8 Things To Do In Lucerne Switzerland

If you are going to visit Lucerne,  Switzerland you might be wondering what to do in the city. Rosita and I spent 2 days and 3 nights in Lucerne. After doing some research we decided on a few activities to do while in the city. I believe if you follow some of our suggestions you will have a wonderful time in Lucerne.   This was our first time in Lucerne and also the first time in Switzerland.  

On the first day we arrived by train from Cochem, Germany. I highly recommend traveling by train while in Europe. We saw many wonderful sights while traveling here and it has always been a pleasant experience for us. I have yet to find a conductor on a train that could not speak English. I can’t say this about buses and I have yet to try renting a car in Europe.  

Joe Hanging out with Pinocchio

And here are our suggestions for some things to do while in Lucerne. 

Chapel Bridge or Kapellbrücke

Chapel Bridge or Kapellbrücke 

Kapellbrücke is the German word for Chapel Bridge. This is probably the most famous landmark of Lucerne and is a must see while here. The bridge spans diagonally across the Reuss River. It is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe. The Bridge is named after St Peter’s Chapel that sits near the Old Town side of the bridge.  

Painting on Chapel Bridge

There are many interior paintings that date back to the 17th century. This bridge has many photo ops and is a great place to spend a couple of hours in the morning. There is a souvenir shop located in the tower so you can do a little shopping while you are exploring the bridge.  

Steuers Bridge

Steuers Bridge 

Downriver from the Chappel Bridge is a similar built bridge call Steuers Bridge or Muhlenplatz in German. It is slightly younger than the Chappel Bridge and is a little shorter. It also has paintings in it, but they are a series of paintings depicting the plague and death.

Musegg Wall and Tower

Old Town Wall or Musegg Wall  

This wall is part of the ancient defense of the city. Most of the wall remains and has been restored.   You can climb interior steps to the top of the wall and can walk along a portion of the wall. From here you have some amazing views of Lucerne, Old Lucerne and Lake Lucerne. There are 8 towers and you can climb 4 of these. I climbed the watch tower to get a little better view of the town and lake. The stairwell to the top of the tower gets a little small but you will be ok as long as you are not claustrophobic. 

View from Musegg Wall

To my surprise there were very few people exploring the wall. This was one of my favorite spots in Lucerne so I think this is a great spot to get away from the crowds, relax and enjoy some amazing scenery.  

Lion Monument

Lion Monument 

The Lion Monument, Lowendenkmal in German or The Lion of Lucerne is a great place to spend an hour or two.  The Monument commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. A lot of the area is shaded and there are park benches to sit and relax and people watch. We sat here for about an hour and saw 2 or 3 walking tours come by. And there is a public restroom in the park with interesting pull down seats! 

View from Boat on Lake Lucerne

 Lake Cruise 

We went for an hour cruise on Lake Lucerne and were rewarded with many great views. We went out on the Saphir. There are cruises of longer duration but the hour cruise will give you plenty of photo ops. You will have awesome views of Old Lucerne as you leave and return. The mountain views as you get further out are beautiful and will make some great photos.  

Street in Old Lucerne

Shopping and Chocolate shopping in Old Lucerne 

Old Lucerne has many great shops to spend a day shopping or window shopping. There are many chocolate shops to browse. Also there are several pastry shops here. We saw several shops selling Swiss watches and cuckoo clocks. The people working in the shops are very friendly and seemed used to speaking to non German speaking tourists. Old Lucerne is also a great place to sit outside and people watch. 

Old Lucerne

 Eat Lunch on a park bench overlooking Lake Lucerne 

We found a small sandwich kiosk on the shore of Lake Lucerne.  They offered sandwiches and some of the best cream pastries I have ever had. We picnicked sitting on a park bench and watched people walk by and boats traversing the lake.  

View from Golden Pass Railroad

Golden Pass Railroad  

The Golden Pass Railroad is a must if you are in Lucerne and have a day to spend. The line begins here and goes to Montreux, Switzerland. This is a very scenic trip and you will see many breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps. The route has 3 parts, Lucerne to Interlaken Ost, Interlaken to Zweisimmen and Zweisimmen to Montreux. On the Zweisimmen to Montreux leg, we booked reservations on the MOB Panoramic train. It has a front car where you can sit looking forward out of large glass windows. The windows on the sides in other cars have oversized panoramic windows for great views.   The other 2 legs have regular trains so we did not make reservations on them.  

View from Golden Pass Railroad

It took us around five and a half hours to get to Montreux from Lucerne. We took a regular train back to Lucerne and it took us about two and a half hours to get back.  

There are several other things to do in Lucerne that we did not have time for. There is a Swiss Museum of Transport and The Culture and Convention Center (KKL) that houses a concert hall as well as an art museum. 

If you follow what Rosita and I did for 2 or 3 days in Lucerne, you will have a wonderful time. If you go, please come back and leave a comment on how your trip went. 

To read more about out visit to Lucerne check out an earlier article Two Days in Lucerne Switzerland 

Please follow and like us: