Kirsch is a double-distilled brandy with a subtle cherry flavour mixed with a slightly bitter cherry-pit undertone (the cherries are fermented, pits and all). Also referred to as kirschwasser, it is similar to grappa in its bitterness.

THINGS TO DO: IN LUCERNE

Fermentation begins after the summer fruit is harvested, spanning six to eight weeks, with distillation taking over October through December. There are about five kilograms of cherries in every bottle of kirsch. Interestingly, female cherries are meant for eating, with strictly male cherries used to make brandy.

Nineteen generations later, Lucas is the spokesperson for the brand and his ancestor Gottfried I (that’s the First) is featured on all the labels. They have a range of fruit spirits that run the taste-bud gamut. Considering the record for spitting a cherry pit in Switzerland is 26 metres, these people should know what they’re doing.

Look for Fassbind spirits in stores across Europe.

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Save and splurge. I remember arriving in Zurich first thing in the morning via a train from the airport, when rush hour was in full swing. I got a coffee and paid in cash, making a mental note to check the exchange rate so I could “feel” what I’m spending. Well, that little cup of black coffee was $6. So, the advice is: save where you can. My hotel advice is Hotel Platzhirsch which translates to The Leading Stag, a Swiss equivalent to top dog. It has a great central location so you also save money on cabs.

Shop. This is the splurge part! With luxury mecca The Bahnhofstrasse being the third most expensive shopping street in the world (everything from H&M to Hermès), your credit card will likely see plenty of action. And don’t forget to load up on chocolate for your suitcase or your belly, whichever comes first.

Geek out on design. If you can tear yourself away from the shops for one second, get lost in the variety of visual candy at Museum für Gestaltung, which focuses on design, visual communication, graphic design and architecture.

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Get your gay on. For a start, Zurich Mayor Corine Maunch is homosexual, so away we go. The city is known as the first real hotbed of gay activism, beginning with Der Kreis (The Circle), the first real gay and lesbian network in the world that began meeting in the 1930s. Not surprising, then, that the first gay bar in Europe is here—Bar Barfüsser, now known almost as well for the sustainable sushi restaurant within it. Snappy cocktails can be found at Cranberry: loud, lively and a little saucy. Zurich Pride is in June.

Melt. Just a bit west of centre is hot mineral springs Thermalbad & Spa Zurich, constructed around 100-year-old stone in the vaults of an old brewery. Afterward, relax in the open-air rooftop pool with the city laid out at your wrinkling feet.

TASTE TO TRY: KIRSCH BRANDY

Go west. Zurich West is a business and entertainment zone created from the shells of old industrial buildings, a transformed and trendy end of town flooded with 30somethings on the weekend. Renoed old warehouses, such as the Schiffbau, have new lives as theatres, nightclubs, restaurants, shops and markets, including the stores of supercool Im Viaduct built underneath the tracks and the stylish Lasalle Restaurant and Bar. This is also where to find the fun flagship of Freitag, purveyors of recycled-tarp messenger bags and wallets.

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Bunk here. If you choose to hang your hat out here, go with the elegant Renaissance Zürich Tower Hotel, rich with dark wood floors and sumptuous colours. It is walking distance from Hardbrücke Station, which has express trains to the airport.

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This charming little town where the Reuss River flows out of Lake Lucerne was once ruled by monks, and founded in the 12th century. Tourists started showing up around 1850 when new rail lines connected the city with other parts of Europe. Now, five million tourists visit per year—summer and winter—to walk down the cobblestone pedestrian streets and across wooden foot bridges, drinking in medieval town squares and ancient churches.

See street art. Wander Lucerne’s Old Town checking out the 15^th-century art that decorates many of the building façades. Better yet, find a tour guide to walk you through all of the frescoes, so you get the full backstory.

Ogle Picassos. Absorb some serious art at The Rosengart is in the city centre. Art dealer Angela Rosengart (and her father Siegfried) nurtured the talents of many of the artists they dealt with over the years, which has resulted in an impressive collection of painting—Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Klee, Miró and others. A friend of the family who painted Angela several times, Picasso takes up the lion’s share of wall space.

TRY NEARBY: MOUNT RIGI

Sing along. Music lovers should make a point of checking out the calendar for the Culture and Convention Centre Lucerne, the elegant concert hall at the water’s edge known for its sublime acoustics.

Have the mac and cheese. Rathaus Brauerei is just the best name. With traditional everything, this place is heavy on the meat and generous with the beer—have the stout. By the way, the mac and cheese comes with apple sauce.

TASTE TO TRY: KIRSCH BRANDY

Check the view. How can you pass up the only hotel in the world where you take a funicular from the street to the lobby? Check into one of the penthouse spa suites at Art Deco Hotel Montana Lucerne and put your feet up. Built in 1910, the hotel features not only one of the best views of the lake, but six penthouse spa suites on the rooftop, built from what used to be staff quarters. The very busy and sexy Restaurant Scala, and more importantly it’s terrace, has undoubtedly one of the best views in town.

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Lay your head. Lucerne has many decades of getting hospitality down right, particularly with the hotels. The Chateau Gütsch was a favourite of Queen Victoria. The luxurious Grand Hotel National Luzern has a celebrated culinary pedigree—French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier once worked in the kitchen. Old Town is filled with lots of small inns, including cute Hotel des Balances, which dates from the 1200s (not a typo). For a full-on mod alternative, Hotel Astoria is right near the train station, an affordable home-base designed by the architects who produced the famous Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing.

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Take a break. Mere steps from the ferry dock is the Post Hotel Weggis, a great spot to get over the Lucerne weekend. Making full use of punchy colours and high-octane art, the “PoHo” is a touch of glam in this little seaside burb. Rooms are rich with textures, patterns and decadence. Take time to chill at the cozy spa after a dip in the illuminated pool. Make a point to duck into Weggiser Stübli, a smaller adjunct restaurant that is a rustic step back in time, with portraits of the town’s forefathers lining oak-panelled walls.

Get high. To say the gondola ride from Weggis up Mount Rigi is a complete thrill would be a gross understatement. This 1,800-metre mountain in the pre-Alps is enjoying a resurgence of its former status as a health-oriented spa playground. The 90-square-kilometre car-free recreational region has been known for its healing waters since the 16th century, when people would make the pilgrimage to the village of Rigi Kaltbad (literally “cold bath”) to take the waters and be inspired by a spectacular view.

THINGS TO DO: IN LUCERNE

Channel Twain. Queen Victoria, Goethe, Mark Twain and artist J.M.W. Turner were all fans of Rigi, the latter painting it several times, many of which hang in London’s Tate Gallery. Twain ambled up the mountain (and really took his time, according to local legend) as part of a tour for his book A Tramp Abroad, published in 1880. In the 1940s and ’50s, the mountain was the spot to spend the weekend—or longer—skiing, sledding, hiking and relaxing in the quaint chalets and small hotels.

Bathe regularly. Leading the revival of the wellness tradition of the area is Rigi Kaltbad Mineral Baths & Spa. Designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, it is built into the mountain underneath a village square, and features indoor and outdoor pools, mineral water couches, neck showers, herbal steam baths and more. The spa has a tempting index of treatments and everything is connected via tunnel to the 50-room Hotel Rigi Kaltbad.

TASTE TO TRY: KIRSCH BRANDY

Keep going. Don’t stop now! Head to the very top of the mountain via cable car to Rigi Kulm, the highest peak of the mountain. The cogwheel railway was installed in 1871, the first of its kind. Sledding (if your tailbone can handle it), skiing and hiking are all part of the day’s activity sched. Check into the Rigi Kulm Hotel, even for just one night. People make this pilgrimage particularly for the sunrise, winter and summer, a sight that will be etched into your memory for a long time.

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