Lucerne

Lucerne (Luzern in German, Lozärn in Swiss-German) is a beautiful small city which sits on the shores of Lake Lucerne in the heartland of Switzerland. Lucerne is a popular destination for the city itself and the accessible outings around the lake and local Alps that it offers.



Understand
The first city to join the Swiss Confederation, today Lucerne is a lovely city of 82,000 people (2018) with a thriving tourism industry, owing mainly to its status as a gateway to Central Switzerland. The city is a centre of Swiss history and legend.

Tourism in Lucerne has a distinguished history dating from the mid-19th century, with Mark Twain among them. In A Tramp Abroad he recalls the nascent souvenir business, and other budding examples of the tourism trade.


 * "The commerce of Lucerne consists mainly in gimcrackery of the souvenir sort; the shops are packed with Alpine crystals, photographs of scenery, and wooden and ivory carvings. I will not conceal the fact that miniature figures of the Lion of Lucerne are to be had in them. Millions of them." &mdash; Mark Twain

Climate
Lucerne has cold, dry winters and warm/hot summers.



Tourist information

 * Lucerne Tourism website

By train
Thanks to its central location (Bahnhof Luzern) can be reached easily from nearly every other city in Switzerland using the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS)). There are hourly trains from Olten and Zürich Airport and half-hourly trains from Zürich, and a direct train every hour from Berne. There is an hourly service from Bellinzona in Ticino, and Pfäffikon and St. Gallen in the North East.

The "Zentralbahn" branch of the Swiss Federal Railways also provides hourly trains between Interlaken and Lucerne during daytime.

By bus
There are no intercity buses in Switzerland as the train system provides ample connections to many destinations in Switzerland. To make trips to the countryside in the mountains where there are no trains, refer to postauto.ch buses are available from some nearby places, such as Rotkreuz.

By boat
Lucerne sits at the northwest end of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee), one of the most beautiful waterways in Switzerland. Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Vierwaldstättersee operates roughly hourly scheduled ferries to Schwyz, Flüelen, Weggis (for Rigi), and runs various themed dinner cruises etc all year around.

Get around
Able-bodied travellers will find Lucerne a complete joy to get around in on foot. The Old-Town is rather small, and most other interesting sites are within 20 minutes or so walk, there is also a city bus system, as well as assistance for disabled visitors on request from Mobility International Switzerland. The Lido beach and the Swiss Transport Museum are a bit further out but can be reached with a lakeside walk in 30-40 minutes, otherwise they can be reached by bus or by one of several boats per hour from just in front of the central railway station.

Visitors staying overnight in Lucerne get a Visitor Card which gives free bus and train travel in Zone 10 for the duration of their stay. All of the points of interest in Lucerne including the Transport Museum and lower cable-car station for Pilatus are within this zone.

Lucerne also makes a very good base for discovering the rest of Central Switzerland, using the Swiss Federal Railway, the Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Vierwaldstättersee, or any one of several private rail or boat companies. Visitors using Lucerne as a base to explore the region might consider the Tell Pass which covers a large number of trains, buses, boats, and cable-cars in the region around Lucerne.

Bicycles are available for rent at the central railway station, at ticket window 21 on the lower level. For Fr. 31 per day, you can rent a 24-speed, sturdily-built bike with a baggage clamp. Electric bikes are also available. Bike pick-up and drop-off are around the left side of the train station, at a kiosk across the street from the Swiss Post building. Bike lanes are present on most secondary streets, and Lucerne drivers are generally aware of and polite towards bicyclists.

By bus
Lucerne has an efficient bus network: Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL) (German only). It covers the city and its suburbs.

See




Do



 * Football: FC Luzen play soccer in Super League, the Swiss top tier. Their home ground is Swissporarena (capacity 17,000) at 91 Horwerstrasse, 1 km south of city centre next to the Trade Centre. In 2025 it hosts games in the UEFA Women's Euro Finals.
 * Football: FC Luzen play soccer in Super League, the Swiss top tier. Their home ground is Swissporarena (capacity 17,000) at 91 Horwerstrasse, 1 km south of city centre next to the Trade Centre. In 2025 it hosts games in the UEFA Women's Euro Finals.
 * Football: FC Luzen play soccer in Super League, the Swiss top tier. Their home ground is Swissporarena (capacity 17,000) at 91 Horwerstrasse, 1 km south of city centre next to the Trade Centre. In 2025 it hosts games in the UEFA Women's Euro Finals.
 * Football: FC Luzen play soccer in Super League, the Swiss top tier. Their home ground is Swissporarena (capacity 17,000) at 91 Horwerstrasse, 1 km south of city centre next to the Trade Centre. In 2025 it hosts games in the UEFA Women's Euro Finals.
 * Football: FC Luzen play soccer in Super League, the Swiss top tier. Their home ground is Swissporarena (capacity 17,000) at 91 Horwerstrasse, 1 km south of city centre next to the Trade Centre. In 2025 it hosts games in the UEFA Women's Euro Finals.

Mountains
A number of villages and mountains in the Alps can easily be reached from Lucerne by boat or train as day trips.

Buy
The shopping in Lucerne has improved somewhat since Mark Twain's visit. You'll find several good department stores with acceptable prices for most items, as well as pricey speciality shops.


 * Lucerne's old town is full of shops - especially clothing
 * Lucerne's station hosts several stores which have longer opening hours than most other shops.

Eat
Lucerne's Old Town is full of tourist trap restaurants serving wildly overpriced fondue in the middle of summer. This being Switzerland, eating out isn't cheap anywhere, but you'll get much better value for money even a block or two off the beaten track.

Budget

 * Migros or Coop. Huge supermarket chains with a lot of budget products. There is a small Migros and a bigger Coop at the train station, near the tourist office. There are other Migros around, ask the people. Farther there are Migros and Coop Restaurants self-service restaurants.

Clubs
Lucerne has lots of clubs for lots of different tastes. Baselstrasse is a nightlife strip emerging out of a redlight district. There are also raves in industrial buildings that require you to join their "club" as they're not legally allowed to sell alcohol to the public.



Cafés
The three bakery chains, Hug, Heini and Bachmann, have several good cafés spread all over the city.

Sleep
For its size, there are quite a few places to stay in Lucerne, in all price ranges. If you stay overnight, your accommodation should give you a free Visitor Card Lucerne which grants various discounts, most notably free travel within zone 10 (Lucerne city) on all public transport except ferries. This includes transport to your lodgings, just show your reservation if asked.

Connect
As of June 2022, Lucerne has 5G from all Swiss carriers. WiFi is widely available around the city.

Stay safe
Lucerne is a heavily touristed destination, and where there are tourists there are pickpockets, con artists, and other sorts of folks up to no good. As with everyplace else keep your passport and other valuables where people can't get to them. However, Lucerne is a friendly and safe city. Women can move safely almost anywhere, day or night. There are few areas that should be avoided; the area around Basel Street, where you will find a colourful and exciting cultural mix, is relatively harmless. According to the police it can be dangerous at night in "Tribschen" (Inseli-Ufschötti-Weinbergli-Tribschenstrasse). Most violent crimes and robberies happen in this neighborhood. But compared with other cities in Europe it's a safe area.

Go next

 * Rigi, the "Queen of Mountains", less than an hour away by ferry.
 * Engelberg, a resort village in the Alps which offers a range of outdoor activities.
 * Brunnen, a resort town which sits on a south-facing bend in the lake with fantastic views.
 * Interlaken
 * Zurich
 * Bern
 * Basel
 * Lugano
 * Schwyz
 * Zug