What to Do in Lucerne: Two Day Itinerary for First-Time Visitors

Is Lucerne one of the destinations you’ll visit on your trip to Switzerland? If you’re short on time and are wondering what to do in Lucerne in just a couple of days, this episode is for you!

I’m joined by local expert Sabine Föhn who shares her insider tips for how to spend 2 days in Lucerne. 

Whether you want to stroll across the iconic Old Town Lucerne bridges, relax on a scenic Lake Lucerne cruise, taste location specialties at one of the many restaurants in Lucerne, or marvel at breathtaking views from a mountain summit, tune in to learn the best things to do in Lucerne for the perfect Lucerne 2 day itinerary.

We cover the highlights of an excursion to both Mt Pilatus and Mount Rigi, including how to fit them into your Lucerne 2 days itinerary no matter when you visit. 

Plus, you’ll hear about the variety of Lake Lucerne cruise options - like the unique Legends of Lake Lucerne experience, and other cruises available all year round.

Sabine also introduces us to the brand new Lucerne Travel Pass, which offers incredible value and includes public transportation, mountain excursions, and lake cruises - making it even easier to enjoy all the top things to do in Lucerne without spending a fortune.

And if you’re unsure about the best time to visit Lucerne, Switzerland, you’ll also learn what makes each season special, so you can choose the perfect time for your adventure.

Tune in for expert advice, itinerary inspiration, and essential tips for making your two days in Lucerne absolutely unforgettable!

Find all the details, links, and resources mentioned in the show notes at holidaystoswitzerland.com/episode180.

Happy travels,
Carolyn

👉 Show notes - Episode 180

📖 Free Switzerland Travel Planning Kit & Guide - Get your copy here

✅ Browse the exclusive travel discounts offered by our trusted travel partners

🎙️ Tell us what you love about the podcast or ask a question by leaving a voice message

Where to get more Swiss travel tips and inspiration:

•On our website

•Subscribe to our newsletter

•Join our private Facebook group

•On our YouTube channel

Work with Us - Contact us for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Transcript

Carolyn Schönafinger: Welcome to the Holidays to Switzerland podcast. If you're planning a trip to Switzerland, this is the podcast for you. I'm your host, Carolyn Schönafinger, the founder of holidaystoswitzerland.com and in each episode, my expert guests and I share practical tips to help you plan your dream trip to Switzerland. You'll get helpful advice about travelling around Switzerland and hear about the most popular destinations as well as some hidden gems. And we'll introduce you to plenty of wonderful experiences that you can enjoy as part of your Swiss vacation. Each episode is packed with expert tips, itinerary ideas and inspiration to help make your Swiss vacation planning easy. So let's dive in. Grüezi. Welcome to this week's episode. Today I'm delighted to welcome back Sabine Fawn from the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company. She's here to help us plan the perfect two day itinerary for the beautiful city of Lucerne. Lucerne is a must see destination for many travellers to Switzerland, but because of its wealth of sights, mountain excursions and lake cruises, planning the ideal visit can often feel very overwhelming. So that's why I've asked Sabine, a Lucerne local with in depth knowledge of the region, to join us today and share her insider tips and favourite experiences so that you can make the most of your time in this stunning medieval city.

Carolyn Schönafinger: From strolling through Lucerne's charming old town and crossing its iconic bridges, to taking in breathtaking views from nearby mountains and enjoying unforgettable meals right by the lake, Sabine has got plenty of suggestions to suit every traveller. So whether you're planning just a short two day stay or you have a few extra days to explore, this episode is packed with advice to help you enjoy Lucerne to the fullest. If you're dreaming of Switzerland and want to experience the very best of Lucerne's history, cuisine and natural beauty, then this episode is right for you. Let's welcome Sabine and hear what she's got to tell us. Hello Sabine. Thank you so much for joining me today. It's lovely to have you back here on the podcast. Would you like to tell our listeners a bit about yourself?

Sabine Föhn: Yes. Hi everyone. It's very nice to be back to have this opportunity. I work for the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company, but I have also exciting changes. I will switch to another company in the area of Lucerne within this week, so I'm very happy that I can finish my last week with you to present you my tips for Lucerne and the area.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, absolutely. And who better to ask than Someone who has such in depth knowledge of Lucerne. So today I've asked you onto the podcast to help us plan a two day itinerary for Lucerne. Now, I know a lot of my listeners are including Lucerne in their Swiss vacation. They've probably looked at the Internet, they've seen so many things that they can do in Lucerne, so they just don't really know where to start planning out their days. So I, I'm hoping that that's what you can help us with today. And I'm sure you can. So we're going to assume that our listener has two full days in Lucerne or close to. Perhaps they've arrived in Lucerne late last night or they're. They've flown into Zurich this morning and they're catching the train to Lucerne, which only takes an hour. So they've got almost two full, full days in Lucerne. So could you walk us through your tips for how to spend their first day in the beautiful medieval city?

Sabine Föhn: Yeah, I think if there are first timers, I would definitely suggest to come into the city, have a short walk in the old town because Lucerne is so small, you can do everything by food, have a coffee, arrive in Lucerne, go on the bridge in the morning, that's always less. There are less people than in the afternoon. So you have a stroll along in the city and you can do great mountain excursions which are in the reach of Lucerne. So first timer definitely it's Rigi or Mount Pilatus. These are the ones I suggest to visit when the clients were never in Lucerne. And do it on the first day so they get also view from the top. And what's great about it, both excursions you're able to do all year long, so it doesn't matter which season you come. For example, Mount Rigi. This is possible with the boat all year long from Lucerne to Fitzna by a boat you go up by mountain railway and then you're on top of Mount Rigi. Rigi is also called the Queen of the mountains. If you have some time, you can take a little walk to the Cheese Diary on top and have a raclette.

Sabine Föhn: Then you can come down by train back to Fitznau or in Rigi Kulm you change to the gondola to come back and by boat back to the city. If you visit Mount Pilatus, you do the golden round trip. This is possible from May to October. So you take the boat in Lucerne. All the piers are right next to the the train station or seven minutes to the old town. Easy reachable. You take the boat to Alpnachstad. Then you take the steepest funicular in the world. You are on top of Mount Pilatus. It's a beautiful view on the lake. And on Pilatus you can do different like walks. Also the in the inside you have a nice restaurant, coffee and you come down by a Dragon Glider. And then back to the town by bus. Pilatus in winter is not accessible via boat in Alpnachstad. So if you're there in winter you go to Kriens by bus, up the mountain and back. So first day, come to the city, stroll around the city. If you want some more information, you can also do a city tour and then do one of the two mountains.

Sabine Föhn: And on the second day, if you're there between May and September, I would definitely suggest from our company the Legends of Lake Lucerne cruise. It's a premium cruise we started last year. We had very great reviews with an actor on board, five course meal, all champagne and drinks included, as much as you like. If you are more budget sensitive, you can also do a beautiful lunch cruise we offer all year long. Every day it's a two hours cruise on the lake and have some lunch. If you really want a full packed itinerary, you can always add a Mount Stoos to it. Or even Seelisberg, which is a very, very small village you can access by boat and then small funicular and then the two days are already gone. So I definitely suggest to stay some more days.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, absolutely. Two days is never enough, is it? Now just getting back to the Legends of Lake Lucerne cruise that you mentioned there. It's a five hour cruise, is that correct?

Sabine Föhn: Correct. It's a five hours experience where you start being welcomed by the captain on board. It's every day except of a Monday. It starts at 9 in the morning. So don't eat too much breakfast. Then you're getting on the boat and then you get the first starter. You can also start with a coffee. You don't have to take champagne as early. And for this year on a Wednesday it's actually an evening cruise instead of a day cruise. So we do for our second year, do some changes and look whatever is best for the clients.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, lovely. And you mentioned that it's a premium experience. So it's a very big ship, paddle steamer. But there's not that many passengers on board, is there? That it's limited to a certain number.

Sabine Föhn: Yes, the Maximum of passengers is 65. So imagine being on a paddle steamer where usually you can take up to 800, 900 people. So it seems like you rented it for yourself. And I think the biggest or one of the biggest advantages or what people like on the lake on this particular cruise is the actor. So we have an actor who is doing like real life storytelling and he's impersonating our founder, Mr. Knut. So it's really like having almost a journey back into history where you will learn more about Queen Victoria who travelled on the donkey on Mount Pilatus or Mark Twain visiting Rigi. And of course most important, a lot of clients don't know we have on Lake Lucerne, Rütli. Rütli is in the area of Lake Uri, which is at the part of the lake which is more near to Flüelen. There is actually our birthplace. So there's where Switzerland was founded. We will also have a look there and have stories about Rütli and how Switzerland was founded.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Sounds fantastic. Okay, so for the folks who aren't coming from May till September when the Legends Cruise operates, or they can't do the lake cruise to go up to Mount Pilatus. What are some of the other cruises that are available in the other months of the year?

Sabine Föhn: We have a big fleet, so we offer different kind of cruises. We also have short cruises, like the short catamaran is 50 minutes. But usually, especially if clients also have a Swiss travel pass, they enjoy some longer cruises. So I would suggest also to take the boat from Lucerne to Brunnen. It's like a two hours cruise. You could even have lunch on it. And then in Brunnen is a very nice village, a small Swiss village with great views on the lake. And you could also take from Brunnen a bus to Stoos. And Stoos they also have a funicular to go up. You're in a village in an upper town and all of these excursions like the boat, the train or the bus and then being on Stoos is all included in the Swiss travel post. So this is also a great excursion. And if I could suggest something else which not include a boat, but I think it's quite nice to visit even if you're a second day in the area. You can take the train from Lucerne to Engelberg, it's about 45 minutes train. And in Engelberg is a very, very nice Swiss town with a monastery.

Sabine Föhn: And also they will have an opening of a new attraction in June. So yeah, it's so much to visit. I Could go on and on and on.

Carolyn Schönafinger: And lots of cheese dairies to visit in Engelberg as well. Yes, they're not to be missed.

Sabine Föhn: Yeah.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay. So it's very easy to fill two days in Lucerne, obviously. So for those people who are lucky enough to have some additional days, or perhaps they don't want to do a mountain excursion, or maybe the weather's not favourable for a mountain excursion. What else would you suggest that they do?

Sabine Föhn: So in the city itself, it also has like the Rosengard Museum. They have several Picasso image art from Picasso. You can also go to the. In the old town you have the Museggmauer. There's like from the medieval town time. Sorry. You can visit these towers. Some are for free, some not. And I think from Lucerne also, you have the opportunity to visit Like for example, I know you should stay in the area, but if you take like the train one hour from Lucerne, you are in Bern. This is our capital. And Bern is easy, combinable with Lucerne, every hour at least you have a train. And you can also take this fast train to get to Bern. So in an hour you're there. Or you can take the train which takes a little longer. It's a regional train, one and a half hours. So you really see like the small villages between Bern and Lucerne. In Bern, as I said, it's our capital. It's a medieval town. It's very beautiful, especially when it's bad weather. You can walk underneath the archives, so there is no rain touching you when you visit the town. Town.

Sabine Föhn: And coming back to Lucerne, of course, Lucerne itself. The sightseeing. Yes, of course, the lions monument. You need to visit the old town. And there's a wide range of very great restaurants in the area. Museums and if there are any kids, of course. Also great for adults too. There is a transport museum in Lucerne. You can spend there, hours and hours.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Hours. Yes, absolutely. There's so much to see there, isn't there?

Sabine Föhn: Yes. Yeah.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay. So you said a moment ago that there's so many restaurants there. Do you have any favourites or recommendations for visitors maybe where they could try something quite, you know, a local specialty or something very Swiss?

Sabine Föhn: Yes, I think in the city, of course, on our lake we do have many, many dishes and menus which matches sweet flavours. In the city itself. There is also the restaurant called Taube. It's in the old town. The pigeon. Translated, they have very nice dishes, Swiss dishes. The inside of the restaurant looks great. And in summer they have a big terrace, like right next to the river. So it's quite nice. Or there is Rathaus Braui. This is this brewery from Lucerne. It is right also next to the river. You can't miss it. They have great own brewed beer and all the traditional flavours. You need very nice big portions. So I definitely suggest that. And if you want to have something like. More like trendy, local. So we split the city within Old Town and New Town. And in the New Town there is a lot of small great restaurants which have different concepts. So if you have time, you can go to Glou Glou or you can also visit like I was there a great, I know it's not Swiss, but a great Argentinian restaurant that I was last week. So there's so many flavours especially I lived since 15 years there in especially restaurant wise, it really. It's now different flavours in Lucerne and that's what I really like.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah. So there's something. Something to suit every palate.

Sabine Föhn: Yes. Yeah.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Excellent. All right. And now do you have a favourite season in Lucerne? Is there a time when. When you would suggest that visitors come to visit if. If they have a choice?

Sabine Föhn: Yeah, I think visiting Spring or Autumn is definitely a great choice. I know a lot of people want to come in summer, which is great, but if you really want to have the advantage of having perhaps a little less people also Spring especially, you see the city awakening. Of course, in winter there's a lot going on in Lucerne. We have carnival, we have Christmas markets, the Light Festival and much more. But me personally, I like the awakening of spring. You see the people being more on the streets and in autumn you can still enjoy like warm weather and the scenery with all the leaves, different colours. This is really unique. I think it's very, very great to experience that and Lucerne itself. The excursions surrounding Lucerne, almost all of them you can do all year round. This is quite great about the area.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, okay, that's good to know. And in terms of those opening dates, are there any things that are significant that we should know about that might be closed or might have, you know, shorter opening hours at any time during the year?

Sabine Föhn: As I said, for example, Pilatus, you cannot do the boat, but you can still experience the mountain. So most of the excursions are still open. There is just perhaps another way to do it, as in summer. And I think you just need to check. Perhaps in November, 1-2 weeks some gondolas are closed, but I think most of the time it's really, really accessible and of course, if you come in at the other season, like spring or autumn, and of course winter, you can take great advantage of good prices. I think this is also something to consider. Let's say if you don't have kids or the kids are already out of the house, you don't need to travel during the school holidays. I would definitely suggest to take advantage out of that because the experience is still amazing.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Mm, yeah, definitely. And better photo opportunities if there's not so many people in your shot.

Sabine Föhn: And it's always nicer to have picture where it's not just blue sky, where you also see some clouds or different sceneries, different light sources.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Absolutely. Okay, so what's one thing that you personally tell everyone who you talk to, who's planning to visit Lucerne for the first time? Is there something that you tell them that they absolutely must do before they leave the city?

Sabine Föhn: Okay, I think a must-do in the city… I think it's so simple. But walking along the lake and just admiring the scenery and the people is so interesting. It's really do. Do the things by walk, walk around Lucerne. I think this is where you experience the city the best to see it. And definitely, I know I'm a little biased, but the best view of the city you have from the lake. So go on a boat, definitely do an excursion and enjoy Lucerne from land and water. I think this is really something you need to do.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, absolutely. All right. So do you have any further tips for our listeners who are planning their visit to Lucerne?

Sabine Föhn: Yes, it's actually quite new or news this week. They introduced the Lucerne Travel Pass. Back in the days it was called, back in the days, it's two months ago, it was called the Telpass. So this is a new ticket in the area where a lot of excursions are included. So the Lucerne Travel Pass, if you're staying for four days in Lucerne, if they don't have the Swiss Travel Pass because they travel to other areas, I think it's a very great ticket price value, I think combines our area. Very good.

Carolyn Schönafinger: And that includes public transportation, the mountain excursions and lake cruises, et cetera.

Sabine Föhn: Yeah, even the train to Interlaken is included. Fantastic. Yeah. Okay.

Carolyn Schönafinger: That's wonderful. Yeah. All right. Well, yeah, thank you so much, Sabine, for sharing all that with us today. As we said, there's so much to do in Lucerne. It can be really hard to narrow it down to what people should do. But I think you've given us a great selection there of activities. We've got mountain visits, we've got lake cruises, we've got museums and strolling through the old town. So you really get a whole, you know, taste of all of Switzerland in in the one place, don't you?

Sabine Föhn: Yeah, it's definitely Switzerland in a nutshell. And you always need to come back twice and a third time and a fourth time because I promise you there are much more tips which I didn't include. Yeah.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Oh well, we'll have to get you back on in a future episode to reveal all those secrets to us, of course. Thank you so much. As you've just heard, Lucerne really does have something for everyone. Whether you prefer strolling through the medieval old town and exploring fascinating museums, or taking breathtaking mountain excursions and relaxing cruises on Lake Lucerne. I really hope Sabine's tips have helped you to see just how much you can experience in two days. And maybe she's even inspired you to extend your stay and soak up more of what Lucerne has to offer. To help you plan your own unforgettable visit, I'll include links in the show notes to everything that we discussed today. There'll be details about the Legends of Lake Lucerne cruise, the Lucerne Travel Pass and Sabine's Recommended Restaurants. And you'll also find there a link to get a copy of my free Switzerland Travel Planning Starter Kit and guide. You'll find those show notes at holidaystoswitzerland.com/episode180. Thanks so much for joining me again today. I'll be back next week with more Swiss travel tips and inspiration. Until then, Tschüss.