How to Spend 3 Days in Lucerne Switzerland

Lucerne was definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in my life. I would recommend Lucerne to anybody looking for a peaceful city with lots of outdoor activities and historic charm. It was a bit cold when we traveled there in September, but if I could do it again, I would definitely go during the summer to swim in the lake and to have a better chance of better weather in the mountains. However, since we went in the off-season, we were able to get better prices with travel and fewer crowds. 

Day 1: Afternoon 

We arrived in Lucerne after a beautiful and quick train ride from Zurich. We immediately checked into our Hostile which was a bit out of the city, but had gorgeous views of the mountains. We were able to get a private room, the accommodations were clean and the host was very kind and present. We decided to walk down to the city to explore the neighborhood and ended up in Old Town. We got lunch at the cutest cafe called ‘Wirtshaus Bar Krienbruggli’ and sat outside to people-watch. It was exactly what I mean when I say “I want to sit outside at a Cafe in Europe". After lunch, we made our way to the Chapel Bridge and walked across while taking photos. 

Day 1: Evening

After walking around the riverwalk area surrounding Chapel Bridge, we decided to stop for a drink on the river. There were a number of places lined up and we just stopped at the wine bar closest to the bridge and sat outside. It was so relaxing to be able to sit in the beauty of Lucerne while watching all the tourist and locals alike experience the city as well. For dinner, we went to Stadtkeller for a traditional Swiss dinner and a show. Although this was very touristy, (I think we might have been the only table there that wasn’t in a tour group) it was worth it to me since I recognized a lot of traditional songs that my Grandma taught me growing up. If you enjoy dinner and a show, you will like this show. Afterwards, we decided to head back to the Hostile to get rest for the next day. 

Day 2: Morning 

Our next day was chilly and rainy - but it made the city feel cozy, so we didn’t mind. We started off our day at Mill’Feuille, which was a little cafe that’s right off the river in the Old Town. It was exactly what we were looking for and there was a wide variety of breakfast options - even healthy options which are far and hard to come by while traveling. After breakfast, we made our way to the Musegg Tower Walls. There are a number of towers you can climb up and experience the viewpoint from. Although the view was amazing, we also really enjoyed our walk alongside the wall. We passed a farm and got to see a side of Lucerne that wasn’t just tourists.

Day 2: Afternoon

After hiking the tower walls, we wanted to escape the chilly weather and relax for a bit. We took a tram up to the Hotel Chateau Gutsch, which is impossible to miss. It’s the castle, turned hotel, that you can see from Old Town Lucerne. We sat at the American Bar in the hotel, got coffee and enjoyed the beautiful scenery both inside the hotel and at the Swiss Mountains outside. 

Day 2: Evening 

In the evening we decided to stop alongside the riverwalk by Chapel Bridge for dinner, then took a walk by Lake Lucerne. This walk then led us to the Lion Monument, a tribute to honor Swiss soldiers. This sculpture has the most emotion I have ever seen carved into stone. I have truly never seen anything quite like it. This stop is a must-do for all. 

Day 3: Morning - Mt.Pilatus Day 

We started off day 3 in Lucerne by stopping at Cafe Tacuba, which ended up being my favorite shop we went to on the entire trip. It had delicious coffee and was the perfect place to spend the morning. If I lived in Lucerne, I could definitely see myself journaling, working and reading from there. After breakfast, we made our way to Lake Lucerne to take a ferry to the base of the cogwheel to take us up to Mt. Pilatus. The boat ride was truly magical. It felt like we were the only people in the world - surrounded by huge mountains. If you don’t go up to Mt.Pilatus,  I still recommend doing the boat ride. 

Day 3: Afternoon 

After we arrived at the Cogwheel station, we began to make our way up the mountain. This Cogwheel is the steepest in the world. I had never been on a Cogwheel train before, but I would definitely recommend it for going up the mountain. Once we got up to the mountain, we went outside to see the views but unfortunately it was super foggy, so we couldn’t see more than 4 feet in front of us. Along with the recent snow fall that had occurred, it didn’t seem like the best time to hike. We had a snack and explored the Chalet at the top of the mountain and decided to come back down. We accidentally took the Gondola on the way down, but it ended up being one of the highlights of our entire trip. As we started coming down the mountain it was still super foggy and we couldn’t see anything but at one of the mid-mountain stops we decided to get off and hike around a bit. After ~30 minutes we got back on the Gondola and everything had cleared up. We had perfect views of Lucerne, the lake, and the mountains surrounding it. It was a good reminder that everything happens for a reason. 

Day 3: Evening 

After our long day of hiking, we stopped at La Bestia for pizza and then went to Monopol for drinks. From Monopol, we were able to watch the sunset over Lake Lucerne for a perfect end to our long day. The next morning we went to the train station to make our way to Heidelberg, Germany. But before we left, we had to make one last stop at Cafe Tacuba!