live in Berlin, makes it an extremely easy way to travel.

In fact, travelling by train through the European continent is one of the most comfortable ways to travel with ease, from one country to the other. And by far, one of the cheapest!

The snag is to book tickets with the national train companies, directly. On their own websites, or through the German Rail otherwise known as Deutsche Bahn. Most websites have an English version. Some can be admittedly slightly hidden, but persevere, or contact them directly by calling, or via Email!

The cheapest way to ease into buying train tickets through most European countries (not all), is to actually book through the Deutsche Bahn portal on the local German English version not the UK or USA version! Note that for Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland, if you’re going by train, I don’t recommend that you do so by InterRail or EuroRail passes, if you’re only travelling to one country, as the prices are ridiculously expensive and children have to be paid for!

Last year, I bought a twelve-hour direct train ticket from Berlin to Budapest. In first class for €69.00. Second class was just €10.00 cheaper at €59.00! My child was free of charge!

I bought a seven (7) hour train journey (second class) train ticket via the Hungarian Railways or MAV at a cost of 11,780 Ft or €38.40 to travel from Budapest to Prague. Child included in the cost!

I bought a five (5) hour train journey ticket (second class) to travel from Prague to Berlin. In August for just €29.00! And don’t forget, on the German inter-city Deutsche Bahn trains, children under 15 years old, travelling with their relatives, are free and cost nothing at all!

As a matter of fact, our return ticket from Berlin – Copenhagen – Berlin was just €58.00!

For Switzerland, we took the Sparpreis Europa city night line train, and the eleven (11) hour return ticket journey from Berlin – Lucerne – Berlin, including reserved seating in July. Cost just €98.00. My child was free!

In a future post, I’ll be giving you tips as to how to prepare yourself when travelling on a European train!

IS IT GOING TO BE CROWDED?

We went to Lucerne in July, and I didn’t think crowds were more or less, than any other top European country in peak summer months.

I did notice that tourists were wonderfully more diverse, with many coming from other European nations of course, the US, and Asia.

Switzerland is a small nation with a lot of natural scenery and water, if you really don’t want to see a single soul, I don’t think it would be that difficult!

WHAT IS LUCERNE LIKE?

We were only there for two (2) days but I found Lucerne fascinating.

It’s in Switzerland, so it’s enormously clean, tidy, and orderly.

The people were friendly, relaxed, helpful, and full of smiles. In fact, loads of people were just relaxing and swimming in the lake, many were strolling, and you got the impression that these were people happy with their lot.

Lucerne is picture postcard pretty with bridges that reminded you of Venice, and castles that left you in no doubt that you were in a country of city and culture. Everywhere you looked was an impressive monument, building, castle or church, but a few paces away you would find cows in the field gently chewing away!

In front of you would be a majestic palace, and around the corner would be a flea market. The trains were super punctual but at the same time, if you went to a local tavern, the waiter would spend 20 minutes chatting while you drank your beer. You had the distinct impression that the people of Lucerne understood their city, and were happy to share it with visiting tourists.

It’s a city of history, but a living one, that breathes.

I DON’T SPEAK GERMAN!

Not a problem. Everyone pretty much speaks English, with many of the locals speaking German (of course), French and Italian too!

AM I GOING TO LIVE IN A HUT?

Nope! Switzerland is one of the most advanced nations in the world, so  it won’t be necessary for you to live in a cave!

I’M ON A BUDGET. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Not a lot I’m afraid.

Switzerland is expensive.

Terribly expensive and sadly, there’s no getting around it!

However, have no fear, there are hostels that cater to the more budget conscious traveller, and we were in one of them!

Knowing that Swiss prices would turn my hair grey, I opted to book a private double room at Backpackers Lucerne hostel.

Whenever we go on a family holiday, I like to mix things up a little in order to experience a wide variety of accommodation possibilities, to meet the locals, and to stretch our budget in a more comfortable way.

In Copenhagen, I decided to book a family friendly budget hotel. This time around, we were going for the cheap and cheerful option of a hostel.

Backpackers Luzerne is a hostel that is located 15 minutes from the train station, right in front of the lake, near a local park where friends and family were hanging out, napping, listening to music, on a picnic, or just playing boules!

I had booked a private twin room which came with bed sheets, a large wooden wardrobe, a wooden table, two chairs, a mini-lamp with a mini bedside table, a private balcony with a further two chairs, and free WiFi.

There were only two plugs on one side of the room, and one plug on the other, and neither of them could actually reach the table, which wasn’t that great with a laptop, kindles, phones, iPads, and all the other paraphernalia, that people travel with today.

I usually write at night and I wasn’t really able to, as there was no way to work with such a tight space with mini-facilities, without disturbing my son as he slept. So imagine my annoyance, when I found out that there were rows of tables, on the floor landing, with a million plug holes, just for this very purpose!

Whaaaaaat!

If only I had known earlier!

The hostel had two kitchens, a large common room, and shared bathrooms and toilets on every floor. As well as  laundry rooms, and an extra open space with mirrors and sinks so that you could do your basic toiletry, outside the bathroom shower!

They also had bathroom scales which I thought was pretty nifty.

We paid just CHF 70.00 or €65.00 and we also got a discount ‘cos children get a CHF 8.00 or €6.70 reducction!

For what it was, this hostel was delightful and I highly recommend it.

Tick!

I’M LOOKING FOR A BIT MORE LUXURY, IS THERE SOMETHING FOR ME?

Most likely!

But this challenge wasn’t that sort of trip, and after losing so much money in Copenhagen, I thought it prudent to spend less, and experience more!

WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I GET TO LUCERNE OTHERWISE KNOWN AS LUZERN?

We only went for two (2) days so this was a a bit of a whirlwind cultural family trip. We were kindly given complimentary Luzern Museum Cards for the weekend which at CHF 36.00 or €33.00 per person, greatly reduced the cost of having to pay individually.

Thanks so much!

There is plenty to do in Lucerne. You can:

• Go on a free walking tour. We booked with Free Walk Lucerne but they didn’t turn up, so we did our own independent walking tour instead!
• Explore the history and architecture of Lucerne.
• Marvel at the magnificent views of the Alps.
• Imagine how it would have been many years ago at the 3D-Panorama Alpineum.
• Take photographs of the splendid buildings in Lucerne.
• Walk by the riverside and walk through the 14th century Chapel Bridge, the Spreuer Bridge, and various other bridges and footpaths, where you can take as many selfie photographs as you like!
• Check out some of the lovely churches and places of worship which are just bursting to be visited.

• Discover the country manor house of the Richard Wagner Museum.
• Spend a fun day running around the interactive Historisches Museum Luzern where you can follow a topic on display, go to the circus, and if you’re young enough. Watch a movie!
• Get to grips with one of the most famous sights in Switzerland, immortalizing how local Swiss people took part in a remarkable act of solidarity, by rescuing over 87,000 French soldiers in the harsh winter of 1871! We were enormously impressed by the Bourbaki Panorama Luzern. Go see!
• You know how much I like Art, so is it any wonder if I recommend the Rosengarten Collection Lucerne. This museum is a unique collection of 20 world-famous artists of the 19th and 20th century.
• If you have more time, try out the actual Museum of Art Lucerne.

• Take a ride on Europe’s oldest railway.
• Stroll freely through the cobbled side streets in the historic Old City.
  
• Rent a pedalo or a boat.
• Go on a steamship cruise. Sadly, we were unable to do the same, as we got drenched in a rainstorm!
• Cliiiiiiiimb every mountain. Ford every stream. Follow every rainbow. ‘Till you find your dream!!
• Go swimming.
• Hike in the mountains or around the Lucerne Lake Region.
• Go into castles.
• Climb the Water Tower and many other royal buildings or fortresses.
• Visit the many number of churches.
  
• Take in all of the cute Swiss chocolate boxed houses.
  

• Join a festival! While we were there, the Blue Balls Festival was on, but throughout the year, there are many other Lucerne festivals too!
• Go people-watching inside the flea market and the farmers market.
• Merely ramble along the historical streets. 
• Check out the various cafes, bars and restaurants for a quick bite and a few rounds of Swiss beer and cheese!
• Go shopping.
• Our favourite place was the magnificently lovely Glacier Garden Lucerne which takes visitors on a 20 million year journey through time from the sub-tropical palm-fringed beaches of millions of years back, through the Ice Age right up to the present day! Our best bit surprisingly, were the Museum and fascinating mirror maze. What fun we had!
• Don’t forget to see the lion monument and take a selfie. You can’t miss it!
  

WHAT ABOUT TRANSPORT POSSIBILITIES?

Lucerne, otherwise known as Luzern, is pretty small. Everywhere is walkable, but local trains and buses are simple to use. Buy tickets for zones, rather than individual journeys.

You can also use your bicycle or take a ferry or ship across the many marvellous lakes!

We didn’t use local transportation however, Swiss punctuality is legendary, so if you want to connect to other Swiss cities, the train is best!

ANYTHING ELSE?

Now, let’s be realistic. Anywhere in Switzerland is horribly expensive.

Prepare for really high prices, and either suck it up or go elsewhere!

I mean, we went to a lovely lake-side pub for a small glass of beer and a soft drink.

And the cost? A hefty CHF 25 (swiss francs) or €23.00 not including the tip!

You’ve really got to wonder how they do it!

After that, we went to the supermarket and stuck to sandwiches, salad and cake!

I hate cooking at the best of times, and on holiday or city breaks, I definitely don’t cook! But if YOU do, there is plenty of opportunity to cater for yourself.

MY VERDICT:

I was impressed by Lucerne, otherwise known as Luzern.

It’s lovely. It’s old. It’s got history, art and culture, and looks cute and flowery. It’s not your average budget destination, but if you plan carefully, you can make it work!

I’m just so sorry that I hadn’t visited earlier!

WOULD I COME AGAIN?

Absolutely!

I intend to do just that and can’t wait to visit again.

Let’s do it!

HOW TO SPEND 48 ASTONISHING HOURS IN LUCERNE, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS LUZERN – ON A BUDGET!

This article is not sponsored, and even though we received complimentary Luzern Museum Cards, all opinions and the wonderful Swiss lakes and houses that I was fascinated by, are my very own!

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