Lucerne

Two bridges, two moods

The Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) is a covered wooden bridge where the Reuss leaves the lake. The octagonal Water Tower (Wasserturm) beside it is older; it went up around 1290–1300. It served as a lookout over the boats coming and going, and until the late 18th century it was also a prison. The paintings along the bridge follow a scheme finalized in 1611 by town chronicler Renward Cysat, and wealthy townspeople split the panels between them and paid for them. When fire swept through most of the bridge on the night of 18 August 1993, 110 of the 147 surviving panels were damaged. The bridge was rebuilt in eight months and reopened on 14 April 1994. Downstream, the Spreuer Bridge (Spreuerbrücke) holds a Dance of Death cycle painted by Caspar Meglinger between 1625 and 1635. Its message, that death comes to everyone whatever their station, gives this wooden bridge a very different face from the Chapel Bridge. Look upstream from here and you'll see the Needle Dam (Nadelwehr), built in 1859–1861. The lake level is still set by hand, by pulling out or slotting in timber "needles."

A clock tower on the town wall

The Musegg Wall (Museggmauer) runs along the hill behind the old town, and nine of its towers still stand. The Männli, Zyt and Schirmer towers are open to climb, while only the lower part of the Wacht Tower is open. The Zyt Tower, built in 1442, has a clock dial big enough that fishermen out on the lake could read the time. On the way down, stop at the Jesuit Church (Jesuitenkirche) beside the Reuss, consecrated in 1677 as Switzerland's first major baroque church. At the tail end of winter, the old town fills with Fasnacht. In 2027 it kicks off at 5 a.m. on 4 February with the "big bang" and runs until the 9th.

A lion carved in rock

The Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) honors the Swiss Guards who died defending Louis XVI when the Tuileries Palace in Paris was stormed on 10 August 1792. It was designed by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen and unveiled in 1821. The carving measures ten by six meters: inside a rocky grotto, a lion with a spear in its side lies with a paw on a shield, and the pond in front mirrors it. Mark Twain called it "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."

The KKL and the steamers

Right next to the station on the lakeshore stands the KKL Luzern (Culture and Congress Centre), designed by Jean Nouvel. Its roof juts out like a long eave, 45 m measured diagonally, with no supports at all. The 1,898-seat concert hall opened in 1998, just as today's Lucerne Festival (then the International Music Festival) got underway. The 2027 summer festival runs from 12 August to 12 September. From the piers, five paddle steamers with art nouveau saloons still ply the lake. The lake twists like a fjord, and the way mountain and water lock together is best seen from the deck. Take the boat to Alpnachstad below Pilatus or Vitznau below Rigi, then switch to a mountain railway: that's the basic shape of a day out from Lucerne.

Pilatus and Rigi

With a maximum gradient of 48%, the Pilatus cog railway is the steepest in the world. Opened in 1889, it climbs from Alpnachstad to Pilatus Kulm at 2,132 m in about 30 minutes. You may spot marmots or ibex among the meadows and cliffs. The classic route is the Golden Round Trip: boat out, cog railway up, aerial cableway and gondolas down, bus back. On Rigi, the "Queen of the Mountains," Europe's first cog railway opened from Vitznau in 1871 and reached Rigi Kulm (1,797 m) two years later. From the top, Lake Lucerne, the Alps and the Swiss Central Plateau fill a single view.

Tastes of Lucerne

Kafi Luz is the local coffee with a shot of Träsch, a clear brandy distilled from whole apples and pears. The rule of thumb: it should be light enough to read a newspaper through the glass. Pears turn up all over the local food. Lucerne Lebkuchen (Luzerner Lebkuchen) is a round, flat bake made with pear honey, boiled-down pear juice, instead of bees' honey; it's sliced thin and spread with butter. Birnenweggen, dough rolled around a dried-pear filling, is in bakeries year-round. Five Central Swiss cantons, Lucerne among them, and a few areas nearby make Sbrinz, an extra-hard cheese aged at least 18 months. It's never sliced but broken with a special tool, and small chunks called Möckli go with an aperitif.

Three days, two nights

Day 1 — Arrive at Lucerne station → KKL and the lakeshore → Chapel Bridge and Water Tower → Jesuit Church → Spreuer Bridge and Needle Dam Day 2 — Steamer to Alpnachstad → Pilatus cog railway → cableway and gondolas down → bus back to town → Kafi Luz in the evening Day 3 — Musegg Wall and Zyt Tower → Lion Monument → steamer to Vitznau → Rigi Kulm → boat back to Lucerne

What to eat

• Kafi Luz (coffee with Träsch)
• Lucerne Lebkuchen (pear-honey dough)
• Birnenweggen (dried-pear filling)
• Sbrinz cheese (aged 18+ months)

Handy tips

• Stay overnight and your accommodation emails you a Visitor Card shortly before you arrive. It covers buses and trains (2nd class) in city zone 10 but not boats, and you can't buy one.
• The Pilatus cog railway runs only from May to November. The Golden Round Trip operates May to October from CHF 59.90; with a Swiss Travel Pass the boat and bus are free, so you just need a discounted ticket for the mountain.
• The Musegg Wall and its towers are free to visit daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., 1 April to 1 November, and closed the rest of the year. In winter, trade the view from the wall for a concert at the Jesuit Church or the Christmas markets at year's end.