Lake Lucerne, Switzerland скачать в хорошем качестве

Lake Lucerne, Switzerland

Lake Lucerne, the fourth largest lake in Switzerland, and which many consider the most photogenic, is situated in the central region of this beautiful country, with a back-drop of the Swiss Alps and fantastic views from the town of the same name as the lake, and from the boat trips which call at some stunningly-fine and historic towns. In Summer five historic paddle-steamers and fifteen more modern small ships of the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company operate on Lake Lucerne. The stopping service which circumnavigates the lake calls at: Seeburg, the Lido, Alpnachstadt (serves the Pilatus track railway for Mt Pilatus), Küssnacht, Weggis, Vitznau (change here for the Rigi Track Railway), Gersau, Brunnen, Treib-Seelisberg, Rütli, Bauen, Tellskapelle, and Flüelen, before returning to Lucerne. Lucerne and Flüelen also connect to mainline trains. Some boat trips can be combined with other activities: the summits of Mounts Pilatus (1465m/4,872 feet) and Rigi (714m/ 2,343 feet) can be visited as a starting point by walkers in Winter and Summer, using a cable car or cog railway, either on an organised trip or self-guided, depending on your level of fitness and mountain knowledge. Other possibilities are special culinary events on some sailings, and musical evenings on others. Whether you take a boat trip or not, Lucerne has some interesting and memorable sights. Chief among these is the Chapel Bridge, a beautiful medieval wooden structure across the River Reuss for pedestrians. The bridge is roofed and decorated with beautiful paintings overhead: in the tourist season it is best to avoid the crowds by going early if you want to take a good look at the art. A Lucerne guided walk takes two hours with a knowledgeable, authorised guide, looking at historic and cultural sights which the English-speaking guide can explain to you. Dominating the town is the large, Baroque Jesuit Church, with its onion domes, completed in 1677. The third important sight, and one which will give you a sense of life here in medieval times, is the Musseg Wall: a defensive wall with nine watchtowers still surviving, including a fascinating clock tower. This will still leave you time to explore the narrow streets and squares of Lucerne Old Town. As mentioned earlier, a number of lake cruises can be combined with family-friendly trips to summits, either guided or self-guided. High among these in altitude and popularity is a visit to Mt Pilatus, which involves a boat or paddle-steamer ride, followed by trips on the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, panoramic gondola and aerial cableway, with its “Dragon Ride”. On a clear day you can have not only great views over the lake and Lucerne itself, but also wonderful vistas over the glacier-covered Alps.