Start from 33 curated places around Lucerne, CH, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Scala Restaurant (Art Deco Hotel Montana)
A GaultMillau 15-point restaurant on the hillside above the Old Town, with a panoramic terrace that sweeps from Lake Lucerne to Pilatus and Rigi. The kitchen draws on influences from southern Switzerland, Italy, France, and Greece, with daily preparation from fresh ingredients. The Art Deco dining room is intimate and unhurried, and the terrace is one of the best lunch seats in the city.
Restaurant Olivo (Grand Casino)
A GaultMillau 16-point Mediterranean restaurant inside the Belle Époque Grand Casino building on the lake shore, with high ceilings, chandeliers, and a terrace facing the water and Alps. The kitchen focuses on seasonal Mediterranean cooking with Swiss alpine ingredients woven through. Rated the top-ten restaurant in Lucerne by volume of reviews.
Trails & outdoors
Pilatus – Tomlishorn Summit Trail
A short out-and-back ridge walk from Pilatus Kulm station (2,070m) to the Tomlishorn, the highest peak of the Pilatus massif at 2,128m, with 360-degree views across Lake Lucerne, the Alps, and the Bernese Oberland on clear days. The trail is moderate in difficulty and covers 3km return. Access is via the world's steepest cogwheel railway from Alpnachstad or cable car from Kriens.
Rigi Panorama Trail (Rigi Kaltbad to Rigi Scheidegg)
A 14km ridge walk along the spine of Mount Rigi from Rigi Kaltbad (1,436m) to Rigi Scheidegg (1,659m), following an old railway alignment through alpine meadows with continuous views of Lake Lucerne, Lake Zug, and the Bernese Alps. Rated easy by Swiss standards with minimal exposed sections. The 'Queen of Mountains' is accessible by cog railway from Vitznau or cable car from Weggis.
Things to do
KKL Luzern Concert Hall
Jean Nouvel's 1998 concert hall on the lake shore — a 1,840-seat acoustic room considered one of the finest in Europe, with a cantilevered roof extending over the water. It serves as the primary venue for the Lucerne Festival, which brings the world's leading orchestras and conductors each summer and autumn. The building also houses the Kunstmuseum Luzern and a restaurant on its upper terrace.
Lake Lucerne Boat Cruise (SGV)
The Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees operates a network of scheduled boats and vintage paddle steamers across Lake Lucerne from the Bahnhofquai piers opposite the train station. Services connect directly to Weggis, Vitznau, Bürgenstock, Brunnen, and Flüelen, with the five-lake region boat journey from Lucerne to Flüelen rated one of Switzerland's most scenic. Covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.
Landmarks & sights
Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke)
A 14th-century covered wooden footbridge spanning the Reuss River diagonally through the Old Town, with 17th-century ceiling panels depicting Lucerne's history painted by Hans Heinrich Wägmann. At 204 metres, it remains the oldest surviving wooden covered bridge in Europe. The attached octagonal Water Tower, even older than the bridge itself, functioned variously as a watchtower, treasury, and prison.
Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal)
A large sandstone relief of a dying lion carved directly into a cliff face in a quiet park, commemorating the Swiss Guards killed defending Louis XVI during the French Revolution in 1792. Mark Twain called it the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world. The monument sits above a reflective pond and is framed by weeping willows in a natural grotto setting.