For a bird’s-eye view over Lucerne’s rooftops to the glittering lake and mountains beyond, wander along the top of the old city walls that date back to 1386. A walkway is open between the Schirmerturm (tower), where you enter, and the Wachturm, from where you have to retrace your steps. You can also ascend and descend the Zytturm or Männliturm (the latter is further west and not connected to the ramparts walkway).
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.24 MILES
Gazing over the mighty Reichenbach Falls, where the cataract plunges 250m to the ground with a deafening roar, you can see how Arthur Conan Doyle thought…
0.23 MILES
You haven’t really been to Lucerne until you have strolled the creaky 14th-century Kapellbrücke, spanning the Reuss River in the Old Town. The octagonal…
24.46 MILES
This 13th-century church is renowned for its stunning stained-glass windows, designed by the Russian-Jewish master Marc Chagall (1887–1985), who executed…
21.66 MILES
Follow the crowds flowing towards this baroque edifice, the 18th-century handiwork of Caspar Moosbrugger. The interior dances with colourful frescoes,…
24.64 MILES
Zürich’s impressive fine-arts gallery boasts a rich collection of largely European art. It stretches from the Middle Ages through a mix of Old Masters to…
0.34 MILES
Lucerne’s blockbuster cultural attraction is the Sammlung Rosengart, occupying a graceful neoclassical pile in the heart of town. It showcases the…
29.5 MILES
This gorgeous little museum is an ensemble of art, architecture and botany, housing a cornucopia of French impressionist art in a stately home surrounded…
0.38 MILES
By far the most touching of the 19th-century sights that lured so many British to Lucerne is the Lion Monument. Lukas Ahorn carved this 10m-long sculpture…
Nearby Lucerne attractions
0.03 MILES
Your entrance point for a walk along the top of the old city walls, don't forget to climb to the top of the Schirmerturm tower before you get started. It…
0.03 MILES
Near the western end of the old city walls' walkway, you both ascend or descend here at Zytturm, with its legendary clock. Since the late Middle Ages the…
0.05 MILES
At the western end of the old city walls walkway, the Wachturm is where you have to turn around and retrace your steps, either to descend at Zytturm or…
0.2 MILES
West along the old city walls and not connected to the ramparts walkway, climb Männliturm for unobstructed views out over Lucerne and marvellous photo…
0.2 MILES
The medieval Old Town, with its ancient rampart walls and towers, 15th-century buildings with painted facades and two covered bridges, is fascinating…
0.23 MILES
You haven’t really been to Lucerne until you have strolled the creaky 14th-century Kapellbrücke, spanning the Reuss River in the Old Town. The octagonal…
0.23 MILES
Downriver from Kapellbrücke, this 1408 structure is dark and small but entirely original. Lore has it that this was the only bridge where Lucerne's…
0.26 MILES
Lucerne's history museum is cleverly organised into a series of attention-grabbing themed sections, each interpreted in German or English with the help of…