Best Hotel Lucerne Switzerland

I am so excited to write this blog post after my amazing two days in the best hotel in Lucerne Switzerland! I treated my daughter who is turning 30 years old this year to a 5-star hotel and spa experience. We spent one night at the Burgenstock Resort and Spa near Lucerne. I want to share all the details in case you are looking for an exceptional experience in this part of Switzerland.

We booked this hotel a couple months in advance for the end of March. We thought it would be Spring-like weather but we were wrong. It was very wintery with snow in the mountains, but we loved the look and feel.

We took a 2-hour train ride from where we live to reach Lucerne. As you come out of the train station, you will see all the boats on Lake Lucerne. Ours was waiting there to board to take us on a short 25-minute ride across the lake.

If you are on the boat as a hotel guest, there is a reserved area for seating similar to a first class section. We loved this scenic ride across the lake and seeing the big contrast of green hillsides and snowy mountain tops. Below you can see the pictures I took from the boat of the resort perched on the cliff.

As we exited the boat, we went straight onto the bright red funicular that rises 500 meters for 6 minutes to the resort entrance. Everything was so well organized and easy. As we were staying at the resort, the boat and funicular were free, and we only had to show our hotel reservation confirmation as a ticket.

The views from the funicular ride were beautiful. It was definitely a steep ride which may scare some people. Part of the James Bond movie, Goldfinger, was filmed in Lucerne in 1964, and some of the actors and crew stayed at the resort for more than a month, including Sofia Loren, who loved it so much, she bought a small villa on the property, where she lived until the late 1960’s.

Upon entering reception from the funicular, we were welcomed by the staff with a glass of prosecco. That was a first for me and I appreciated this welcoming gesture. Of course, it may be expected at a 5-star hotel like the Burgenstock.

We were escorted to our room and pleasantly surprised to see a bottle of champagne and chocolates waiting for us. I had filled an online form before arriving indicating that we were there to celebrate my daughter’s 30th birthday. They used this information to present her a nice birthday card.

The room was spacious and had a door to the large balcony overlooking the lake and surrounding hills. There was a stocked mini-bar with most of the items included with the room. They provided comfy bathrobes and soft slippers to use for going to the spa. It was all very eloquent and we were both impressed.

Although not a very sunny day, we were happy that the weather was clear enough to see the amazing view. It had snowed the night before, so our balcony was covered with snow.

We opened the small bottle of champagne and enjoyed our arrival to this special place.

Our room overlooked the outdoor bar area used in warmer weather. The building was

View from our balcony onto reception building

Our itinerary on this day was to first walk around the hotel to check it out and know where everything was. The property is actually a collection of three hotels, the first built in 1873. After many additions, changes, and a nine-year, $500 million renovation project, the resort reopened in 2017.

We took a peek to the spa to get our bracelets and have a tour. The restaurant we had reserved for dinner was located above reception and was unique in that the building jetted out like a box attached to the bigger building.

After our quick browsing of the layout, we went to get ready for the spa. By this time it was 4pm.

I had never seen such an expansive spa. There were numerous saunas, hammams, cold plunge pools, and relax areas. They had infrared beds and booths and a salt water floating pool. The spa had a section for only women and one for mixed male/female. Most of the sauna/hammam areas specified no bathing suits allowed.

One of the relax areas overlooking an outdoor cold pool

They have a strict no-photo policy in the spa areas except for designated times, 5-7pm and 9-12am. We waited until 5pm to take photos of the outside infinity pool showing the drop-off view.

Our spa access was included with our room but the treatments were extra. As the prices were very high for massages and such, we did not do any spa treatments. Just using the spa facilities was enough for us. We stayed 3 hrs total and then went back to get ready for the evening.

We had dinner reservations at 9pm so we first went to the large reception bar area and had a cocktail. It was quite crowded considering it was a Sunday night.

Our chosen restaurant was called Spices Kitchen and Terrace, with specialties from Japan, Thailand, China, and India. My daughter and I love asian food, even more when it’s spicy. We ordered the Chef’s Menu which came with many different dishes to share. It was all very delicious.

The Burgenstock resort had several restaurants to choose from, see here. Maybe some of the restaurants are not open year-round, but there is definitely adequate choice.

We had breakfast in the same restaurant on Monday morning. They had a huge buffet and a separate menu you could order from. Everything was included, even the mimosa drinks that you could ask for.

Very unique way to serve the honey on the breakfast buffet

You could easily make this a brunch and last you for the whole day. It was amazing.

Check out time was noon but our funicular to go down to the lake left at 11:25am. We felt a bit sad to leave this paradise, but it was a wonderful 24 hrs. My daughter appreciated this luxury birthday gift. I enjoyed it as much as she did.

Easter decorations outside the main entrance

I highly recommend this hotel as the best hotel in Lucerne Switzerland. You could stay here for a few days and do day trips to the city and surrounding activities (eg. Pilatus Mountain, Rigi Mountain). For more info about what to see in this area, check out my blog post on 3 Amazing Days in Lucerne Switzerland.

The winter scenery was nice for our short visit, but I would prefer to come in the summer months. This would allow us to do some light hiking around the resort and experience their unique elevator.

The Hammetschwand Lift on Bürgenstock is Europe’s highest outdoor elevator, rising 152.8 meters (501 ft) in just under a minute to a height of 1,132 meters. The lift is accessed by the funicular from Lake Lucerne followed by a cliff walk, operating daily from May to October.

Key Details of the Hammetschwand Lift:

Highest Exterior Lift: It is the tallest public outdoor elevator in Europe.
Experience: The ride takes approximately 50-60 seconds, connecting the rocky Felsenweg path to the Hammetschwand lookout, offering panoramic views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps.
Structure: Built in 1905, the elevator consists of a metal lattice tower.
Access: Visitors usually take a boat from Lucerne to Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock, ride the historic funicular to the resort, walk the 30-45 minute Felsenweg cliff path, and then take the lift.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this special place in central Switzerland. I’ve lived here since 1993 but had not heard of this resort until last year. One of my travel itinerary customers opted to stay here. I will include it in future itineraries for those clients who want to splurge on a luxurious hotel.

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!

If you are looking for other ideas on what to see in Switzerland, you will want to see my other posts below!

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