2 Days in Lucerne, any must-sees?

We will be staying in Lucerne for 2 full days before traveling to Basel for a day before embarking ship.

1st day will be Mt. Rigi. We will be taking the boat/train and cog wheel up to Rigi and if we have any time at night and have any energy - will wander around town.

However for day 2 - I was either going to suggest a train ride to Interlaken OR just stay around Lucerne and visit the lake. lion monument, old town, chapel bridge...

What trips have you taken that is a must see?

Thanks.

Definitely make sure you have time to wander the old town and the bridge, and get out to the Lion Monument [it really is as heart-breaking as you have heard]. Since you're doing Mt. Rigi there's probably no need to do Mt. Pilatus, and you already have a lake cruise built in to that trip.

We're doing the two day pre-extension trip in Lucerne too in August. How did you decide on Mt. Rigi over Mt. Pilatus?

Wife and I took a 2 week tour of Switzerland last month and stayed at the Hotel Schweizerhof in Old Town. One day we took a boat to Stanstaad and visited Engelberg Monastery and then took the "Rotair" cable car to the top of Mt Titlis with fantastic views in a rotating cable car. Reading that you're already doing a mountain you may just want to enjoy the "old town".

I just returned from Lucerne. I did the city tour on the little train. The tour has no stops and takes about an hour. You get a really good overview of Lucerne and the narration is very well done. After the tour, it is easy to walk back to most places for a closer look. The train goes by the Lion Monument but you can't really see anything from the train. Old town is a must see.

Mike

We're doing the two day pre-extension trip in Lucerne too in August. How did you decide on Mt. Rigi over Mt. Pilatus?

Did your travel partner get everything figured out? Sounds like you get to take your trip,after all! :)

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We're doing the two day pre-extension trip in Lucerne too in August. How did you decide on Mt. Rigi over Mt. Pilatus?

I am wondering the same. We have 4 days coming up in September and would like to do one of the mountains but we are not sure which one.

We're doing the two day pre-extension trip in Lucerne too in August. How did you decide on Mt. Rigi over Mt. Pilatus?

I am wondering the same. We have 4 days coming up in September and would like to do one of the mountains but we are not sure which one.

Well, I was all set for Pilatus when I read on another board about Mt. Rigi -

I love hiking and it's a better mountain to do that on. They both have great views however I have read that Rigi has slightly (all around views) better than Pilatus.

When I google mt. rigi or pilatus - most people opt for Rigi.

Plus you can use a "Swiss Day Pass" - that's something I'm looking into right now.

We just returned from our post cruise two days in Lucerne. First of all Lucerne is breathtaking loved it. First day we had a two hr. Walking tour and in the afternoon we had a cruise on the Lake. Day two we went to Mt Pilitis which took most of the day. We had time to go to the Chapel bridge just walk around and enjoy the views.. Sit at a restaurant have a glass of wine and relax ...

We visited both Mt Pilatus and Mt. Rigi during a four night visit this past November. These are two completely different mountain types. Mt. Pilatus is higher, rougher, and steeper than Mt. Rigi, however, we enjoyed Mt. Rigi better with it beautiful valley and views of the town below. You can get tickets at the train station for both journeys, and they are easy to do on your own. We also enjoyed the Lion Monument and walking the old Roman wall. Food is very expensive in Lucerne. If you want a less expensive meal then try the snack stands at the train station or the CO OP market inside the train station. By the way a meal at a nice restaurant can easily cost 200+ u.s.d..

For those more interested in culture Lucerne has some wonderful small museums, Rosengart and Picasso plus one in the Arts center by the Concert Hall.

There are also many classical concerts in the incredible hall.

I think we will be opting for Rigi. Thanks all for the info. Nana, yes we're still planning to travel together as they saying goes "God willin' and the crick don't rise."

Thank you for all the replies.

That settles it - day 1 - Mt Rigi

Day 2: Old Town tour et all.

Thanks for the tips on food. We are going to do snacks and the CO-OP in the train station. I have my cooler bag all set and ready and we will be taking it with us on Mt. Rigi and will have a picnic.

We will probably eat out one night - the Hotel we are staying in is supposed to have one of the best restaurants so we will probably eat there (then have no money to pay for the train to Basel:).

Actually, did you guys buy a Swiss pass or just a day pass?

We had two dinners in Lucerne and would recommend both places: Rathaus Brauerei, a brew pub located partially in the ground floor of the City Hall; and Pfistern Restaurant, where we enjoyed the local specialty Fritschepastete [puff pastry filled with chunks of veal and pork, mushrooms, apples and raisins in gravy] that had been talked up by our tour guide. Neither one broke the bank.

We had two dinners in Lucerne and would recommend both places: Rathaus Brauerei, a brew pub located partially in the ground floor of the City Hall...Neither one broke the bank.

We had a light dinner at the Rathaus Brauerei. It was certainly tasty - Chris had some type of meatballs with potatoes, and I had my usual simple plate of wurst with kraut or some permutation thereof. We sat at the tables by the river; it was a nice setting as the evening wore on.

But those two dishes plus the usual few wiessbiers and glasses of wine cost $95 (yes, that's real; I just looked at my cc statement). It didn't break the bank, I agree. But, that type of relatively simple meal would cost 1/2 that - or even less - in most places in Germany. So the sticker shock is definitely something you have to anticipate!