2-3 night stay in Lucerne

Posted by Lori (San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA) on 08/13/16 11:14 PM

I will have 2-3 nights in Switzerland next June prior to the start of a river cruise that leaves from Basel. I will fly into Zurich from the states and was thinking of taking the train from Zurich to Lucerne for a few nights prior to my cruise. Would Lucerne be a good choice of places for a quick trip? I don't want to travel more than 1.5 hours by train from Zurich. Does anyone have a suggestion on a hotel that is mid-range in price and located close to the train station? Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

Lori

Posted by Debbie

Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

08/14/16 12:03 AM

172 posts

We just stayed at Hotel Alpha, recommended in Rick Steves guidebook. It is a few blocks walk from the train station. His guidebook says there is a cost for wiFi but it was free. Nice helpful staff!

Posted by Lola

Seattle, WA

08/14/16 01:55 AM

17418 posts

Luzern is an excellent choice for a couple of nights. Very pretty town on the lake, with lots of options for excursions. The "Rigi loop" by boat, cogwheel train, and cablecar is great. There is a similar one up Pilatus.

I cannot recommend places to stay in Luzern, as we spent the night up on Rigi at Rigi Kaltbad. But there are some very nice hotels right close to the train station, on both sides of the river. Like everything in Switzerland, they are pricey, but quality is very high. The Swiss are very good at hospitality.

Posted by Ken

Vernon, Canada

08/14/16 07:59 AM

32350 posts

I agree with the others, Lucerne is a great place to spend 2-3 nights. I'll be back there later this year for another visit, and quite looking forward to it. However as Lola mentioned, Switzerland is expensive so be sure to budget accordingly.

In terms of hotels, this one isn't far from the station (although I'd probably take a Taxi from the station when hauling luggage)..... http://www.sternluzern.ch/en

Posted by Laurel

Forest Grove, OR

08/14/16 09:57 AM

11775 posts

Lovely city, frightfully expensive. You might try Booking.com to narrow down possibilities and get a feel for prices as "mid-range" means different things to different wallets. Restaurants are also expensive but we found a couple of ethnic places -- Thai, Indian -- that didn't quite break the bank.

Posted by Lori OP

San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA

08/14/16 04:15 PM

98 posts

Thank you all for your replies!! I appreciate your input. I realize that Switzerland is a bit pricey, however I am splurging a bit since this trip is a 60th birthday gift to myself.

Posted by Harold

New York, NY, USA

08/14/16 06:05 PM

11294 posts

I had a very nice stay at the Hotel des Alpes: http://www.desalpes-luzern.ch/en/welcome

I was easily able to roll my bags across the bridge from the train station to the hotel (it's on the other side of the river from the station, but not far).

Note that their online booking engine didn't show the room I needed, but e-mailing them directly got me the room with no difficulty. I also had this issue with my other hotels in Switzerland, so be sure to e-mail hotels rather than just relying on Internet booking to check availability.