Paddle Boating on Lake Lucerne
Lucerne, Switzerland. I wasn’t here for very long, and yet it has such a special place in my heart. It was absolutely stunning, and where some of my favorite travel memories took place.
One of those memories was when my best friend and I rented paddle boats and went out on the beautiful Lake Lucerne. We had an afternoon to kill, because the rest of our friends had gone to Mount Pilatus.
Don’t get me wrong, I WISH I could’ve gone up to Mount Pilatus. I’ve read about it, and have heard first-hand accounts from my friends about the AMAZING views from up there. Do I regret not going because I was running low on funds? Kind of. But what started out as a way to pass the time ended up being a highlight of my trip.
It was an absolutely beautiful day! Minimal wind, clear, blue skies, sunny. Perfect. We were walking along the edge of Lake Lucerne, and decided on a whim to rent a paddle boat! Why not?! We had nothing planned, it was a beautiful day, it wasn’t super pricey, and it would be a way to give our feet some much-needed rest.
I’m pretty sure the man working the booth thought we were a couple, since basically everyone else who were renting boats were couples. And, we had each had ice cream cones in our hands, so it basically looked like we were on a date. Whoops, oh well. Yes please, sir, we would like the 2-person paddle boat, thankyouverymuch.
They have several different time spans that vary in price, but we chose to do 1 hour. And if I’m being completely honest, I really can’t remember for the life of me how much this little activity cost us. Of course, everything is expensive in Switzerland, but I really don’t think it was more than 12-15 CHF per person.
No matter how much it was, it was totally worth it in the end. It didn’t take us too long to paddle out a good ways into the middle of the lake. Once there, we stopped paddling and just let the boat sway while we took in the amazing views of the city and nearby mountains. The hour actually seemed like a long time, and we loved every second of it.
We did accidentally get in the way of an oncoming boat that blew its deep, loud horn at us, and us frantically paddling out of its way must have been such an amazing sight for fellow paddle-boaters. Oh well, no public outing with any of my friends is ever complete without a little public humiliation.
All in all, it was a great little activity. And afterwards, since we were completely famished from all that rigorous paddling and all, we stopped and had some DELICIOUS swiss fondue!
If you’re ever in Lucerne and looking for a fun, cheap activity, consider going paddle boating!
There are several boat cruises offered on Lake Lucerne that last from 1-5 hours and take you through more of the water! However, if you’re looking for something cheap and fun to do, consider just renting a paddle boat and heading out onto the open sea! (Ok, lake.) You won’t be disappointed, trust me. Don’t believe me? Check out some of the views from our boat!
