We will be travelling from Epinal, France to Italy. I am considering an overnight stop in Lucerne for a day trip to Mount Pilatus. Has anyone visited Mount Pilatus and Lucerne as part of a trip to Italy? What did you think of Lucerne/Mount Pilatus? Would you have preferred to spend an extra day in Italy instead of Lucerne?
Posted by
170 posts
Totally worth it! We stayed in Lucerne for three nights prior to flying into Rome. We visited Mount Pilatus right after checking into our hotel and it is a must. Lucerne is a magical place and completely different vibe as opposed to Italy. We love Italy too but wouldn't have wanted to trade any days for more time in Italy.
Posted by
San Diego, California
4675 posts
I love Lucerne, and been to Mt Rigi, Mt Pilatus, and Mt Stanserhorn ( open air cable car.) I would definitely spend a night - or two. Public transportation in Switzerland is user- friendly, prompt , and dependable. So you have Swiss beauty, cleanliness, order and everything seems to flow so well.
I favor Mt Rigi because of the scenic one- hour boat ride to the cogwheel train up to Rigi.
Safe travels!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4821 posts
OK, I'll temper this with my usual "it depends". All else being equal, Lucerne is a lovely place to spend a night or 2. Of course, whether the weather will cooperate for views from Mt Pilatus is unknowable until the day. How long do you have in Italy? What will you have to sacrifice there for your extra time in Lucerne? If you can add extra time to your trip to accomplish your stay, that would be great. But I'm not sure I'd be willing to forgo time in Italy in order to do that, unless I had a lot of down time planned there.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
5580 posts
I love Lucerne. We really enjoyed Mt. Rigi and the boat ride to it. But, if the weather doesn't cooperate for a mountain visit, Lucerne is still amazing and your time could be spent just exploring the town. Now, if you are short days for Italy, then, I would tend to leave it for another trip.
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
4299 posts
If you have never been to Switzerland, you should definitely do this. Personally, I would do this instead of Venice.
EDITED: You definitely need to stay overnight so you can go to Mount Pilatus.
Posted by
Austin, Texas, USA
536 posts
Even if you don't make it to Mount Pilatus, Lucerne is worth a stop over. I loved that town!!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32198 posts
Lucerne is one of my favourite places in Switzerland, so I would definitely recommend a visit there. However I'm not sure that an overnight stop is going to provide enough time to see much. Is there any possibility that you could add one night. That would allow more time for the trip to Mt. Pilatus, as well as having a short tour of Lucerne.