Summer in Switzerland

When thinking of summer trips, Switzerland may not be at the top of your mind; however, after reading this, you may change your mind. Lucerne, Switzerland, is one of the most beautiful towns I have visited, with picturesque views. The town of Lucerne is on one of the most gorgeous lakes with the bluest water, the greenest rolling hills, and the swankiest swans floating about. Lucerne is known for some of the top-rated hotels in the world, and we happened to stay at one of them!

Getting to Lucerne is fairly easy. If you fly into Zurich, it's about a 45-minute car ride to Lucerne. There is also a train from Zurich airport to Lucerne, which takes about an hour and 15 minutes. We were actually coming from Lake Como and hired a driver through our hotel. Our drive was about 3 hours from Pognana Lario to Lake Lucerne and was one of the most incredible drives. We saw lots of waterfalls, animals, rolling hills, and the most beautiful blue lakes. Renting a car from Lake Como was a bit pricey, coming in at about $600 euros, but again, it was worth it to me to be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The other option of getting there from Lake Como is to rent your own car or take the train, which is in the town of Como. The train ride from Como is about 4 hours, and there is no direct train to Lucerne. Taking the train will cost anywhere from $70 to $120 depending on timing and how many changes.

Park Hotel Vitznau

It was extremely difficult for me to pick a hotel in Lucerne and ultimately ended up going with Park Hotel Vitznau. This hotel is absolutely incredible from every aspect. As we were approaching, we could see this large castle-like hotel along the lake with so much greenery around. The hotel is located in a town called Vitznau, a small little town about 40 minutes outside of the main town of Lucerne. There are 3 main restaurants, with one of them being a two Michelin star rated, a cognac bar with over 200 vintage cognacs and Armagnacs, and one of the most incredible spas I have ever seen. This hotel is truly a place that has everything with no reason to leave and just enjoy. Below is what our 4 days looked like in Lucerne and Zurich.

Day 1

We had arrived at Park Hotel Vitznau around lunchtime from Lake Como and went to check in where they give you a tour and details of the hotel as it's so large and very easy to get lost (we still did plenty). Straight from there we went to lunch at their restaurant out on the terrace where we enjoyed a glass of wine and a bite to eat. The wine menu was incredible and very overwhelming (in a good way) as they had quite the selection. Park Hotel has one of the biggest wine cellars in Switzerland with a total of six wine cellars divided by region – France, New World, Old World, Château d’Yquem, Champagnes, and Rarities. Downstairs after lunch, we went to check it out and were blown away. It was like a museum of wines and so much history in a bottle. After lunch, the Concierge informed us that if we were going to go for a hike, today was the nicest day to do so. We scurried upstairs, changed, and came down to get tickets from the concierge to go on the Cogwheel up to the top of the mountain. I had never heard of a cogwheel but figured it was possibly a gondola situation. We were able to walk from the hotel to the cogwheel with it only being a 10-minute walk (they also provide a car if you prefer). As we approached, I noticed the cogwheel is more of a train than a gondola, which is able to go up steep heights and tight turns. It took about 30 minutes to get up to the mountain with a few stops along the way. The views the entire way were incredible and even more so at the top. There were picturesque views from every direction with multiple walking paths as well as a restaurant if you just wanted to go for lunch. To end the day, we were exhausted and just decided to order room service and enjoy the room as the suites are very large and all unique.

Day 2

The main reason I had chosen Park Hotel was for its spa and pool overlooking the lake. On the 2nd day we were there, the weather was a bit chilly and rainy. We woke up and didn't mind at all; we knew exactly what we wanted to do! But first, we headed down to breakfast with the most beautiful spread and menu that is complimentary with your stay. I was able to book a massage in the late afternoon, so for the beginning of the day, we got our robes on and headed to the spa. The spa has literally everything you can imagine, as we easily spent about 5 hours alone there. Consisting of two floors with the pool above overlooking the lake. All of the pools were heated, so we were able to enjoy them even though it was 55 degrees and rainy out. We had the spa to ourselves for about half the time, which was nice. As for later that evening, they were doing a pop-up at one of the hotel restaurants for dinner called Prisma Experience. With a focus on Japanese fusion cuisine, Yusuke Sasaki (The chef) takes you on a unique experience.

Day 3

For the last day in Lucerne, we decided to get a driver and head into the town of Lucerne. Lucerne is the most populous city in central Switzerland. It has tons of shops (most of the higher-end shops only sell watches and jewelry), restaurants along the lake, and of course, it is most famous for its wooden bridge. The Chapel Bridge is considered Europe's oldest covered bridge, being built in the 14th century. Unfortunately, in 1993, the Chapel Bridge caught on fire, and only some of the old bridge is still there as they rebuilt the rest. Walking across the bridge myself, I could see the burn spots along the wood. They have the entire story written on the top as you walk along. It truly is beautiful with flowers lining the outside of the bridge. That day we had lunch and dinner in the town of Lucerne. If I'm being honest, the food in Switzerland is not necessarily my favorite (aside from Swiss chocolate); however, we were able to find some restaurants we liked.

Day 4

For our last full day in Switzerland, we woke up, had breakfast, and then headed to Zurich for our last night before we flew home. The drive from Lucerne to Zurich is about an hour, with more beautiful rolling hills and waterfalls making the drive fly by. Lucerne and Zurich have Uber, so there was no need to schedule a driver. Our Uber driver was so nice, and it's always fun to hear everything our drivers share with us. One thing he shared with us that I found interesting is that in Switzerland, being an Uber driver, you make about 180-200k/year, which at first I thought was a lot. However, Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world, so it does make sense. As we arrived in Zurich, we dropped our bags at the hotel and went off to explore. I personally thought Zurich was a lot more beautiful (in a different way than Lucerne) and fun, as there are a lot more restaurants and a whole area of great designer shops. We shopped ourselves to death and then headed to our last dinner. We went to a spot called The Penthouse, which is a newer restaurant and rooftop bar in the city. The food is Japanese-inspired, and they host a lot of fun dinner parties with DJs. The food was good, but the atmosphere was better! Definitely a great spot for drinks and apps on the rooftop. For me, one day and night was perfect in Zurich to see all of the main areas of the city.

What to Wear - Summer in Switzerland

The first day we were in Lucerne, the weather was in the 60s and partly cloudy. Coming from Florida, that's pretty chilly, so I wore pants and a long-sleeve shirt throughout the trip. For the hiking aspect of the trip, definitely athleisure, and depending on the time of year you go, I would always have a sweater wrapped around me, especially since it gets even colder at the top of the mountains. Switzerland is definitely a more casual and outdoorsy type of place, so I noticed a lot of people wearing sneakers and flats to dinners. That being said, for dinners at the hotel, I was able to dress up a bit more with heels, pants, and a nice top. We were there the second week of June, so to give you an idea, the weather usually ranges from a low of 55 degrees to a high of 75.

Other Top-notch Hotel Recommendations

Lucerne:

-Bürgenstock Hotel & Alpine Spa

-Hotel Villa Honegg

-Mandarin Oriental Palace

Zurich:

-The Dolder Grand

-La Reserve Au Lac

-Mandarin Oriental Savoy

Xo Carlin