I am looking for low to mid-range accommodations for 3 nights in Lucerne in September. We don't need a place with a view since we plan on spending most of the day sightseeing in the mountains. I want to know how far it is from Lucerne to the cables leading up to the surrounding mountains. We need to catch a flight out of Zurich at 9 Am. Should we find a place close to the train station since we will probably take a 5AM train from Lucerne to Zurich Airport? Thank you for any advice.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Most hotel recommendations for Luzern in Rick's Switzerland book are near the train station, which is also convenient to the harbor and town center. From the station, you take bus #1 to Kriens for the Mt. Pilatus gondola.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA
128 posts
In Septemer 2014 we stayed at the Tourist Hotel in Lucerne. We had a wonderful visit in Lucerne and this hotel was wonderful. It has modern, clean rooms, good sized. I remember the bathroom was very nice. The rooms overlooked the river, very pretty views. This hotel was an easy walk from the train station with our carry on luggage. Everything was close and within walking distance from this hotel. When we were looking for places to stay, we were keeping price in mind, so I don't believe it was over the top, price wise. We traveled to Switzeland after a Mediterranean cruise and we did find that everything was fairly expensive there in comparison, but we LOVED the area. We took a combo boat/mountain excursion (booked through the hotel) and had a lovely day. We walked down from the top of the mountain and I will never forget the sounds of the cowbells and the beauty all around us. We took the train back to Zurich the night before we were to leave for home. I can't remember the hotel we stayed in, but it was also very modern and had a shuttle that took us to the airport in the morning. There wasn't much around that hotel, a MacDonalds and local Italian eatery. We ate at the eatery, just okay. We liked the security of being near the airport the night before our flight. Enjoy your stay in beautiful Lucerne!!!
Posted by
Los Angeles
4392 posts
Wow, for a 9 AM flight you should really stay at Zurich airport. For instance the Hilton which has a shuttle, or the Radisson which IIRC is right inside the airport. You're going to need to be in line at around 6 AM, right?
Posted by
OP
Lahaina, HI
74 posts
Thanks to all for your input. I need to fly to Ireland for the remainder of my trip. I have a choice of 9 AM or 9:30 PM for direct flights out of Zurich. I did see that there were early morning trains - not sure if I can depend on that? If I catch the 5 AM train, it should get me to the airport about 6:15 AM; plenty of time to catch the 9 am flight. Or - I could train to Zurich airport the night before and get to Dublin at Midnight. Not many hotel options at that time; but possible. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
If I had a 9am flight from Zurich I would spend the night in Zurich near the main train station.