Things to do in Brunnen and Lake Uri

Brunnen sits where Lake Lucerne narrows into Lake Uri, the stretch locals call the Swiss fjord because the mountains drop almost straight into the water.

Trains from Lucerne take around 40 minutes and cost roughly CHF 17 second class one way; the boat is slower but shows the shoreline properly, gliding past the Rütli meadow where the Swiss Confederation is said to have been founded in 1291 and the Tellskapelle, a chapel marking the spot where William Tell supposedly leapt from Gessler's boat.

The Axenstrasse, cut into the cliff above Flüelen, was a 19th-century engineering feat and is still a scenic if occasionally traffic-heavy drive. At the lake's southern tip, Flüelen and Altdorf mark the end of the water and the start of the Gotthard route north-south through the Alps. The Föhn, a warm downslope wind, can turn the lake choppy within an hour and regularly disrupts boat schedules, so check sailings before committing to a return crossing.