If you’re heading to Lucerne, Switzerland, you won’t want to miss this list of the best day trips!
But we’re not just listing the top spots. Well, there are 3 destinations that we think are a great fit for any traveler, but what about all of your other amazing options in Central Switzerland?
We’re breaking down the top day trips based on your travel preferences and pace, so you’ll know how to prioritize the destinations that are the best fit for you. So whether you’re seeking alpine adventures, panoramic hikes, family activities, a foodie paradise, or the best views, we’ve got you covered.
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Top 3 Day Trips from Lucerne, Switzerland
Let’s get started with the top 3 day trip experiences that we think are worthwhile for just about any type of traveler.
In fact, if we had to recommend three options while knowing absolutely nothing about you, we’d pick these 3! Because there really is something for everyone at each destination.
MT. PILATUS
This first spot is home to the steepest cogwheel railway in the world…and supposedly dragons too! We’re talking about Mt. Pilatus.
You can be up at the summit in less than an hour from Lucerne, depending on your route. We love that you can pair Pilatus with a boat ride on Lake Luzern, or even by going up one side of the mountain on the historic cogwheel train and then down the other side of the mountain on a gondola and cable car.
The entire Pilatus experience is dragon-themed, because supposedly in the 1400s and 1500s, multiple eyewitnesses saw dragons up here. We walked through the Dragon Path caves and explored the Dragon World interactive museum, but unfortunately didn’t catch a glimpse of any wing-flapping, fire-breathing dragons. But hey, maybe you will!
Beyond dragons, there are multiple viewpoints, scenic trails, and panoramic terraces at Mt. Pilatus. Try to visit on a clear day and you’ll be rewarded with a skyline of endless mountains and lakes in Central Switzerland!
If you’re looking for a classic Swiss Alps excursion with a few bonus adventures, then we think you’ll love Pilatus — and the Fräkmüntegg station just below. Here, you can ride on the longest summer toboggan run in Switzerland at 1.35km long, glide like a dragon through the trees, spend an afternoon at the ropes park, and even cook your own lunch over an open fire.
MT. RIGI
The next day trip is known as the Queen of the Mountains — Mt. Rigi!
This 1 mountain has 9 different railways, including Europe’s first mountain railway that opened in 1871 and a cable car that seems like it will drop you right off into Lake Lucerne.
Honestly, Mt. Rigi delivers the best lake views you’ll find just about anywhere in Central Switzerland. And you can easily reach these viewpoints with no-sweat walks or mild hikes that aren’t too long or too difficult, and even offer fantastic views along the way. There are 120km of trails that cross bridges and train tracks, follow the bright blue waters of Lake Luzern, and pass through villages, forests, flower gardens, and cow pastures.
So if you enjoy scenic walks, then you’ll like Rigi. And if you consider yourself a foodie, then you’ll also wanna add Rigi to your itinerary! The cheese dairy produces more than 12,000kg of cheese every summer. And there are dozens of restaurants all over the mountain with typical Swiss food, unique desserts, and of course, tables with a view.
Lastly, if you feel like splurging on a little luxury experience, the Rigi Kaltbad Spa is the perfect choice. Kaltbad literally translates to “cold bath” because hundreds of years ago people used to take pilgrimages here to bathe in the cold water. But today, you can relax in the warm waters of the indoor or outdoor pool. I actually loved the outdoor pool because I watched a rainstorm pass across the mountains in the distance. But of course there is a full range of spa services like massages, steam rooms, hot tubs, and relaxation areas.
After a day on Mt. Rigi, you can cruise back to Lucerne on a boat ride, or reach the city in less than 1hr and 20 minutes by public transportation.
And by the way, I feel like we need to mention that these top 3 day trips are in no particular order because they’re each so good that we couldn’t decide how to rank them 🙂
MT. TITLIS
The last of our top 3 day trips from Lucerne offers the highest viewpoint in Central Switzerland, the world’s first revolving aerial cableway, and Europe’s highest suspension bridge!
Mt. Titlis is a high mountain experience that rivals Jungfraujoch and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. Here, you can walk through an ice cave that’s 10 meters below the surface of a 5000 year old glacier. You can dare to cross the swaying Cliff Walk. Play in the snow, ride tubes, or go sledding on top of a glacier. And of course, take in the magnificent views of endless snowy peaks around you.
But if we’re honest, it’s the beautiful Trübsee that makes this one of our top day trips! I mean, look at this stunning lake. And then there’s this gorgeous walk to a waterfall. And these cool adventures. Plus a zipline. And an epic kids playground. And we haven’t even mentioned the hikes or restaurants yet!
And like the icing on the cake, you can pair Mt. Titlis with a chance to explore one of our favorite villages in Switzerland: Engelberg.
In general, we’d say Titlis is a top pick for families with kids of all ages, travelers who want the typical high mountain experience, and anyone looking for a tourist highlight that delivers unbeatable views. But, this day trip also works for travelers who want to incorporate a few more local activities into their itinerary as well.
Titlis is just around 1hr and 15 minutes away from Lucerne. And in this one day trip you can experience a bunch of different forms of transportation: a train ride, a gondola ride, the world’s first revolving cable car, a chairlift, and a tiny farmer’s cable car.
Lucerne Day Trips Guide
As a reminder, Pilatus, Rigi, and Titlis are our top 3 day trip recommendations from Lucerne because we think they offer the best overall experiences for pretty much any type of traveler.
We have more amazing places to share with you, but if you have our Lucerne Day Trips Guide, don’t forget that it includes full-day itineraries to each of those top 3 destinations we just mentioned. That looks like a daily schedule so you know what to do and how long to spend at each place, public transportation directions and train pass advice, restaurant recommendations, and insider tips that we don’t share anywhere else.
But the best part is that this Guide actually includes 5 full-day itineraries, so let’s chat about the next 2 day trip options.
STANSERHORN
Welcome to the Stanserhorn! To reach this peak, you hop on board a historic funicular, which happened to be the steepest in the world when it was built in 1893. Then you transfer to the world’s first double-decker aerial cableway where you can ride on the rooftop. You’re looking at great views the whole time, but they just keep getting better once you reach the viewing platform at the Stanserhorn.
The highlights continue with Switzerland’s first revolving restaurant that serves up regional cuisine, a little marmot sanctuary, a chance to chat with Stanserhorn Rangers, and a scenic walk.
In general, the Stanserhorn is our top pick for anyone who’s less active yet still wants to visit a mountain peak, or travelers looking for a half-day trip from Lucerne since you can stand on the peak in just about 45 minutes after leaving the city.
Plus, the village of Stans at the base of the Stanserhorn is chock full of traditional architecture, amazing restaurants, and the Swiss charm you’re looking for.
STOOS RIDGE HIKE
Next is your chance to hike one of the most epic trails in Switzerland: the Stoos Ridge Hike.
It takes about 2 hours to reach the start of the trail from Lucerne, but you get to ride on the steepest funicular in the world with self-leveling cabins to the car-free village of Stoos. Then it’s a short walk to a chairlift that whisks you up above the cows to the start of the trail — and maybe even above the clouds depending on when you visit!
So many travelers and hikers vote this as one of the best hikes in all of Switzerland, and that’s because it offers non-stop views of 10 lakes, lush green valleys, and countless peaks. Although it’s a ridge trail, it’s wide, well-maintained, and doable for most active people. And if the views aren’t rewarding enough, you can pet little dwarf goats at the end!
After you finish the trail, head down to the village of Stoos to relax with your feet in the water by a mini lake, visit a chapel straight out of a postcard, or sip a cold drink at one of the many restaurants in town.
5 Day Trips from Lucerne, Switzerland
Alright, now you’ve had a sneak peek of the 5 full-day itineraries included in our Lucerne Day Trips Guide, but of course it has tons more, like detailed hiking maps, Christmas-card worthy photo spots, and even a bonus list of nearby activities that we know you’ll find interesting but might not hear about elsewhere.
How to choose a day trip from Lucerne, Switzerland
There are lots of opinions about what you could do and even what you shouldn’t do, and we know we’re just one more source of ideas — but we want to help you pick the best destinations based on your preferences. So here’s a hit list of the best excursions for families, less active travelers, hikers, and rainy days — and don’t skip ahead because each section offers a couple new day trip opportunities we haven’t shared with you yet!
Best Lucerne Day Trips for Families
First up, families. If you have kids of any age, prioritize Pilatus and Titlis.
Your older kids and teens will love the toboggan run, ropes courses, Dragon Glider, and even steep steps up to the viewpoints at Pilatus. But your younger kids won’t be disappointed by the treetop paths, riding with you on the toboggan run, little ropes course, and even the great playground at one of the lower stations. Honestly, it would be easy for your family to spend a whole day on this mountain!
Titlis is similar because there are fun activities for all ages at the top, but then you could park yourself at Trübsee for the rest of the day. Older kids and teens won’t want to miss the zipline and bag jumps, and your younger kiddos could probably spend the whole afternoon on the epic playground. Not to mention that there are themed kids trails around the lake where you solve puzzles to win prizes, as well as a family buffet restaurant.
In general, we think older kids will enjoy Pilatus the best, and younger kids would have a blast at either location. But there are two other spots that are worth mentioning for families, especially if you have younger kids.
The first is Brunni, which is basically a giant playground with another toboggan run, a kids barefoot trail around the prettiest little lake, beginner via ferrata routes, fun wooden ball runs, and family grill spots.
The second is Mostelberg (Sattel-Hochstuckli), yet another giant play area with another toboggan run, bouncy castles galore, a swaying suspension bridge, revolving gondolas, and even a goat-themed trail that ends at a goat farm.
And lucky for you, these 2 bonus options for families are included in our Lucerne Day Trips Guide as well. They aren’t crafted as full-day itineraries because they’re really better as go-at-your-kids-pace kinda places. But we include the important details you’ll want to know, like how to get there from Lucerne, the cost of tickets, what to do, kid-friendly trail suggestions, and a few more tips we learned from our experiences there.
Best Lucerne Day Trips for Less-active Travelers
Next up are our top spots for less-active travelers who want to enjoy the views without too much physical effort.
The Stanserhorn is fantastic because you have great lake views during your ride up, and then unbelievable mountain views directly from the different terraces at the top, including inside of the revolving restaurant.
Mt. Rigi is another good choice because there are so many trains and cable cars that you can ride to connect one viewpoint to another. Not to mention that there are plenty of restaurants with panoramic terraces, and loads of really easy hikes with non-stop scenery too.
And we even put Titlis on this list because the summit station provides plenty of tourist activities. And then you can camp out at the lake and relax on benches, boats, or terraces for the afternoon.
And here are 2 more spots we haven’t mentioned yet that we recommend for a more chill, slow-paced experience.
Seebodenalp is right below Mt. Rigi, and offers a nearly flat walk with lake views the entire time. There are a few little alpine restaurants and even a local brewery here. As a bonus, this is one of the only mountain destinations you can actually drive to!
Next is Bürgenstock, a luxurious resort with spas and gourmet restaurants and spectacular terraces. There’s even a flat cliff-side walk above the lake to Europe’s highest outdoor elevator! This pairs well with a leisurely boat ride on the lake since there’s a funicular from the dock up to the resort.
And just like before, we’ve included lots of tips in our Day Trips Guide to help you visit these spots as well.
Best Lucerne Day Trips for Hikers
Now let’s talk about the best Lucerne Day Trips for hikers. We both love to hike, so we’ve spent a lot of time on the trails in Central Switzerland. Obviously Stoos is our first recommendation, which we already mentioned, but then Rigi would be our next pick. There’s nothing technically difficult about the hikes here, but there are just so many trail options and all of them offer amazing views that can easily be combined with other classic Swiss Alps experiences.
But here are 2 more amazing hikes. To be honest, we did not include these in our Guide because they are more technical and really best for people who hike for the sheer love of hiking. But they’re so good that we at least wanted to mention them for you here!
First is the 4 Lakes hike from Trübsee to Melchsee-Frutt that — you guessed it — takes you to 4 stunning mountain lakes! And since doing this hike, Jana has declared that Engstlensee is now one of her favorite lakes in Switzerland. The trail is long, but it can be shortened by riding two different chairlifts and even a lakeside tourist “train.”
Next is the Grosser Mythen, which should only be considered by very experienced hikers! It’s short but very steep and incredibly rocky. There are chains and fences fixed during the hiking season to limit exposure. So don’t attempt this outside of the summer season or when the trail is wet. But if you’re sure-footed and interested in climbing one of the coolest lower-altitude peaks in Central Switzerland, you’ll be greatly rewarded by the views from the top!
Best Lucerne Day Trips for Rainy Days
And what’s a traveler to do when the weather isn’t great? Good thing there are nearby chocolate factories, cookie manufacturers, quaint towns, cool museums, and a whole lot more, which are all included in our Lucerne Day Trips Guide. So check that out next and we’ll see you in Switzerland!