🇨🇭 Lucerne
Château Gütsch
Built in 1888 as a Romantic-era hotel-folly inspired by Neuschwanstein. Queen Victoria stayed here in 1893; the funicular up to it has been running since 1884.
A 19th-century neo-Gothic hotel built as a Romantic folly on the wooded Gütsch hill west of the old town, with conical-roofed turrets and a white facade visible from the lakefront. The little Gütschbahn funicular climbs up from Baselstrasse in about a minute (a fun ride in itself; roughly CHF 3, or free with a Lucerne hotel guest card).
You don't need to be a hotel guest to go up. The terrace is open to anyone for coffee, a glass of wine, or a slice of cake, and it has a wide panoramic view over Lake Lucerne, the old town, and the Alps. The restaurant is a more formal Swiss/French sit-down, only worth it if you want a full meal.
The realistic visit is: ride the funicular up, sit on the terrace for 30–45 minutes with a drink and the view, walk a short loop through the woods if anyone wants to stretch, ride back down. Best late afternoon into golden hour.