Our visit begins in Lucerne, one of the world’s prettiest towns, set on a beautiful waterfront, along the shores of Lake Lucerne and the River Reuss, surrounded by majestic mountains. They truly have it all. Lucerne is deservedly the most popular destination in Switzerland, famous for its well-preserved Old Town, consisting of many blocks of medieval buildings richly decorated with painted murals showing village life in olden days, making this like an outdoor art gallery. Two days will be plenty of time to enjoy Lucerne, using it as your home base for travels by train and boat to nearby sights. Temperatures are very pleasant in May, reaching the 60s and 70s, for Lucerne sits at an elevation of just 1,300 feet. Some of the nearby mountains do reach 10,000 feet, with snow-covered glaciers, but the temperatures in town are very comfortable. Many restaurants and cafes have outdoor seating in fair weather, some of them on the beautiful banks of the Reuss River that flows through town, so it is really nice to sit in the fresh air and enjoy your meal. Day One: walking tour in the Old Town. Day Two: trip to the top of Mt. Titlis; afternoon free for shopping alternative options, boat ride and excursions to Rigi, Pilatus. DAY ONE: Explore the town. We will arrive in the afternoon, and after resting up at the hotel, take an orientation walk. The historic center of Lucerne is an extensive pedestrian zone, filled with interesting shops, restaurants, and ancient buildings. The steep gabled roofs, covered with strong wooden shingles to ward off the winter snow, complete the picturesque scenario. Automobiles are not allowed into this large historic zone, so you can wander the cobbled lanes without fear of getting run over. The shopping is fun, with many items that are pure Swiss in character, like music boxes, chocolates, watches, cuckoo clocks, cowbells, beer steins, hand-carved wooden statues, costumed dolls, cheese, knives, embroidery, linens, music, and you can also find very good deals on clothing. The two main watch shops are Bucherer, a multi-story extravaganza, and Gubelin, facing each other on the lakefront at Schwanenplatz. You can’t get lost in this small place — the Old Town is surrounded on one side by the river and lake, and on the other by a hillside and ancient fortified wall, which you can climb. Feel free to wander. TWO COVERED BRIDGES: In the heart of Lucerne is its major landmark, the 560-foot long Chapel Bridge, or Kapellbrucke, the oldest covered bridge in Europe, first built in 1333. But in 1993, after 660 years, this Lucerne icon was destroyed by fire, only to be rebuilt by the efficient townspeople within a year in the original style — and by now has weathered to a mellow patina that once again looks hundreds of years old. The heroic rise from ashes symbolizes Swiss pride in their past and modern ability to get things done. Even here, it sometimes takes forever to repair old buildings or construct new ones, but the quality upon completion is unsurpassed. Adjacent to the bridge is the 110-foot high Water Tower, also nearly 700 years old, the most photographed image in town. For the best picture, lure some swans into your foreground with the bridge and tower behind. The Mill Bridge is a smaller covered bridge two hundred yards south along the river, built around 1408, notable for its series of paintings, “The Dance of Death,” whose jangling skeletons of the Black Death make you feel lucky to be alive. The clever Swiss have once again harnessed the waterpower that originally gave this bridge its name, and created a modern electricity-generating turbine, underwater and completely invisible. Both bridges also served as part of the medieval fortifications that surrounded the town. The old fortification wall still survives from the Middle Ages, built around the same time as the two bridges, between 1350 and 1408. Called the Musegg Wall, it has nine towers, three of them open free to the public, and a section of wall you can walk along for the most spectacular view looking down on the town. This is worth your effort, and easy to find, with a path just beyond the Mill Bridge that takes you there. LION MONUMENT: The other landmark we shall see on our orientation is the huge Lion Monument, carved deeply into the sandstone cliff to commemorate the 1792 death of 786 Swiss mercenary soldiers that were trying to defend King Louis XVI in Paris. Completed in 1821, it depicts a noble, mortally wounded lion, regal but dying from a spear thrust in the ribs, making a grand tragic statement of historic pride carved in stone. Mark Twain toured Lucerne and called this “the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world.” The Old Swiss House, one of the best restaurants in Lucerne, is located in front of the Lion Monument, so have a look at their menu and consider having a gourmet meal here on one of your nights in town. With its traditional half-timbered wooden beam construction dating back to 1859, this is truly a landmark of Lucerne. They serve the best Wienerschnitzel, sinfully sautéed with a stick of butter right at your table, or superb fresh fish from the lake, and many other items from an extensive menu. Comfortably elegant, the cozy interior is a perfect setting for a memorable meal. The Hoffkirche, or Collegiate Church, is another attraction in this part of town, on a hill overlooking the lake, four blocks south of the restaurant. This Catholic church was built in the gothic and Renaissance styles during the 17th century and has a rich interior with many carvings and wrought-iron works, and a cloistered courtyard next door. SMALL LANES AND PLAZAS: Walk the few blocks back into the center of town along the main pedestrian shopping street, Hertenstein-Strasse, and head for the Kornmarkt, a small square with the Old Town Hall, built in 1602 with two distinctive styles that mirror Swiss cultural heritage: Italian in the lower section, echoing the Florentine Renaissance, and a Bern farmhouse wooden shingle pitched roof. An excellent restaurant for simple Swiss sausage meals is here, Pfistern, with a rustic wooden interior, or tables outside on the lower terrace along the river. The Picasso Museum is also on Kornmarkt, with a display of prints by the modern master and 8 paintings. You will discover several other peaceful small plazas in the middle of the Old Town, where cobblestone pedestrian lanes come together and form a charming open area, ringed by ancient buildings and sidewalk cafes, with a fountain in the middle. Small independent shops, and a few department stores, make this the prime retail section of town. DAY TWO: Train to Mount Titlis; boat ride. Enjoy your rich buffet breakfast that most hotels in Switzerland offer, and relax over coffee. Be sure to try the dark breads if you are a whole-wheat fan, made fresh each morning in the town’s excellent bakeries. Lucerne is in the German-speaking eastern part of Switzerland and they love dark bread. The banks of Lake Lucerne offer a most picturesque walk, through manicured gardens, past picnickers, swans, fishermen, bobbing boats, and tree-lined paths. This stroll is especially dramatic at sunrise, when the water turns to gold. On Tuesday and Saturday mornings you will see the farmers’ market, with cheeses, breads, fruits, produce and pretty flower stalls, which stay open through mid-day. After the refreshing sunrise excursion head back to your hotel for breakfast and prepare for your day’s activities. BOAT RIDES: You could take a longer boat ride and go all the way to the end of the lake at Fluelen, which takes about 3 hours, and then take a one-hour train ride back to Lucerne. No matter which route you decide upon, you will be rewarded with a relaxing experience and wonderful scenery along the shores of the lake. Light refreshments are served on board, and some of the larger ships have a restaurant with typical Swiss cuisine. There are several large, old-fashioned paddle wheelers that offer an elegant atmosphere that hasn’t changed in the last hundred years. If you have a Eurail Pass the boat rides are free, or if you pay, the price varies between $15 and $100 depending on your route and whether you go first class or second. We call it Lake Lucerne, but the Swiss name is Vierwaldstattersee, which means “lake of the four forest cantons,” referring to the four communities that joined together back in at the start of the 14th century and created the beginnings of Switzerland. This takes us back to the time of the legendary William Tell, who defied the ruling Hapsburg authorities and was then forced to shoot an apple from his son’s head, leading to a rebellion that ousted the corrupt government and to Swiss independence. Since that medieval confederation of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Lucerne, 19 more cantons (states) joined the nation, which reached its present size after the start of the 19th century and the defeat of Napoleon. A thousand years of complicated intrigue and changing alliances have resulted in the modern country we find today, neutral and secure in the middle of the Continent. You can do one of the lake excursions and still have time in Lucerne for shopping, or visiting a museum. The Swiss Transportation Museum is the largest such display in the country, but it is best for those who are very interested in seeing many kinds of old trains, cars and planes. It is two miles outside the city and can be reached by public bus, or boat. If you enjoy pedaling, there is a lovely bicycle excursion you could take along the northern shore of the lake, in the direction of Tribschen, passing through a couple of little villages along the way. There is a sandy beach and swimming in the chilly water for the brave souls. The 8-mile round trip take about two hours, and you can rent bicycles at the train station. ACROSS THE RIVER REUSS: There is also a small section of the Old Town on the other side of the river, so walk across one of the pedestrian bridges and have a look around the area near the Jesuit Church. This pretty church, built between 1666 and 1673, was influenced by the Italians, decorated in the baroque style by Toriano and Toricelli, two artists from the Italian-speaking southern part of Switzerland. Next door is the Ritter Palace, originally used as a Jesuit residence, but later converted into Lucerne government offices. It has a surprising Tuscan courtyard on the interior, so stop in for a free look. Another nice attraction of this side is our favorite chocolate shop, Au Chocolat, on Pfister-Gasse Street. They fill the pralines by hand with sinfully rich creams that will melt your soul with delight. Also called truffles, the stuffed chocolates of Lucerne rival those of Belgium, and will stay fresh for a few weeks, so they are an excellent present to bring home. The History Museum on the same street has a small display about the region. While you are in this neighborhood across the river, you could take the funicular ride up to the Hotel Chateau Gutsch for another spectacular view over the town, and then go for a walk in their forest, followed by dinner in the hotel’s elegant restaurant, with the gentle sounds of violin music in the air. There are many other dinner options in Lucerne, ranging from a simple sausage meal to a full-on gastronomic extravaganza. I would suggest the latter at one of a half-dozen superb restaurants for at least one, maybe two of your nights here to take advantage of the gourmet opportunities of this town. We leave Lucerne after breakfast and catch the train to Interlaken, enjoying a very scenic two-hour ride through beautiful mountains, and along the shores of Lake Brienz. Less