Lucerne, Switzerland: visitor guide

What to expect at Lucerne

Lucerne (Luzern) is the most completely preserved medieval city in Switzerland and the most visited city in the country after Zürich, a lakeside city of about 82,000 people at the point where the Reuss River flows out of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee), whose old town core of painted medieval houses, covered wooden bridges, fortification towers and a characterful waterfront promenade is one of the top urban landscapes in Central Europe.

The city has served as a major tourist destination since the 18th century, when Grand Tour travellers discovered the lake and mountains. It became the de facto capital of Swiss tourism in the 19th century when the railways made the Alps accessible to a mass market and Lucerne established itself as the gateway to the iconic mountain scenery of the Bernese and Uri Alps.

Chapel Bridge

The Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) is Lucerne's most recognisable symbol and Europe's oldest surviving wooden covered bridge, a 170-metre structure built across the Reuss in 1333, its roof decorated with a series of triangular paintings (commissioned in the 17th century) depicting scenes from Lucerne's history and the lives of its patron saints. In addition, the bridge was partially destroyed by fire in 1993 (caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette igniting floral decorations) and has been reconstructed using surviving elements and new timber.

About 30 of the original 111 paintings survive in the reconstructed bridge. The adjacent octagonal Water Tower (Wasserturm), a free-standing fortification tower that has served as a prison, treasury and archive over the centuries, is one of the most photographed medieval structures in Switzerland.

Spreuerbrücke

The Spreuerbrücke (Chaff Bridge), a second covered wooden bridge 200 metres upstream, is less visited than the Kapellbrücke but arguably more atmospheric, its 67 surviving paintings form a Totentanz (Dance of Death) series depicting Death as a skeleton accompanying figures from all social stations toward their inevitable end, painted in the 17th century during the plague years. Moreover, the paintings give the bridge a melancholy intensity entirely absent from the more touristic Kapellbrücke experience.

Lion Monument

The Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal), carved into a sandstone cliff face at the north end of the old town (free, always accessible), depicts a dying lion pierced by a spear, commissioned in 1820 to commemorate the 786 Swiss Guards killed defending Louis XVI during the storming of the Tuileries Palace in Paris in 1792. Mark Twain described it as 'the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world,' a judgement still widely shared. The lion's dying posture, head resting on a shield bearing the fleur-de-lis of France, one paw protecting a shield bearing the Swiss cross, conveys an emotion of real force that makes it one of the most effective commemorative sculptures in European art.

Swiss Museum of Transport

In general, the Swiss Museum of Transport (Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, about CHF 30, 30 minutes' walk from the old town or accessible by bus) is Switzerland's most visited museum, a comprehensive account of the history of transport in all its forms (rail, road, aviation, space, cable car) with working exhibits, full-scale locomotives and aircraft, and the Hans Erni Museum of art. The museum occupies a large lakeside site and requires at least half a day for a thorough visit. Generally, the museum's IMAX cinema and Swiss Chocolate Adventure (a walk-through experience of the Swiss chocolate industry) are the most popular exhibits with families and younger visitors.

Lucerne is accessible by direct train from Zürich (about 1 hour), Basel (1.5 hours), Geneva (2.5 hours) and all major Swiss cities on the efficient Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) network. All trains on the Swiss Travel Pass are included. The old town is 5 minutes' walk from the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof). This is directly on the lakefront, the view from the station exit across the lake toward the peaks of the Uri Alps is one of Switzerland's best urban views. The lake cruise from Lucerne pier (Swiss Travel Pass gives 50% discount on shipping company routes) through the Lake Lucerne fjords is the finest way to experience the relationship between the city and its remarkable natural setting.