Switzerland, Burgenstock, Lucerne & Lugano

The view from our hotel room at The Burgenstock Hotel. What you can’t get from this picture is the sound of the cow bells in the back ground and the smell of the most fresh air I think I’ve ever been exposed to. These houses belong to locals and they live high up in these mountains about 20-30 minutes to town by car or boat.

The Burgentsock Hotel: This is a truly luxury hotel. We loved everything about our stay including access to their hiking trails that lead to the Hammetschwand Lift, a 1,132 meter high glass elevator that bring you to the top of the mountain. The video of our elevator ride can be watched on my Instagram account. They also give you fur coats to wear when you’re cold in the restaurants. Free access to their private funicular and ferries that take you to multiple cities. They have a panoramic heated pool on the side of the mountain with the most spectacular views.

We took the funicular to the ferry into the city of Lucerne. This is a very walkable town. On the outskirts is the large Musegg wall which was built in the 14th century. 4 of the 9 towers of this wall are still remaining and you can climb the very narrow steps into the top of the wall. You can also cross the historic Chapel Bridge that’s covered in beautiful flowers and original paintings, constructed in 1333. Another historic area is the famous Lion Monument. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. It it much, much larger in person than in photos. We walked about 10 miles just in this city so we even out the calorie loss with sampling swiss chocolate!

On the last part of our trip in Switzerland we took the train to Lugano. Lugano is a small city on the Italian border. It’s a mix of mountains and lake. We stayed at Hotel Villa Principe Leopoldo & Spa. We stayed here not only for the amazing view (see our last photo) but because they have a Michelin rated restaurant on site. They have a small pool but their rooms are gigantic with a huge terrace! I would definitely recommend this hotel and suggest making a reservation for their restaurant in advance. They only serve for one sitting and then they close. I included some of our food photos below.