The city of Luzern has some very well-known landmarks. Besides the lake, the chapel bridge and the lion monument, Pilatus also is a landmark that is hard to miss. But the don’t miss out on having a look at Château Gütsch from up close when you are visiting Luzern! This hotel not only is worth staying at, it also has a lovely bar and one of the best views over town you’ll find in Luzern!
Château Gütsch – long history with a familiar look
The history of Château Gütsch dates back to 1859, when Burkhard Pfyffer bought land on the western hill from the city of Luzern. On this hill, called Gütsch, he decided to run an inn that would later be bought over by Ignaz Businger. Businger had greater ambitions and turned the location into a hotel overlooking Luzern.
Unfortunately, misfortune struck in 1888 when a large part of the Château Gütsch hotel was destroyed in a fire. The original design of the hotel was lost during this fire.
Do you think the current Château Gütsch looks familiar? That could very well be, as the hotel was rebuild after the world-famous Neuschwanstein castle! (sometimes dubbed the Disney castle)
Get there by Funicular!
A fun extra of the Chateau Gütsch is that it is connected with the lower parts of Luzern by funicular. This funicular runs continuously between half past 4 in the morning and a quarter past one at night and regular public transport tickets are valid. The trip only likes 45 seconds, but lifts you high above the roofs of the inner city of Luzern. The funicular then drops you off at the foot of the castle and the neighbouring venture point overlooking the entire city of Luzern and the Vierwaldstättersee. A must for every visitor to Luzern! Once you have explored the hill, you can choose to either take the funicular down, or use the descending path the brings you right back into town.
The hotel Château Gütsch
Château Gütsch is a 4 star hotel with 37 rooms, many of them having amazing views over Luzern. The hotel has a restaurant and a bar and also a spa. Rates for a room start at about CHF 230, but prices depend on availability. As with any hotel stay in the city of Luzern, guests of Chateau Gütsch travel for free during their stay with the Luzern Guest Card.
Who doesn’t want to wake up overlooking Luzern and the lake below?
The bar and summer terrace
While we, as inhabitants of Luzern, not really have a reason to stay in hotels in the city, we do visit Gütsch quite often. Not only because the nature surrounding the hotel, but also because of their stylish bar! In the summer, their terrace overlooking the city is a perfect place for a refreshing drink. It is a popular place, but normally it isn’t too hard to find a seat.
That Gütsch is also worth visiting in the winter, is what we discovered on a cold November evening. The sun was setting and we were showing a visiting friend around. “Why not have a look at Gütsch?” Their ‘American Bar’ turned out to be a incredibly cosy, small bar with lovely drinks and snacks. While we were lucky to find a spot in the bar on both our visits, we recommend to make a reservation. You wouldn’t want to risk ending up being rejected after the journey up to the hotel!
The American bar has an extensive collection of liquors on the menu, as well as delicious cocktails and mocktails. You can enjoy your drink while looking at the towering alps behind the lake in the distance. Truly a magical view!
The Gütsch forest and Obergütsch area
As mentioned before, the hill that the Chateau Gütsch is built on, is also called Gütsch. Besides the hotel, there are some other reasons to visit this part of town. Earlier, I already wrote about the Obergütsch hike in the area, and the Gütschwald forest behind the hotel is also worth exploring!
If you are in Luzern when the snow not quite wants to stick in the city center, the Gütsch hill can also be a good place to visit. With an altitude just 100 meters higher than that of Luzern, this often is enough to cover the area in snow, even on days where Luzern stays dull and wet.
A visit to Château Gütsch
Whether it is a drink you are after, a hotel stay or simply a wander around, I truly recommend making your way to Château Gütsch when in Luzern. As you can read above, the area has many things to offer to make your trip to Luzern even more special.
You can check out hotel nightly through Booking.com. On the website of Château Gütsch, you can also check out the restaurant menu and make reservations.
Copyright of the first picture – Château Gütsch
