The Best Things to Do in Beautiful Lucerne, Switzerland

A charming old city offering activities in nature, art, and architecture

Lucerne was our last stop in Switzerland after we visited the capital city of Bern and the magical waterfall lined valley of Lauterbrunnen. I would say that we saved the best for last, but it is really hard to pick a favorite of the three!

Of the three destinations, Lucerne felt the largest - more like a city than a village, despite having a population slightly greater than half of Bern’s.

It’s Switzerland’s 7th most populous city, but still brings a significant amount of old world charm.

Kapellbrücke or Chapel Bridge

The town is quite walkable and the train station is a 5 minute walk away from the historic old town pictured above. I’d recommend staying in this area as you’ll be close to the majority of tourist attractions, both man-made and those delivered by mother earth.

The river Reuss splits the center city which is crossed by several bridges. Famous among them is the Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge. It’s a covered wooden footbridge - the oldest of its kind in Europe! It once contained many paintings in the interior dating back to the 1600s. Many have been destroyed over time, but some do remain to delight modern day visitors.

Though you could visit further away from the center, everything we did was local and within 20 or so minutes walking, all detailed in our recommendations below.

Flowers seen from the Yacht club Tivoli area with old town in the distance

Lucerne has so much natural beauty! Having visited in spring we benefited from cool weather, bright blue skies and many blossoming flowers.

The town is built around a north west bay on Lake Lucerne which means you have stunning views from almost any angle. As you move north out of the city center, you gain a bit of elevation, and though the architecture loses the old world feel, you gain an even better view of the mountains from above.

Lucerne Jesuit Church

In the old city itself you’ll find beautiful architecture both inside and out. I loved the interior of the Lucerne Jesuit Church, which may not come as a surprise. Construction started in 1666 and took 11 years to complete. I was expecting a much more “German” inspired Catholic church but felt like I stepped straight into a Rococo chapel.

In the streets you’ll find buildings with a very Swiss-German feel, though!

One thing I did note and memorialize through many photos was that Lucerne really knows how to do doors. There are so many beautiful, heavy, metal laden doors around the city. I won’t share them all here, but a few are worth seeing. Those are waiting for you at the end of the post.

Lion Monument

Top Recommendations of what to do in Lucerne:

• The Lion Monument
  
  A relief sculpture carved in rock to commemorate the Swiss Guards lost in the French Revolution 30 years earlier. This is a public monument and is free to visit!
  

• Glacier Garden Lucerne
  
  We stumbled upon this incidentally when visiting the Lion Monument but really enjoyed our time here. It feels like a combination between a Natural History Museum and the Indiana Jones themed areas inside of a Disney Park.
  
  The experience is worth the 22 CFH ticket for adults. It was a combination of learning, entertainment and some surprising aesthetics throughout the grounds. You can also climb up a tower to see the view of the city - seen in the photo at the top of this post! You could spend hours there wandering if you wanted.
  

• Take a Boat Tour of Lake Lucerne

  You’ll get a great view of the lake and the mountains afar from the shore, but the boat ride is worth the trip to travel out of the little bay and onto the expanse of the lake where you can appreciate the full scenery from the water itself. There are really beautiful houses which line the lake just outside of the city which you won’t get a glimpse of otherwise! Get Your Guide offers an excellent experience.
  

• Kunstmuseum Lucerne
  You may already know that “kunst” is German for art, but did you know that Lucerne has an incredible art museum?
  
  Their permanent collection is composed mostly of Swiss artists with a mix being incorporated into their visiting exhibitions. I really enjoyed the work on display when we visited and really like the architecture and experience of the building itself.
  
  They had a nice gift shop up on the gallery floors and a cute cafe on the ground level which offered indoor and outdoor seating with a view of the wooden bridge.
  

• Walk the old town and take in the sights
  
  There are many charming buildings with a Bavarian feel and as mentioned an incredible line up of wooden doors!
  
  Too bad these would not fit in my carry on!
  
  Some of my favorite doors of Lucerne:

If you planned a trip to Switzerland, would you put Lucerne on your list?