1. Enjoy a Pint at Rathaus Brauerei
The Rathaus is Lucerne’s old town centre which is used for official purposes to this day! The historic building boasts of a colourful facade and a vibrant pub! Here, you can enjoy the full-bodied, fragrant Rathaus Bock. The Bock is the brewery’s own strong beer which is especially popular during the winters and during Lent.
Apart from drinks, they also have an extensive food menu offering some delicious traditional Swiss dishes. The pub’s most popular dishes include Weisswürst (spiced white sausage) and Luzerner Käsekuchen (a savoury cheese tart).
2. Taking the Goldene Rundfahrt Tour
Sitting at an impressive height of 2,128 metres above the sea level, Mount Pilatus is a major peak situated to the south of Lucerne city. If you are in Lucerne for the summers, you must do the Goldene Rundfahrt or the Golden Tour.
The tour begins at Lake Lucerne where you board a paddle steamer and then go on to take the world’s steepest cogwheel railway to the mountain. The summit is then accessed by the ‘Dragon Ride’ aerial cableway, where you can enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Once you have enjoyed your days amidst mesmerizing views, you can come down on a gondola cableway.
Location: Mount Pilatus
Price: Starting from 103 CHF or 7,500
Timings: May to October (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM)
3. Climb the Towers
Lucerne city has old fortifications and boundary walls that were built when the city was being developed more than 700 years ago! Today, around nine towers still remain along the city’s old boundary wall. People love to climb all the way to the top to enjoy scenic views of the mountains, lake and the vibrant marketplace of the old city!
Location: Altstadt, Lucerne
4. Time Travel at the Glacier Garden
Glacier Gardens in Lucerne City are based around a natural site which was discovered back in 1872. The highlights of the place include a group of potholes that were created during the last ice age, some 20,000 years ago! What adds to the fascination of this place is the fact that the fossils of shellfish and palm fronds found in the area date back some 20 million years.
This place is believed to be the shore of a subtropical sea that existed millions of years ago. When here, you can also climb the observation tower to enjoy uninterrupted views of Lucerne and the surrounding peaks.
Location: Denkmalstrasse 4, 6006 Luzern, Switzerland
Price: 15 CHF or Rs. 1,100
Timings: Daily; 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
5. Get Clicked against the Lion Monument
Lucerne tourism has a rich and vibrant history and the Lion Monument is a great place that captures a great yet painful aspect of Swiss history. The monument shows a wounded lion that has been carved entirely out of a stone that forms the side of a cliff.
The lion commemorates all the Swiss soldiers that were wounded or martyred during the French Revolution. Beneath the lion, you can see the names of all the soldiers that participated in the war. The list includes names of the 760 killed and 350 wounded soldiers. The place also has a restaurant where you can sit for a delicious meal.
Location: Denkmalstrasse 4, 6002 Luzern, Switzerland
6. Visit the Swiss Museum of Transport
The Swiss Museum of Transport has made its place in the top things to do when in Lucerne city as it is not just a display of Switzerland’s best transportation but much more than that! The museum has Switzerland’s first IMAX theatre, a planetarium and a 1:20,0000 scale photo of Switzerland taken from space amongst other fun features!
On the transport front, you can expect to encounter one of the country’s earliest trains, cars and aircraft at the museum. This museum is one of the prime examples of how Lucerne tourism, and Swiss tourism in general, has been curating some memorable experiences for the city’s visitors.
Location: Lidostrasse 5, 6006 Luzern, Switzerland
Price: 26 CHF or Rs. 1,900
Timings: Daily; 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
7. Get Tickets to Lucerne Festival
The Lucerne Festival has been around for 75 years and is celebrated every summer with some of the world’s best orchestras, conductors and musicians arriving from different parts of the globe. The celebration goes on for around a month with people flocking into Lucerne city to enjoy the musical feast. Several famous names, including the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and legendary pianist Martha Argerich, have been a part of the festival in the previous years.
Location: Lucerne Festival Ticket Office, Europaplatz 1, Lucerne