Split in two by the River Reuss, the charming city of Luzern is easily among Switzerland’s prettiest cities. Connected by two covered wooden footbridges, both sides of the city offer plenty of things to do, such as exploring medieval architecture or sampling classic Swiss cuisine.
Thanks to its compact size, Luzern is best explored on foot. One of the nicest walks is along the Nationalqaui – a lakefront path beginning at the Grand Hotel National and ending up at the Swiss Museum of Transport – distinguishable by its facade filled with road signs. If you take a stroll through the cobbled old town, you can admire picturesque squares surrounded by 15th-century buildings. Be sure to look up, as many are decorated with beautiful murals depicting medieval life. It’s also worth venturing out of the city to the nearby mountains of Pilatus and Rigi. You can take a paddle steamer cruise across Lake Lucerne before riding on the cogwheel train of the Vitznau–Rigi Railway. Once at the top, you can take in 360-degree views over central Switzerland.
Typical snacks in Luzern include freshly roasted chestnuts and the world-famous Swiss chocolate which comes in all shapes, sizes and flavours. You should also try a classic cheese fondue at the historic Pfistern restaurant which dates back to 1578. This national dish consists of Swiss cheese melted slowly over a small portable burner, accompanied by potatoes and bite-sized chunks of bread to dip in the gooey goodness.
Tonight
From £612 per night
This weekend
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Next weekend
From £461 per night
Most popular time to visit | October–December |
Cheapest time to visit | January–March |
Local currency | CHF 10 = £8.82 |
Language | German |
Average weekend price | £188 per night |
Average weekday price | £187 per night |
Typical stay | 1 night |
Château Gütsch
0.6 miles from city centre
Swiss Museum of Transport
1.2 miles from city centre
Grand Casino Lucerne
0.4 miles from city centre
Lucerne is perhaps Switzerland's most beautiful city...
25 June 2024
Lucerne is perhaps Switzerland's most beautiful city with famous covered wooden bridges, a city wall, and a beautiful lake. Mt. Pilatus is an excellent excursion on a clear day and other good hiking locations are nearby. There is an easy to use bus system. A pass was included with the hotel stay.
What a charming town!
18 June 2024
What a charming town! The people were kind, and the town was clean. Lots of restaurants to eat at. We went to Mt. Pilatus and the transportation museum. There were other activities we did not get to do that we would have liked to enjoy. There is a COOP (small grocery store) at the train station where we got some snacks and drinks.
You can cover most of Luzern in a day, it's very nice...
11 June 2024
You can cover most of Luzern in a day, it's very nice and pleasant to walk round across the bridges and the castle route to get great aerial views of the lake. I even managed a 1 hour boat trip, although nice was bit expensive for 1 hour.
Beautiful city, fairly walkable.
5 June 2024
Beautiful city, fairly walkable. Seems to have a great public transportation system once you learned the stops. Watch the sunset from the bridge in Old Town, it is beautiful how the setting sun casts light on the buildings.
Very accessible to other sightseeing locations via Swiss...
2 June 2024
Very accessible to other sightseeing locations via Swiss Rail, Beautiful city and lot of interesting sights to explore, extremely crowded as we were there mid-May, varied food options for different nationalities, definitely recommended for a visit!!
Luzern is a pleasant city.
31 May 2024
Luzern is a pleasant city. Easy to walk around the sites. Taking a trip on the lake is a must do when you are there. The city is clean. In summer there are plenty of tourists but it still has a nice vibe.
Old Town, Luzern
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Luzern, Switzerland
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Luzern, Switzerland
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Luzern, Switzerland
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