Lucerna

Summer (June to September) is best for boat trips and mountain views. It is also the busiest time. Spring and autumn are quieter and good for walking. Winter is cold and often grey in the city, but the old town has Christmas markets and snow is likely in the mountains. Some mountain lifts and lake boats run less often in winter.

• Chapel Bridge is the wooden covered bridge that is the symbol of Lucerne. Walk across it and look at the painted panels under the roof.
• Spreuerbrücke is a second covered bridge, with painted panels on the Dance of Death.
• Old Town Lucerne has painted house fronts, squares and fountains. It is a good area for a slow walk.
• Museggmauer is the medieval city wall with nine towers. You can climb several of them for views over the roofs.
• Löwendenkmal is a large rock carving of a dying lion. It remembers Swiss guards who died in 1792.
• Swiss Museum of Transport is the biggest transport museum in Switzerland. It suits families.
• Jesuitenkirche is a Baroque church beside the river.
• Glacier garden shows ice age potholes and a small mirror maze.

• Take a lake cruise on a historic paddle steamer, see Raddampfer auf dem Vierwaldstättersee.
• Walk the Museggmauer wall at sunset.
• Visit Bourbaki Panorama, a huge round painting from 1881.
• Hear a concert at KKL Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern, the concert hall by the lake.
• See modern art at Rosengart Collection, with works by Picasso and Klee.
• Rent a small boat or a stand-up paddle board on the lake in summer.

• Mount Pilatus is the mountain above the city. Take the cogwheel train from Alpnachstad and return by cable car.
• Mount Rigi is known as the Queen of the Mountains. Boat to Vitznau, then take the cogwheel train to the top.
• Engelberg is a mountain village with a monastery and lifts to Mount Titlis. The train from Lucerne takes about 45 minutes.
• Zurich is about 45 minutes away by direct train.

• Lake Lucerne has steamboats to lakeside villages such as Weggis. A boat ride is a good half-day or full-day plan.

• By air: most visitors fly into Zurich Airport. Trains run from the airport to Lucerne in about 1 hour 15 minutes, usually with one change.
• By train: Lucerne has direct trains from Zurich, Bern and Basel. The station is next to the lake and the old town. Book or check times on SBB.
• By bus: long-distance buses stop near the station.

• Most sights in the old town are within a 15-minute walk of the station.
• City buses and trolleybuses cover the rest of the city. You can pay with a bank card or phone on many ticket machines, and with the SBB app.
• Lake boats and mountain trains are separate services. Check their times before you go.
• Hotels in the canton usually give a visitor card with free or cheaper local transport. Ask when you check in.

• A car is not needed for the city. Parking in the centre is limited and costly.
• Park at a garage near the station or at the edge of the centre and walk.
• A car can help for villages around the lake, but trains and boats are easier for most trips.

Try Luzerner Chögalipastete, a puff pastry filled with veal and mushrooms in cream sauce. Cheese fondue and rösti are common across the region. Lake fish such as perch and whitefish appear on many menus.

The old town has many restaurants along the river. Prices are high, so lunch menus are a good way to save money. Fasnacht, the carnival before Lent, is the main local festival.

• Lucerne is very safe. Pickpocketing can happen on the bridges and in crowds near the station.
• Mountain weather changes fast. Check the forecast and the last lift time before you go up.
• Tap water is safe to drink. Fountains in the old town are drinkable unless marked.

Lucerne started around a monastery in the 8th century. It joined the Swiss Confederation in 1332. The wooden Chapel Bridge was built around 1333 as part of the city defences.

In the 19th century writers and painters made the lake and mountains famous. Tourism has been the main industry since then.

Quick practical facts for Switzerland at a glance: