Luzern For A Day

The last time we were in Luzern was in 2020. We came back at the behest of other family members who wanted to visit it for a day and to also check out the wonderful hands-on transportation museum. We therefore made a Tagesausflug, or day trip, from Zürich to Luzern just to see the museum.

Getting There

From Zürich HBf, we took the regional train IR70, which only takes about forty minutes to Luzern. With the half fare card, it only cost us 13.50 Francs round-trip, per person. Luzern train station is right by the confluence of the lake and the river, so it drops you right in the heart of town.

Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Luzerne) – Luzerne, Switzerland

Central Train Station – Luzerne, Switzerland

Luzern The City

Luzern, or Lucerne depending upon your preferred spelling, is a beautiful little city on the banks of the Vierwaldstättersee, or Lake Lucerne. It is bisected by the Reuss River, which in earlier times not only had several mills along it, it was also used to generate electricity for the city when one of the old mills was converted to a hydro-power station.

Hofkirche St. Leodegar – Luzerne, Switzerland

Reusssteg-Brunnen – 1547 – Luzerne, Switzerland

The Bridges

The most interest sight in the city are its bridges. The Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge, was originally a fortification, but is now a tourist attraction that almost burnt down in 1993. The paintings that adorn it, and it sister bridge the Spreuerbrücke, are still being restored after the fire and years of neglect.

Spreuerbrücke and Nadelwehr – Luzerne, Switzerland

Baslertor – Spreuerbrücke – Luzerne, Switzerland

Spreuerbrücke – Nadelwehr und Jesuitenkirche (hinten) – Luzerne, Switzerland

Museum Of Transportation

The Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, the Swiss Museum of Transport, is a hands-on museum for people of all ages, but mainly geared toward school children. Even for adults, there are some very interesting and historical items to see, let alone a good record of Switzerland’s contribution in the area of transportation.

Verkehrshaus der Schweiz – Main Entrance – Luzerne, Switzerland

Verkehrshaus der Schweiz – Swiss Airline DC3 – Luzerne, Switzerland

The museum is divided into themes, from planes, to trains and automobiles, they even have a brief but interesting exhibit on bicycles and their history in Switzerland.

Verkehrshaus der Schweiz – Swiss Air Exhibits – Luzerne, Switzerland

Verkehrshaus der Schweiz – Swiss Maritime Exhibits – Luzerne, Switzerland

Verkehrshaus der Schweiz – Swiss Automobile Exhibits – Luzerne, Switzerland

Verkehrshaus der Schweiz – Swiss Bicycle Exhibits – Luzerne, Switzerland

Verkehrshaus der Schweiz – Swiss Railroad Exhibits – Luzerne, Switzerland

Restaurants

We visited on Sunday, so our restaurant choices were rather limited. Sunday in most of Europe is the day of the week that families go out to eat and many normally have reservations for a late day lunch. Most of the establishments along the Rathausquai, Reusssteg and Bahnhofstrasse were busy, but off the beaten path we managed to find something.

Restaurant Fritschi

Tucked away and located Sternenplatz is the Restaurant Fritschi. It offers mostly swiss cuisine, but there are some simpler dishes, if you are not too hungry or prefer not to eat a heavy lunch.

Restaurant Fritschi – Inside – Luzerne, Switzerland

Restaurant Fritschi – Chicken and Salad- Luzerne, Switzerland

Restaurant Fritschi – Schnitzel and Fries- Luzerne, Switzerland

Santa Lucia Ristorante

When we returned to Zürich, we ate at Santa Lucia Ristorante. This restaurant can get very busy, so it is probably a good idea to have reservations. They do however have a downstairs, which is where we were seated; there you can actually witness them making your pizza. They have many other specialities on the menu, so finding something delicious to try should not be a problem.