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Top Lucerne Attractions
- Spending a day out on the waters of Lake Lucerne against an alpine backdrop
- Relaxing in a luxury lodge after a big day of skiing the many beautiful slopes
- Taking a train ride through the famous Swiss alps
- Visiting the Swiss Museum of Transportation
- Touring Chapel Bridge
Lucerne Tours & Travel Guide
Lucerne Attractions & Landmarks Guide
Lucerne, with its glimmering lights, snow capped backdrops, and winding streets seems straight out of a fairytale. This is a classic ski resort destination, though summertime sees plenty of action as well. Travelers can head up to the nearby mountains for hiking or Lake Lucerne for boating on your Switzerland tour.
Lucerne winter activities
The famous city of Lucerne Switzerland holds the attention of winter sports lovers with its various exciting activities. The snow-covered Lucerne offers different outdoor options for adventure lovers.
You will find about 28 hikes, 52 snowshoe trails, and 12 ski touring routes overall in the city. Exploring the town in the cold breeze while the surrounding has a white magical effect is another fun activity. The nearly empty space, calm atmosphere with wind sound, has a soothing impact.
1. The Rigi Panorama Path
On this 7 km long panoramic hike from Rigi Kaltbad to Rigi Scheidegg, you will feel like living your winter dream. With the 360 degrees stunning view, this trail is ideal for nature-loving hikers. Witness along the way a tunnel, discussed passenger coach, old railway bridge, and water filling station for steam engines. You can either hike back or take a cable car to reach back. When you are done hiking, take some refreshment in the Rigi Scheidegg mountain inn and enjoy the local products.
2. Light Festival
Taking place in January 2019 for the first time, this festival is a must-see winter event in Lucerne, Switzerland. This annual romantic festival features 17 installations that are lit up for four hours in the evening; 6 pm to 10 pm. Taking a walk around the city to witness all of them might take a few hours but is one of the best experiences in the city. Each piece has some informational signs that tell you about the artists who build the theme and the ideas behind it.
3. Christmas Market
From the end of November till Christmas times, you will find the fantastic Christmas Markets established all over Switzerland. If you are in Lucerne during wintertime, then this is one of the must-visit places. Franziskanerplatz holds the Lucerne Christmas market with a massive variety for visitors so that they can buy unique gifts for their loved ones on this special occasion.
4. Lucerne Lake Boat Tour
A boat cruise in the beautiful lake surrounded by snow-filled mountain tops is one of the most beautiful experiences you can have in Lucerne, Switzerland. The picture-perfect scenery of the lake casts a magic spell and is indeed one of the most beautiful experiences of the world. Explore Lucerne's romantic side in winter with this soothing trip.
5. Mount Pilatus
The peak has an entirely different side in winter than its summer version, offering the opportunity to enjoy various winter sports. Witness the stunning surrounding while enjoying the adrenaline rush during activities like sledding, snowshoe hiking, skiing, and snowboarding around the magnificent mountain.
6. Mount Titlis
The best way to explore the beauty of this magnificent mountain is to ride a train from Lucerne train station to Engelberg train station that gets scenic moving towards the end. Take a walk or a free shuttle bus to the cable car station of Mount Titlis. Apart from snowshoe hiking, skiing, sledding, snowboarding, you can enjoy whizzing down the piste in minibus or rent tubes. Walkthrough the 150 meters long Glacier Cave and over the Titlis Cliff Walk to have a cold but unique experience.
7. Mount Rigi
The beautiful mountain has a winter version utterly different from its summer magnificence. Winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, snowshoe hiking, sledding, etc. are one way to enjoy the magnificent peak covered in snow, but the best way to enjoy its beauty is through taking a train ride up to the peak, especially on a clear sky day. The most amazing site to witness here is the sun setting against the white snow that you will remember till ages. Though it is freezing here in winter, if you are ready to bundle up, then you can have a visit of a lifetime here.
Best Time to Visit Lucerne
Lucerne is an all year round tourist destination providing different entertaining activities at different times of the year. Which time attracts you and is more suitable for you depends on your interest. There are always some cultural programs and festivals going on in the city that you can enjoy. No season is off-season in Lucerne Switzerland, not only due to its beauty but also for varied activities in every season.
Summer, June to September, has cold temperatures but better than winter, making it an ideal time for exploring the region and involving in some outdoor activities. July and August are the busiest times in the area when people from all around the world fly here to take in the beauty of this fantastic region.
Everything has a high price, and you will hardly get accommodation if you don’t make a booking in advance. October – November and April – May are offseasons with low tourist crowds, but the weather is still better than the chilly winter. With a hint of cold, these times are ideal for exploring the Lucerne region without being disturbed by rushing crowds.
If you are an adventurous person and enjoy cold weather, then wintertime, December to March, is perfect for you to visit Lucerne. People from all over the world visit during this time to enjoy winter sports, especially skiing in the surrounding mountains.
What is There to do in Lucerne?
Situated beside the beautiful lake, among the stunning mountain scenery, tourists love the city for a reason. Whether you are up for exploring the fascinating mountains or want to have some historical exploration, Lucerne has it all for you in one place.
The city has various medieval buildings, including churches, bridges, buildings, and much more, to mesmerize everyone with some interest in history and culture. It is difficult to pick a few places, but here is a list of some of the most important areas that might help you to plan your Lucerne travel.
1. Lake Lucerne
The most important and beautiful point of Lucerne is its famous lake. This stunning water body has an irregular shape with four arms, all going off at sharp angles and stunning mountains on each side. You can avail of one of the available boat trips to explore the 38 kilometers of the beautiful lake. You can get a paddlewheel steamer during summer and a diesel motorboat in the offseason to take the scenic ride of the lake. Boating in the lake is one of the most refreshing and amazing experiences you can have in Lucerne, Switzerland.
2. Mount Pilatus
Standing in Lucerne, it is impossible to miss the magnificent 2,128-meter mountain. The mountain is also named as "Dragon Mountain" due to a medieval legend that it is home to dragons with special healing powers. Take the adventurous cogwheel ride with a 48% gradient, the steepest in the world. Reaching up, you will get the "Dragon Ride" aerial cableway and then the gondola cableway to get back down.
3. Old Town
The traffic-free historic old center still preserves various old little squares with fountains and old burghers’ houses. Located at the right bank of river Reuss, the area has stone streets bordered with old timber-framed buildings painted in vibrant colors that cast a magical effect. Explore the narrow side streets, Altes Rathaus; the Old Town Hall, a Late Gothic fountain; Weinmarkt, Kapellplatz; the oldest church of Lucerne, and much more.
4. Swiss Transport Museum
The large and complex halls and outdoor exhibits consist of a vast collection of all forms of transport, including railway locomotives, aircraft, ships, automobiles, and rockets, taking you through the transportation development from early days to modern times. The museum is home to the oldest IMAX theatre of Switzerland, an updated planetarium, a space photo of Switzerland at 1:200,000 scale, and not to miss, the Swiss Chocolate Adventures for chocolate lovers.
5. Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge)
The 14th century covered wooden bridge runs diagonally across Reuss for 200 meters. The picturesque masterpiece is famous for more than 100 pictures from the 17th century hanging inside from the roof rafters. These pictures are of the patron scenes and saints from the history of the town. Wasserturm, the 34 meters high 13th-century water tower, completes the scene, making this site one of the most photographed views of Switzerland.
6. Rosengart Collection
Opened in 2002 by Angela Rosengart and her father Siegfried Rosengart, the museum is home to one of the richest collections of modern art in Europe with hundreds of pieces by famous artists like Fernand Léger, Miró, Chagall, Matisse, Braque and Monet. A 125 paintings collection of Paul Klee depicts al times of his artwork, arranged progressively.
The Picasso collection includes portraits of Angela, his early works, but mainly the paintings he drew after 1938. Located in the former building of the National Bank, the museum displays at a time more than 300 pieces.
7. Lion Monument
Designed by Thorvaldsen in the 1820s, the lion monument is a tribute to the Swiss Guards died in 1972 in the effort to protect Louis XVI during the French Revolution in the attack on Tuileries Palace. The famous monument has deep symbolism with the lion resting on top of the broken shield depicting French royalty and an intact shield beside him with the Swiss coat of arms.
8. Glacier Garden
Discovered in 1872, the natural site contains a group of potholes formed some 20,000 years ago, during the last ice age. There are erratic boulders, glacier-polished rocks, and the famous 32 potholes at the bottom of the waterfalls coming from melting glacier ice. The museum also has an adjoining park and a labyrinth of the mirror to enjoy after exploring the ice age formations.
9. Hofkirche
The twin-towered church was rebuilt in 1635 when the original Romanesque basilica was burnt down during the war. The new architecture has a profound impact on the late Renaissance style, but the pair of towers and some Renaissance ornamentation preserved the original church style. The polychrome Maria-End-Altar shows the dying Virgin Mary, surrounded by Apostles.
10. Bourbaki Panorama
This vast 112 meter long and 10meter high panoramic painting and sculpture is displayed in a dome. This 140 years old tourist attraction is one of the most unusual and famous attractions of Lucerne Switzerland. The circular painting with a three-dimensional foreground was built by Edouard Casters, who was a Red Cross volunteer during the France-Prussian War and drew a firsthand recollection of the incident.
Lucerne vs. Interlaken
When talking about Switzerland, every city or region has its significance. It is tough to compare the two places and assign one as better than the other. Lucerne and Interlaken are two of the most popular site near each other that people often get confused about. Lucerne, though small in size, is a combination of mountains, the lake, culture, history as well as modern architecture.
There is a lot to do in the small city with an advantage of everything lying close to one another. Even if you have to go to the other side of town, you can cover the distance by walking in 30 minutes. Lucerne is almost at the center and provides easy access to surrounding cities like Zurich, Basel, Bern, etc.
If you are in Switzerland to witness nature, then Interlaken is the better option. The small village is located in the magnificent mountains providing panoramic views round the clock. Go for scenic walks, hiking, swimming in the lakes, and explore the beauty of nature. This charming little mountain town can be regarded as the classic Alpine side of Switzerland. The spa town also has various historical buildings can be suitably explored in a half-day.
Lucerne weather
Due to being situated beside the Alps, Lucerne Switzerland has an overall cold temperature climate. Summers are pleasant with temperatures ranging between 12°C and 24°CShoulder season are relatively cooler with about 6°C to 14°C temperature but still suitable to plan a trip.
However, winter is freezing, with temperatures falling to minus, making the hilly area an ideal place for skiing and winter sports. If you are up for a breezy sightseeing vacation, then summer is your time for Lucerne travel, whereas if you like to have a little adrenaline rush, then choose winter to enjoy the adventurous sports like skating and skiing.
Lucerne Reviews & Ratings
Switzerland and Germany Tour
Great areas, hotels and transportation.
G
Giovanni Giordano
Dec 2023
Written on
Christmas Markets of Austria Germany Switzerland
Just as beautifull markets and wonderful sights
T
Trusted Customer
Dec 2023
Written on
Christmas Markets of Austria Germany Switzerland
The 5 days that we were part of the tour were organized and lots of fun. We completely missed Vienna the first two days, and joined the tour as it was leaving. We ha...
T
Trusted Customer
Dec 2023
Written on
Christmas Markets of Austria Germany Switzerland
Excellent and friendly tour guide.
K
Ken Audette
Dec 2023
Written on
Christmas Markets of Austria Germany Switzerland
It was excellent. Saw and did lots
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