My Love Letter to Lucerne: 6 of the Most Amazing Things to do in Lucerne, Switzerland

If you’re interested in visiting the most beautiful place in the entire world, here it is. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with Lucerne. Wandering through the city of Lucerne feels like stepping back into time while also being surrounded by breath-taking mountain views in the sky. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the absolute beautiful, crystal clear waters sitting in the middle of the town: Lake Lucerne.

Lucerne was our third stop on our big European trip and we arrived at 5:30 in the morning after taking the absolute worst overnight bus via Flixbus from Luxembourg. On the bright side, we arrived in time to watch the sunrise over the lake and had an entire day ahead of us to explore the city!

Read on for the 6 things you need to do in Lucerne, Switzerland.

1. Wander Around the Oldtown Area

Part of the magic of Lucerne is how the city makes you feel like you’ve just taken a step back in time with its medieval architecture and cobblestone streets. Now, the buildings are filled with restaurants, boutiques and other shops. Enjoying a coffee or wine on an outside patio of a café is a perfect way to take in the sites surrounding the old town area. For one, the Chapel Bridge originating in the 13th century is beautifully decorated with flowers on the outside and with 17th century pictorial paintings on the inside. The Jesuit Church of Lucerne dating back to 1666 also dominates alongside the river.  

2. Visit the “Queen of the Mountains” herself… Mt. Rigi.

It would be an absolute travesty to visit Lucerne and not visit one of the massive mountains surrounding the town. Luckily, there are plenty to choose from. Mt. Rigi offers unbelievable panoramic views of three different lakes. Getting to Mt. Rigi is relatively easy, just a quick boat ride across the lake and then the option of either hiking or taking the cogwheel train up.

Tip: For whatever reason, transportation to the mountains is REALLY expensive. We talked to the tourist information desk when we first arrive in Lucerne and they offered us a 2-day unlimited pass which gave us access to the transportation we needed to visit both Mt. Rigi and Mt. Pilatus. It also works for transportation anywhere in Central Switzerland, although we didn’t take the full advantage of that since we only had 2 full days in Lucerne. BUT, I highly suggest looking into this if you plan on visiting both mountains or other parts of Central Switzerland and you aren’t already buying the Swiss Pass.

3. Take in the Lion Monument   

This memorial located a short walk from the old town area was created to remember the Swiss guards who were massacred during the French Revolution. The memorial is very large, showing a dying lion carved into a large slat of sandstone. It’s a quick stop but definitely worth the time.

4. Take a Ride on the Worlds Steepest Cogwheel Train to Mount Pilatus

Yes, another mountain! Mount Pilatus stands 2,128 meters over Lucerne offering even more breath-taking views of the surrounding area.

Some of the most exciting aspects of a visit to Mount Pilatus is the transport getting there. There are a few different options but we decided to go with the “Golden Pass” method but in the reverse of what is usually suggested.

We decided to get an early-ish start to the day and hop on the bus from our hotel to arrive at the Kriens Cableway Station by 9 am. Here, we boarded a 30-minute-long panoramic gondola up to Fräkmüntegg station where we boarded the aerial cableway to the top of the mountain.

There is plenty to do at the top of the mountain. We just enjoyed doing some of the hikes around the top and of course taking in the beautiful views from all of the viewpoints. There are also a couple of restaurants and cafes if you want to break for a snack or lunch!

After we were finished taking in the fresh mountain air, we took the famous cogwheel train down the mountain. The cogwheel train is the steepest in the world with an average gradient of 35% and a descent time of 40 minutes. It slowly moves you through the mountains to the sounds of the cowbells ringing and opening up to views of the lakes below. It’s absolutely amazing.

Once we reached the bottom, we made our way over to the boat stop and enjoyed the relaxing hour-long journey through Lake Lucerne.

5. Enjoy the Lake

Lake Lucerne sits centered in the city. If I had more time and more money, it would be a dream to rent a boat and take it out on the lake for a day. But, we didn’t. Instead, we just enjoyed the views of the lake wandering around the paths surrounding it and secretly envying all of the people taking a swim since we forgot to bring our bathing suits into town with us that day.  

But, on the bright side there was a big food and music festival taking place and we could grab some food and drinks and sit by the water instead.

6. Explore the Museggmauer

The Musegg Wall featuring 9 separate towers sits tall in the centre of the city. Originally, the Museggmauer was built in the 14th century as protection for Lucerne, but now it’s preserved as a historical part of the city and open to visitors for free. There are 4 towers that are open to the public and the Zyt Tower also offers a clock museum which features clocks dating back to 1535. From the tops of the towers, visitors are able to see Lucerne from above.  

Lucerne is somewhere I can see myself going back to time and time again (hopefully one day with way more money because this town is EXPENSIVE). I still haven’t fully absorbed how beautiful of a place it is and how much more there is to see in this little city.