Visit Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) and Spreuerbrucke, the covered bridges Lucerne is famous for. With their painted panels and floral decorations, they are definately worth a visit.

Stop by to see the Dying Lion of Lucerne monument. Dedicated to the Swiss that died in the French Revolution in 1792, the momument is uniquely carved into the side of a rock face.

Take a picnic and spend the day at Lake Lucerne. You can swim, rollerblade or kick a soccer ball around on the grassy area.

Take photos at the Nine Towers. Climb three of the towers to take panaoramic pictures of Lucerne and its countryside.

Take a steamboat ride. Relax and soak up the sun on one of five steamboats that offer short day trips.

Quick Tips:

Swiss watches are know for their precision and are cheaper in Lucerne than in Zurich or Geneva.

The chocolate in Lucerne-well, let's just say you can't go wrong! We tried endless varieties and didn't find a single one we didn't like.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you choose, you can take the bus. Single tickets can be purchased in the small vending machines you will find or you can opt for the 2 day unlimited travel ticket.

Lucernes main train station is located within walking distance of the city center.

Taxis are an expensive option. They are available however, if you can afford it.

The hostel is located across from the lake and half the rooms have a lake view. It is within walking distance of both the station and the city center, they will provide you with directions when you call. There is no curfew or lockout and it is an independent hostel, so no membership is required.

The hostel has free kitchen facilities, which is great. They also have bike and rollerblade rentals, as well as laundry. I found their used book section incredible-English books for 1 Swiss franc. In Europe, where English books will cost you your first born, this was a welcome relief!

Our room reminded me of a school dormitory. It had 2 single beds and 2 closets, as well as a balcony. We shared the clean bathrooms and showers with the rest of the floor.

A private room will cost you 28SFr. each a night for a total of 56SFr. per room while a bed in a 4 person dorm will cost you 22 SFr.

You will find the Lucerne Backpackers to be an enjoyable and economical place to stay in the expensive country of Switzerland.

Visit their webpage here .of Lucerne.

It was carved into natural rock (sandstone) to commemorate the Swiss that had died in the French Revolution in 1792. If you look closely at the Lion's face, you will notice an incredibly sad expression.
Under it is a small pond and flowers and plants grow around the area in abundance. Due to the pond, you will not be able to go right up to it.

It is a very beautiful sculpture, very detailed and realistic. It also fits in well with its surroundings and makes for a very natural setting.

You can walk to the monument very easily from the city center or from the covered bridges. Its located northeast of Lowenplatz and it not hard to find.

There are 120 paintings that line the sides of the bridge that tell stories of the city of Lucerne. Take a look at #31-it's William Tell shooting an apple off his sons head.

We were told that the water tower (the Wasserturm) that is connected to the bridge has been used for a jail, a torture chamber and a town archive. Now it sells souvenirs and cuckoo clocks to tourists.
The sides of Chapel Bridge. are lined with flowers, which makes it a pretty site.

The other bridge, Spreuerbrucke, was thought to be built in about 1408. It's not as nice, in my opinion, as the other one but is definitely worth visiting. It also has paintings-the artist went with the "Dance of Death" theme, which makes it a little morbid!

There is no charge for visiting the either Chapel Bridge or Spreuerbrucke, so pick a nice day and stroll down by the water and through the bridges of Lucerne.

The Musegg Wall is composed of nine towers, three of which you can climb to admire the view. The wall itself is 860 yards long and is in near perfect condition. Considering it was built in the 1300-1400's, that's a pretty large feat!

Try viewing the towers at night as well-they make a nice picture at dusk on Lucernes skyline. They are open until 8pm every night as well, if you want to go inside at this time.

There is no charge for climbing the towers but they are only open May-October.

If you would like more information about the towers as you are looking at them, take an organized walking tour. You will find more information about these walks at the Lucerne tourist office.

Geneva isn't as scenic as Lucerne but if you happen to have an extra day with nothing to do, it makes for a good activity.

One of the most popular landmarks is the Jet d'Eau. What it is is giant stream of lake water that shoots 120m in the air and uses 500 gallons of water per second. At night, it lights up and is worth a look then as well as in the day.

Geneva also houses the European Headquarters of the United Nations. While we were there, we took a tour of it. I found it a bit boring but my boyfriend didn't mind it. Remember to bring your passport, you will need to leave it with the guards while you are inside the UN.

As Geneva is the birthplace of watch making, it is only natural that they should have a Flower Clock. The numbers and detail of the clock are created with planted flowers. The clock works properly (although I don't know how!) and always seems to have the right time. The Flower Clock boasts the largest second hand in the world and is located at the end of Jardin Anglais.