Things To Do In Lucerne

Lucerne is a top tourist destination in Switzerland and is located near a lake which gives it that added touch of the well-known Swiss beauty. We've listed out some of the best things to do in Lucerne below, which include activities for people of all ages from all walks of life. The city is well equipped to handle tourists all year round. Because it is so tourist-friendly, it is also easy to explore this city solo and without a guide, if you are tight on budget.

A little bit of history is still preserved at Lucerne's Old Town, where the streets are lined with buildings with beautiful frescoes that go all the way back to the Middle Ages! You can walk around the narrow streets and marvel at their beauty. Watch out for buildings like St. Peter's Chapel, Pfistern Guildhouse, Hotel Des Balances and others. There are many restaurant and cafes as well as shopping areas, so it is easy to spend some time just wandering about and making a day of it.

Lucerne has some really beautiful hills and mountains that surround it and make for wonderful hiking and trekking activities. Mount Pilatus is situated about 20 minutes away from the city. At the top of the mountain, there are other activities available like summer tobogganing & rock climbing. Mount Rigi, at a height of 1,798 meters is another great place to let your adventurous side loose and is located about 45 minutes from Lucerne. 

Lake Lucerne is a 38km long lake and is best explored by boat. You can go on a simple one-hour cruise that lets you gape at some stunning views of the alps and the lake. Between May and September, there are paddle-wheel-steamers that take you to the town of Flüelen and enjoy a sumptuous 3-course meal on the boat. In fact, there is an Indian cruise on Lake Lucerne which offers Indian cuisine (vegetarian & non-vegetarian) along with Indian music on board. You can also take a trip up to Mount Pilatus and back. Another activity you can enjoy on the water is Kayaking!

Visit Titlis Mountain, a unique glacier with snow and ice throughout the year. At a height of 3000 meters above sea level, it offers some picturesque views. You can go up the mountain on a revolving cable-car, a unique experience, apt for getting some fascinating aerial views. You can also fly through the glacier on a chair lift and visit the cave and suspension bridge. Bringing out the snow-adventurer in you has never been this fun!

Everywhere you go, you are sure to come across some beautiful sceneries in Switzerland. Lucerne is no different. Some of the best views and must-have experiences are going to Mount Pilatus. Once you get ashore, you will ride on the world's steepest cogwheel railway! It has a gradient of 48% and offers some crazy views! After the cogwheel ride, you can take the cable car to the top - another great way to capture beautiful Swiss sceneries. Another beautiful cog railway route is from Lucerne to Mount Rigi - this route is Europe's 1st cog railway! Yet another beautiful cog-railway route is to Jungfraujoch.

There are many interesting museums and art collections around Lucerne. The Swiss Transport Museum is a large complex of a variety of exhibits that cover all kinds of transportation. There is also a planetarium within the complex that has daily shows. Definitely worth spending a few hours here. Another museum is Museum Sammlung Rosengart which has an impressive collection of Post-Impressionist art by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Monet, Braque, Chagall, Cézanne and many others. The glacier garden also has a museum within it which has interesting information about Switzerland and a room full of mirrors - that add to the fun for children.

The Château Gütsch is a beautiful hotel that is located next to Lucerne, on top of a hill and offers some excellent panoramic views of the city. To reach the hotel, you can climb a long fleet of stairs or hike through the Gütsch forest. The bar & restaurant at the hotel is beautifully done up and offers seasonal and locally-sourced dishes. The blue-ikat walls of the bar will definitely lift up your artistic spirits and make your visit totally worth it. If not a meal, even having high-tea would be good enough, as the restaurant can be quite pricy. The restaurant was built at the turn of the century.

If you want to party Lucerne style, going to the Lucerne Festival would be on the top of the list. The music festival is a 75-year old tradition that happens every summer. It's 30 days of celebration of orchestral music - with top musicians performing at picturesque locations. Performances by popular orchestras like Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Martha Argerich have happened in the past years. 

Rathaus Brauerei is a 17th-century town hall that has its own brewery and pub within it. The speciality of the place is Rathaus Bock, a very strong beer, drunk during winters and lent. It is a local attraction that is not to be missed, especially if you are a beer-lover. The pub also offers traditional cuisine - so its a great place to just kick back and enjoy a taste of Lucerne by the glassful and plateful.

There is a massive nuclear bunker, hidden in plain sight, off the Sonnenberg highway. It was constructed between the 60s and 70s when there was a sudden craze for building bunkers in Switzerland. The Sonnenberg bunker still exists and can house 20,000 people in case of any emergency or nuclear attack. There has been no need to use the bunker at any point and is now open to the public to visit on the last Sunday of every month. The bunker still has hospital facilities and vintage washing machines, which you can see in the tour.