Lucerne Switzerland is one of the few places I’ve really fallen in love with and probably the only city I’ve ever fallen in love with. And, I only spent 1.5 days here on a two week trip around Europe! Lucerne is small, quaint, and unbelievably picturesque. The city has many bridges crossing the Reuss River and sits on Lake Lucerne with a backdrop of the Swiss Alps. It’s small, walkable and easy to navigate making day trips easy. Its medieval architecture and 14th century bridges make it really feel like a fairytale. In this post, I’ll talk about all the things you should do if you only have 36 hours in Lucerne.

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How to Spend 36 Hours in Lucerne, Switzerland

Eat fondue!

You can’t go to Switzerland and not try fondue! Our tour group was going to dinner and a show and my friend and I decided to skip out on that and instead find some real Swiss fondue. Best decision ever. We honestly didn’t do much research. We just found the first place that had fondue which ended up being Restaurant Fritschi, but it was amazing. It’s a good thing fondue this good isn’t easily available to me every day.

Have Swiss Chocolate

Of course we had chocolate fondue with our dinner, which was incredible. But we also bought several pounds of Swiss chocolate and carried it with us for the entire trip throughout Europe in order to be able to bring some home for our families to try. We may have eaten half of it before we got home, but it’s the thought that counts! It was an ongoing joke with our tour group that we cared more about our chocolate than our personal belongings. Milk chocolate was actually invented in Switzerland and Switzerland has an international reputation for high quality chocolate. Seriously, make sure you try the chocolate!

Go Shopping

Of course we couldn’t leave Switzerland without buying Swiss watches and engraved Swiss Army Knives. There are a ton of cool shops in Old Town and plenty in new town as well, so make sure to allow yourself at least some time to shop!

Walk over the Chapel Bridge

This bridge is a landmark of Lucerne and one of the oldest wooden bridges in Europe. Inside the bridge are 17th century paintings. The bridge burned down in 1993 but was quickly restored. The water tower apparently used to be used as a prison and torture chamber, but today it is closed to the public.

See the Lion Monument

The Lion Monument is a very popular tourist attraction in Lucerne. The sculpture, carved into a cliff, honors the Swiss Guards who died in the French Revolution. The lion is dying, pierced with a spear. He is laying on a shield with the symbol of the French Monarchy and next to a shield with the coat of arms of Switzerland.

Go to the summit of Mount Pilatus

This was the highlight of our time in Lucerne. To get to the top, we rode the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. The views going up and at the top were some of the best views I’ve ever seen. You get a close look at the Swiss Alps and sweeping views of Lucerne and the surrounding area. With the wildflowers blooming when we were there, this place felt magical. Oh, and there were also goats everywhere, and they will pose for selfies. After spending some time at the summit, marveling at the views and watching hang gliders, we rode the cable car back down. If you do only one thing in Lucerne, let this be it!

Explore Old town

Old Town is a maze of cobblestone streets and squares with medieval architecture, murals painted on many of the buildings, outdoor cafes, shops, and much more. This is where we did all our shopping and eating, so you will undoubtedly be spending some time in Old Town while in Lucerne.

Hang out on Lake Lucerne

If you don’t have time to catch a boat tour on Lake Lucerne, then perhaps just catch a sunrise or sunset or enjoy a coffee and watch the swans dive. Enjoy some quiet away from the touristy old town and city center and just take in the beauty of this place.