French architect Jean Nouvel’s waterfront arts and convention centre is a postmodern jaw-dropper in an otherwise historic city. Inside, the tall, narrow concert hall, partly built below the lake’s surface, is surrounded by a reverberation chamber and has an adjustable suspended ceiling, all creating a bubble of silence that results in near perfect acoustics. Countless accolades showered upon the hall have raised the profile of the Lucerne Festival, increasingly one of the highlights on the global music calendar. Check the website for complete opening hours.
© Michael Derrer Fuchs/Shutterstock
Kultur und Kongresszentrum
Lucerne
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.05 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…
24.57 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…
21.41 MILES
Follow the crowds flowing towards this baroque edifice, the 18th-century handiwork of Caspar Moosbrugger. The interior dances with colourful frescoes,…
24.74 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…
0.22 MILES
Lucerne’s blockbuster cultural attraction is the Sammlung Rosengart, occupying a graceful neoclassical pile in the heart of town. It showcases the…
29.79 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…
0.55 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
At this art museum inside the Kultur und Kongresszentrum, the permanent collection garners mixed reviews, but keep an eye out for great temporary…
0.12 MILES
Just a stone’s throw from the train station, Inseli is a leafy lakefront park where locals congregate in sunny weather to lounge on the grass, play ping…
0.22 MILES
Lucerne’s blockbuster cultural attraction is the Sammlung Rosengart, occupying a graceful neoclassical pile in the heart of town. It showcases the…
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
The medieval Old Town, with its ancient rampart walls and towers, 15th-century buildings with painted facades and two covered bridges, is fascinating…
0.42 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…
0.43 MILES
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…
0.45 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…