I’m typing this post underneath the fluffy down duvet on my bed as French television plays in the background and a half-eaten Toblerone sits on the nightstand beside me. I’m drowsy from a day of walking, but pretty sure I’m not just dreaming. I’m in Swiss Bliss.

Today was one of those travel days where everything goes right. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does- oh man, doesn’t that feel good? We spent the day exploring the markets and old town of Lucerne and venturing up into the gorgeous Alps for a sunny lunch and leisurely wander around Mount Rigi. It was dreamy!

To make the day even more LUSH, my dear friend Annie and her fiancé were in town and joined us. Now if you think that the only benefit of their presence was the pleasure of their company, you’re wrong. While it was so much fun, the other benefit is that Annie is a travel writer for National Geographic who knows the area very well and her fiancé, Alex, is Lucerne-born native who runs the Swiss Tourism Board for the US. I mean, could you have two more qualified people show you around Switzerland? I’ll go ahead and tell you, no- you can’t!

While I can’t replicate their charm, I can share with you what we did while the memory is still fresh in my mind. I got to mooch off their kindness and friendship and now you can mooch off what I learned from them to plan a killer day during your trip to Switzerland!

The Perfect Lucerne Day Trip to Lake Lucerne & Mount Rigi

We actually started with a little jaunt around the Lucerne’s market (open Tuesday & Saturdays), as we wouldn’t get another chance to enjoy it on our trip. The little market stands were dotted along the river and we ventured from each one buying ripe strawberries, juicy cherries and giggling at the semi-innappropiately huge white asparagus that was dangling all around us.

We bought almond croissants from the patisserie (an international weakness of mine) and strolled around until Alex pulled us off the main drag and into the historic streets of the old town that run behind the market. We nibbled and asked questions as we saw the painted facades the buildings and made our way towards the other other wooden bridge- which is both smaller in size and fame to Lucerne’s iconic Chapel Bridge. After crossing over and wrapping around the other side of the market, we landed right by the dock for the boats to take us to Mount Rigi. Everything timed up perfectly (as it does when you are with someone who knows what they are doing!), we hopped on board, and off we went!

PRACTICAL INFO | Buy your tickets on board and ask for the combo return ticket. The combo ticket will get you the boat ride to Rigi’s docks as well as a train ride up the mountain. These cost 104 CHF each. Find the boat timetables here.

The boat was *so* nice. Like, a literally massive yacht but for passengers. We sat outside and basked in the sun as the boat dotted its way around Lake Lucerne dropping off and picking up passengers at various towns. In pretty weather, it honestly felt like a “pinch me” travel moment.

When we arrived to Rigi, we walked to the train up the mountain and loaded up. The train ride took us up gorgeous Rigi to the backdrop of alpine houses and friendly cows. As you ascend, you’ll see local school boys hop off to go home from lunch on school days and locals chatting to the train drivers as old friends.

When the train arrived at Rigi Staffelhöhe, we hopped off- which was perfect as the clouds were sitting just above the houses for us that day. We walked over to Krauter Hotel Edelweiss for lunch… meanwhile letting our jaws drop in disbelief that we would be dining with this view, at the most casual Michelin-starred restaurant ever with food that came from everywhere we could see.

PRACTICAL INFO | Book a table at Krauter Haus Edelweiss here to avoid disappointment. The views and the food are outstanding, truly. Allow for 45 minutes after you order until your food arrives- as they freshly make everything from scratch upon ordering.

The menu offers a few classic items- the Rigi Burger, the Rigi Roll (beef rolled with pastrami over polenta and veggies), Raclette (obey melty cheese scraped over potatoes and served with crunchy pickles!). and seasonal gems like Asparagus soup and risotto…. Or casual standards like savoury crepes.

After lunch, head for the walking trail that wraps up around the back of the restaurant. It will lead you to a gorgeous path that wanders you down towards a viewpoint called Känzeli. It takes about 30 minutes, but the views are panoramic over the lake and Alps and 100% worth your time.

From the viewpoint, you can walk down to the quaint little village of Rigi-Kaltbald. From there, you can take the elevator down to the gondola and opt for a different route down.

PRACTICAL INFO | The gondolas run approximately every half an hour (if it's a very busy day, they might run every 15 to 20 minutes). We were able to use our return ticket purchased for the train on this, too. Make sure you ask the boat ticket office if this is included in the same ticket you are purchasing just to be sure you get the right kind.

We took the gondola down, had our stomachs jump up into our throats a few times and then arrived down the mountain just in time to wander to the boat. We waited for about 20 minutes in the village of Weggis before ours arrived and shopped in the small souvenir shops stuffed with t-shirts and ice cream bars to kill time.

Then we hopped on board our boat- this time it was an old steam boat! Though, this boat was a bit more crowded, so we squatted on the deck and just pretended to be somewhere exotic under the hot sun.

We arrived back to Lucerne about an hour later, just before 5pm, and headed back to our hotel to unwind after a big, dreamy day out…. Complete with a stop by the amazing Max Chocolates next to our hotel first.