8. Lake Lucerne, Switzerland
Lake Lucerne, or “Four Forested Settlements Lake,” is the fourth largest lake in Switzerland. It seems to lie in four different valleys, spread every-which-way, with four distinct connected arms. Steep mountains rise up all around, particularly at its eastern shore. Steamers and passenger boats connect the towns on the shore. A railway and motorway also circumvent the lake. Many significant sites are associated close-by; the Rütli meadow (where the Swiss Confederation was founded,) a 35-kilometre (22-mile) walkway called the “Swiss Path,” and built in 1991 to celebrate the country’s 700th anniversary, not to mention the springs with curative properties.
