Walking Tour of Luzern, Switzerland
This beautiful town on Lake Luzern and in the shadow of Mt. Pilatus is very pleasant to walk. My walk incorporates the majority of sights which should not be missed.
Start at the Train Station, on Bahnhofplatz, and walk west along the Reuss River to the beginning of the Chapel Bridge (the famous, covered, Kappelbrucke). Before entering the bridge, continue west on Bahnhofstrasse to the Jesuit Church, a beautiful, Baroque construction. Notice the ceiling. Go back to the Chapel Bridge and walk across the river, marveling at the painted scenes overhead which capture important moments in the history of Switzerland and also the daily activities of its residents. Notice also the Water Tower which has been a lighthouse, a prison, and a treasury over the years.
When you reach the shore, turn left at Chapel Square, after taking a brief look at St Peter’s Chapel and walk west along the river. The Picasso Museum is ahead on the right. Fans will want to spend some time here in what is also called Am Rhys Haus. Next, notice the ornate façade of the late Renaissance Town Hall.
Take a right at the Town Hall and enter Kornmarktplatz. Continue through the square and bear left into Weinmarkt Square. Notice the elegant buildings, some of which were once Guild Halls.
Continue west through the square, then bear right and then left into Muhlenplatz. Detour back over the river on Mill’s Bridge (Spreuerbrucke) which, unlike the Chapel Bridge which had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1993, is the original, built in 1407.
Return to Muhlenplatz and return to Weinmarkt Square, then turn left and head northeast into Hershenplatz which contains more elegant and stately buildings. Continue northeast to Sternenplatz and beyond on Hertensteinstrasse which meanders close to the Old City Walls on the left.
This road eventually leads to Lowenplatz which sports the Panorama, one of Europe’s largest canvasses. From the square, proceed to the north along Denkmalstrasse. Ahead on the right is the Lion Monument, which Mark Twain called “the saddest and most poignant piece of rock in the world.” Further up the road is the Glacier Garden, a larges concentration of potholes carved into the sandstone by a glacier.
Return to Lowenplatz and then continue south on Lowenstrasse to Kurplatz. Walk along the lake westward to St Peter’s Church, then cross the river on the Seebrucke and return to the starting point.
