Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland. It is located in north-central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. Zurich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich Airport and railway station are the largest and busiest in the country. Accommodation Inside FIVE City Apartments I stayed at Inside Five City Apartments, which is about a 17-minute walk from the central train station and a 25-minute walk from Old Town. If I were to stay in Zurich again, I would stay a bit closer to the city center, although the hotels in Old Town are very expensive. The walk wasn’t that bad. You also have the option to take the tram into the city center, but I prefer to walk. In addition to being a bit far from the main attractions, the hotel’s check-in time is a bit limited. You can only check-in between 3 and 6PM, which definitely wouldn’t work if you had an afternoon or evening arrival time. The room was clean and it was nice having a fridge and stove to make a couple meals during my stay to save money. New Year’s in Zurich My highlight of my time in Zurich was without a doubt the New Year’s Eve party around Zurich’s lake basin. Many bars, restaurants, and event halls invite the public at large to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Approximately 100,000 visitors flock to the Lake Zurich basin each year and marvel at the spectacular fireworks display that traditionally heralds the New Year. Food and drink stalls, bars, and live music performed on various stages created the perfect festive ambiance. The party started around 8PM and went on until 3AM. A Countdown began at 11:59PM, but the fireworks display does not occur until 12:20. It lasts approximately 15 minutes. I found it a little weird that the fireworks didn’t begin at midnight. I’m not quite sure the reasoning for this. All in all, I had an amazing time! I much preferred Zurich’s environment compared to London and other major cities that I have been to on New Year’s. Lake Zurich Since it was winter when I went to Zurich, I was not too keen to go on a boat ride. However, during the summer time, it would be nice to enjoy a cruise around Zurich Lake. Prices start at 8.60 CHF and longer cruises cost more. Tours take place daily. Departure times differ according to the type of a cruise. You can check the official website for the timetable. Zurich Train Station This old and charming railway station is quite modern on the inside, extending both on and under the ground. It was built in 1871 in neo-Renaissance style as the second railway station in Zurich after the first one was closed due to being too small. Apart from train-related information (which is very well organised and allows you to find what you are looking for very quickly), the station houses a shopping mall. Although the station is among the busiest in the world, it’s also one of the best ones regarding efficiency and availability services. I arrived in Zurich by train from Lucerne. The price was 25 CHF and it too approximately 50 minutes. During my time in Zurich, I took a day trip to Liechtenstein. Although I didn’t have a great experience in Liechtenstein due to the weather, this makes for a fabulous day trip from Zurich. The transportation was SO easy and convenient. You can read more about it on my Liechtenstein blog post. Old Town Zurich’s Old Town is everything you would expect from a historical heart of a city, but also of a lively center of modern-day life. It is characteristic by its pedestrian-only streets, paved with cobblestone and lined with picturesque houses, some of which have been standing here since the Middle Ages. I loved strolling around and enjoying the atmosphere, as well as relaxing in the local restaurants. If you aren’t much of a history buff, the Old Town may still entice you. There are plenty of places to enjoy the night here with its bustling nightlife. Altstadt boasts the highest concentration of clubs per square meter in the whole of Switzerland. Urania Observatory Urania Sternwarte is a public observatory in the Lindenhof quarter of Zurich. Its name Urania refers to the muse of astronomy in Greek mythology. Astronomy fans can reach the stars in the 50 m (164 ft) high round tower. Whether you want to take a closer look at the craters on the moon, the bands of clouds surrounding Jupiter, or the church tower of the Fraumunster, a guided tour of the non-profit public observatory is a memorable experience. Public tours are held in the evening from Thursday to Saturday for 15 CHF. Augustiner Street This street is lined with colorful houses reconstructed to look exactly like they did in the Middle Ages. It is a great place to just aimlessly stroll about, wander through the many small shops and stalls offering a wide variety of trinkets and goods, and just enjoy the atmosphere. St. Peter’s Church Wherever you’re standing in Zurich’s old town, you can’t miss the largest clock face in Europe. It is the greatest pride of this church, with a diameter of almost 9 meters. The church, standing on the south bank of the river Lemmat, is one of the four main churches in Zurich. When visiting, do not miss the chance to look inside the church as well, since the interior is beautifully decorated by painted murals in the Baroque style. The location on which the church stands has a long history as a place of worship. It is here, that once stood a Roman temple to the god Jupiter. After the Romans left, it fell into disuse, however, in the 8th or 9th century AD, a new Christian church was erected here. This is the church which was later, in 1706, reconstructed and consecrated as the first Protestant church and that you can see today.
How I Got There I travelled to Lucerne from San Marino with a few stops along the way. My first train was back to Bologna for 10 euros and took 1 hour. From Bologna I went to Milan for 43 euros. This train was also 1 hour. I stopped in Milan for lunch before purchasing tickets to Lucerne for 88 euros, with one change in Lugano. The train to Lugano from Milan took 1 hour 20 minutes and from Lugano to Lucerne was roughly 2.5 hours. My total journey time was about 6 hours, but with the sightseeing stops along the way, it seemed like nothing. I could travel the train around Europe forever! There is so much beauty to be seen from the train and it’s really nice just watching the world pass by as I’m on my way to my next destination. Accomodation Barabas Luzern The hotel I stayed at is in a very central location and is within walking distance to all of the center cities major attractions. The hotel is an ancient prison that has been renovated to a modern hotel. The hotel has 60 different prison cells offering single, double, and family rooms with a private bathroom. The library, offering a large amount of crime novels, is also bookable as a hotel room. Attached to the hotel is a Japanese restaurant called Izakaya Nozomi. The hotel staff is only on site from 7AM to 11PM. After that, I had to use my room key to enter the building. The only real big downfall to the hotel is that the rooms are very small, but I should’ve expected that for it being a jail cell. The prison was opened as the region’s first real prison in 1862. Until that time, most of the convicts were locked up in monasteries or towers. This new prison provided 55 cells, five of them especially for women. The prison closed in 1998 and was transformed into the hotel in 2018. Lucerne Town Hall This Renaissance-style building is worth visiting especially for the lively atmosphere of the surrounding marketplace. Chapel Bridge The Kapelbrucke is a covered wooden footbridge spanning the River Reuss diagonally. Named after the nearby St. Peter’s Chapel, the bridge is unique in containing a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with a larger part of the centuries-old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Chapel Bridge is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world’s oldest surviving truss bridge. It serves as the city’s symbol and as one of Switzerland’s main tourist attractions. Jesuitenkirche Lucerne’s Jesuit Church is the first large baroque church built in Switzerland north of the alps. It is an expression of the Catholic Church’s 17th century struggle to regain spiritual leadership in the counter-reformation. Lucerne sees itself as the capital of the Catholic fraction of Switzerland in pre-modern times. Today, Jesuit Church is a major tourist attraction and serves as a concert hall while it has become almost irrelevant to local church life from a religious point of view. Spreuer Bridge The Spreuer Bridge is one of the two covered wooden footbridges in the city. Water Spike The water spike is a needle dam, which is designed to maintain the level of flow of a river through the use of thin “needles” of wood. The needles are leaned against a solid frame and are not intended to be water-tight. Individual needles can be added or removed by hand to constrict the flow of the river. Musegg Wall The Musegg Wall is part of the town fortification system. From April through October, you can walk along the wall to get a better view of the city. Since I went in December, I could only wall along the wall from below. Lion Monument The Lion Monument, or the Lion of Lucerne, is a rock relief designed by Bertel Thorvaldesen and hewn in 1820 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. It is one of the most famous monuments in Switzerland, visited annually by 1.4 million tourists. In 2006, it was placed under Swiss monument protection. Mark Twain praised the sculpture of a mortally wounded lion as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.” Other Recommendations Since I was only in Lucerne for a day and it was super foggy, I did not get to experience much of the beauty that I saw when doing my research. One thing that I would do if I went back would be the Hammetschwant Lift, which is the highest exterior elevator in Europe. It connects a rock path overlooking Lake Lucerne. I would also go to Hedegg Castle, Meggenhorn Castle, or take a cruise on the lake if it were warm enough.
Accomodation: Hotel Holiday I stayed at Hotel Holiday, which is pretty centrally located. It’s about a 10 minute walk to the Two Towers and Piazza Maggiore, and a 15 minute walk to the central train station. It offers a small complementary breakfast buffet. The bed was large and the shower was amazing! I think the room was very decent for the price and location. Two Towers These two leaning towers are the most famous towers in the city. Each towers name derives from the families originally credited with the construction. The shorter, more leaning tower, is called the Garisenda. Originally, 60m high, it was lowered to 48m for the unstable ground in the 14th century. The Asinelli Tower (the taller one) takes its name from the wealthy Asinelli family who built it. After it was acquired by the city of Bolonga in the 12th century, it served as a prison. You can climb the Asinelli Tower to get a nice view of the city. However, the timeslots are every 45 minutes and you must purchase your tickets in advance. I tried to go first thing in the morning, but when I arrived, I was told that I could not purchase tickets at the tower and had to go to the Welcome Center in Piazza Maggiore to obtain my ticket. When I got to the welcome center, I found out that the next available time was 5PM, which wasn’t ideal since the sunset at 4:30PM. However, I still wanted the experience so decided to purchase it anyways. The ticket is 5 euros. I’m glad that I did, because the view at dusk was still very nice. It was incredible seeing all of the city lights from above. It took 498 steps to get to the panoramic view at the top. Everyone with the same time stamp goes up the narrow steps together, so the pace is pretty slow. You then have about 15 minutes to explore the top before having to go back down. Basilica of Santo Stefano Not far from the towers is the Basilica of Santo Stefano, which is located on Piazza Santo Stefano. Piazza Maggiore This central square is one of the busiest areas of Bologna. The Northwest corner opens into Piazza del Nettuno with its Fontana del Nettuno, while the Northeast corner opens into the narrower Piazza Re Enzo. The Welcome Center is in this square, which is where you will need to purchase tickets to the towers and other tours and activities in the city. At night, the Piazza was filled with people walking around. This is where you can find street artists. I was lucky enough to be there on a night when a dance performance was going on. I enjoyed watching it as I ate my gelato, which you can get at a couple places right by the square. Basilica of San Petronio (Terrace) This church dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Petronius, who was the bishop of Bologna in the fifth century. Construction began in 1390 and its main façade has remained unfinished since. If you wish to take photos inside the church, you will need to pay 2 euros to get a wristband that allows you to take as many photos as you’d like. I highly recommend going around to the back of the church and paying 3 euros to go up to the terrace on top of the church. This offers an amazing view of the city! This was my favorite viewpoint in Bologna. You can take the elevator or stairs up. I decided to take the stairs, which wasn’t that bad. Fountain of Neptune The Fountain of Neptune is a monumental fountain located in the busy square, Piazza del Nettuno, next to Piazza Maggiore. Porta Saragozza This is one of the gates that was in the medieval walls of the city. It was built in the 13th-14th centuries, and by 1334 it was provided with a drawbridge crossing a moat. Sancutuary of the Madonna di San Luca (Monastery) The Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca is a basilica church situated at the top of a forested hill 300 meters above the city. While a road now leads up to the sanctuary, most people reach it along a 3.8 km monumental roofed arcade consisting of 666 arches, which was built in 1674-1793. It was meant to protect the icon as it was paraded up the hill. A yearly procession from the Cathedral of San Pietro in the center of Bologna to the Sanctuary goes along this path. It takes roughly 25 minutes to reach the base of the hill from the city center. From the bottom of the hill, it took me 50 minutes to reach the monastery, although I took 3 breaks to sit and catch my breath. The way down only took me 20 minutes. At the top of the monastery, you can pay to get a view of the city from the dome. However, since I was already seeing other city views that day, I opted not to. Basilica of San Francesco This basilica is a historic church, which was founded in the 13th century. When I went, they were having a market inside selling miscellaneous items. You should go through to the courtyard. The Glossatori Tombs Right outside of the Basillica of San Francesco, these 13th-century gravestones are dedicated to the first university teachers. Via dell’Indipendenza On the way to the railway station, I strolled down the main street of the city. It is packed with shops. Although they are all closed early in the morning, this was a nice street to walk down at night. The entire street is lit up with Christmas lights in December. Montagnola Park The Park of Montagnola is a public park which was originally construction under Napoleonic rule. The base of the park contains the ruins of the 14th-century Castello di Galliera, which then leads to a scenographic staircase. The stairs are decorated
During my trip to Switzerland, I ventured out to the Kingdom of Liechtenstein. This tiny sovereign country is nestled between Switzerland and Austria. And by tiny, I truly mean tiny. Of course it’s bigger than Vatican City, but you can basically drive from top to bottom of the country in an hour. Most people do a day or half-day trip here either as part of their journey to Austria or Switzerland or as a pit stop on their way between the two nations. There are no train stations or airports in the country; the only way in and out is by car or bus. Liechtenstein speaks German, uses the Swiss Franc, and has one of the world’s highest per capita GDP as well as the lowest unemployment rates. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have picked a worse day to travel to Liechtenstein. I was so excited so see the beautiful scenery from all the photos I looked at before my trip, but upon arriving I couldn’t see anything but fog. I still recommend that you take a trip here to check it out for yourself, but my blog post is not going to win you over in the slightest. I went on New Years Day and aside from the gloomy weather, it was a dead town. There were few tourists wondering around and all the locals were assumingely bundled up at home. There were a couple restaurants and shops open, but for the most part it was a very dreary and quiet day. Transportation I stayed in Zurich for 3 nights so decided to dedicate one of the days to seeing Liechtenstein. Since Liechtenstein does not have a train station, the best way to get there is by taking the train to Sargans and then taking the bus into Liechtenstein. I bought a roundtrip ticket from Zurich to Sargans for 66 CHF and then took the 9:37AM train. The trains run about every half an hour or so, which makes it easy and stress-free. There are both local and express trains, both take around 50 minutes to an hour. Once arriving at Sargans, I exited the open-air station and proceeded to the bus area right outside. There are maps at the station to tell you which bus departs from which stop in the bus plaza. For Liechtenstein, you will take Bus 11 to Vaduz. I bought a one way ticket directly from the driver for 8 CHF (cash only) and got on the 10:36 bus. The bus comes around every half hour. It takes 30 minutes, including stops, to reach Vaduz Post. Be on the lookout for the Liechtenstein flag flying right after you cross the bridge over the river to know when you’ve entered the country. After Vaduz, I purchased another one-way ticket for 8 CHF and got on the 2PM bus. Along the way back to Sargans, I stopped in Balzers and was able to hop back on with the same ticket. Unfortunately, after visiting Balzers, I missed the bus by 30 seconds. The bus driver saw me approaching and kept going so if this happens to you, make it very apparent that you want them to stop. Waiting an extra 30 minutes in the freezing cold was not a great way to end the day. I finally got back to Sargans at 3:50PM and then took the 4:25PM train back to Zurich. Vaduz Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein and also the seat of the national parliament. The town, which is located along the Rhine River, has 5,450 residents. Although Vaduz is the best-known town in the principality internationally, it is not the largest; neighboring Schaan has a larger population. Vaduz Welcome Center After arriving in Vaduz, I first went to the Vaduz Welcome Center. They have a 2-story shop full of souvenirs and a public restroom. You can also pay 3 Francs to get your passport stamped. I decided not to do this because I’d rather not waste the pages in my passport. I did, however, get my magnet here for my collection. You can also go to the Liechtenstein Center for a passport stamp and information. I ate lunch at a small pizza and burger joint next door. Rathaus Vaduz Across from the Welcome Center is the Vaduz Town Hall, which dates from 1932. It was renovated in the years 1982 to 1984. The Town Hall Square is used for various events, such as markets or sporting events. When I was there, an ice-skating rink filled the square. Parliament I passed by the Parliament Building, which lies at the heart of the Peter-Kaiser-Platz square, just down the road from the government building. After a proposal to create a new parliament building in Liechtenstein was rejected in a 1993 referendum due to its high cost, a Munich-based architect designed the building which is currently home to the parliament. Together with the government building and the national archive, the parliament forms the government district in Vaduz. Kathedrale St. Florin Vaduz Cathedral is a Neo-Gothic church that was built in 1874. During my stay, it was a nice place to go in and take a seat in the pews while warming up. Post Museum The Postage Stamp Museum (Briefmarkenmuseum) is very popular with most visors to Liechtenstein, since these small works of art travel the whole world and are in everybody’s mailbox daily. Rare stamps from Liechtenstein, historical documents, devices, historical postal service equipment, and special exhibits are presented in the museum. The museum exhibits postage stamps issued by Liechtenstein since 1912 and also the history of postal service of the country. The museum was closed on New Years Day. Vaduz Castle I took the 20-minute hike up to the Vaduz Castle, which is the official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein so it is not open to the public. The castle gave its name to the town of Vaduz, which it overlooks from an adjacent hilltop. Unfortunately, I could barely even see the castle in all of the fog. I definitely
The first thing you want to do when planning for a EuroTrip is to decide which countries you would like to visit. I wanted to see as much as possible in two weeks. After knowing I had two weeks to travel, I purchased the 15 day continuous global rail pass on eurail.com (interrail.com if you are an EU citizen) and got 2 extra days for free since they were having a sale. https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes/global-pass This pass allows you the freedom to explore all your dream European destinations using the Eurail Global Pass. This convenient train pass gives you access to rail networks in 28 fascinating countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, although be aware that you will have to pay a reservation fee in specific countries or for night trains. Once I knew which cities I wanted to visit, I downloaded the Rail Planner app to see how long it was from each city and which cities would not be direct trains. I took notes beforehand and had a general idea of when I would be traveling but still had the flexibility to plan as I went if I needed more time in a specific location. The great thing about Eurail passes is you don’t have to worry about missing a train. You can hop on whatever train you’d like without a timed ticket. You can download the apps here – IOS, Android. Rail planner shows you all the available times, type of train and possible connections for the city of your choice. The application is done by Eurail and the cool thing about it is that it is available offline! I used the app the entire time during my travels and was fully satisfied with it! There are some cases when you will need to reserve a seat on your trip and pay a reservation fee. This can be done at the train station. For example, it is mandatory to book your seat on a night train. We did this a few times. The average cost of a bed on a night train is around 20-40 Euros. We had time to sleep while traveling, which was awesome to wake up in our next location! One example of when we did this was from Madrid to Lisbon. You will also usually need to book your seat when using a fast train that is marked with an R on the Rail Planner App. This can be as low as 3 Euros or as much as 30 Euros. Sometimes you will have the option to take the same route on a slow-speed train but I think it is worth it to just pay the fee in some instances. High-speed trains are common in France, Italy, and Spain. Additionally, you will need to reserve your seat on popular routes that may not have free seats. Stop 1: Amsterdam https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/20/amsterdam-netherlands/ Stop 2: Berlin https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/20/bamberg-germany/ Stop 3: Prague https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/22/prague-czech-republic/ Stop 4: Vienna https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/22/vienna-austria/ Stop 5: Bratislava https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/23/bratislava-slovakia/ Stop 6: Budapest https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/24/budapest-hungary/ Stop 7: Lake Bled https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/25/bled-slovenia/ Stop 8: Florence https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/27/florence-and-pisa-italy/ Stop 9: Nice https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/30/nice-france/ Stop 10: Marseille https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/30/marseille-france/ Stop 11: Barcelona https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/03/barcelona-and-montserrat-spain/ Stop 12: Madrid https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/01/madrid-spain/ Stop 13: Lisbon https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/03/lisbon-portugal/ Stop 14: Porto https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/03/porto-portugal/ Check out the links to each city’s blog for more information on the specific places. If you have any more questions about the Eurail pass or planning a EuroTrip, please comment below!
