Occupying a stunning position on the banks of Lake Lucerne where the River Reuss meets the lake, Lucerne is a fascinating, colourful city winning the hearts of its many visitors. Small enough to discover on foot, explore the charming streets of the traffic-free ‘old-town’, with its frescoed buildings, delightful cafés, shops and boutiques, or drop by one of the city’s museums. Lake steamers regularly call in at the harbour, carrying guests to pretty lakeside villages such as Weggis and Vitznau, or to the local mountains of Mount Rigi, Stanserhorn and Pilatus Kulm, which all offer a good scope for walking. Our hotels in Lucerne offer a great choice of accommodation.
Lucerne Holidays
The city where lakes and mountains combine
Latest from Lucerne
Useful Information
Resort Code: CHLC
Languages spoken:
Time difference: GMT+1
Currency: CHF
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from£822pp
- 65 rooms
Recently voted as one of Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice Top 25 hotels in Switzerland and with easy access in moments to and from the lakeside by private elevator, this well-furnished hotel in an ‘Art Deco’ style, offers very comfortable accommodation and enjoys superb panoramic lake views.
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from£652pp
- 92 rooms
Enjoying a quiet yet central position just 5 minutes’ walk from the lake and a stone's throw from the railway station for boat and rail excursions.
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from£642pp
- 96 rooms
With the public areas recently-refurbished, the Waldstätterhof is a well-established city hotel offering a good standard of accommodation and cuisine in an excellent central location.
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from£782pp
The Romantik Hotel Wilden Mann is a charming, comfortable hotel located right in the heart of Lucerne's beautiful historic old town. Dating back to 1860, the hotel has many original features and the rooms are individually-styled to give a tradition charm and boutique feel.
Travel and Transportation
| Departure day | Duration (nights) | To | Depart from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday Wednesday Friday Saturday |
4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14 |
Zurich | Gatwick Heathrow, Luton, London City, Manchester |
Transfer Approx. 1hr by rail.
| Departure day | Duration (nights) | To | Depart from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday Wednesday Friday Saturday |
4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14 |
Geneva |
Gatwick |
Transfer Approx. 3hrs by rail.
Flight supplements may apply and are based on 7 nights midweek/weekend departures. Other UK regional airports are available on indirect flights.
Luggage Services
‘Fly-rail Luggage’ - send your luggage directly from your UK airport to your hotel for only £18 per item per way. See our Transfers page for details.
‘Bagsahead’ - If you would like to have your luggage collected direct from your home, we recommend Bagsahead.
Car hire available: Yes
Evening resort bus service: No
Local bus services:
Parking available: Yes
Resort Ski bus available: No
Inghams Plus
- Discount Travel Card – worth over £100 per person - included in the price of your holiday
- Free guided city walking tour of Lucerne (stays of 7 or more nights)
- Free 1hr panorama boat trip (stays of 7 or more nights)
- Free 'Lucerne Visitors Card' Great for sightseeing with unlimited use of Lucerne's public buses up to zone 10 for access to various attractions. (issued locally)
- Free travel on Swiss Transport Network for children up to 15 years incl.
- Free daily packed lunches at selected hotels
- Early Booking Offers at selected hotels
- Inghams Rep based in resort
Special Offers
Excursions
PRE-BOOKABLE
Tell Regional Pass
2 consecutive days, from £135 (2nd class)
5 consecutive days, from £174 (2nd class)
Individual upgrades to 1st class tickets payable locally.
Discover the region with this great value pass, which gives you unlimited travel on regional boats, buses, trains and cable-cars including:
- Free travel to summits Pilatus Kulm, Rigi Kulm and Stanserhorn for fantastic views and walking.
- Free unlimited boat trips around the whole of Lake Lucerne to Weggis, Brunnen, Vitznau, Fluelen and Küssnacht
- Free ‘Postbus’ travel in Lucerne, Weggis and Vitznau
- Free trains to Meiringen, Engelberg, Zug and Arth-Goldau
- Free trip on the Mount Titlis revolving aerial cable-car
- Free unlimited boat trips on Lake Zug
- Free unlimited use of city buses in Lucerne
1st class day ticket on Lake Lucerne
From £44, daily
Spend the day cruising the lake, getting on and off as you please, with unlimited travel on the lovely boats.
‘Mount Rigi Roundtrip
From £45, daily
Take a unique ride up to Mount Rigi on the oldest cogwheel railway in the world, to enjoy marvellous views and some easy scenic walking.
Mount Pilatus Golden Round Trip
From £45, daily
A spectacular journey up to the summit of Lucerne’s impressive mountain for wonderful views over the lake.
Guided ‘Classic Walking Tour’ of Lucerne
From £21, daily
2 hour tour of the old town, including Chapel Bridge.
BOOK LOCALLY
‘Cabrio’ open-top cable-car at Stanserhorn*
Many more options available locally through your Representative including:
From £40, daily
Reach the summit on this 120yr old funicular route & cable-car for views over 10 lakes, alpine flowers, marmot park and revolving restaurant.
*Bookable locally - price for guidance only. Prices shown include Travel Card discount.
Please note that we act at all times as selling agent for the suppliers of activities & excursions.
Prices and supplements are correct at time of publishing but may vary up or down; correct prices will be advised at the time of booking.
Things To Do
- Lake cruises
- Walking
- Hiking
- Museums
- Shopping
- Cycling
- Watersports
- Lake swimming
- Cinema
Lucerne is small enough to discover on foot allowing you to explore the charming streets of the traffic-free "old-town", with its frescoed buildings, delightful cafés, shops and boutiques, or drop by one of the city's museums. A regular fleet of lake steamers call in at the harbour, carrying people on holidays in Lucerne to picturesque lakeside villages such as Weggis and Vitznau, and to Mount Rigi, Bürgenstock, and Pilatus Kulm - reached by the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. There is good scope for walking on many of these local mountains. A free boat ride and city walking tour is included for those on Lucerne holidays who are staying for 7 or more nights.
Activity Information
Free Excursions
- Free Panorama Boat Trip - 1 hour boat ride on the lake with commentary
- Free Guided 'Classic Walking Tour' of Lucerne (approx. 2 hours)
Other things to do in and around Lucerne
- Old town with cobbled streets and beautifully decorated facades
- Public lake swimming, casino and cinema
- Several churches with beautiful interiors
- Great shopping plus regular markets
- Swiss Army knife making in nearby Brunnen (approx. Sfr25 per person)
- International Music Festival with some free events (approx 16 Aug - 15 Sep )
- Trips to surrounding peaks including Pilatus, Mount Rigi, Stanserhorn and Bürgenstock
- Many museums including the famous Museum of Transport
- Lucerne Museum Pass available locally (approx. Sfr36 per person)
- ‘Blue Balls’ music festival with some free concerts (approx 19-27 Jul)
Discount Travel Card included for all Inghams guests
Save up to 50% with your half-price card on trips of your choice across the Swiss transport network. Included in the price of your holiday, and worth over £80!
Your travel card is sent to you before departure with your rail transfer tickets.
Exploring on the Swiss Transport Network
Switzerland's excellent public transport network of mountain railways, cable-cars, steam boats and buses makes it a pleasure to explore the sights, at your own pace.
Great Value Travel Passes
Purchase a travel pass and only pay one inclusive price for your trips:
Prices shown include Travel Card discount.
Tell Regional Pass (pre-bookable)
2 consecutive days, from £135 (2nd class)
5 consecutive days, from £174 (2nd class)
10 consecutive days, from £199 (2nd class)
Individual upgrades to 1st class tickets payable locally.
Discover the region with this great value pass, which gives you unlimited travel on regional boats, buses, trains and cable-cars including:
- Free travel to summits Pilatus Kulm, Rigi Kulm and Stanserhorn for fantastic views, open-top cable-car and walking.
- Free unlimited boat trips around the whole of Lake Lucerne to Weggis, Brunnen, Vitznau, Fluelen and Küssnacht
- Free trains to Meiringen, Engelberg, Zug and Arth-Goldau
- Free trip on the Mount Titlis revolving aerial cable-car
- Free unlimited boat trips on Lake Zug
- Free unlimited use of city buses in Lucerne
- Free trip on Mount Titlis revolving cable-car
- Upgrade to 1st class locally
Walking
Easy Lucerne is perfect for strolls along the lakeside or the colourful old town. Don't miss the city guided walking tour, which points out the city's most important landmarks.
Moderate Nature lovers should take the boat to Breckenreid for the 'Klewenalp Flower Trail'. Once at the top, the signs take you on a short steep section, but then flattens out as you make your way around Klewenalp, following the wide variety of wild flowers which thrive here (approx. 1hr)
Slightly Challenging Head out of Lucerne to the nearby Rigi mountain near Weggis. The cog railway takes you up to Rigi Kulm and you can walk even higher to get stunning panoramic views. Instead of taking the train back down, walk to Rigi Kaltbad (approx. 1hr 20 mins). Ascending Mount Pilatus by cog railways and cable-car is also a must for inspring views of the lake and Alpine range.
Multi-Centres | You can combine your stay in Lucerne with any one or more resort(s) of your choice in Switzerland. We recommend Montreux or Wengen. Flexible durations available Transfers. between resorts via the Swiss transport network are included in your holiday price. Or try our escorted four-centre Swiss Classic Tour.
