How to spend a culinary weekend in Lake Lucerne

With a medieval old town set against a deep-blue lake and ringed by towering peaks, Lucerne is as striking a city as you’ll find in Switzerland. Historically, this has been known as a place of art and music, but today, I’m visiting the city for a distinctly different — and arguably more delicious — reason.

Lucerne is an ideal base from which to explore one of Switzerland’s fastest growing gastronomic destinations — the Weggis Vitznau Rigi region. This small yet geographically diverse area is swiftly earning its culinary stripes, with six Michelin stars, 134 Gault Millau points and eight Swiss Bakery Trophy medals to its name. To best experience it, base yourself in Lucerne and spend a day or two exploring the region’s more far-flung reaches, easily accessible by plane, train or boat. 

The journey begins at Lucerne’s most celebrated hotel, the Grand Hotel National. This lavish lakefront institution opened in 1870 and was once managed by famed hotelier César Ritz, whose lavish legacy lives on in the hotel’s regal interiors, large indoor pool and star-studded guestbook. Its new restaurant, Sharing Brasserie Juliette, is a hotspot for Lucerne’s younger generation, who come for creative cocktails and a sharing concept menu of elevated European classics — including an exemplary steak tartare — accompanied by twinkling piano keys.

The next morning, it’s a short train east around the lake to the charming hillside resort of Weggis. Here, my first stop is organic orchard and distillery Haldihof. The affable owner, Bruno Muff, looks as though he’s been in this historic farmhouse for decades, shearing friendly alpacas, distilling fine fig liqueurs and greeting ramblers who stumble in off the Waldstätterweg hiking trail. 

In fact, Bruno is a former tech hotshot, having recently sold his company to Google and relocated to this ancient orchard with his wife Rebecca. In winter, it’s dusted with snow, making the warming nips of pear brandy, apple gin and cider we’re served all the more welcome. Bruno’s passion for his produce is clear — with every sip, he details his farming process, from the lack of pesticides and artificial fertilisers to how 20% of the farm is kept completely wild to encourage natural ecosystems.  

It’s not what you’d expect from an ex-tech guru, perhaps, but I soon learn not to make assumptions on appearances here. My next stop, Kräuterhotel Edelweiss — which dates back to 1906 — looks like a standard alpine chalet. But it soon becomes clear that beneath this rustic exterior lies a hotel and acclaimed mountain restaurant with a radical philosophy, linking the quality of its cuisine to the happiness of its chefs. 

Owners Gabriella Egger Vörös and Gregor Vörös greet us cheerfully with a bottle of their naturally fermented elderflower wine. “We took the hotel over from Gabriella’s family several years ago. At first, we ran it as previous generations had done, but we soon realised that didn’t work for us,” Gregor explains. “Now, all our chefs work one day in the garden and we close the hotel entirely from Monday through to Wednesday. This gives us all a better quality of life.” 

This pioneering spirit seems to have paid off. The hotel’s restaurant, Regina Montium, received a Michelin star in 2022 and is fully booked most weekends. I settle in for a smorgasbord of home-cured meats, cheese, fish and vegetables, followed by organic beef stew with polenta and a rich plum crumble. Stomach satisfied, it’s time to take the funicular down to the town of Vitznau, where a tasting tour of the vast wine cellar at the Park Hotel — housing around 35,000 bottles — is an ideal way to unwind between meals.

Finally, it’s on to our accommodation for our second and final night at the dramatic Hotel Vitznauerhof. Here, dinner is served at two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Sens. This lakefront spot offers a true education in the area’s cuisine, with dishes combining the local produce of Lake Lucerne with global flavours and cooking styles. Every course is a surprise, a show, an education: the perfect end to a gastronomic journey.