# Two nights in Lucerne flying into Zurich: Pilatus, the Rigi, the steamer and the city of wooden bridges

Fly to Zurich and take the train to Lucerne, the Chapel Bridge and the lion, a mountain day on Pilatus or the Rigi, a boat on the lake, Lucerne cooking and a hotel by the Reuss.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/switzerland/lucerne/itineraries/two-nights-with-pilatus-and-rigi · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Lucerne

Lucerne is the easiest Swiss getaway from Spain: you fly to Zurich, go down to the airport station and in a little over an hour by train you are facing the lake. With two nights you get an afternoon for the city of wooden bridges, a whole day to go up one of its two mountains, Pilatus or the Rigi, and a morning for the lake or the Swiss Museum of Transport before heading back. You don't need a car for a single minute.

## How do you get there?

By plane to Zurich (ZRH), which has direct flights from several Spanish cities. The station is beneath the terminal: trains to Lucerne take a little over an hour, direct or changing at Zurich HB. If you have the Swiss Travel Pass, the train is included. Lucerne station is facing the lake, five minutes on foot from the old town. See the "By plane" panel on the Lucerne page.

## Where to sleep

AccommodationAreaWho for

Hotel des BalancesOld town, on the ReussFour stars five minutes from the station, with rooms overlooking the river

Hotel Schweizerhof LuzernLakeside promenadeThe grand hotel of 1845, for a treat

Lucerne Youth HostelBy the Rotsee, by busFor spending little, with doubles and breakfast included

## Pilatus or the Rigi

If it is your first time and you are going between May and October, Pilatus with the Golden Round Trip: higher, more rock, more spectacle, and a loop that never repeats. If you are going with small children, with the Swiss Travel Pass or out of season, the Rigi: gentler, open all year, free for under-16s with an adult and included in the pass.

## With children

Lucerne is a city of transport: boats, cog railways, gondolas and a whole museum of trains and aircraft. The centre is flat and compact. On the boat, the children's pass for ages 6 to 15 costs CHF 12 a day, and at the Museum of Transport under-6s go in free.

## El plan

### Friday · 15:00 · Flight to Zurich and train to Lucerne
From the airport, a little over an hour by train. Leave your suitcase at the Hotel des Balances, five minutes from the station.

### Friday · 18:00 · Chapel Bridge and old town
The 14th-century wooden bridge, the Water Tower and a loop back over the Spreuerbrücke, with the lights already on.

### Friday · 20:00 · Dinner at the Rathaus Brauerei
House beer under the town hall arcades, sausages or Lucerne cheesecake. Kitchen until 22:30.

### Saturday · 08:50 · Golden Round Trip to Pilatus, or the Rigi
From May to October, a boat to Alpnachstad, the cog railway to Pilatus Kulm and a gondola ride down to Kriens: CHF 119.80. The rest of the year, a boat to Vitznau and the cog railway to Rigi Kulm: CHF 84 plus the boat, children free with an adult.

### Saturday · 13:15 · Lunch at the Wirtshaus Galliker
Chügelipastetli, rösti with sausage and, if it's Saturday, pot-au-feu. Book by phone.

### Saturday · 15:30 · Lion Monument
The lion of 1821 carved into the rock, free and a quarter of an hour on foot.

### Saturday · 19:30 · Dinner at the Old Swiss House
The Wiener Schnitzel fried in butter at the table, CHF 66. Book; the kitchen closes at 21:00.

### Sunday · 10:00 · Swiss Museum of Transport or a boat on the lake
In the rain, the museum, open every day: CHF 37, children CHF 16. In the sun, the lake day pass and a paddle steamer towards Flüelen.

### Sunday · 14:00 · Lunch at the Rathaus Brauerei
Open on Sundays too, with hot food all afternoon.

### Sunday · 17:00 · Train to the airport and flight
A little over an hour to the Zurich terminal: leave a margin for the flight.

## Un consejo más

If you are going to use the train from the airport, the boat and a mountain, work out whether the Swiss Travel Pass pays off: the Rigi is included, the boat and bus for Pilatus too, and the ride up Pilatus is half price.

## Cuándo no ir

Don't plan the Golden Round Trip from 19 October to 27 November 2026: the Kriens gondolas and cable car are being serviced and you can only go up by cog railway from Alpnachstad. Do the Rigi, and check its November servicing first.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the getaway cost?
With a mid-range hotel, trains, a mountain, a boat and meals, from around €600 per person for the two nights, excluding the flight. Lucerne is expensive.

### Do I need a car?
No. Everything is done on foot, by boat and by train from the station.

### When is the best time to go?
From May to September for the mountains. In December there are Christmas markets.

### Can I do it with the Swiss Travel Pass?
Yes, and with two or three days of trains and boats it usually pays off. Work it out for your route.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Schweizerhof Luzern**: A grand hotel on the lakeside promenade
The Schweizerhof is one of the grand hotels of the Schweizerhofquai, the promenade that skirts the lake north of the Reuss, between the old town and the KKL congress centre. It has welcomed guests since 1845 and has been in the hands of the Hauser family for 180 years. It is a five-star hotel, and Richard Wagner, Winston Churchill, Leo Tolstoy and Neil Armstrong have all passed through. From the front rooms you look onto the lake and, behind it, the mountains.
Rooms with a story
It has 101 rooms and suites, and each is dedicated to a guest or an episode in the hotel's history: objects, quotations and design details tell you its story. The doubles range from 25 to 65 m². The website publishes starting prices: the 20 m² single from CHF 245; the 25 m² double from CHF 335, and the suites from CHF 660. These are indicative prices that change with the dates.
Eating and relaxing
The hotel has the Brasserie VICO, the Schweizerhof Bar and VILLA Schweizerhof, as well as breakfast. For relaxing it has a gym and sauna and a massage service. In season, the hotel organises concerts and menus linked to the Lucerne music festival and the carnival.
Getting there
From the railway station it is a few minutes' walk over the lake bridge: the hotel says it is ten minutes on foot from the bridge. If you arrive by car, guests park in the hotel garage for CHF 30 a night. For everything else you do not need a car: the boat to Rigi and Pilatus leaves from the landing stage at the station, and the Lion Monument is five minutes to the north.
- **Hotel des Balances**: The house on the Weinmarkt
Hotel des Balances is in the heart of the old town, between the Weinmarkt square, the old wine market, and the bank of the Reuss. There was an inn next to the meat and fish market as early as the 12th century; the building was a town hall, a guild house and, from 1807, the inn "zur Waage", the scales that give the hotel its name. It opened as a hotel in 1836. Its painted facade is one of the most photographed images of Lucerne, and seen from the river the house looks like a Venetian palace.
Today it is a four-star hotel with contemporary design inside a historic building.
The rooms
It has 56 rooms and suites. Those on the Old Town side overlook the old town; the Reuss and Superior Reuss rooms face the river. There is a Queenroom for one person, designed for business trips; a Junior Suite with views over the Reuss towards the Alps; a Suite with a living room, separate bedroom, whirlpool bath and balcony, and a Romantic Suite with a freestanding bath. Ask for a river-facing room: it is what sets this hotel apart. The website does not publish starting prices; you see them in its booking engine.
Eating in
The hotel has a restaurant, a bar and a terrace over the water. Breakfast is served in the hotel.
Getting there
The station and the KKL congress centre are five minutes on foot, across the Reuss. With a suitcase it is a short, flat walk. If you arrive by car, the old town is not easy to drive in: the hotel has a valet service, which takes the car to one of its garages for CHF 35 a night or CHF 25 a day. From here, Chapel Bridge is two minutes away, the Rathaus Brauerei is on the other side of the river and the boat landing stage is five minutes away.
- **Lucerne Youth Hostel (Jugendherberge Luzern)**: The hostel
Lucerne Youth Hostel belongs to the Swiss Youth Hostels network and is run directly by its association. It is in the north of the city, on the Sedelstrasse, next to the Rotsee nature reserve. It is not in the old town: it is the place to spend little and sleep peacefully, with green space all around. Instead of stars it carries the "Hostel" label from HotellerieSuisse, which requires 54 criteria of safety, condition and maintenance. It is open all year.
Rooms
There are double or twin rooms, rooms of 4 to 6 beds and multi-bed dormitories. Bed linen is included. Four rooms are barrier-free accessible: three doubles with washbasin and one six-bed room, although not every bed in each room is. It is a good option for families who want a room of their own without paying for a city-centre hotel, and for groups of friends.
Eating and relaxing
The buffet breakfast, from 7:00 to 9:30, is included in the price. The hostel has a restaurant, a lounge, a kiosk and a small area with a microwave and kettle. Outside there is a terrace with benches and equipment for table tennis, football or badminton, which teenagers appreciate after a day of museums. As a guest you receive Lucerne's Visitor Card, with benefits for people staying in the city.
Getting there
Take bus 19 to the Luzern Urnerhof stop. From the Spitalstrasse continue along the Friedentalstrasse and, at the junction, turn right along the Sedelstrasse to the hostel. You return to the centre and the station on the same bus.
What it does not publish
The listing gives no check-in and check-out times and no prices for Lucerne: you see them when you book. The network's winter offers, such as a night with breakfast at CHF 45 in some cities, change every season.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Hotel Schweizerhof Luzern**: A grand hotel on the lakeside promenade
The Schweizerhof is one of the grand hotels of the Schweizerhofquai, the promenade that skirts the lake north of the Reuss, between the old town and the KKL congress centre. It has welcomed guests since 1845 and has been in the hands of the Hauser family for 180 years. It is a five-star hotel, and Richard Wagner, Winston Churchill, Leo Tolstoy and Neil Armstrong have all passed through. From the front rooms you look onto the lake and, behind it, the mountains.
Rooms with a story
It has 101 rooms and suites, and each is dedicated to a guest or an episode in the hotel's history: objects, quotations and design details tell you its story. The doubles range from 25 to 65 m². The website publishes starting prices: the 20 m² single from CHF 245; the 25 m² double from CHF 335, and the suites from CHF 660. These are indicative prices that change with the dates.
Eating and relaxing
The hotel has the Brasserie VICO, the Schweizerhof Bar and VILLA Schweizerhof, as well as breakfast. For relaxing it has a gym and sauna and a massage service. In season, the hotel organises concerts and menus linked to the Lucerne music festival and the carnival.
Getting there
From the railway station it is a few minutes' walk over the lake bridge: the hotel says it is ten minutes on foot from the bridge. If you arrive by car, guests park in the hotel garage for CHF 30 a night. For everything else you do not need a car: the boat to Rigi and Pilatus leaves from the landing stage at the station, and the Lion Monument is five minutes to the north.
- **Hotel des Balances**: The house on the Weinmarkt
Hotel des Balances is in the heart of the old town, between the Weinmarkt square, the old wine market, and the bank of the Reuss. There was an inn next to the meat and fish market as early as the 12th century; the building was a town hall, a guild house and, from 1807, the inn "zur Waage", the scales that give the hotel its name. It opened as a hotel in 1836. Its painted facade is one of the most photographed images of Lucerne, and seen from the river the house looks like a Venetian palace.
Today it is a four-star hotel with contemporary design inside a historic building.
The rooms
It has 56 rooms and suites. Those on the Old Town side overlook the old town; the Reuss and Superior Reuss rooms face the river. There is a Queenroom for one person, designed for business trips; a Junior Suite with views over the Reuss towards the Alps; a Suite with a living room, separate bedroom, whirlpool bath and balcony, and a Romantic Suite with a freestanding bath. Ask for a river-facing room: it is what sets this hotel apart. The website does not publish starting prices; you see them in its booking engine.
Eating in
The hotel has a restaurant, a bar and a terrace over the water. Breakfast is served in the hotel.
Getting there
The station and the KKL congress centre are five minutes on foot, across the Reuss. With a suitcase it is a short, flat walk. If you arrive by car, the old town is not easy to drive in: the hotel has a valet service, which takes the car to one of its garages for CHF 35 a night or CHF 25 a day. From here, Chapel Bridge is two minutes away, the Rathaus Brauerei is on the other side of the river and the boat landing stage is five minutes away.
- **Lucerne Youth Hostel (Jugendherberge Luzern)**: The hostel
Lucerne Youth Hostel belongs to the Swiss Youth Hostels network and is run directly by its association. It is in the north of the city, on the Sedelstrasse, next to the Rotsee nature reserve. It is not in the old town: it is the place to spend little and sleep peacefully, with green space all around. Instead of stars it carries the "Hostel" label from HotellerieSuisse, which requires 54 criteria of safety, condition and maintenance. It is open all year.
Rooms
There are double or twin rooms, rooms of 4 to 6 beds and multi-bed dormitories. Bed linen is included. Four rooms are barrier-free accessible: three doubles with washbasin and one six-bed room, although not every bed in each room is. It is a good option for families who want a room of their own without paying for a city-centre hotel, and for groups of friends.
Eating and relaxing
The buffet breakfast, from 7:00 to 9:30, is included in the price. The hostel has a restaurant, a lounge, a kiosk and a small area with a microwave and kettle. Outside there is a terrace with benches and equipment for table tennis, football or badminton, which teenagers appreciate after a day of museums. As a guest you receive Lucerne's Visitor Card, with benefits for people staying in the city.
Getting there
Take bus 19 to the Luzern Urnerhof stop. From the Spitalstrasse continue along the Friedentalstrasse and, at the junction, turn right along the Sedelstrasse to the hostel. You return to the centre and the station on the same bus.
What it does not publish
The listing gives no check-in and check-out times and no prices for Lucerne: you see them when you book. The network's winter offers, such as a night with breakfast at CHF 45 in some cities, change every season.