Views from A Paddle Wheel Steamer – October 2019

We spent a day with Raoul on Lake Lucerne, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Switzerland. Five historic paddle wheel steamers provide a great way to not only travel from the city of Lucerne on the northwest end to Flüelen on the southeast end, but also see the fantastic scenery. The unusual shaped lake includes multiple arms and several sharp bends in which many villages are nestled at the foot of steep mountains. This post is a collection of our favorite photos from our adventure on the steamship Uri and a brief walk through a few historical parts of the city of Lucerne.

Variety of shoreline views

A roof covers the road at the base of the mountain to provide protection from avalanches.

Lakeside buildings that got our attention

Historic Hotel Vitznauerhof at the foothills of Mount Rigi on the north side of lake

Church of St. Marzellus in the village of Gersau

The picturesque village of Flüelen, with a population of about 2,000, sits at the SE end of Lake Lucerne.

Before boarding our steamship, we walked through a few historical parts of the city of Lucerne. Raoul shared with us very interesting stories about the historic bridge, buildings decorated with frescoes, and unique fountains.

We took quite a few photos of the 14th century Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) and adjacent Wasserturm (water tower, or more literally tower standing in water). The covered wooden pedestrian bridge, which crosses the river Reuss, was built in 1365. Six hundred and thirty years later a fire partially destroyed the bridge, but fortunately the damaged portion was rebuilt. Originally 158 paintings decorated the bridge’s interior trusses. The fire consumed over 100 pieces of art and only 30 paintings were fully restored.