Yelp Review 2026 #88:…read more Located along Reuss River connecting old town and new town Luzern, Chapel Bridge or Kapellbrücke. It's iconic because when you look up "Lucerne" on Google, a picture of this bridge pops up. It was built in the 1300s and is the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe. When you through the bridge, you'll see paintings of Swiss history. A fire in 1993 burnt the bridge but it was reconstructed and re-opened a year later. The Water Tower at the end of this bridge was once a prison. It serves other purposes since then. The water is so clean and clear so when you take pictures, you can capture reflections of the bridge and the buildings around it. There's a lot of places you can take pictures of this bridge from. It has no bad angles. Work it, girl! The best part? It's free to see and walk through. We got here before 7:15am and only 4 people were here. By 8am, annoying people with tripods and selfie sticks started showing up with their entitled you're-in-my-shot attitude. They're never cute!

It's the iconic wooden pedestrian bridge over the Reuss River in Lucerne. It connects Old Town to…read morethe transportation hub and the more modern parts of town. The hanging flowering plants that decorate the bridge make it the most photographed spot in Lucerne along with its 13th century water tower. The tower was once a prison in medieval times. The original bridge was built in the early 1300s. Unfortunately, most of the wooden structural parts of the bridge were destroyed in a fire in 1993 along with the triangular historical paintings. I believe some did survive and were restored. The other paintings are reproductions. It's still beautiful despite all of this. We found it to be very crowded but easy to find a space for pictures. The view of the painted buildings along the Rathausquai is priceless. It's a great place to be on a sunny day. It's also the perfect place to be on a rainy day to shield you from the elements. It's very close to the transportation hub (train, bus, and ferry). There are many awesome restaurants with great terrace views of the bridge. Depending on the season, there will be roasted chestnut kiosks along the river as well. It was probably the first place that we visited on the day we arrived. It just happened to be the perfect route to take on our way to visiting the historic Lion Monument. Make that crossing for the history and great views from the bridge. You won't be disappointed.

I was born in Luzern and I've seen this monument countless times. Mostly now I go visit with my…read morestudents whenever we have the French Revolution as a subject in school. This time again I came here with my students, just before visiting the Gletschergarten next to. The Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) is a world-famous rock relief carved directly into a former sandstone quarry. Designed by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn by Lukas Ahorn in 1821, it depicts a dying lion impaled by a spear, sheltering a shield with the French fleur-de-lis. The monument serves as a poignant memorial to the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 while defending the Tuileries Palace in Paris during the French Revolution. American author Mark Twain famously praised it as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world." As a piece of art it's already an impressive sight and worth a visit. But knowing the backstory of it makes it even more interesting and impressive. Very sad that sometimes some vandalism is going on here. Once it was bombed with paint-filled water balloons. The rock here is very sensitive and cleaning it could have damaged the lion. Luckily the restoration went fine. The pond in front gets cleaned regularly and the coins (for luck) are being collected and used to restore and preserve this wonderful monument.

Yelp Review 2026 #86:…read more "HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI" = "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss" If you're looking at pictures of this lion monument thinking "what a cute lion" or wondering if it's for a zoo nearby, think again. This monument carved out of a stone cliff (with a pond at the bottom) was to commemorate fallen Swiss soldiers during the French Revolution. Look closely at the expression on the lion's face - it shows anguish and dying. Its body stuck with a broken piece of a spear. It's laying on a shield with fleur de lis (symbol of France) and another shield with the Swiss coat of armor. At the bottom are the names of the Swiss soldiers that were massacred. It's free to visit despite its popularity. There are signage you can read about the history and story behind the monument. It's more than just a photo op spot. We came here at 7am when nobody was here yet. A few minutes later a few people showed up so we left. Around lunch time, we went to a restaurant nearby and there was a tour bus dropping off people here.

This old wooden bridge crossing over the Reuss River may be smaller than the more popular Chapel…read moreBridge, but it definitely has more personality. It's the one with the triangular-shaped Kaspar Meglinger "Dance of Death" paintings. I'm guessing that they've been restored over the years. They actually looked well-preserved considering they've been exposed to the elements under the trusses of the bridge since the mid-17th century. The skeletal death guy in all the paintings is kind of creepy. Oh, and there is a Grim Reaper too. Can you imagine walking over this bridge at night while looking at all those spider-webbed paintings? We decided to take this route on the way to visiting the towers along the Musegg Wall that once fortified the city. It also happens to be the site of the hydroelectric plant and the beaver ramp. I'm not sure if beavers actually use it, but it's there in case they need to pass over the rough downstream water to get to Lake Lucerne. It's all explained with descriptive informational markers. That whole area is kind of cool. It was interesting to see even though half the bridge was under construction at the time we were there (Sept 2025). You can still see the paintings above the scaffolding. It's definitely worthy of a cross over at some point during your stay in Lucerne.

Spectacular old Swiss bridge crossing a river in Luzern. In its center there is a wood chapel…read more Review: 5

I was born in Luzern and came here countless times. It's something I really enjoy doing it again…read moreand again. The Musegg Wall is an 870-meter-long medieval fortification in Lucerne, recognized as the longest surviving city wall in Switzerland. Construction began around 1370 to serve as an outer defensive ring protecting the expanding medieval town. Nine of the original towers still stand proudly along the ridge today, including the famous Zytturm, which houses the city's oldest clock. Although it quickly lost its military purpose, the wall survived 19th-century urban demolitions because its elevated position did not block city traffic. The wall now serves as a popular tourist landmark and a protected habitat for rare wildlife. There also was a major restoration between 2007 and 2015. I usually start west at the Nölliturm. From there it's a short walk up to the Männliturm (my favorite since childhood), the first one to climb up to, to enjoy fantastic views over the city. The Zytturm is another highlight with big clock. The first one to ring the bell in town. Traditionally about 30s ahead of all other clocks. The clockwork is visible here - a stunning piece of engineering. Make sure to be there at around the full hour! The Wachtturm is only partially open while the Schirmerturm is fully open and you can climb to the top. Between those towers the wall is fully walkable and offers great views over Luzern. Be aware that between November 2nd and March 31st the wall and the towers are closed for the season! The wall would go further, but is closed to public as are the other towers. In the medieval times there were more towers and the wall longer. But what's left is in great shape and is popular worldwide. For good reason.

Yelp Review 2026 #95:…read more Zytturm is a clock tower in Luzern connected to Museggmauer (a fort that has 9 towers: 4 are open to the public, the other 5 are not). The towers provide pretty nice views of Luzern. The 4 towers open to the public are Männliturm (second tower), Wachturm (fourth tower), Zytturm (fifth tower), and Schirmerturm (sixth tower). You can use the wooden stairs to go up these towers for a view of the city but you go up one tower and it's pretty much the same view for the rest. The 5 towers that are not open to the public are Nölliturm (first tower, western-most), Lugislandturm (third tower), Pulverturm, Allenwindenturm, and Dächliturm (7th-9th towers). Read the "regulations" posted on the wall. These towers are only open daily from 8am-7pm in the spring/ summer. They're not responsible if you fall off the towers/ wall. It's free.

One could only imagine the majesty and awe a person must have experienced when this was one of the…read moremost traveled to venues of worship in an era when faith was held far more dear than now. Walking through the church I felt that magnificence and wondered how many thousands of others held that same immaculate feeling while staring at the impressive artwork and gorgeous architecture. This was a moment well spent and I encourage anyone visiting Lucerne to follow suit and spend a few of your precious minutes here at this historic church.

It's the square in front of KKL that brings art, transportation, people, and scenery together into…read moreone big and open environment. We passed through it daily on our way to Old Town. It can be lively or restful depending on the time of day. We happened to see a group of people stretching or participating in a Tai Chi class one morning near the Wagenbach fountain. What a great place to do that with running water in the background. The rest of the time, we saw people going to or coming from the ferry, train, or bus stations. There are restaurants there as well as an art museum and concert hall within the cultural center. We observed that the best thing to do here is to grab a quick bite to eat (or cup of coffee) and sit along the quai of Lake Lucerne. We found it very relaxing just watching the swans & ducks swim by, and to see the mountainous landscape. You're in for a treat if you're there in October. That's when the Lucerne Autumn Fair is at Europaplatz. Otherwise, enjoy the open and peaceful space while you can.

It's the needle dam along the Reuss River. You'll recognize and hear it right away when walking up…read morethe south side of the river on the pedestrian path known as the Reusssteg on your way to the Spreuer Bridge. It's not as impressive as the more modern day dams, but it's very unique. This one was built back in the 19th century to control the flow of water. It's uses thin slats of wood to regulate the water level and can be adjusted by adding more wood. It's just cool to see it in action and upclose as you walk by it. There are very few operational needle dams that exist today. You might as well see it while you're there.

July 2024 - A nice hidden little gem. Just walk down the street and you will see how powerful the…read morewater is. You can also walk on top parts of the water pumps to take a few great photographs of the area. Very near an older bridge to cross.

Yelp Review 2026 #101:…read more St. Leodegar Church is a historical Catholic church opened in the 1600s. It was linked to the Habsburgs and Benedictine monks. It's a very important church in Switzerland. It's been through war and fire. I suggest coming here either in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid tour groups and the occasional school field trip groups. It's quiet and empty. You can pray if you practice or just have a quiet moment. You can light a candle, grab a bottle of water for a little donation.

It's the church with the Gothic twin towers that you see from across the lake as you're crossing…read morethe bridge into Old Town. These towers were all that was left of the structure after the fire of 1633. The church was rebuilt on the original foundation in the Baroque style of architecture while retaining the medieval towers. I was more interested in the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Altar. I've never seen one like this before that visualizes the story of the Virgin Mary on her deathbed. I looked around for more information about it. It appears that this altar had also survived the fire. It dates back to some time in the early 1500s. It's definitely unique. The rest of the church is not as ornate. The vaulted white-stone ceilings and arches along with the dark wooden bench seats give it a nice contrast between light and dark. It's a beautiful church. One thing to note is that there are quite a few steps to climb if you want to visit the church. However, I did see a car at the top of the steps. Did someone drive it up the steps, or is there a path behind the church? I have no idea. It's worth looking into if you have limited mobility. There's a church cemetery garden as well as lovely fountain in the former abbey courtyard and square. It's a peaceful & breezy walk up there. It was a nice little visit on the way to the Lion Monument.