At the northern tip of Lake Sempach, near the little town of Sursee in the canton of Lucerne, a small peninsula pushes into the water, and on and around it lie the remains of prehistoric lakeside settlements, part of the World Heritage site of the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps. Nothing remains visible above ground, but under the water and in the wet soil of the shore, piles and objects have survived for thousands of years, telling the story of farmers and fishermen who lived here long before the Romans. Today, the shore is a quiet area of reeds, meadows and paths, popular with walkers and cyclists.
Lake Sempach is best known in Swiss history for the battle of 1386, when the troops of the Swiss Confederation defeated the army of Duke Leopold III of Austria near the town of Sempach, at the southern end of the lake. According to legend, the battle was won thanks to the sacrifice of Arnold von Winkelried, who threw himself onto the enemy lances to open a breach in their ranks. A chapel and a monument mark the site. The town of Sempach is also home to the Swiss Ornithological Institute, the Vogelwarte, with an interesting visitor centre, and the lake is a good place for watching birds.
Sursee itself is a charming small town with a well-preserved old centre, a handsome late Gothic town hall, and a few old gates and houses. The countryside around is the gentle hill country of the Lucerne plateau, with farms, orchards and woods, and the roads are winding and pleasant, with views of the Alps on clear days. To the south-west, the Napf area offers steeper, twistier roads through narrow valleys and over ridges, and to the south, Lucerne and Lake Lucerne open the way into the mountains, including the Bürgenstock, a cliff-top resort above the lake reached by a narrow road from Stansstad with views over Kehrsiten and the water. Swiss speed limits are strictly enforced, and cameras are common.
Sursee has fuel, shops, restaurants and a railway station. In the old town, cafés and inns offer local dishes, such as the Luzerner Chügelipastete, a puff pastry filled with veal and mushrooms in cream sauce, a speciality of the region. On a hot day, a swim in Lake Sempach is a pleasant way to end the ride.