Page 549 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

30 minutes (23km), crossing bridges Kapellbrücke
over from Bern canton to (Chapel Bridge) and
Lucerne canton, until you reach Spreuerbrücke (Spreuer TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Schüpfheim, the heart of the Bridge; btwn Kasernenplatz & 8 Stanserhorn
Entlebuch biosphere.
Mühlenplatz), sunny plazas, Looming above the lake,
candy-coloured houses and 1898m Stanserhorn (www.
6 Unesco Biosphere waterfront promenades. stanserhorn.ch) boasts
Entlebuch Legend has it that an angel 360-degree vistas of Lake
with a light showed the
Lucerne, Mt Titlis, Mt
The 39,000-plus-sq-km first settlers where to build Pilatus and the Bernese
Entlebuch area (www. a chapel in Lucerne, and Alps, among others.
biosphaere.ch; a mixed today it still has amazing Getting to the summit is
mountain and highland grace. half the fun. The journey
ecosystem) was declared a One minute it’s nostal- starts with a ride on a
Unesco Biosphere Reserve gic (its emotive lion monu- vintage 19th-century
in 2001. Far from being a ment; Löwendenkmal; funicular from Stans
lonely wilderness outpost, Denkmalstrasse), the next to Kälti; from here, SWITZERLAND 38 GENEvA TO ZüRICH
the reserve is home highbrow, with concerts the nearly transparent
to some 17,000 people at acoustic marvel Kultur CabriO (%041 618 80 40;
keen to preserve their und Kongresszentrum www.cabrio.ch; Stansstad-
traditional dairy-farming (KKL; %tour reservations 041 erstrasse 19, Stans, ticket
lifestyle. The landscape of 226 79 50; www.kkl-luzern. office; all-inclusive funicular
karst formations, sprawl- ch; Europaplatz; guided tour & cable-car fare adult/child
ing moors (some 25% of adult/child Sfr15/9) and the one-way Sfr37/9.25, return
the area), Alpine pastures peerless Picasso collection Sfr74/18.50, online boarding
and mountain streams, of Museum Sammlung pass Sfr5; hmid-Apr–early
which rise from 600m Rosengart (%041 220 16 60; Nov), launched in 2012 as
to some 2350m above www.rosengart.ch; Pilatusstrasse the world’s first cable car
sea level, makes for some 10; adult/student Sfr18/16; with an open upper deck,
stirring scenery. The park h10am-6pm Apr-Oct, 11am-5pm takes you the rest of the
office is in Schüpfheim. Nov-Mar). Crowd-pleasers way, offering amazing
such as Verkehrshaus
The Drive » Driving through on-the-go views.
Entlebuch from Schüpfheim, (Swiss Museum of Transport; On sunny days and
you’ll take the Panoramastrasse %041 370 44 44; www.verkehr when large numbers of
(which deserves to be more shaus.ch; Lidostrasse 5; adult/ travellers are expected,
famous) to the town of Giswil child Sfr30/15; h10am-6pm you’ll need to book an
(Obwalden canton; 50 minutes, Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar; c) online ‘boarding pass’
37km). Next, follow the signs and the city’s surrounding to confirm your time of
to Lucerne (Luzern in German) natural wonders never fail
along the A8 (30 minutes, departure and subsequent
30km). to impress, while balmy return.
summers and golden au- At the summit there’s
tumns ensure this ‘city of the star-shaped Rondo-
7 Lucerne lights’ shines constantly. rama, the region’s only
Recipe for a gorgeous 54 p549 revolving restaurant,
Swiss city: take a cobalt which rotates 360 de-
lake ringed by mountains The Drive » A fast 15-minute, grees every 43 minutes.
15km journey along the A2
of myth (Pilatus, Rigi), add will get you from Lucerne to Kids love the nearby
a well-preserved medieval Stans’ Stansstaderstrasse 19, marmot park, where the
Altstadt (Old Town), then from where the journey up to critters can be observed
sprinkle with covered Stanserhorn begins. in a near-natural habitat.

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