Lake Lucerne is our favorite Swiss lake for cruising. The views from the boat are absolutely spectacular, with impressive mountain peaks at every turn.

They offer round trip tours, culinary tours (like fondue dinner cruise), and excursions to mountains like Rigi and Bürgenstock. In any case, a lake cruise is a great way to enjoy the views without a lot of work.

Website: www.lakelucerne.ch

Open: year round, but schedule is more limited in winter

Lake cruises

For a short activity, you can do short 1h round trip cruises from Lucerne. Here are popular options:

➡️ Catamaran Cruise - 1 hour round trip

➡️ Panoramic Yacht Cruise - 1 hour round trip

For a longer activity, we suggest the full lake cruise from Lucerne to Flüelen at the bottom of the lake, about 3 hours. Then return via train or bus back to Lucerne.

See more options on the Lake Lucerne website.

Boat + mountain excursions

The Lake Lucerne boats are commonly used to visit mountains along the lake including Mt Rigi, Mt Pilatus and Burgenstock. In this case, it's best to book a combo ticket that includes the boat and mountain.

• Rigi Classic Round Trip with Boat from Lucerne

But remember: if you have the Swiss Travel Pass, the boat is free and you only need to book the mountain railway.

Where to board

In Lucerne, the boats leave from the piers just outside the main train station (see on map). The pier varies depending on your destination.

• Rigi & full lake cruise boats leave from Pier 1

• Pilatus (Alpnachstad) from Pier 2

• Bürgenstock Pier 3.

Not sure? Ask at the ticket office for directions.

Tickets

You can buy boat tickets on the SBB Mobile App, ticket office at Lucerne ferry dock, or on the boat (buy immediately upon boarding). You can buy round trip tickets, one way between destinations or full day pass on the lake.

The boat is free with the Swiss Travel Pass, Tell Pass, and SBB GA / Day Pass.

50% discount for Swiss Half Fare Card, Eurail Pass, Interrail Pass, and children 6-16. Kids under 6 and those with a Swiss Family Card or SBB Junior Card ride free. 

1st Class

Most boats have a 1st class section on the upper deck. The seats are the same, but the views are a bit nicer and it's usually less crowded in 1st class.

Steamboat

Different kinds of boats are used throughout the day. If you have flexibility in your schedule, we highly recommend riding on the steamboats, where you can watch the inner workings of the steam engine during the ride.

Look for the special "Dampfschiff" boat symbol on the timetable.