Only 10 CHF for a self-guided tour of the limestone caves. A pleasant 30-minute walk through the…read moreforests of Zug to get there.

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

This was a part of a self guided walking tour recommended by our hotel; we only had one night in…read moreZurich and wanted to see what we could without overdoing it. We stayed at a hotel on the other side of the river and walked across a lovely bridge to get here. You start at the bottom of the hill where there is a one lane road. While there are cars (or were, when we visited), mostly there are pedestrians and bicyclists. The lane is full of little shops and restaurants all vying for your attention and money. Eventually you come to a wide and tall (long) staircase going up. At the top is what is considered Lindenhof Hill, a quaint park with gorgeous views across the river and towards Lake Zurich. There is a fountain and old pumping station, as well as some Roman artifacts. It's a nice park to just sit and take in the views, or play a game of giant chess/checkers. The streets are all narrow in this area, but once you leave the hill, you need to find Thermengasse. It is a covered pedestrian walkway with grating for a walkway. Underneath the grating is an exposed archeological dig of a Roman heating system. There is signage throughout the passageway telling you all about it. As night began to fall, we made our way around the area, just taking everything all in. We ended up by the Fraumuenster church and walked across the Muenster bridge towards the Niederdorf area. If we had had more time, we would have explored the area more, but we were happy with the highlights we did see. It was a nice little introduction to the city. 78/2025

This hill is located in the the oldest part of Zurich (near Schipfe). It was once a Celtic…read moresettlement and then it became a Roman fort. The stone wall of the fort is what you see today. There's more history there that is still being uncovered. Some items found around the Lindenhof date back to the 1st century BC. Today, it's a large park with incredible views of Zurich and the Limmat River. We saw groups of people playing boules in the grassy area on a Sunday, as well as people playing chess. There's a fountain in the middle of the square that pays homage to Hedwig's women who wore battle gear to defend the city during the seige of Zurich in 1292. It's worth seeking out as it can be quite peaceful up there even though it's a tourist hot spot. The walk up the somewhat steep pathway and steps to get there from the city center is worth it. I've read that there is an elevator for those with mobility issues, but I didn't see one. There are benches as well as places to sit along the wall. It's shady and breezy up there. A great place to relax and enjoy the view.

Along the twisting mountain road leading to the historic Furka pass you'll find the location where…read moreJames Bond's Aston Martin shredded the tires of Tilly Masterson's Ford Mustang. Beautiful scenery and a perfect route to take for a day excursion when you are in Andermatt.

Can't miss this church walking along the river. Inside is the usual high high ceilings, reliefs,…read moreand some stellar stained glass. It's about 3 meters to the top- (about $3) tickets available on site - no rez required. Stairs! First level a killer, you & your backpack will have a hard time navigating the tiny twisty stairs. Thankfully, there's a couple rest stops, one even has chairs by the windows, bring a book- or rest- pretending to be looking for something in your bag. There are eight windows on top with stunning views. Minus one star because they closed off the balconies, making it impossible to see past the 4' + decorative concrete barrier, except for snippets through the medallions. All in all, a worthwhile stop, but photographers will have to look for another vantage point.

The Grossmünster is a show stopper! We were walking along the river and I had to find a way to walk…read moreover there! Inside is gorgeous! They offer a tour inside, and walk-ins are welcome. You can walk inside and look (free of charge) at the first level of the church.

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.