Continuing with our 'Making Memories with Moms' series since 2022, we are back with another trip with our moms this year. This time, our destination was Europe - Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. We kicked off our trip in Germany, and drove around the entire country in 10 days covering a total distance of 2856 kms (1775 miles), and continued our journey in Switzerland by trains. This was a hectic trip but we are so thankful for the opportunity to enjoy all the amazing places and sceneries with our moms, making memories that will last for a long time.
18 May 2025: Lucerne
19 May 2025: Grindelwald, Schilthorn, Murren, Gimmelwald
20 May 2025: Lungern, Brienz, Isetwald
21 May 2025: Wilderswil, Isetwald
22 May 2025: Schilthorn, Interlaken
23 May 2025: Zermatt
24 May 2025: Mannlichen, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, GoldenPass Express
25 May 2025: Geneva
18 May 2025 (Sun): Friedrichshafen - Zurich - Lucern - Wilderswil
After spending 10 days driving around Germany, we took Flixbus from Friedrichshafen (Germany) to Zurich (Switzerland), crossing the Germany/Switzerland border.
The 2.5 hours bus ride was quick and easy. We arrived Zurich bus station at 1.15pm and walked 3 min to Zurich Hauptbahnhof train station.
We didn't book the train tickets from Zurich to Lucerne in advance (even though it'd be cheaper) because we weren't sure how long it'd take for us to get to the station and we didn't want to rush. It was super easy to find the platform and we made it in time to catch the 1.35pm train to Lucern. I had already downloaded and registered all 4 of us on the SBB App so I was able purchase the tickets quickly when we got to the platform. This 50 min train ride costs CHF 13.50 ($16.22) per person.
Excited to kick off our train travel around Switzerland! The trains in Switzerland are very punctual, clean, and efficient. We actually considered renting a car and drive around Switzerland since there were 4 of us but after a cost analysis to compare various options, we decided to go with the train as the costs are comparable, and hubby wanted to be able to enjoy the scenery and take a break from being the designated driver of this entire trip...lol!
We arrived Lucerne at 2.25pm. First thing on the agenda was to find the luggage lockers to store our bags. There weren't any XXL lockers available so we had to get 2 XL lockers for CHF 12 each. The luggage locker system was easy to use and we were able to use credit card to make the payment.
Started our sightseeing of Lucerne at 2.45pm. The weather was beautiful and temperature was nice!
Our first stop was non other than the famous Chapel Bridge.
Walked across Chapel Bridge which was filled with tourists (including ourselves) as expected.
Don't ask me how many photos we took of this bridge from multiple different angles...lol!
Many shops are closed on Sunday but most of the cafes and restaurants were open. Lots of locals were also out enjoying this beautiful Sunday.
MiL stopped by this souvenir shop to pick up some souvenirs.
Made a loop around Spreuer Bridge, which is another wooden bridge in Lucerne that is not a popular as Chapel Bridge but looks similar.
View of Jesuit Church and Needle Dam (Nadelwehr) from Spreuer Bridge. Needle Dam is a unique wooden dam that helps regulate the flow of the Reuss River.
More photos of Jesuit Church and Chapel Bridge from Reussbrücke
More photos of Chapel Bridge and Jesuit Church before we wrap up our sightseeing at 4.15pm.
Withdrew CHF50 from the ATM using our Charles Schwab card (no fees). We always prefer to use credit card, but we needed cash to pay the city taxes for our accommodation.
Made a quick stop at Coop in Lucerne train station to grab dinner. Most shops (including supermarkets) are closed on Sunday but thankfully this Coop was opened, but it was a madhouse in there with so many people. We quickly grabbed a few things because we still had to pick up our luggages and we didn't want to miss the train, which only runs once per hour. Fortunately, the checkout process was quite fast.
Made it for the 5.06pm Lucerne-Interlaken Express train. We weren't quite sure which side of the train was the 'right side' (with better views) so we sat on both sides.
The Lucerne-Interlaken Express is a scenic train route, known for its panoramic views of lakes, mountains, and waterfalls. I was busy taking video and photos on our entire 2-hour journey.
Arrived Interlaken OST station at 6.54pm and had to transit to another train before finally making it to our final destination - Wilderswil at 7.10pm.
It was a long travel day via car, bus, ferry, and trains from Friedrichshafen - Zurich - Lucerne - Interlaken - Wilderswil.
Wilderswil was our 'base' for 6-nights in the Jungfrau region. I'll share more about this small town in the next post.
