The journey from Brunnen on Lake Lucerne to Basel takes exactly two hours and one minute by direct train. Instead, though, I’ve decided to take the boat for the first part of my journey home. I’m catching the 13:49 boat service from Brunnen to Lucerne. During the winter schedule, which usually comes into effect in mid-October, there is a reduced service on the lake, with much fewer boats. There are also much fewer passengers and it is noticeable that you hear a lot more Swiss German than any other language.
From the landing at Brunnen I have a perfect view of the Fronalpstock that I went up to just a few days ago.
The Journey from Brunnen to Lucerne
The boat to Lucerne originates in Flüelen, at the end of the Urner Lake, where it departs from at 13:00. At around 13:30, I spot the boat crossing the lake on its way from Sisikon, on the east side, to Rütli on the west side of the lake. Brunnen is the next stop after Rütli.
Today’s service is operated by the Gotthard. During the winter months, the old steamboats commissioned at the turn of the last century don’t run because they’re undergoing maintenance. The Gotthard was commissioned in 1970 and has a capacity of 700 passengers. Second Class is located on the lower deck, whereas First Class takes up the space on the upper deck.
The stop in Brunnen is very brief. The load is light today and only a handful of passengers board here in Brunnen.
Our first stop is Treib, diagonally across the lake from Brunnen. As we depart, we cross the Titlis heading in the opposite direction to Flüelen.
For me, a cruise on Lake Lucerne is my idea of bliss. I just love sitting by the window watching the world go by as we cut through the water. As we progress towards Lucerne, the weather even starts to improve to the point that blue skies start to appear.
After Vitznau the steep mountains give way to softer, rolling hills that eventually ebb into Switzerland’s so called Mittelland, which is mostly flat.
The Meal
It is possible to make a reservation to eat on the boat. As the journey to Lucerne will take just over two hours, I figure lunch isn’t such a bad idea. The menu has a nice and fairly large selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes available, and there are some Swiss classics as well as pasta and even a curry. To start, I just have the big mixed salad with a French mustard dressing. For the main course, I have a Fleischvogel, which is basically Switzerland’s version of a beef olive that is served, in this case, in a rich boozy gravy with mashed potato. Given the amounts of food I’ve had on this trip, I refrain from having dessert. I will say, though, that I know from previous trips that they do a mean Coupe Danmark on the boat.
Conclusion
We arrive in Lucerne at 15:50. From the landing it’s just a short walk to the railway station from where my train departs seven minutes later.
I just love being on the water, and Lake Lucerne is certainly one of my favourites. The views of the Alps towering high above the lake are just spectacular, making a nice and relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Of course, it’s also nice that there aren’t many people on the boat this time of year. In the summer it does tend to get very crowded