My friends Bev is still in town with her hubby and two boys. With my husband coming back for the week-end, we organised a get away to beautiful Luzern, one hour drive from Zürich.
This is the very place to visit in Switzerland. It’s where I saw the most people in the country, filled by buses loaded with (Chinese) tourists. And there’s a reason for that, its beautiful, magical and has so much to offer.
Here is our top pick for two families including four boys all under 7 years old
Accommodation: Waldstätterhof Luzern Hotel***
With our two families-of-four-each configuration, there weren’t many options left. Booking.com suggested the Waldstätterhof Luzern as the best value option with a Business Suite including a big queen bed and a separate lounge room with a foldout sofa and very spacious bathroom for 360 CHF a night. It’s only a 3 star hotel but the kids really enjoyed it as they prefer modern and clean decor than historical antique one.
What we liked:
- very modern and functional with a flat screen in the main room and one in the lounge room
- spacious bathroom with bathtub
- fridge including freezer
- fans but no aircon
- rate including buffet breakfast for the four of us
- central location only minutes away from the Chapel Bridge and the restaurants along the river bank and the train station
- toiletries for kids: bath and hair gel and body milk
- next door to a Mc Donald’s for cheap and cheerful snacks 🙂
What we didn’t like:
- no aircon, which would have been nice during the heat wave
- 19CHF to park for the day, although the car park is very conveniently located in the heart of the city
- blocked view
Top pick #1 for kids: The Swiss Museum of Transport
The Verkehrshaus der Schweiz is not just a museum, it’s more like a theme park!!! The four boys aged 3, 4, 5 and 6.5 just LOVED it and we spent 6 hours there!
- paddle boat
- inflatable bubble on water
- kayaking
- flights simulator
- riding little pedal karts
- jump on a steam train
- indoors slides
- chocolate tour on a modern wagon
- reasonably priced yummy lunch
More fun pics:
Details:
- website: https://www.verkehrshaus.ch
- opening times: Open everyday. Summertime: 10am to 6pm, Wintertime 10am to 5pm
- admission fees:
- Family ticket for parents and all children under 16: All-inclusive price for Museum, Planetarium, Filmtheatre (daytime movies) and Swiss Chocolate Adventure
(price includes one ticket per offer and family member) CHF 155 - Separate family packages: Museum only: CHF 65 and Chocolate tour: CHF 32 (these are the two main activities we did). Boating is included in the Museum pass.
- Steam train is CHF 2 per traveller per tour
- Family ticket for parents and all children under 16: All-inclusive price for Museum, Planetarium, Filmtheatre (daytime movies) and Swiss Chocolate Adventure
Top pick #2: the Chapel Bridge
Just stunning heritage construction from the old days, the Chapel bridge is beautifully located between the lake and mountain. On each river bank you can find lively restaurants with their lovely terrasses.
Top pick #3: Schlossli Utenberg
Less than 10 minutes drive away from the centre of Luzern you can reach Schlossli Utenberg, a lovely secluded restaurant up in the hills with a magnificent view over the lake and mountains snowy top. The setting is very romantic and is often used as a wedding venue.
What we loved:
- the view
- the setting
- the food
- the prices were on par with a restaurant in the city center by the Chapel Bridge. Approx 19 for a plate of pasta carbonara.
What could have been better:
- the service: there was one guy, hiding in the house as it was a really hot day and it wasn’t always easy to get what we wanted. I was surprised they didn’t bring out spoons with the tagliatelle carbonara dish for example.
- the menu selection: as it was Sunday and they close on Monday and Tuesday to replenish their fridges there wasn’t much left to choose from. I was particularly disappointed as they ran out of lobster. Better go there on a Wednesday I say!
Top pick #4: Mount Rigi
Everyone was telling us to climb mount Rigi, the Queen fo Mountain or Mount Pilatus.
We chose the former. We first took the cable car from Wiznau, then had lunch as the train going to the top only runs every hour.
The View at the Rigi Kulm is just stunning but I’m not sure the whole journey is really exciting for kids under 7.
Details:
- Ticket price: CHF 68 return per adult. Free for children up to 16 years old.
- Had we planned things a bit a ahead I’m sure we could have saved a lot more as they have a whole list of discounts and concessions.