Lucerne itinerary

1. 1

   Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) - The Iconic 14th-Century Wooden Bridge

   The Chapel Bridge, built from 1333, is the oldest surviving wooden truss bridge in Europe and the single image most people associate with Switzerland. It runs 204 metres diagonally across the River Reuss, linking the…

   Address

   Kapellbrücke, 6002 Luzern

   Nearest transit

   Luzern Bahnhof (main station), 3-min walk

2. 2

   Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) - Mark Twain's 'Saddest Piece of Stone'

   Carved directly into a sandstone cliff between 1820 and 1821, the Lion Monument commemorates the roughly 760 Swiss Guards who died defending King Louis XVI at the Tuileries Palace on 10 August 1792. Bertel Thorvaldsen…

   Address

   Denkmalstrasse 4, 6002 Luzern

   Nearest transit

   Bus stop Löwenplatz (lines 1, 19, 22), 4-min walk

3. 3

   Musegg Wall and Its Towers - Lucerne's Medieval Ramparts

   The Musegg Wall (Museggmauer) was completed in 1408 and still stands almost intact along the ridge behind the Old Town, running 870 metres with nine towers along its length. Four of them - Schirmerturm, Zytturm…

   Address

   Museggmauer, 6004 Luzern

   Nearest transit

   Bus stop Kantonalbank (lines 1, 19), 6-min walk uphill

4. 4

   Old Town (Altstadt) with Painted Facades and Frescoed Squares

   Lucerne's Old Town (Altstadt) occupies the right bank of the Reuss and is small enough to cover in a single unhurried afternoon. The three squares to focus on are Weinmarkt, Hirschenplatz and Kornmarkt, each ringed by…

   Address

   Altstadt, 6004 Luzern (centred on Hirschenplatz)

   Nearest transit

   Bus stop Schwanenplatz (lines 6, 7, 8, 24), 2-min walk

5. 5

   Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) Boat Cruise - A Ride on a Historic Paddle Steamer

   Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) is a fjord-shaped alpine lake of 114 square kilometres, and the classic way to see it is aboard one of the five surviving Belle Epoque paddle steamers - Uri (1901), Unterwalden (1902)…

   Address

   Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees, Werftestrasse 5, 6002 Luzern

   Nearest transit

   Bahnhofquai piers, directly in front of Luzern Bahnhof

6. 6

   Mount Pilatus (2,128 m) via Cogwheel Railway from Alpnachstad

   Mount Pilatus (2,128 m) is the massif that dominates every westward view from Lucerne, and the standard way up is the Alpnachstad cogwheel railway - at 48% maximum gradient, the steepest cogwheel railway in the world…

   Address

   Pilatus-Bahnen AG, Schlossweg 1, 6010 Kriens

   Nearest transit

   S5 train to Alpnachstad (18 min from Luzern Bahnhof), then cogwheel

7. 7

   Mount Rigi (1,798 m) - The 'Queen of the Mountains'

   Mount Rigi (1,798 m), known since the 19th century as Regina Montium or 'Queen of the Mountains', sits between Lake Lucerne and Lake Zug and was climbed by Mark Twain, Queen Victoria and Goethe. Europe's first mountain…

   Address

   Rigi Bahnen AG, Bahnhofstrasse 7, 6354 Vitznau

   Nearest transit

   Boat to Vitznau or Weggis, then Rigi Bahn cogwheel

8. 8

   Swiss Museum of Transport (Verkehrshaus) - Switzerland's Most-Visited Museum

   The Swiss Museum of Transport (Verkehrshaus), opened in 1959, is the most-visited museum in Switzerland with around 900,000 admissions a year. The 20,000-square-metre site covers rail (including the original 1858 Rigi…

   Address

   Lidostrasse 5, 6006 Luzern

   Nearest transit

   Bus stop Verkehrshaus (lines 6, 8, 24), or S-Bahn to Luzern Verkehrshaus

9. 9

   KKL Luzern (Culture and Congress Centre) - Jean Nouvel's Lakeside Icon

   The KKL Luzern (Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern) opened in 2000 to a design by French architect Jean Nouvel, and its dramatic 45-metre cantilevered copper roof pushes right out over the lake edge. The concert hall…

   Address

   Europaplatz 1, 6005 Luzern

   Nearest transit

   Luzern Bahnhof, 2-min walk (directly adjacent)

10. 10

    Spreuer Bridge (Spreuerbrücke) with the Dance of Death Paintings

    The Spreuer Bridge (Spreuerbrücke) is Lucerne's second surviving covered wooden bridge, completed in its current form in 1408 and named for the chaff (Spreu) that millers were once allowed to dump into the river from…

    Address

    Spreuerbrücke, 6003 Luzern

    Nearest transit

    Bus stop Kasernenplatz (lines 2, 9, 12, 18), 3-min walk

From the trip1 travel guide “10 Best Things to Do in Lucerne” · trip1.com