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Lucerne, the capital of Lucerne canton, in landlocked Central Switzerland (Zentralschweiz), is essentially Alpine. In the north and west, Zentralschweiz is fairly flat, but a southern tip reaches into the Alps as far as the St Gotthard Pass.
The heart of Lucerne is its lake (the Vierwaldstättersee or Lake of the Four Forest Cantons) and its surrounding mountains. The lake is girdled by the four cantons of Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden. Also included in this region is Switzerland's smallest rural canton of Zug, containing Lake Zug (Zugersee). Lucerne is on the north-western edge of its namesake lake.
The Reuss River splits the town. The north bank is the turf of the Old Town with its compact cluster of cobbled, medieval squares (Mühlenplatz, Weinmarkt, Hirschenplatz and Kornmarkt); banks on both sides of the river are thick with guildhalls, churches and chapels. On the southern side is the train station (Hauptbahnhof) and southwest from there is one of the town's main streets, Pilatusstrasse.
Getting There
The nearest airport is Zürich (043 816 22 11, www.zurich-airport.com), 54km (34mi) away.
Road and rail connections are excellent in all directions. An interesting way to leave the region is on the William Tell Express (041 367 67 67, www.lakelucerne.ch), a 3hr paddleboat cruise across Lake Lucerne to Flüelen, from where a train wends its way through ravines and past mountains to Locarno.
The train station, on the south bank of the Reuss River, is massive; opened in 1991, it replaced the 19th-century station which was lost to fire 20 years earlier. Nearly all train connections from Italy pass through Milan before branching off to Lucerne, Zürich, Bern or Lausanne. Hourly trains connect Lucerne to Basel (1.15hr), Interlaken (2hr), Bern (1.15hr), Lugano (2.75hr), Lausanne (2.5hr) and Geneva (3.5hr via Olten or Langnau). Zürich-bound trains (1hr) leave hourly.
The N2 (E9) motorway connecting Basel and Lugano passes by Lucerne, and the N14 provides the road link to Zürich (45min). Lucerne is 244km (152mi) from Geneva and 92km (57 mi) from Berne.
The departure points for boat transport are the quays around Bahnhofplatz and Europaplatz.
Getting Around
Should you be going further than the largely pedestrian-only Old Town, city buses leave from outside the Hauptbahnhof at Bahnhofplatz.
For bike rental visit the train station or the Backpackers Hostel.
Boat rental SNG, (041 368 0808) has pedal, row and motor boats for rent. Boats or paddle steamers can also be picked up through SGV (041 367 6767), departing from the quay outside the station. Weggis and Vitznau access Mount Rigi; Kehrsiten accesses Bürgenstock; and Beckenried accesses Klewenalp. SGV's boats leave approx every hr in summer. If you alight at Brunnen or Flüelen you can catch the mainline train via the Gotthard Tunnel from Zürich to Ticino.
Catch a taxi from the train station or call 211 11 11 / 250 50 50. For car rental contact Avis (041 310 1616 / 041 260 6646), Budget (041 420 7500), Europcar (041 444 4428) or Hertz (041 420 0277). It's not a very car-friendly city though; just look at the one-way streets woven around the pedestrianised Old Town.
Note that travel passes can keep costs down on trains, boats and buses.
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