Rhine River Cruise: Zurich & Lucerne
In this first post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Zurich and Lucerne on her own before joining her Romantic Rhine cruise on Avalon.
My very first river cruise was the wonderful Romantic Rhine cruise on Avalon Waterways. I had been considering a river cruise for a while but wasn’t sure if it was something I would like or not. From doing a bit of research online, the average passengers on a river cruise seemed to be married retirees. On this cruise I would just be turning 45 and I would be traveling solo. But the idea of getting to see so many wonderful places in one relatively short time span was appealing, as was the notion of only having to unpack once. So, I made the plunge and booked the trip. Long story short, it was the start of an ever-growing love affair with river cruises in general and Avalon in particular!
Please join me in this and future posts as I relive this wonderful experience on the Avalon Tranquility II in June 2017.
Romantic Rhine Full Itinerary
Below is the full itinerary for the cruise. This post includes details about my two days pre-cruise and embarkation on Day 1 of the cruise.
- Pre-Cruise – June 22: Zurich, Switzerland
- Pre-Cruise – June 23: Zurich, Switzerland
- Cruise Day 1 – June 24: Lucerne and Basel, Switzerland (embarkation)
- Cruise Day 2 – June 25: Breisach/Black Forest, Germany & Colmar, France
- Cruise Day 3 – June 26: Strasbourg, Alsace, & Obernai, France
- Cruise Day 4 – June 27: Mannheim, Heidelberg, & Mainz, Germany
- Cruise Day 5 – June 28: Rudesheim, sailing the Rhine Gorge, & Koblenz, Germany
- Cruise Day 6 – June 29: Cologne, Germany & sailing to Amsterdam
- Cruise Day 7 – June 30: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Cruise Day 8 – July 1: Amsterdam, Netherlands (disembarkation)
Zurich
On the well-guided advice of my trusty travel advisor, I booked two extra nights in Zurich on my own before embarking on the cruise. Having this extra time is great for two reasons: 1. it gives you time to get rid of any jet lag and acclimate to the local time, and 2. it gives you extra time to explore! I thoroughly enjoyed two days in Zurich.
After my flight arrived early in the morning, I navigated through customs and took a taxi the short distance from the airport to the Mövenpick Hotel Zurich Airport hotel. I dropped my luggage off at the hotel, did a quick wardrobe change, and headed out to explore the vibrant city. While the hotel was very convenient to the airport, it was not within walking distance to Old Town Zurich. Luckily there is a wonderful public transportation system throughout Zurich! There was a tram stop in front of the hotel. A quick and easy ride on the tram got me right in the heart of Old Town in about 15 minutes or so.
Limmat River
My first stop was to the lovely Limmat River area. The area around the river is absolutely beautiful, and it is a nice place to stroll and soak in the sights. This was an extremely hot and humid day, but it was still a great day to walk up and down the banks of the river.
Grossmünster
There are many churches in Zurich, but the two most iconic ones are Grossmünster and Fraumünster, which are directly across the Limmat River from each other. I first visited Grossmünster (German for “Great Minster” or “Great Church”), which is a beautiful Protestant church. Its prominent twin spires are widely recognized and make it one of the most recognized landmarks in Zurich. Construction of this church began around 1100. It was eventually inaugurated around 1220.
Fraumünster
A short walk on a bridge crossing the river took me to my next stop, Fraumünster (German for “Women’s Minster” or “Women’s Church”). This church is built on the remains of a former abbey for aristocratic women. A church has stood on this site since 853. One of the most striking features of this church is the series of five large stained glass windows designed by artist Marc Chagall. These windows are in the choir of the abbey and were installed in 1970. Each of the five depicts a biblical story and has a dominant color. Unfortunately, photography of the windows from inside is not allowed! There is also a large pipe organ here with 6,959 pipes, which makes it the largest pipe organ in the canton of Zurich.
Mövenpick Hotel Zurich Airport
After walking around the Limmat River and the Old Town area of Zurich for a while, I hopped back on a tram and headed back to my hotel. The Mövenpick Hotel Zurich Airport is clean and comfortable. Who wouldn’t love some Swiss chocolates on the bedside table and a rubber duckie for the tub?
Landesmuseum (Swiss National Museum)
Day two in Zurich started a bit later than I planned as I caught up on some much-needed sleep and slept until after 11:00AM! But once I got up and had a quick bite to eat I headed out to explore the city more. My first stop was the Landesmuseum, which is the Swiss National Museum. Here I enjoyed many different exhibitions on Swiss history, art, and culture.
Bahnhofstrasse
After getting my fix of history, art, and culture at the museum I took a walk down Bahnhofstrasse. This is the main downtown street in Zurich and is known as one of the world’s most expensive and exclusive shopping areas. Since I didn’t need anything in Prada, Tiffany’s, or Gucci (ha ha!), I just did some quick window shopping here.
Swiss Chocolate
While promenading along Bahnhofstrasse I did make a stop at Confiserie Sprüngli to drool over the massive counters filled with decandent chocolates and pastries. This master chocolatier has been making delicious delicacies since 1836. A champagne macaron was a lovely little treat for myself here.
Boat Tour on Lake Zurich
Once I finished my window shopping on Bahnhofstrasse I ended up at Lake Zurich. From here I took a 1.5-hour boat tour around Lake Zurich. There were some very beautiful sights on both shores of the lake. The smell of chocolate was evident as we sailed passed the Sprüngli & Lindt factory. The boat made several stops along the way to let passengers on and off. At many of the docks there were kids waiting anxiously to jump into the wake as the boat left the dock! This was a wonderful way to wrap up my last day of free time in Zurich.
Mount Pilatus
The next day started with an excursion booked through Avalon. Our first stop was Mount Pilatus, which is part of the Swiss Alps and has an elevation of 7,000 feet. The promise of gorgeous, sweeping, panoramic views of the Swiss Alps was quickly dashed when we got to the top and were completely socked in with fog! But, there was chocolate involved, so all was not lost.
Our journey started by ascending in a series of cable cars to the summit of the mountain. Once at the top we had some free time to wander around (and enjoy the non-existent views…lol!). There is a cafeteria and gift shop available here, with a musical trio performing some local favorites.
Wandering around at the top of Mount Pilatus was interesting, albeit rather foggy! Even though I didn’t actually see them, I can still say that I have been in the Swiss Alps.
We returned back down the mountain on the steepest cog-wheel train in the world. At one part of the journey down the mountain it is a 45-degree incline! It remained rather foggy at the top, but the fog started to clear as we got closer to the bottom. So, although the views of the Swiss Alps were non-existent, the excursion was still fun and exciting.
Lucerne
After exploring Mount Pilatus, we took a short drive to Lake Lucerne. Here we had some free time to explore the town center. Even though the clouds lingered, it is still an absolutely beautiful place to explore!
Here in town, there was even a fun festival going on, complete with live, local musicians rocking out!
Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument or the Lion of Lucerne)
Another stop in Lucerne was to the Löwendenkmal, or the Lion Monument. This is a large rock relief that commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred during the French Revolution in 1792.
Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge)
In the middle of Lucerne is the gorgeous Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), the oldest timber bridge in Europe. The bridge and its water tower are a striking landmark in Lucerne. Unfortunately, the 650-year-old bridge caught fire in August 1993 and the only things that could be salvaged were the two bridgeheads and the water tower. The rest of the bridge was subsequently rebuilt quickly (in eight months!) and was reopened in April 1994.
In the ceiling of the bridge is a gorgeous series of paintings which depict the history of both ancient Switzerland and Christianity. The original paintings were done in the early 1600s. They were first restored in 1646. Prior to the fire in 1993, 147 or the original 158 panels were still in existence. Unfortunately, 110 of these were directly affected by the fire, either being completely destroyed or suffering severe damage. Today they are once again beautifully restored!
Embarkation
After the day in Mount Pilatus and Lucerne, we traveled by bus to Basel, Switzerland to meet the ship. At long last I finally got to step foot on my first (but definitely not my last!) Avalon ship, the lovely Avalon Tranquility II. I was greeted by the welcoming staff with a refreshing drink before checking in and visiting my stateroom.
I enjoyed a beautiful Panorama Suite on the Sapphire Deck (the middle deck). This 200 square feet cabin includes a Queen bed (which can be re-configured into two Twins), a full-sized bathroom with shower stall (and wonderful L’Occitane bath products!), an ample closet with shelves, a writing desk and vanity, a mini bar, and a small seating area with a flatscreen television. The best part, though, is the large wall-to-wall panoramic window which creates a marvelous open-air balcony!
Conclusion
My very first cruise on Avalon is off to a fantastic start! I thoroughly enjoyed two days exploring Zurich on my own. The first cruise excursion to Mount Pilatus and Lucerne was also wonderful, fog and all. Zurich, like most large European cities, is a wonderful mix of historical and modern elements. It is very easy to get around by using the abundant public transportation options and by walking through the main parts of the city. While Zurich is known as an expensive city, there are still plenty of things to see, do, and eat on a budget.
Links
Click the buttons below for more information about places I visited in Zurich:
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