Zug

Zug is the capital of the canton of the same name, the smallest full canton in Switzerland, about half an hour south of Zurich by train. Its taxes are among the lowest in the country, so it has attracted wealthy residents and international companies, and it has one of the highest average incomes in Switzerland. You notice it a little in the cars and the shops, but the town itself is quiet, small and old-fashioned.

What visitors come for is the old town on the shore of Lake Zug, and the sunset. The lake faces west, and on a clear evening the sun goes down straight over the water; the lakeside promenade fills with people who have come to watch it. It is an easy half-day or day trip from Zurich, and it combines well with Lucerne, twenty minutes further on.

Finding your way

The station is about a kilometre north of the old town. From the main exit, walk south down Alpenstrasse and on through the shopping streets; in about ten minutes you reach the centre and the lake.

What to see

The Zytturm and the old town

The Zytturm, the clock tower on Kolinplatz, is the symbol of Zug. Its steep roof is tiled in blue and white, the colours of the canton. Below the clock are the coats of arms of the first eight cantons of the Confederation; Zug joined it in 1352. Walk under the tower’s arch into the lanes of the old town, Unter Altstadt, Ober Altstadt and Fischmarkt: rows of narrow houses with painted shutters and flower boxes, running down towards the lake.

Two things to look for: the town hall (Rathaus) with its late-Gothic council chamber, and the church of St. Oswald, a fine late-Gothic church a short walk uphill.

Museum Burg Zug

Uphill from the clock tower, opposite St. Oswald, the town’s medieval castle now holds the museum of history of Zug. It has a large model of the old town and good explanations in English. It also tells the story of the town’s fight with its own lake: in 1435 and again in 1887 parts of the lakeside quarter slid into the water, taking houses and lives with them.

The lakeside

The promenade runs along the shore from the old town past the Landsgemeindeplatz, the square where the people of Zug once gathered to vote. There is a small free aviary there, with exotic birds, mostly ibises. Further north are lawns, swimming spots and boat landings. The lake boats run in summer to the villages around the lake.

The Zugerberg

A funicular from Schönegg, reached by local bus from the station, climbs to the Zugerberg at about 1,000 m. At the top are meadows, farms, easy walks and wide views over the lake, the town and, on a clear day, the Alps. In winter there is sometimes enough snow for sledging.

Zug cherry cake

Zug is cherry country, and its speciality is the Zuger Kirschtorte: layers of nut meringue and sponge soaked in kirsch, the local cherry brandy, under a pale pink buttercream and a dusting of icing sugar. You will find it in every confectioner’s in town. It contains quite a lot of alcohol, which is worth knowing if you are buying it for children.

Getting there

By train from Zurich. Trains leave Zurich main station several times an hour. The fast InterRegio and InterCity trains (towards Lucerne or Ticino) take about 25 minutes; the S-Bahn trains stop everywhere and take up to three-quarters of an hour. Zug is in the ZVV fare area with Zurich, so see tickets and passes in Zurich.

From Lucerne it is about twenty minutes by train, so you can easily see both towns in one day.

Around Zug

• The Höllgrotten, caves with stalactites, small lakes and lighting, in a wooded gorge near Baar, a few kilometres from Zug. They are open in the warmer half of the year; the path through them is damp and slippery, so wear good shoes.
• Rigi, the “queen of the mountains”, reached from Arth-Goldau at the other end of the lake.
• Lucerne and Schwyz.
• For other short trips from the city, see around Zurich.