This post has two parts, one for Rhine Falls & Lucerne, and another one for Zurich, because I really want to show you how many things you can do in just one place. Let's start!
In my fourth week in the Netherlands I had the opportunity to travel to Switzerland on a one day trip, for only € 69, and that is something important that I want to mention, everything is really close, so is more easy to travel around Europe with many transportation options, but we will talk more about that in another post.
It’s easier search on Google and find a lot of agencies that make this kind of trips, you just have to look what do you want to do and choose the option that you like the most, for us was Wanderlust Student Trips. If you want to know more about it you can check my next post.
After 6 - 7 hours on the bus, enjoying the route because the landscapes are incredible (I mean, come on!! It's like every corner around Europe is perfect for a postcard picture), we finally arrived at Rhine Falls. One of the most incredible waterfalls in Europe and definitely a must-see. As soon as you get there you get shocked by the amazing view.
This is such a magical place and one of the most romantics, for me, in Europe. You can walk around, breathe the fresh air and get lost in the amazing view (It will be even better if you see the train passing by through the mountains on a sunny day). You can also find some restaurants and snacks, the Dachsen Youth Hostel, boat trips and more. It is an incredible place to visit, especially if you have time to visit the surroundings and get closer to the culture of this beautiful country.
If you go with an agency like I did, you will spend around an hour in the Rhine Falls, which is enough time to appreciate the wonders of nature; but if you go by your own I recommend to take the boat trip so you be able to delight yourself with the panorama from a different perspective. For this you have two options:
The Rock Experience (Trip to the rock for 30 minutes) that will cost you CHF 20.00 for adults or CHF 15.00 for kids 0 - 16 years old.
The Rhine Falls Experience that is a short roundtrip (15 minutes) ticket will cost CHF 7.00 for adults, CHF 4.00 for kids 5 - 16 years old and free for kids under 4 years old.
You can also find Audio guide Tour in 14 different languages (30 minutes) CHF 11.00 adults / CHF 7.00 kids 5 - 16 years / free for kids under 4 years.
For more information about the boat trips or the Rhine Falls you can visit the website http://www.rheinfall.ch/en
After that, we took the bus again for our next stop Lucerne. This city is located in central Switzerland on the shores of the Lake of the Four Cantons (Vierwaldstättersee) and near the Pilatus and Rigi mountains of the Swiss Alps, and without a doubt, is one of the most popular destinations and a must-see in Switzerland.
Lucerne is not a big city, which is great because you can walk around and see everything if you don't have enough time. We had around 2 hours and due to that, we decided to start for the closest attraction to the bus (normally all agency buses park at Löwenplatz) which is the Lion monument or the Lion of Lucerne.
The Lion of Lucerne commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris; it was designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. This monument will take your breath away, you can definitely see every little detail and all the hard work in this masterpiece, it's just beautiful.
Then, you have to go to the towers and the Museggmauer wall to enjoy the view and lose yourself in this amazing structure that takes you on a journey to the past. You can observe the whole city and you will also have a perfect view of the Alps. From here you can also see the Hotel Château Gütsch that looks like an enchanted castle.
And last but not least, the representative bridge of Lucerne, the medieval bridge Kapellbrücke is one of the oldest in Europe and it’s in every picture of Lucerne, and when you get there you will find out why. This is in my top 5 of best views, because the combination of the bridge, the Alps, the boats, the river Reuss, it is all indescribable. You can also walk around the river and just relax; enjoy the view in this must-see in Europe. If you want to know more about this amazing place you can check the website https://www.myswitzerland.com/en/lucerne.html
The main attractions of Lucerne are free, so you won't spend a lot of money there. But if you go on your own make sure you buy your bus or train tickets with extra time so you have more chances to get the best prices (for more information about it do not miss my next post)
We spend there for two hours, which is enough time to see the main attractions, but if you have more time that's even better. It's a lovely city, every house, every corner, everything is really gorgeous so definitely, you will have an amazing day.
Do not forget to read my next post to know more details and see how this adventure day in Switzerland ends.
More pictures in the gallery, just click the first picture and do not forget to share your opinions and photos with the hashtag #postcardjourneyblog