SENSE OF SWITZERLAND

A treat for all the senses in Lucerne

HEAR

If you’re a music lover then you could be forgiven for thinking that you’d died and gone to heaven. No matter what time of year you visit, it’s more than likely that Lucerne will be hosting some sort of festival. From blues to big bands, rock to classical, there’s something here for everyone.

Chances are you’ll get your culture fix at the KKL, the Lucerne Culture and Convention Centre (kkl-luzern.ch). Acoustically, it’s one of the best concert halls in the world. But don’t take my word for it, that’s what the Lucerne Festival Orchestra think: they’ve made it their home since 2003.

The KKL is also famous for its futuristic architecture, especially its vast, cantilevered roof, which projects a gravity-defying 45 metres out over Lake Lucerne. During concert breaks, nothing beats sipping a Gewürztraminer on the roof terrace, with fantastic views of the city and surrounding peaks.

SEE

I took a break from maxing out my credit card in Lucerne’s designer shopping district to view the Sammlung Rosengart (rosengart.ch), an outstanding collection of 20th-century European art set in an imposing Neoclassical building on Pilatusstrasse.

The 220 works on show are from the private collection of art dealer Angela Rosengart – a friend and model of Picasso. Frau Rosengart had a bad cold on the afternoon I visited, but if you’re lucky, she might take you on a personalised tour of her gallery. There you’ll find work from Picasso’s later years with over 30 paintings as well as countless drawings, watercolours, sculptures and memorabilia.

There’s an entire floor given over to Swiss artist Paul Klee, showing 125 works cleverly arranged in chronological order and tracing his development as an artist from traditional watercolours to the more symbolic work he turned out from the mid-1930s onwards. Other artists in the collection include Matisse, Kandinsky, Monet and Cezanne.

SMELL

It’s worth getting up early on a Tuesday or Saturday just to catch the delicious smells of baking bread, tangy cheeses and fresh flowers that waft along the banks of the Reuss River, as stall holders set out their wares for the fruit, vegetable and flower market. On Saturday, there’s also a fish market with most of the catch coming straight from the lake.

After the market closed at 1pm, I headed for the old town, crossing the river on the Spreuerbrücke, one of the creaking, covered, medieval bridges that have become the symbol of Lucerne. The bridge was built in 1403 as part of the city’s fortifications and features the Dance of Death, a macabre, 17th-century sequence of 67 tableaux of plague victims.

Its neighbour, the 14th-century Kapellebrücke, is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe, though much of it was destroyed in a fire in 1993. The restored paintings in the bridge’s gables depict key events

in Lucerne’s history: look out for local lad William Tell aiming an arrow at the apple on his son’s head.

The bridges lead into the heart of the old town, a cobbled and car-free zone of fountained squares. Like much of Switzerland, Lucerne survived World War II largely intact and many of its medieval buildings still stand, brightly painted with frescoes according to which merchants’ guild they belonged.

TASTE

I spent a lazy lunchtime on the terrace of the Taube Wirtshaus on Bürgerstrasse (taube-luzern.ch), watching chic Swiss stroll by and enjoying a typical Lucerne dish of Fritschipastete, a sort of pork and veal puff-pastry pie. As well as this rustic staple, the Taube also serves up Switzerland’s national dish, Rösti, a fry-up of potatoes, bacon, apples and herbs.

At the pricier end of the market, I couldn’t go wrong with the Mediterranean fare of the Michelinstarred Restaurant Jasper at the Palace Lucerne (palace-luzern.ch), a magnificent Belle Époque hotel by the shore of Lake Lucerne. After dinner I strolled out onto the terrace for a magical view of the lights of Lucerne shimmering on the lake – there’s a good reason why it’s called the City of Lights.

TOUCH

After my gastronomic excesses of the night before, an early morning dip in the clear waters of Lake Lucerne seemed just the thing. There’s really nothing to compare with a swim in its surprisingly temperate shallows and feeling the cool, Alpine breeze on your face. Keep an eye out for the swans around the shore, though, as they can be vicious when guarding their territory.

If you only do one thing in Lucerne, then visit the lake, Switzerland’s fourth largest and arguably most beautiful. Make a day of it and book a ride on the Goldene Rundfahrt – the Golden Round Trip. Travel by paddle steamer across the lake to Alpnachstad before taking the world’s steepest cogwheel railway to the summit of Mount Pilatus – 2132 metres above sea level – for awe-inspiring views over 70 Alpine peaks. A spectacular ride by cable car and gondola then takes you back to earth and to Lucerne.

SIXTH SENSE

You need a bit of a sixth sense to find the gay scene in Lucerne. Locals opt for private parties over commercial bars. After all, this is liberal Switzerland, where homosexuality was made legal in 1942, and gays are happily integrated into society.

However, there is Homosexual Working Groups Lucerne (halu-luzern.ch), an LGBT support and advice group. It runs the gay centre Uferlos, and plays host to a series of regular parties and events, including the FriGay disco every third Friday in the month, and the Whynot party every first Saturday, as well as Mona Lila, a women-only gathering.