2 – 11 November 2022
I had my doubts about visiting Switzerland in November. It’s well after the main walking season which ends in mid-September or so and, even if I did ski, is some time before the start of the winter sports season. However, my husband, who has been before at this time of year, persuaded me that many attractions would be open and that it was positive to visit at a quiet time.
We opted to base ourselves in Luzern, where there are plenty of options if the weather isn’t friendly as well as access to different mountain and lake areas.
Switzerland is never going to be a cheap option. We were fortunate though to find a budget hotel with positive reviews right in the centre of the historic old town. My husband’s first comment when he saw the on-line pictures was that it looked very austere. However that’s because it used to be the prison! Most of the rooms are converted prison cells. Given that we were staying for nine nights, we decided to book a larger room which turned out to be the old prison library, still complete with books. A toilet and shower room had been built into the room. We were told it was ok to look at the books so we scanned the shelves for some written in English – there were a few. Barabas Hotel turned out to be perfect for our needs and we certainly agreed with the reviews saying that all the staff are extremely welcoming, helpful and friendly.
There’s plenty to explore in the city. We particularly enjoyed wandering round the old town, using the two historic wooden bridges to cross the river. We also visited the famous lion monument which commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. From the monument, we returned to the old town via a route walking on a path next to the castle wall.
The Rosengart Gallery is worth visiting to view an enormous collection of works by Picasso as well as photographs of the great man and his studio. The second featured artist is Paul Klee. There are also many other works of art by famous artists – it was quite overwhelming to stand in a room surrounded by the works of Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and Pissarro and others.
We spent the one wet day of our stay at the Swiss Museum of Transport where there was plenty to occupy the entire day. This ranged from exhibits of railways, roads, mountain transport, boats and aircraft to space travel. It included plenty of buttons to press and hands-on experiences – having experienced the reality earlier this year, I can vouch for the fact that the exhibit giving the sensation of down draught from a rescue helicopter is realistic.
Purchasing a “Tell Pass” which covered most of our stay was a worthwhile investment, allowing travel on all trains and buses in the region as well as the boats on Lake Luzern and the otherwise extremely expensive cable cars, funiculars and cog wheel railways on the mountains. Some of the mountain transport was closed for the low season and we had to try to research this on-line before visiting but this was reflected in the reduced price of the Tell Pass from 1 November and through the winter. We definitely got our money’s worth!
We had a few boat journeys on the lake. The highlight was going on the round trip from Luzern all the way to the far end of the lake at Fluelen. The scenery around the lake is magnificent. Many people disembarked at Rutli and there appeared to be a large crowd of people. Later we heard what we thought were fireworks and wondered why they would be let off in broad daylight. It was only later that we realised this must be whip-cracking – a Swiss tradition to drive away evil spirits before Christmas. We treated ourselves to a first class upgrade on the return journey and enjoyed a waitress served three course lunch! We broke our journey at Weggis, where we had time to look around the town and also take a ride in the cable car partway up Rigi.
We’d already travelled all the way up to the summit of Rigi on a previous extremely sunny day, enjoying cloud-free views. The ascent was from Vitznau, which we travelled to by boat on the lake. A steep cog wheel railway transported us to the top station, a short walk from the summit (1748m). We enjoyed eating a delicious cheese fondue at a nearby mountain hut before descending to Arth-Goldau on the opposite side of the mountain also on a cog wheel railway. A more conventional train transported us back to Luzern, although even that is a different gauge to most of the trains and has some sections of cog wheel track.
The following day we travelled even higher to Pilatus Kulm at 2070m. Again this was a round trip travelling by gondola and then cable car upwards from Kriens and down to Alpnachstad on the world’s steepest cog wheel railway. There are two stretches where the gradient is 48%, making for a dramatic ride. At the top, one of the paths had been cleared of most of the snow and views were superb from the viewpoint at 2106m. There was also an accessible route through a tunnel with rock windows cut into the side of the summit area.
Our third “big mountain” adventure involved an initial scenic train journey to Engelberg. Once more we were fortunate to have superb weather and the mountains free of cloud. Sadly before travelling we discovered that on Titlis only the gondola to Trubsee, a lake at 1800m, was open, the other cable cars being closed for routine servicing. However we had both been to Klein Titlis (3028m) previously – it was a superb adventure and would have been worth repeating especially in the excellent cloud free conditions. Unfortunately the chair lifts to Jochpass and on to Engstlenalp were also closed for servicing. To travel on them all would have been amazing (and surprisingly they are all covered on the Tell Pass even the very expensive trip to Klein Titlis). However the closures did mean that the mountain was quiet and we were able to enjoy the views undisturbed as we walked around the lake.
After descending to town level, we spotted that one of the cable cars on the opposite side of the town was running, despite information we had received that it was closed. Fortunately we had time to take the cable car to Ristis then ascend further to Brunnihutte on a chair lift. Here there was a 220m long barefoot path round a mountain tarn allowing experience of walking in water and on different textures including gravel, sand, shingle, pine cones and mud. It’s intended to be an exhilarating experience and a boost for body, mind and soul. I wonderd if it might be an alternative medicine cure for my ankle but was only able to manage two steps in the water before retreating with “frozen” feet.
A further highlight of our visit was taking a short boat trip on the lake and then a connecting funicular ride to Burgenstock. From here we walked along a scenic rock path with views to the lake far below us. We reached the Hammetschwand lift. At 152.8m, this is the longest outdoor lift in Europe. The ride on it was covered by the Tell Pass. From the vantage point at the top of the lift, we opted to walk back to Burgenstock through the woods. We saw an impressive almost full moon while waiting a few minutes for our boat back to Luzern.
Other adventures included scenic train journeys to Meiringen and to Altdorf. They’re definitely journeys where there is plenty to see out of the train window and no need to take a book to read! At Meiringen we climbed to the point above the Reichenbach Falls where in fiction Sherlock Holmes vanquished Professor Moriarty. We discovered some interesting excavations of predecessor churches below the current Meiringen Church, Most important of all, at the town after which they are named, we enjoyed a huge sharing meringue for two at a local cafe.
In Altdorf, we saw the William Tell monument in the centre of the picturesque town. We caught a bus and travelled up to Ruogig on a cable car where we walked to a mountain hut and ate lunch outside. After making the return cable car trip, we walked to Burglen, reputedly the home of William Tell. There is a small William Tell Chapel next to the church. We followed the route of a walk with information boards recounting the heroic and dramatic legend of William Tell.
Yes I agree it certainly is worth visiting Luzern in November. There were plenty of activities to keep us entertained during our stay and there are more than enough cable cars etc. that remain open allowing some fabulous excursions.
Where's Kathryn? 