Lucerne - 5 Days

Tanya@SwissFamilyFun - (swissfamilyfun)
Itinerary created by
Tanya@SwissFamilyFun
What you’ll do

The Lake Lucerne region is our favorite part of Switzerland, with so many gorgeous lakes, dramatic hikes, and fun activities for families.

At each destination, I've included a options for hikers, families, and non-hikers so you can organize your itinerary to suit your particular needs.

Most of the mountains here are not quite as well know as Zermatt and Jungfrau Region, so you more of an authentic Swiss vibe and less English-speakers.

Lucerne is also a good choice for spring, since some of the mountains are lower elevation and open earlier for summer hiking season.

Have fun out there!

Mt Pilatus or Rigi

There are two big mountain peaks very close to Lucerne city, with similar day trips that include a boat ride, mountain train and cable car.

  • Mt Pilatus: more drama, cool cliff walk hike to rocky peak viewpoint, summer toboggan, ropes park, discounted with Swiss Travel Pass

  • Rigi: more room to spread out, better for hiking, classic alpine pastures with cows, round trip completely free with Swiss Travel Pass

For visitors with limited time, we suggest choosing one. If both sound nice and you have enough time, you won't regret visiting both.

If you choose Mt Pilatus, we suggest the Golden Round Trip, which includes a boat ride from Lucerne. In this case, you can make a seat reservation on the cogwheel train from Alpnachstad a few days before your visit to avoid long waiting times.

For a slightly less expensive day, skip the boat ride and just ride the cable car from Kriens to Mt Pilatus.

1

Mt Pilatus
Mt Pilatus
Mountain viewpoint near Lucerne
Category
Sightseeing
Est. Price
$$$

22.5 km (14 mi)

36 min

2

This one is optional

Tomlishorn Peak Hike
Tomlishorn Peak Hike
Short hike along cliffs to peak viewpoint
Category
Hike
Est. Price
$$
Est. Duration
1-2h

12.7 km (7.9 mi)

21 min

3

Pilatus Summer Toboggan
Pilatus Summer Toboggan
1.3 km alpine slide near Lucerne
Category
Activity
Est. Price
$$
Est. Duration
0-30m

50 km (31.1 mi)

1 hr 2 min

If you choose Rigi, we suggest doing the Classic Round Trip, which starts with a boat ride from Lucerne. This whole journey is free with the Swiss Travel Pass (boat and cogwheel train)!

If you have a car, it's less expensive to drive to Vitznau and just ride the cogwheel train up and down the mountain.

4

Mt Rigi Viewpoint
Mt Rigi Viewpoint
Panorama views across Lake Lucerne
Category
Sightseeing
Est. Price
$$$

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