By Plane

The closest airport to Lucerne is Zurich Airport. From Zurich Airport there are frequent trains to Luzern (Lucerne) Railway Station, including a direct train each hour, taking 1 hour and 10 minutes.

By Train

Luzern (Lucerne) Railway Station is located in the heart of the city on the banks of beautiful Lake Lucerne, within easy walking distance to many attractions and hotels. The station is the primary entry point for those travelling into Lucerne and services more than 90,000 passengers each day. From Lucerne, you can travel to many cities and towns in Switzerland and onwards to other European countries.

Train tickets for high-speed and local trains can be purchased from the blue, grey and red ticket machines which are throughout the station. These machines can be accessed in English and accept cash and credit cards. Alternatively, you can purchase tickets from the ticket counter in the main building.

From the train station it is an easy walk into the heart of the city, or you can take a bus or taxi to wherever you need to go.

By Car

If possible, it is best to avoid driving into the centre of Lucerne due to its narrow, often one-way streets, pedestrianised areas and expensive and hard to find parking options. If you truly need to park in the centre of the city, check the website www.parking-luzern.ch for details on parking options or arrange a parking space with your accommodation before arrival.

P+R (Park & Ride):

If you are travelling throughout Switzerland or Europe with a car, an option is to park at a P+R (Park & Ride) location out of the centre of the city and take public transport into the centre. There are plenty of P+R locations on the outskirts of Lucerne, mostly at train stations, making it a quick and easy train trip into the centre of Lucerne. After parking, purchase a ticket for between 1-7 days and place your ticket clearly visible on your dashboard. Depending on location, ticket prices range between CHF3-16 per day. For further information on Park & Ride options, including locations, visit the website www.luzernmobil.ch.

Moving Around the City

Lucerne is a small city and once you have arrived there you’ll find most of the sights will be an easy and flat walk away, though do be careful of the cobblestoned and sometimes uneven streets. The city does however have a useful public transport network (including bus and train) to help you get around.

Public Transport Tickets

The public transport network in the Canton of Lucerne is divided into different zones. Lucerne city is located in Zone 10 and virtually all of the sights you might want to see will be within this zone.

All visitors to Lucerne staying overnight are entitled to a free Lucerne Visitor Card. This card entitles you to free public transport within Zone 10 for the duration of your stay (up to 14 days) along with discounts to certain attractions. If you need to use public transport to reach your accommodation on arrival, a hotel reservation confirmation (such as an email confirming a hotel booking) will be accepted as a public transport ticket.

For those not staying overnight, or wishing to travel out of Zone 10, there are several ticketing options for public transport.

Single ticket for Zone 10 – valid for 1 hour CHF4.10.

Day ticket for Zone 10 – valid for one calendar day CHF8.20.

Multi-day ticket for Zone 10 – includes 6 individual day passes CHF46.80.

Tickets for public transport can be purchased from the ticket machines found at train stations and bus stops. These machines can be accessed in English and accept cash and credit cards.

Bus

Lucerne has an extensive network of bus routes encompassing 85 lines, covering the Lucerne city area as well as neighbouring regions. The bus network operates between 5:00am and 12:30am each day and is supplemented by night buses overnight. Buses arrive every 5-15 minutes, depending on the route and the time of day.

Train

The Lucerne S-Bahn consists of 17 train lines, covering the canton of Lucerne and connecting it with surrounding cantons. It is mainly designed with commuters in mind and it is unlikely you will need to travel by train to visit sights while you’re in Lucerne. One exception is travelling to the Swiss Museum of Transport which is serviced by Lucerne Verkehrshaus Railway Station (as well as the bus network).