Half day in Lucerne what would you do.

I would spend the half-day walking the city to reset my body clock. I'd also pop into the modern art museum to check out the Klees and Picassos.

If the weather's nice I would take a short boat cruise on the lake. And I'd do what the other poster said, just walk around the town, city at a sidewalk cafe, do some basic research and see what else appeals to you - there is the museum mentioned and also a couple of wonderful churches, walk along the river cross the historic bridges. It's a beautiful city to just 'be' in.

Here's a link to another recent thread on this subject: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/an-afternoon-in-luzern

Hi rg, we visited Lucerne last September. It's a very pretty city and we walked off our jet lag by wandering around the cobblestone streets and window shopping. Be sure to stop by the Lion Monument, it's a nice photo op. A boat ride is also a good idea. There are lots of cafes and restaurants when you're ready for dinner. Hope you enjoy your trip!

I was in the same situation last year - arriving on an early flight into ZRH and waiting for a relative to arrive from the US. Even though I used to live in Switzerland and I've been to Luzern many, many times, I still love to take a steamer out onto the lake. Some of the trips are quite short and offer an awesome experience admiring the lake and alps. Take a look at this timetable:

http://www.lakelucerne.ch/fileadmin/lakelucerne/content/Dokumente_Downloads_PDF/01_Fahrplan-Preise/01_Fahrplan/Abfahrt_der_Schiffe/2017/01_Winter_Dez_Apr/Abfahrt_der_Schiffe_Dez_Apr_2016_2017.pdf

The ones that you want to look at are either labeled "rundfahrt" or "Kulinarische Themenfahrten". The former just goes out on the lake and comes back, the latter are themed cruises that allow you to have lunch, dinner, dessert onboard - same theory, but a nice way to spend your lunch or dinner. The dock for the ships is on the waterfront right in front of the station (literally a 2 minute walk). You can also ask anyone at the ticket booth at the dock for ideas of trips that aren't necessarily the above, ie head over to one town across the lake and get off, wait for a few mins and take the next ship back (which might take a slightly different route). Heck, I've headed across the lake, had a beer or cup of coffee and reboarded the next ship back 45 mins later. Most ships have an onboard bar/coffeeshop and the larger ones have a restaurant. Its a really fun experience and one heck of a way to get rid of your jetlag! Bear in mind the the number of ships varies by time of year as well as date (more on weekends) so check the schedule or ask at the booth.

Before or after the ride you can walk around town and still have a nice fun filled afternoon.

We were there last summer for 4 days, i agree with the previous posts. Luzern a a beautiful town, frankly u cannot go wrong. Just relax and enjoy.

Hate to say this, but, if I had 1/2 day in Luzern...I would stay longer ;)

The Transportation Museum is nice as is the outdoor Gletscher Center above The Luzern Lion.\

Seriously, if I only had 1/2 day, I would eat at Trattoria de la Nonna, on Spitalstrasse, above the Old Town. Great, gluten-free food. The BEST in Switzerland!