1 Day in Lucerne: The Perfect Lucerne Itinerary

Switzerland may be best known for the incredible mountain ranges of the Alps, but another Swiss destination that few visitors miss if they can help it is Lucerne. Sitting just north of the Alps by lovely Lake Lucerne, this picturesque city easily wins tourists over. With one look at the sights along the Reuss River with the mountain backdrop, you’ll understand why Lucerne is considered one of the best places to visit in Europe.

Compared to some of Switzerland’s bigger cities, it doesn’t take long to see all the best places to visit in Lucerne. It’s even possible to see most of Lucerne in one day. You may not have time for all the interesting places around the city, but a quick stop here can certainly work. To make the most of your day here, use our Lucerne itinerary as your guide to this scenic city.

Best Time to Visit Lucerne

While careful timing is crucial to a single-day visit in many other locations, Lucerne is pretty much a year-round destination, with really no bad time to go. Of course, the best time to visit Lucerne still depends on what you want from your visit.

Like many popular destinations, Lucerne sees the most tourists from June through August. Though summer is the busiest and most expensive time to visit, it’s also the perfect time for outdoor activities. Summers are quite mild in Alpine cities like this, so the heat won’t ruin your sightseeing or hiking.

Winter also draws a lot of visitors, as Lucerne is a convenient base for snow sports. That means accommodation still gets expensive from November through March, though the city itself is fairly quiet during the day as visitors flock to the ski slopes. The quiet period comes in shoulder season – April, May, and September. Accommodation prices are lowest in these months, but some hotels and amenities (such as cable cars) are often closed.

How to Get Around Lucerne

You’ll spend most of your day in Lucerne in and around the compact Old Town, and it’s not a large city anyway, so it’s pretty simple to get around. You should have no problem seeing everything on foot while visiting Lucerne. Some of the attractions are on a small hill, but even that is easily walkable.

The only public transport in Lucerne is city buses. It’s unlikely you’ll need them, but if you do, you can purchase tickets from machines at the bus stops. A standard ticket for the central zone lasts one hour and costs 4.1 Swiss francs ($4.51).

Where to Stay in Lucerne

Thanks to Lucerne’s compact size and focus on its riverside Old Town, the layout is pretty simple. When deciding where to stay in Lucerne, look as close to the Chapel Bridge as possible. Most of Lucerne’s accommodation is within walking distance of this bridge, so you should find plenty of great options.

The Hotel Schweizerhof Luzern is one of the best places to stay in Lucerne for luxurious comfort. Directly overlooking Lake Lucerne, this five-star hotel boasts beautiful room decor and attentive staff to make your stay a delight.

For a nice mix of affordability and comfort, the adults-only Boutique Hotel Weisses Kreuz is a great choice. This three-star hotel offers gorgeous rooms and is barely two minutes away from the Chapel Bridge.

Switzerland is an expensive destination in general, so there aren’t many great budget options in Lucerne. That’s why backpackers and budget travelers will be glad to find Backpackers Luzern. This clean hostel offers relatively cheap dorms and private rooms along with plenty of communal spaces.

We also recommend looking for places to stay on Airbnb. This expands your selection to include private apartments and guesthouses for various budgets.

For more accommodation options in Lucerne, check out Booking.com. This site consistently offers the best rates, and its customer service is on point.

The Perfect 1-Day Lucerne Itinerary

Not every destination can be properly explored in a single day, but Lucerne is the perfect size for this kind of short stop. With our Lucerne travel itinerary as your guide, you’ll have no problem seeing the very best of Lucerne in your brief time there. The best things to do in Lucerne touch upon several different facets of the city, giving you a quick but well-rounded understanding of what makes it a beloved destination.

With that underrated topic covered, let’s talk about what to do in Lucerne in one day so that you can make the most of your trip to this gorgeous Swiss destination.

Recommendation: If you want to learn about Lucerne’s history, consider booking a walking tour. This two-hour walking tour takes you through the Old Town and to the most famous sights in the city.

Chapel Bridge

Easily the most iconic sight in Lucerne, the Chapel Bridge is a fixture of the city’s waterfront scenery and a must-see for any visitor. Dating back to the 14th century, it’s also the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe. If you’ve ever seen a photo of Lucerne, it probably had this bridge in it.

While it’s incredibly pretty when viewed from elsewhere along the river, it’s only once you step onto the bridge that you understand its true value. As you walk down the wooden planks and past the window boxes blooming with flowers, take a moment to look up. Within triangular frames by the roof are artworks from the 17th century that tell stories of Lucerne’s past. Sadly, a fire destroyed all but 30 of these paintings in 1993, making what remains even more special.

Spreuer Bridge

Lucerne actually once had three bridges like the Chapel Bridge with paintings lining their interiors. While one no longer exists, the other is the Spreuer Bridge. Generally overshadowed by the Chapel Bridge, this 16th-century construction is still worth the walk across. The paintings are quite fascinating, depicting skeletons in scenes of the Danse Macabre artistic style. The general purpose of this art movement was to remind people that death is inevitable – a rather cheerful way to decorate a bridge!

Jesuit Church

A short walk back along the riverfront will bring you to another eye-catching landmark, the Lucerne Jesuit Church. As part of the movement to keep Swiss Catholics from converting to Protestantism, the Jesuit order built this church in phases from the 16th to 19th century, making it an important reminder of that troublesome time. It’s hard not to notice the distinctive church by the river, especially with its onion-shaped towers, but the real highlight is its delicately ornate interior.

Old Town

As nice as it is by the river and lake, it’s also a good idea to explore the Old Town. Wandering its narrow streets and alleys on the north side of the river, you may be surprised with what you see. There’s no shortage of traditional Alpine houses here, as well as a few half-timbered houses, not to mention the frescoes decorating their facades. Most of these frescoes have faded a little over the years, but there are also the occasional modern murals, which are equally fascinating.

Lion Monument

Leaving the Old Town behind, walk up the gentle slope into the modern part of Lucerne to find the iconic Lion Monument. Created in 1821, this gorgeous memorial features a carved relief of a dying lion above a still pond, honoring the Swiss Guard soldiers who were killed during the French Revolution in 1792. It’s a touching tribute to the fallen soldiers and one sight not to miss in Lucerne.

Musegg Wall

It’s time to see what remains of Lucerne’s old fortifications, the Musegg Wall. Running across a small hill at the northern end of Old Town, this preserved medieval wall links nine towers together. Four of the remaining towers, including the clock tower (Zytturm), are freely accessible to tourists.

After climbing one of the towers, you can walk along a short stretch of the wall and see Lucerne from its best viewpoint. You’ll not only see all the city’s rooftops and landmarks, but also get some superb views of Lake Lucerne and the looming Alps. Männliturm, the tower closest to the river, actually has a lookout platform that puts you even higher up for better views.

Rosengart Collection Museum

You might not think of Lucerne as a cultural hub, but it does have quite a few museums. The easiest to reach and arguably the most interesting is the Sammlung Rosengart, mainly because this art museum houses works by Pablo Picasso. While Picasso is its main focus, the museum displays pieces by many other artists from the Impressionist and Modernist periods.

Have More Than 24 Hours in Lucerne?

With 24 hours in Lucerne, you’ll definitely see much of what the city has to offer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spend longer in this beautiful area if you have the time. While you may have explored the sights of Lucerne, there are plenty of surrounding places to see. With the Alps right on Lucerne’s doorstep, you can discover some incredible mountain landscapes on a day trip from the city.

Option 1: Lake Lucerne Cruise

After a day sightseeing by the lake and admiring its beauty, why not enjoy it from the water? You have various options for cruises on Lake Lucerne, depending on your budget and how long you want to spend out on the water. We recommend this one-hour cruise aboard a panoramic yacht, which is a perfect way to marvel at the picturesque landscapes, historical monuments, and famous attractions.

Alternatively, you can board a ferry to one of the lake’s many villages. Interesting places to visit around the lake include Meggenhorn Castle and Rütli, a mountain meadow generally considered to be the birthplace of the Swiss Confederation.

Option 2: Mount Rigi

It’s difficult to be so close to the Alps and not go up one of the mountains, and Rigi is one of your nearest options. This mountain on the banks of Lake Lucerne reaches 1,798 meters above sea level at its summit.

For many, the appeal of visiting Rigi is the journey there. The best approach is to take a ferry across the lake to the pretty town of Vitznau, then ascend the mountain on the historic Vitznau-Rigi Railway. During your ride on Europe’s first mountain railway, you’ll enjoy a great deal of idyllic mountain scenery. Rigi also has amazing hiking and paragliding opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts.

Option 3: Mount Pilatus

A mountain even closer to Lucerne than Rigi is Pilatus, known for its series of peaks along a jagged crest. Its highest peak is the Tomlishorn at 2,128 meters above sea level. You have several options for reaching the awe-inspiring views from the peak’s observation platforms. One way is to ride the cable car up from the town of Kriens just outside Lucerne. A more exciting approach is to take the world’s steepest cog railway, the Pilatus Railway, from the village of Alpnachstad.

Alternatively, you can experience it all on the Golden Round Trip, which takes you to the railway by ferry and back down by cable car. Of course, there are also hiking trails all the way up Pilatus, but the trek isn’t easy!

Recommendation: Another excellent option is a guided tour to Pilatus. You can ride to the top in an aerial cable car and take easy hikes through the Alpine scenery. You’ll then descend the mountain on the railway and take a boat cruise back to Lucerne. It’s quite an awesome trip that you won’t want to miss.

We hope you’ll make the most of one day in Lucerne with this guide! By following this itinerary, you can be confident that you’ve seen the city’s most important sights – and will likely decide that it’s one of the prettiest places you’ve ever been.