Switzerland Guide
Luzern
The oddly shaped Vierwaldstättersee ("Lake of the Four Forest Cantons") lies at the geographical and spiritual heart of Switzerland. It's the country's most beautiful and dramatic body of water by far, thickly wooded slopes rising sheer from misty wavelets, bays and peninsulas giving constantly changing views from vantage points on the decks of the steamers which ply to and fro. At the lake's western tip, Luzern (often anglicized to Lucerne) is an attractive town steeped in history that is a natural gateway to the diverse Zentralschweiz region all around.
Zentralschweiz – or, as it is often dubbed, Innerschweiz – is a land of tradition. Here, in the tidy villages of Switzerland's core, is where the founding myths of the country are nurtured. In the Middle Ages, the communities of the four "forest cantons" dotted around the lake – Uri, Schwyz, Nidwalden and Obwalden (the last two often conflated into one as "Unterwalden") – guarded the approaches to the Gotthard Pass, key to the newly opened road between northern and southern Europe. When Habsburg overlords tried to encroach on their privileges, the communities formed an alliance which was to prove the beginning of the Swiss Confederation. Luzern, as the principal market town for the region, was drawn into the bond shortly after, and tales soon began to circulate of a legendary figure from the Uri countryside named William Tell, who had pitted his wits against the local Habsburg tyrant and won. Today, the clifftop paths and shoreline trails of this region are trod less by foreigners than by a tide of Swiss tourists who make the journey from their suburban homes to walk in the footsteps of William Tell and the semi-mystical founders of the nation.
Transport around the region is excellent and plenty of easy short- and long-distance hiking trails can get you well off the beaten path. Central Switzerland's long-standing tradition of tourism means that every hamlet has its choice of hotels and restaurants. The array of sights, excursions, museums and activities makes this one of the densest, and most rewarding, areas of the country to explore.