Lucerne: the back story

About Lucerne: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Zurich Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Lucerne lies where the Reuss leaves Lake Lucerne, with its wooden Chapel Bridge and Water Tower and the mountains all around; the Rigi and Mount Pilatus rise from its lake. Visitor information from Lucerne Tourism, luzern.com.

Getting there

By SBB train from Zürich HB to Luzern; check sbb.ch.

The town

The Chapel Bridge and the Water Tower on the Reuss, the old town and the lakefront; luzern.com.

Direct SBB trains run from Zürich HB to Lucerne; check sbb.ch for times.

The mountains

Mount Pilatus, reached from Alpnachstad by the world’s steepest cogwheel railway in Zurich Tourism’s words, and the Rigi, across the lake. Note: Pilatus’s gondolas and cable car are closed for maintenance from 19 October to 27 November 2026; the summit is reached only by the cogwheel railway then.

Our advice: combine Lucerne with a boat on the lake and one of its mountains.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Lucerne: the back story before you go.