Lucerne - crowds

Well, you are staying at a very high end hotel. I don't think you will have a problem.

I am not sure why the type of hotel matters - it was more the location of the hotel more than anything else. I'm having a hard time picturing the vibe of Lucerne - is it just wall to wall people like Bruges? Restaurant issues?

We stayed at a hotel near there in June last year and it was away from the crowds. If I'm picturing the location of yours correctly you'll have spectacular views but a bit of a hill climb to get to it from the main road.

The only place we really experienced crowds was along the wooden bridge (i can't remember the name). Near your hotel is a beautiful walk along the waterfront with a lot of locals out walking dogs and jogging. In the old town and across the river we also got away from crowds by walking along the wall and tower (Mannliturm).

Edit to add, we were in Bruges in October and it was way more crowded than Lucerne.

I haven’t been to Bruges, so I can’t help with tha analogy. To me, most of Europe is crowded in August, but I live on a farm out in the countryside and then we spend our summers in Mürren, which is a car free village, so my tolerance for crowds is probably lower than normal.

That being said, I was in Luzern in September 2024 and the bridge was a line of constant people, the walk from the train station to the historic center was lots of people all walking together and to me, it felt crowded.

If you prefer quiet villages, Luzern isn’t one. It has a small city feel. For August without crowds, you have to stay away from the big names you see over and over (Luzern, Montreux, Interlaken area, Zermatt, etc) and go for the places that don’t constantly come up on these forums. There are plenty of spots, but they take some effort to research.

Thank you wanderweg. You are one of the first people who have talked about "wall to wall' vs. that I 'must go to Lucerne because of the bridge". Very good information. I have seen the bridge - 30 years ago. And I thought it was cute, but not the end all be all. I actually don't recall the rest of Lucerne much since I was there just for a day.

I have been on numerous forums asking different questions, as sometimes different people are on all of these forums. This particular forum tends to focus on B.O., Lucerne and Zermatt. Lucerne was an "easy" choice because we are leaving from Zurich and thought I could get a couple of day trips out of it up into the mountains or a lake visit. But I am leaning more toward staying in Zurich our last days so I can get out to St. Gallen. We will also be in Saanen for 5 days visiting relatives, so I will manage to get out of most of the heavy populated spots and have the local advice for that area. I have been going back and forth several times and driving my husband crazy between Pontresina and Zermatt. I know Zermatt will be a total zoo, but hoping I can get some good hiking in for a few days. I'd rather actually go to Pontresina, but it's such a far train ride - and this is where I am stuck. do you have any thoughts on that dilemma? Thank you.

Allen - thank you! I am really hoping that location is better than being on the very popular water. And thank you for the Bruge comparison! Very helpful. I have been on so many trips, and I don't know why Switzerland is getting the best of me - I am so indecisive.

Re Hotel Montana, it’s in a nice, quiet residential area above the lakeside. You don’t have to worry about the hill because the hotel has its own funicular that takes you up from the main road. The restaurant/cafe has great views and you can just pop by for a coffee too, as I have done with many visitors. Luzern itself is crowded, especially during the day, but as with most places, the crowds are concentrated in certain areas (here, it is mainly the wooden bridge and surrounding old town pedestrian area, up to Schwanenplatz where all the tourist shops are). The lake cruises are also usually packed in summer - I suggest upgrading to first class if that’s something you want to do. Otherwise, don’t be afraid to explore - it’s a nice little city with a lot of culture and many good restaurants, many of which are away from the lakeside.

Thank you, Hopper! I feel much better.

My other option I was looking at was Hotel des Balances, which is right on the water. I assume that will be much more crazy and loud?

I’m piecing together what I think is your itinerary based on what you’re saying. If you hate crowds, steer clear of Zermatt. It’s an absolute zoo of selfie sticks and e-taxis zooming all over the “car free” village. It’s way worse than somewhere like Mürren, which is certainly touristy but not crowd overload everywhere you look. The BO has crowds but they’re also spread out over a pretty wide region, whereas everyone from the BO also goes to Zermatt and crams into one little village. You get the idea.

If the area around Zermatt makes sense with your overall itinerary, go to Bettmeralp or Saas Fee instead. Both car free villages and night & day in terms of crowds. Great hiking and small village life. From Bettmeralp you can hike along the Aletsch Glacier. From Saas Fee you can hike along the views of all the 14ers in a way that certainly tops Zermatt views in my opinion (the Matterhorn has been branded to death, in the end it’s just another mountain, of which there are plenty others to enjoy in its place)

I’d never suggest Zurich, because of the info stated in my original response. If you want to see St Gallen, why not just stay there? You could do a day trip on the lake to see Meersburg & the island of Mainau if you enjoy flowers, nature & charming villages and it’s closer to the Zurich airport than Luzern is.

Of course my opinions are just opinions and may not be for everyone, but if nature & charm is your priority vs checking off main list destinations at the expense of moving with the crowd, I think you’ll agree with my opinions once you experience it for yourself :)

Thanks, wanderweg. You make a very good point of all the people in the B.O. also going into the tiny area of Zermatt. - never really thought of it that way. Which is why I keep going back to Pontresina and the Engadine area- just having a hard time with the long train ride back to Saanen since that is my non-negotiable place I need to be. So I started to think what was close enough to Saanen, and I ended up with a list that include the busiest places! Can you think of a good stopping point between Pontresina and Saanan I could spend a couple of days at? I do not like to change hotels too much, but think I need to for this cross country part of the trip.

Des Balances is a nice hotel and more at the edge of the central area, though you will have to walk through the busy areas of town to get to/from there. As a pedestrian area, it's not necessarily extra loud (unless there is a big event in the old town) but there is a lot of foot traffic. If I wanted quiet and had to pick between the two, I'd stay at Montana. From Montana, you also have a nice walk up to the Dreilindenpark, one of the best views of the lake and mountains in town. If you want "non-touristy" restaurant tips, pm me.

Re mountain villages, I would definitely rather go to the Engadine if you can do the long train ride or reconfigure your itinerary (what is your max train journey duration?). Since I can visit more or less anytime, I usually avoid both the Lauterbrunnen Valley and Zermatt in the summer peak and save my visits for the rest of the year. Both are beautiful areas that I enjoy visiting, but have definitely gotten more crowded in the last few years (and with a different kind of crowd that is less into hiking or nature and more into selfies and box-ticking). If you are looking for alternatives to Zermatt, wanderweg's suggestions of Bettmeralp or Saas-Fee are good options.

I discovered last year that the city wall is a nice place to escape the crowds.

https://www.luzern.com/en/the-city/sights/top-sights/musegg-wall

If you end up in Zermatt, which I love, check out the gorner gorge.

https://zermatt.swiss/en/p/gorner-gorge-01tVj000005DonMIAS

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/gorner-gorge/

I had the place to myself.

Hopper18 - I will definitely take you up on the restaurants in Lucerne. I will send you a message once I figure out the rest of my trip.

I am 100% up to changing my trip around - I just don't know what to change it to. I have 12 nights in Switzerland - of which approx 4-5 need to be around Saanen. I was told we would go to Gryeres, possibly Martigny, possibly Bern, and some general lake walks. We could actually go to Glacier 3000 from Saanen as well since it's so close, but read it is nothing like Zermatt (which could be fine). This part of my trip is more of a visit vs. sight-seeing.

At the moment - I have a reservation in both Pontresina for 5 nights OR Zermatt for 4 nights, plus Lucerne. We like hiking - but can only do so much because of my knees. I am slow, but steady. Definitely love nature, but want a great meal after the hike. Trying to avoid mass crowds and selfie-sticks as much as possible, which sounds more like Engadine. I have found several hikes and things to do in Engadine to fill up more than my 5 days. I want to get a bit of variety on the trip - hiking - visiting - lakes - and city life.

The trip to Pontresina to Saanen is about 7 hours - but 6 transfers. This is the part that is difficult. Going on Glacier Express non-stop to Brig with zero transfers would work and then off to Saanen - adding just two transfers but an extra 3 total hours to the trip. Am I missing someting? Is there a good stopping point in between Pontresina and Saanen that could be interesting? I hate 1 night stops, but maybe can make an exception.

There are plenty of 4 change options throughout the day.
Pontresina > Samdan > Chur > Bern > Zweisimmen > Saanen
It’s 7.5 hours.

We do a trip more complicated than this every summer with 3 months worth of luggage. It takes us around 11 hours door to door and we just treat it like an adventure day with time to read on the trains, watch out the windows, chat with fellow passengers…It’s part of the experience of European travel that can be fun if you let it be….
Drive from mountain place in Austria 3 hours to Munich to drop off our car > train to Zurich > Interlaken > Lauterbrunnen > Grutschalp > Mürren

I wouldn’t break up a 7.5 hour travel day, it just prolongs it and with only 12 days you need to make the most of each day.

I gave you some great options that cut down on your travel and crowds in my last post, but if Pontresina & Luzern are where your heart is, then just go with it.

Thank you wanderweg! I will retake a look at that schedule now. Not sure how I went from 4 to 6 transfers but that makes a huge difference.

Nothing is off the table except for Saanan. You are the 2nd person who told me about Bettmeralp and the Glacier and it is on my radar for sure - just trying to figure out how to incorporate it into my trip - probably it takes the total place of Zermatt. I had looked at Sion too, but honestly have to go back down my rabbit hole and see how that ties in with Bettmeralp. As for the end of my trip - Lucerne/Zurich/somewhere else - your suggestions are waiting until I figure out this middle part. Your options will take me a couple of days to look at logistics, etc. I recognize you from a different forum, and your suggestions are always great and well thought out! Thank you!

I was in Luzern in September 2021 for 4 days & loved it; the Lion monument, took long boat ride on lake. Most important hotel amenity needed would be air conditioning in August. Because 2021 was still some Covid travel restrictions, it was crowded but not uncomfortably so. Probably way more crowded nowadays.