Lucerne Travel Guide

From Wikitravel

Lucerne (Luzern in Swiss-German) [1] is a beautiful small city in the heartland of Switzerland. across the lake from Altdorf, where legend has it William Tell shot an apple off of his son's head. In addition to being a fine place to visit in and of itself Lucerne is a great base from which to explore famous Swiss sites such as Mt. Rigi and the Rütli Meadow.

Mnt. Pilatus and the covered bridge in Lucerne

Understand

The first city to join the Swiss Confederation, today Lucerne is a lovely small city with a thriving tourism industry, owing mainly to its status as a gateway to Central Switzerland. The city became a center of Swiss history and legend, and is the setting for the most memorable part of the William Tell legend (the bit with the boy and the apple).

Tourism in Lucerne has a distinguished history dating from the mid 19th century, with Mark Twain among them. In "A Tramp Abroad" he recalls the nascent souvenir business, and other budding examples of the tourism trade.

The commerce of Lucerne consists mainly in gimcrackery of the souvenir sort; the shops are packed with Alpine crystals, photographs of scenery, and wooden and ivory carvings. I will not conceal the fact that miniature figures of the Lion of Lucerne are to be had in them. Millions of them. -- Mark Twain

Get in

By train

Thanks to its central location Lucerne can be reached easily from nearly every other city in Switzerland using the Swiss Federal Railway. There are hourly trains from Olten and Zurich, and a direct train every other hour from Bern, although departure times are more frequent with connections.

By boat

Lucerne sits at the north end of the Vierwaldstättersee, one of the busiest waterways in Switzerland, for travel information from Schwyz, Flüelen, Weggis, and outbound points see the schedule at the Schifffahrt Vierwaldstättersee.

Get around

Able-bodied travellers will find Lucerne a complete joy to get around in on foot. The Old-Town is tiny, and most other interesting sites are within 20 minutes or so walk, there is also a city bus system, as well as assistance for disabled visitors on request from Mobility International Switzerland. The lido beach and the Swiss Transport Museum are a bit further out and can be reached by several boats per hour from just in front of the central railway station.

Lucerne also makes a very good base for discovering the rest of Central Switzerland, using the Swiss Federal Railway, the Schifffahrt Vierwaldstättersee, or any one of several private rail or boat companies.

See

During Fasnacht the paintings on the bridge are covered by paintings promoting the various bands.

• The Chapel Bridge, The Chapel Bridge is in some kind the landmark of Lucerne and its said to be the oldest woodbridge of Europe. The Bridge is made with wood and was built in 14th century as a protection for the city. It's amusing walking over it as you can see about 100 pictures of 12th century city life and Swiss history. Join one of the walking tours going around! Unfortunately the bridge burned down on 18th August 1993. I saw the bridge burning as it felt like one of my heart burns. Within a few months it was rebuilt. The tower used as oubliette is still in original condition. Walk over it in a 3D Model: http://www.chapelbridge.info/chapelbridge/
• Mt Pilatus
• Alpineum
• Bourbaki Panorama
• The Glacier Garden
• The Swiss Transport Museum, Lido beach (the first stop for boats leaving from the central train station, preferably reached by bus). With its large collection of trains, planes, automobiles, and motorcycles this museum of means of transport is a great place to spend an afternoon. If you get tired of the real train engines you can check out the model railroad or the miniature working steam train. The air section also features several space travel exhibits, including an un-used project Mercury capsule. Basic admission is 32 Chf. for adults, 21 Chf for children 6-16, and free for younger kids. http://www.verkehrshaus.org/en/information/aktuell/index.php
• The old city wall
• Lucerne Art Museum
• The Picasso Museum Arriving uninvited at Picasso’s villa “California”, LIFE’s WWII photo correspondent David Douglas Duncan was unsure of his reception. Luckily he, and his camera, were welcomed by Picasso and his family, and over the years produced an intimate portrait of the artist’s day-to-day life. 200 of these photographs, presented alongside a collection of late Picassos donated by Angela and Siegfried Rosengart, are displayed in the Am-Rhyn-Haus, a 17th century building worth seeing in its own right. Picasso’s living room was his studio, and domestic scenes -- a ballet lesson, Picasso drawing with his children, or wrapping himself in the cape and hat of his native Spain -- play out within the backdrop of some of his most famous works. Go twice. One more thing: the missing photos are on the wall above the stairwell. Furrengasse 21, CH-6004. Tel 041 410 17 73. Apr - Oct, open daily 10 to 6. Nov - Mar, 11 to 5.
• The Rosengart Collection (Sammlung Rosengart), Pilatusstrasse 10, phone number? (info@rosengart.ch). April-October: every day, 10 AM-6 PM; November-March: every day, 11 AM-5 PM. Well over 200 works by 23 artists of early modernism, including 125 works of Paul Klee and about 50 by Pablo Picasso. Also works by Cézanne, Chagall, Miró, Pissarro, among others. Admission CHF 15 (CHF 8 for students, children 7-16 years). http://www.rosengart.ch/
• The Richard Wagner Museum
• The KKL (Kunst- und Kongresshaus Luzern

The KKL is a spectacular building that contains several concert halls and the Lucerne Art Museum. It was designed by Jean Nouvel. Its major concert hall ("La salle blanche") is famous for its acoustics, and world class orchestras can be heard regularly. It hosts the lucerne music festival http://www.lucernefestival.com

Do

A marching band parading to exactly where they feel like parading

• Fasnacht The Catholic cities of Switzerland including Lucerne, Basel, and Fribourg all celebrate a rousing carnival just before lent each year. The version celebrated here is famous for it's chaotic "march any direction you like" street parades, and elaborate masks. The principal events are on Saturday, Monday, and of Fat Tuesday itself. As with carnival elsewhere the exact date on the calendar is variable according to the phase of the moon.
• Take a boat tour
• The Golden Round-Trip
• Explore the Old Town One of the main reasons that Lucerne attracts so many travellers is it's small but remarkably preserved old town. You can get lost (for a few minutes anyhow) in its maze of streets, passages, and squares, admiring the many and varied murals painted on what seems like every other building.
• Ascend Mount Pilatus, a famous mountain overlooking the city of Lucerne. Its peak can be reached by the world's steepest cogwheel railway from Alpnachstad (not operating in wintertime) and all-year-round by cable-car in three sections from Kriens (10 minutes by trolley bus from Lucerne). This trip is definitely a must and gives you a good impression of a wild and rocky peak with a marvellous view to the "real" Alps. Of course you can walk to the top on foot, which takes at least 4 hours from Kriens.

Buy

The shopping in Luzern has improved somewhat since Mark Twain's visit. You'll find several good department stores with acceptable prices for most items, as well as pricy specialty shops.

• Bucherer - The flagship store of Switzerland's best known watch and high-end jewelery dealer
• Luzern's old town is full of shops - especially clothing

Eat

Budget

1. Treibhaus Luzern, They have fine food. 2 menus each day (menu Chf 13, students Chf 7), snacks, donuts and very fine coffee. There are concerts at night. http://www.treibhausluzern.ch
2. Migros or Coop, Migros and Coop are huge supermarket chains with a lot of budget products. There is a small Migros in the train station, near the tourist office, perfect to buy something to eat if you arrive or leave Lucerne. There are other Migros around, ask the people.

Mid-range

• Mövenpick Restaurant Grendelstr. 19, Tel. +41-41-4105222, Fax +41-41-4104437. International dish, very good service. They even have english menu.

Splurge

• Restaurant Schwan
• Restaurant Bodu, exquisite French Cuisine.

Drink

• Jazzkantine, quite small but comfortable bar. They have a stage in the basement. Sometimes there are jazzists playing (4 to 8 times a month). In the same building is the local jazz school, so it's a kind of student bar. http://www.jsl.ch/kantine.htm
• Löwengraben,
• Mr. Pickwick's Pub
• Opus
• Parterre
• Treibhaus Luzern, Small but cool alternative Club. They have cheap food (2 menus each day) too. http://www.treibhausluzern.ch
• Schüür
• Sedel, the place where punk rock goes on. In the 80s it was the place the youth rebellion went on. Unfortunately it lost a bit of its idealism, nevertheless it's still the club of mothers don't want to let go their kids. Today there are a lot of concerts from Ska to Britpop to Postrock to Gothic. The building is an old women jail and was converted to music practice rooms for bands in the 80s. There are about 60 bands rocking and practicing their sets. So, if you'll here some noise somewhere in it, just knock at the door an come for a jam session. http://www.sedel.ch/

Sleep

For its size, there are quite a few places to stay in Lucerne, in all price ranges.

Budget

• Backpackers Lucerne, Alpenquai 42, +41 (0) 41 360 04 20. (fax: +41 (0) 41 360 04 42) Dormitory: Chf. 28.00 pers/night Double Room: Chf. 34.00 pers/night (Sheets included), no curfew, no lockout, no membership, Phone them as they don't accept e-mail booking. Free kitchen facilities. It's a very nice place, clean, close to the lake and closer to the old town than the youth hostel Lucerne. A lot of clubs (Treibhaus, Schüür, Boa) are just around. http://mypage.bluewin.ch/dwenger/bplucerne/bp_lucerne.html
• Youthhostel Lucerne, http://www.youthhostel.ch/luzern/

Mid-range

• Hotel des Alpes, Rathausquai 5, +41 (41) 410 58 25. (fax: +41 (41) 410 74 51.) Facing the lake, and overlooking the chapel bridge, this clean well-run establishment offers excellent views including Mt. Pilatus. Some of the rooms have balconies, with very large (but semi-private) balconies on the first floor which might be just the thing if you are with a group. Rooms facing the street are quieter, although the crowd noise on the lakefront dies down shortly after midnight last-orders.
• Löwengraben, Löwengraben 18, +41 (41) 417 12 12. (fax: +41 (41) 417 12 11.) A former prison, the Löwengraben is now a moderately cheap hotel and entertainment complex with several bars and restaurants. Most of the rooms are only slightly converted jail cells, so the feeling is a bit austere, although the former warden's office is really quite plush, if you can get it. http://www.jailhotel.ch/
• Hotel Pickwick, Rathausquai 6, +41 (41) 410 59 27. (fax: +41 (41) 410 51 08.) A clean, cheap alternative, with very late check in at the bar until 12:15. Bring a towel, they don't supply them at Pickwick's. A single room without shower starts at 75 Chf. http://www.hotelpickwick.ch/

Splurge

• The Hotel, Sempacherstrasse 14, ++41 41 226 86 86, Fax ++41 41 226 86 90. Billing itself as a boutique hotel, with interior design by the French architect Jean Nouvele, "The Hotel" is as posh as it gets just about anywhere, much less Lucerne. The theme is classic French with an Indochinese touch which suggests an easy-beats/spy film soundtrack. 390-460 Chf for a double, 510 Chf for a suite. http://www.the-hotel.ch
• Art-Deco Hotel Montana, Adligenswilerstrasse 22, ++41 41 4190000, fax: ++41 41 4190001. The Hotel Montana is a bit down the price and posh scale from "The Hotel". Some might prefer it though for it's architecture (surprise! art-deco), and the commanding views of the lake, and mountains. Double rooms with a lake view start at 250Chf. http://www.hotel-montana.ch

Contact

Stay safe

Lucerne is a very safe place, safer even than most of the other cities of Switzerland. That said it is a heavily touristed destination, and where there are tourists there are pickpockets, con artists, and other sorts of folks up to no good. As with everyplace else keep your passport and other valuables where people can't get to them.

Cope

Get out

• Mt. Rigi
• Mt. Pilatus
• Mt. Titlis
• Schwyz
• Zug