Top 12 Things to See & Do in Lucerne, Switzerland

If you're visiting Switzerland, you can't miss this enchanting, medieval city. It's one of the most beautiful cities in the world and a great place to spend a few days, or base for adventure. Here are the top 12 things to see & do in Lucerne, Switzerland!

If you're more of a video person, the below video is THIS BLOG in video format!

Lucerne is located in central Switzerland, making it an ideal stopover for those exploring the country. The fjord-like landscape is shaped by the nearby mountains of Rigi and Pilatus, along with the breathtaking Lake Lucerne.

If you stay overnight in Lucerne, you'll get a free Lucerne Guest Card, which will give you access to public trams and buses as well as discounts on some experiences and museums. This guest card will also grant you access to the city's Wi-Fi.

If you don't have time for an overnight in Lucerne, we still recommend taking a day trip to visit the charming city! It's a short 40-minute, direct train ride from Zurich HB!

If you don't want to worry about train logistics, there are exceptional day tours you can do from Zurich, which we'll link here!

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SWISS TRAVEL PASS

We've used the Swiss Travel Pass for our trips to Switzerland! You'll want this pass if you plan to visit multiple regions of the country on your trip. You can purchase a 3, 4, 6, 8, and 15-day pass, which will allow you to hop on trains between regions without having to book tickets in advance (aside from a few trains, which require pre-booked seats).

With this pass, you'll have access to:

• Public transit

• Boats

• Some premium cableways and funiculars (Stoos, Rigi, Stanserhorn)

• Over 500 museums

• A percentage off the larger mountain excursions and cableways like Pilatus, Jungfrau and Harder Kulm

• Family pass options (If you're traveling with a child between the ages of 6-up to their 16th birthday, you can request a family card so your child rides free when you're with them)

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WHERE TO STAY

First Time/Quick Stay: We recommend staying in Lucerne's Old Town, especially if you only have a few days in the city! You'll want to wake up in the center of the magic and open your blinds to the unbelievable mountain landscape that surrounds the city! It's advantageous to find a place that offers breakfast, allowing you to fuel up for the day!

We recommend Hotel Des Alpes Luzern for an affordable yet luxurious option!

Another great option is to stay further out on Lake Lucerne! We especially love the North side along the Luzerner Seepromenade. This promenade is one of the most serene places to walk in the city and you'll have it directly at your front door!

We recommend Hotel Beau Séjour Lucerne for a quieter option along the north side of the lake!

Returning Visitors/Longer stays: The last time we visited Lucerne, we stayed on the south side of the Reuss, outside of the Old Town. It was much more affordable and allowed us to feel the local vibe of the city. For reference, this is the Airbnb we stayed in!

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Here are the top 12 things to do and see in Switzerland that will make you feel like you got the most out of your trip!!

1) Walk along the Luzerner Seepromenade

Any walk you take along Lake Lucerne will leave you in awe, but the walk along the Luzerner Seepromenade on the north side of the lake is out of this world.

If you cross the Seebrücke and turn right, you'll make your way toward this lakefront, flower-filled pathway, where you'll instantly feel the local vibe, see local musicians, and have a panoramic view of the Alps.

Our favorite walk on this promenade involved being serenaded by a harpist and relaxing on one of the benches along the lake to watch the sunset. If you walk down far enough, you'll find quiet places to swim in the lake!

2) Mt. Pilatus Golden Round Trip

In addition to learning all about Mt. Pilatus in this blog, you can check out our comprehensive video guide to exploring this legendary mountain below!

No matter what anyone says, the Mt. Pilatus Golden Round Trip is one of the BEST excursions in Switzerland! It gives you a taste of every form of transport from cogwheel train to boat! Mt. Pilatus is the iconic mountain that looms over Lucerne, and from the top, you'll get the chance to marvel at the beauty of the landscape!

The Mt. Pilatus Gold Round Trip includes:

• A guided bus tour to the cable car station

• Cable car from Kriens to Pilatus Kulm

• Cogwheel train from Pilatus Kulm to Lake Lucerne

• Lake Lucerne Boat Cruise

• Lunch Voucher

This experience lasts between 5.5 and 6 hours and will leave you in love with the Swiss scenery and lifestyle. If you only have 1-2 days in Lucerne, this is the perfect way to pack multiple things into one day!

If you prefer to manage the logistics on your own, you can book the round-trip aerial cableway journey to Mt. Pilatus from the Kriens station. This option provides access to several stops en route, such as Fräkmüntegg and Pilatus Kulm. It doesn't include rides on the cogwheel train or the boat ride on Lake Lucerne!

At the Fräkmüntegg stop you can experience the Pilatus Rope Park, the Dragon Glider, and the Toboggan run, which is the longest in Switzerland! These experiences aren't included in the round-trip ticket, but are worth the extra fee (especially the Toboggan run)!

Check out our full video riding the toboggan below - it's the longest in Switzerland!

The Swiss Travel Pass will give you a 50% discount on the round-trip aerial cableway journey!

3) Paragliding

There's no experience like paragliding in Switzerland, especially over Lake Lucerne. You are guaranteed some of the best panoramic landscapes of Mt. Pilatus and Mt. Rigi, along with the shimmering turquoise lake below.

One of the best things about paragliding is that once you take off, you'll softly float down to earth, giving you about 10-15 minutes of unique views from above! For some, it might provide an adrenaline rush, and for others, it might seem like the most relaxing thing you've done all trip!

Your tandem flier and professional will go over ALL the safety measures with you so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight of a lifetime!

Learn all about paragliding AND skydiving in Switzerland by watching me do both in Interlaken here!

4) Mt. Rigi

Mt. Rigi is the other mountain massif of the Alps that's accessible from Lucerne. If you've already experienced Mt. Pilatus, or are looking for a cheaper option (we'll explain later), you should add this to your itinerary!

To access Mt. Rigi, you'll take a 40-minute, scenic boat ride to Weggis, then the cable car from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad. From there, you can take the cogwheel train to the top of the mountain for amazing hikes, and on a clear day, you might be able to see Germany and France!

You'll find Rigi much less crowded than Pilatus and have access to far more hiking trails. It's worth walking through Weggis on the way back down and maybe watching sunset from the docks near the boat terminal.

The boat ride, cable car, and cogwheel train are all covered with the Swiss Travel Pass. This alone makes it worth purchasing!

If you don't have the Swiss Travel Pass, here's a link for the full Rigi experience!

5) Chapel Bridge

Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) is what people think of when they think of Lucerne. It's iconic for a reason! Chapel Bridge is a long, covered, wooden bridge that spans the Reuss River diagonally with a large water tower positioned next to it. Constructed in 1365, the bridge was designed to link the river's two banks and served as part of Lucerne's fortifications.

Taking a stroll across the bridge is a must because it houses paintings and artwork dating back to the 17th century. No other wooden bridge in Europe has this feature! Unfortunately, in 1993, the Chapel Bridge almost burned down in a devastating fire. Luckily, the bridge itself was saved, but not all the paintings survived.

6) Explore the Old Town

You can explore Lucerne's Old Town on your own, but we recommend joining a walking tour so you can learn the history and stories about the city that you wouldn't hear otherwise!

We book a walking tour in each city we visit, even if we've been there before! This is the best way to get local recommendations on restaurants, shopping, and museums, as well as tips on where/what to stay away from!

Lucerne's Old Town is quite small, but it's packed with unique fountains, typical Swiss squares, flower boxes of all kinds, and numerous wall paintings that tell stories of Switzerland's past.

7) Stoos + Stoos Ridge

Visiting the car-free village of Stoos was one of our favorite things we've done in Switzerland! While it includes multiple modes of transportation to get there, it's well worth it for the hiking and views of over 10 different lakes (on a clear day)!

Even if you don't make it up to the popular Stoos Ridge Hike, the hiking in and around the mountain village of Stoos is well worth the trip!

For the Stoos Ridge Hike, You'll need to take an extra chairlift from Stoos up to the ridge of the mountain. The Stoos Ridge Hike is closed for most of the year due to weather, so check the website before you go! It's usually open between June and October.

How to get to Stoos from Lucerne:

• Take the train from Lucerne to Schwyz

• Bus from Schwyz to Stoosbahn

• Stoosbahnen funicular up to Stoos - the steepest in the world!

• Klingenstock Chairlift to Stoos Ridge Hike

  
  

The commute to Stoos takes about 1.5 hours one way!

The trains, buses, and stoosbahn funicular are included in the Swiss Travel Pass! The chairlift to the Stoos Ridge Hike is an extra fee.

This itinerary is another great reason to get the Swiss Travel Pass!

8) Boat ride on Lake Lucerne

If there's one thing you have to do in Lucerne, it's a boat ride on the lake! The boats in Switzerland are clean, comfortable, and offer both indoor and outdoor seating. You'll have the option to order food on board - anything from a coffee to a full meal!

A boat ride on Lake Lucerne is the perfect thing to add to your itinerary after a long day of hiking or walking through the city. You can sit back and relax while still enjoying the views of the Alps!

The ferry boat rides on Lake Lucerne are covered with the Swiss Travel Pass!

9) Musegg Wall

The Musegg Wall was once part of Lucerne's fortification and is now a wonderful viewpoint! It was built in the 13th century and has 9 towers (some of which are open to the public) that are visible from the center of Lucerne.

We recommend taking the short hike up to the Männli Tower first! It's the second tower along the wall and the first one that's open to the public. To get to the top, you'll climb a few narrow stairs and emerge onto a platform that will give you a perspective of Lucerne you haven't seen before!

Next, hike east along the wall, past the Luegisland Tower, which is the largest of the nine, till you arrive at the Schirmer Tower, which is the other tower open to the public. Along the way, you'll see beautiful flora and fauna and maybe some cows!

Access to this hike and the towers is free for all!

10) Swiss Museum of Transportation

Most people don't come to Switzerland for the museums, but the Swiss Museum of Transportation is a MUST if you're visiting Lucerne! Learning about Switzerland’s near-perfect transportation system will deepen your connection to the culture as you travel throughout the country.

This museum will take you through the history of Swiss transportation from the rail systems to boats to aviation! You'll have access to exhibitions, theme parks, play areas, and over 3,000 items in the collection.

Not only will you learn about Swiss transportation, you'll get to enter a beautiful planetarium, a multimedia tour through a Swiss chocolate factory, and documentaries shown in the film theatre on some of the largest screens in Switzerland.

You'll get a 50% discount with the Swiss Travel Pass!

11) Glacier Garden

If you're into interactive displays or traveling with children, you should visit the Glacier Garden in Lucerne, which is an open-air museum with both indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Lucerne’s Glacier Garden offers a fascinating window into Earth’s ancient past. Step into the rocky underworld and embark on a journey through time, uncovering remarkable stories etched in stone!

If there's rain in the forecast, we recommend spending an afternoon here, exploring the cave, geological artifacts, mirror maze, and the famous Lion Monument! There's also an amazing viewing platform accessible at the top, offering panoramic views of Lucerne and the surrounding area.

Entrance to the Glacier Garden is included in the Swiss Travel Pass!

12) Gütsch Funicular

Take the Gütsch Funicular up to Hotel Château Gütsch even if you're not a guest there! In 1881, the Gütsch Funicular was built, and in 2015 it was replaced by two modern, inclined elevators.

From the top, you'll get amazing views of Lucerne, and you can have lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants in the hotel!

The Hotel Château Gütsch is one of the most magnificent hotels in Lucerne. If you're interested in staying, here's the link.

The Gütsch Funicular is included with the Swiss Travel Pass!

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Lucerne, Switzerland, is one of the most magical cities in the world. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

If you have any questions about Switzerland, feel free to reach out to us here or on Instagram!

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