Why You Should Visit Zug and Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne (also called Luzern in German) is a medium-sized city in the center of Switzerland. This town sits on a lake at the foothills of the Alps, offering incredible lake views with mountains on the horizon. The town center is compact, allowing you to walk from end to end in roughly 30 minutes. We recommend you take a day and set it aside walk around Lucerne and enjoy the slow pace and beautiful surroundings on foot.
Chapel bridge
The first stop in Lucerne is Chapel Bridge. This is the the main attraction between Zug and Lucerne. This historic bridge is located right outside of the train station and next to the lake, making it a great place to start your walk through Lucerne. It consists of a large stone tower in the center of the river, with a long footbridge winding from one end to the other. Constructed 1360 the Chapel Bridge is the oldest truss bridge in the world.
Artists have decorated the interior of the bridge with medieval paintings for hundreds of years. Sadly, the bridge caught on fire in 1993 and nearly burned down. Workers repaired it and faithfully re-created the paintings. We didn’t know what to expect, but the picturesque scenery pleasantly surprised us. The sunlight beautifully caught the blue water under the bridge, and lovely pink and purple flowers decorated the side. Lucerne has a very relaxing atmosphere, and the bridge with the backdrop of the lake and mountains instantly made us feel calm and free.
Church of St. Leodegar
Just a 10-minute walk from the bridge is Hofkirche St. Leodegar (the Church of St. Leodegar). This cathedral is the main church to visit in the city. Dating back to 1639, this beautiful building is at the top of a small hill giving it an incredible presence as it looms peacefully over the street. The interior is exactly as you would expect from a European Catholic cathedral. Large vaulted ceilings, detailed woodworking, and gilded altars. It’s hard to say much about cathedrals, if you love this architectural style then of course we recommend giving this historic building a visit.
Lion Monument
Down the street from the church is the Lion Monument, a large reflection pool nestled against a rock cliff. Above the pool is a large lion carved out of the rock, which appears to be slowly dying. Constructed in 1820, The monument honors the roughly 700-900 Swiss guard that died defending French King Louis XVI from revolutionaries in the late 18th century. Known for it’s neutrality, Switzerland refrained from participating in international wars for several hundred years. As it turns out, this war was the last one, so it is an odd thing to experience.
The statue itself is very beautiful and peaceful. It is carved very well and the lion is very expressive. We got the impression that many people didn’t care about the meaning of the monument but just wanted to look at a cool lion. Many tourist shops and gelato stands surround the area, making it a great place to hang out.
Lake Lucerne
Our last destination was the Swiss Museum of Transport, but that required a 30-minute walk along the lake. There is a beautiful walking path and park that goes all the way from the city center to the edge of town. Compared to Zug, Lake Lucerne is very busy, although the views are similarly breathtaking. This path was probably my favorite part of the day. Trees line the path and shade the area, with many cafes, shops, restaurants, and piers. If you’re inclined, ferries and boat tours depart from here, offering a unique view of the lake and town.
We took so many pictures here. The weather in the summer was just warm enough and the cool fresh breeze coming over the lake was heavenly. Towards the end of the walk, there was a wading area, although the mountain lake water was freezing cold. The water was crystal clear, so I had to wade in a little, making for the ultimate refresher.
Swiss Museum of Transport
The Swiss Museum of Transport is the main museum in Lucerne and one of the top attractions in the town. I am a massive transportation nerd, so I was very excited to visit the museum. Switzerland famously has incredible trains that connect almost every village with high-quality, reliable, and frequent service. We spent several hours exploring the museum, which covered every mode of transport imaginable. The building covered in road signs makes for some truly iconic photos, and it is the main reason Yemisi was excited to come here, and for good reason.
After a few hours of exploring boats, submarines, cable cars, tractors, trains, and everything else, our brains were turning to mush. We decided to visit one last section, the aerospace building. This ended up being our favorite section, with a massive slide, parachuting simulator, and more.
In the basement there is a room full of motion simulators, including a realistic helicopter and fighter plane simulation. Apparently, a more advanced version of this simulator was used to train real fighter pilots in the Swiss air force. The simulator was capable of full inversions and was way more realistic than I thought, and I really felt like I was zooming through the sky at Mach-howeverfastplanesgo.
In the end, we felt like the majority of the museum is geared more towards children. But who said adults can’t enjoy museums like that too? If you’re a transportation nerd like me I’m sure you’ll have a great time exploring the hundreds of displays and life-size models. Tickets can be bought on their site, which also has schedules and limited time exhibits.
Zug
Zug is a much smaller village on Lake Zug. This idyllic village is a slow and calm version of Lucerne. I have to admit, we never planned on visiting Zug. On the way to Lucerne, we realized we were hungry and wanted to get breakfast first thing. We found a breakfast spot we mistakenly thought was in Lucerne, but was actually in Zug. By the time we arrived, we decided to change plans as we realized Zug was a lovely village.
Kaffe Frech
The cafe we picked was Kaffe Frech. Yemisi was in the mood for waffles, and this place has some very interesting bubble-shaped pancake-waffle-hybrid… things. The coffee was not specialty, but it did the job just fine. The waffle things were super great, with every flavor we wanted. The vibe was immaculate, with a clean and dark room accented with interesting wood decor and plants draping over everything. I’m glad we accidentally picked this place because it led us to explore one of our favorite spots in Switzerland.
Lake Zug
Much like Lucerne (and every other village in Switzerland really), Zug is situated on a beautiful lake with the mountains looming over the horizon. There was almost nobody at the lakefront, which made for such a relaxing morning to ourselves. Out on the water, we saw some rowing teams and heard the leader shouting disapprovingly which was entertaining. There were many piers we stopped at to take pictures, and the lakeside was dotted with even more cafes and restaurants. In hindsight, it is very similar to Lucerne with a much smaller and less touristy vibe which we were in love with. If there is one place in Switzerland we’d want to live in, it would be Zug.
Zug Farmers Market
At the end of our walk as we headed back to the car we came across their weekly farmers market. It was so lovely getting to see locals selling their wares in such a natural way, outside of the largest tourist areas in the bigger cities. There was a little dog running around, and it really just felt like a slice of life. If you’re interested in calmer, more realistic looks at the country’s lifestyle, Zug is the perfect choice.
Final Thoughts
After spending a few days in Zurich, getting to see the lakes and villages near the mountains was so refreshing. This ended up being one of our favorite days in Europe, and we definitely recommend fitting towns like Zug and Lucerne into your trip around Switzerland. It’s not in the mountains like Interlaken, or bustling like Zurich, but the history, nature, and atmosphere made it well worth it.
Check out our Travel Diary
