Planning a trip to Lucerne, Switzerland? Lucerne is one of Switzerland’s most picturesque cities. To help you explore without breaking the bank, we’ve created a budget-friendly itinerary featuring only free things to do in Lucerne. This list can be added to a one or two day itinerary.
Why only free things? Switzerland is quite an expensive country. If you’re like us, you’ll prefer nature over cities. So, we decided to save our money to spend on cable cars and other expensive transportation options required to take us to the start of some of the best hikes and viewpoints.
Table Of Contents
In this guide we’ll cover the following topics. You can click on the links to navigate to the parts that interest you the most.
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Map of Free Things to Do in Lucerne, Switzerland
The following map shows an overview of the recommended free things to do and places to see in Lucerne. Click on the map to open it in Google Maps.
Best Free Things to do in Lucerne
Here’s a list of 11 free things to do in Lucerne that will keep you occupied for a day or two depending on your pace.
1) Walk Across Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke)
The Chapel Bridge is probably the most iconic landmark in Lucerne. This beautiful wooden pedestrian bridge crosses the Reuss River. It is decorated with flowers and features historic paintings inside.
It is one of the most beautiful places to take pictures in Lucerne, so it’s usually a bit crowded. Walking across the bridge is free.
2) Stroll Along the Reuss River
The area along the Reuss River is very pleasant for a stroll, and you’ll pass by colorful buildings and other iconic bridges. This is definitely one of the best things to do in Lucerne.
3) Cross Spreuerbrücke (Spreuer Bridge)
If you continue walking along the Reuss River from the Chapel Bridge, you’ll eventually arrive at the Spreuer Bridge. Like Chapel Bridge, this is also a pedestrian wooden bridge that also features paintings inside. This bridge is not as iconic as the other one, but it’s still worth a visit. Additionally, there was very little tourists nearby when we were there.
From the bridge, you’ll get a nice panoramic view of the banks of the river.
4) Enjoy the Views Around Lake Lucerne
Take a walk along the shores of Lake Lucerne and enjoy the stunning views of the surrounding mountains. We stayed at Camping Lido Lucerne and walked from there to the city center, which turned out to be a very pleasant stroll.
Along the way, you’ll find several benches where you can sit, unwind, and appreciate the beautiful mountains in the background.
If you’re up for it, you can also take a cruise on the lake. Unfortunately, the weather during our visit was mostly overcast, so we decided to skip it. However, on a clear day, this could be a great activity.
5) Lion Monument
The Lion Monument is quite a unique sight. It features a stone-carved lion on a marbled wall, created to honor the Swiss Guards who were killed during the French Revolution. Surrounding the monument, there’s a small lake and a garden. The Lion is even more impressive in person.
Next to the Lion Monument, you’ll find the Glacier Garden of Lucerne, an open-air museum showcasing glacial formations and fossils from the ice age. It seemed like an interesting place to visit, but since we were planning to stay in Switzerland for quite some time, we decided to save some money and focus on free attractions.
6) Walk Along the Musegg Wall (Museggmauer)
Take a walk along Lucerne’s historic city walls, where you can climb up to three of the towers and enjoy panoramic views of the city. Each tower offers a unique perspective, so it’s definitely worth climbing them all. This was quite an interesting thing to do that kept us occupied for almost two hours. And the best thing is that it is free to visit.
7) Eat a Cheese Pie (2. CHF)
This is not free, but it’s such an affordable experience that we decided to include it in this list. Try a small cheese pie for just 2CHF at the famous Chäs Chüechli from Chäs Barmettler. You’ll probably smell it before you even reach the shop since it’s cooked in an oven outside. This is a delicious affordable little snack.
At this place, you can also buy artesanal dairy products, including cheese, yoghurt and the famous cheese for Swiss fondue.
8) Explore the Old Town
Lucerne’s Old Town is full of history, with narrow streets, colorful buildings, and painted facades. Walk through Weinmarkt, Kornmarkt, Mühlenplatz and Kapellplatz squares to see beautiful murals and historic architecture that looks like straight out of a fairytale setting.
Don’t miss the Town Hall Clock Tower, standing tall over Kornmarkt. The area is great for a stroll, with shops, cafés, and hidden alleys. It’s a must-see and completely free to explore.
9) Enjoy the Views at Gütsch
Gütsch is a great place to take a break from the city. You can ride a free elevator (with the Lucerne Visitor Pass—that you should have for free if you’re staying the night in the city) to the top. There are nice walking paths in the forest and a small lake nearby.
If you just want to relax, the beautiful Château Gütsch hotel (that looks like a fairytale castle) has a bar with amazing views of Lucerne. Whether you walk or sit with a drink, it’s a great place for a visit.
For a great view of the hotel, climb the Musegg Wall that we already recommended visiting previously.
10) Lucerne Chuches
Lucerne has many beautiful churches that you can visit for free. One of the most famous is the Jesuit Church, right by the Reuss River and across from Chapel Bridge. It’s easy to spot.
Another church to see is Hofkirche St. Leodega. What called my attention was not the church itself, but the many souvenir shops nearby selling Swiss items like swiss army knives, swiss clocks, and cuckoo clocks.
Even if you’ve seen other churches, these are worth visiting because they’re in nice areas of the city. Other churches to visit include the Franciscan Church, with its simple style, and Peter’s Chapel, one of the oldest in Lucerne.
11) Meggenhorn Castle
Meggenhorn Castle is just 4 km from Lucerne and has one of the best views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps. This 19th-century castle looks like a French château and is surrounded by gardens, walking paths, and even a small vineyard. You might also see sheep or goats wandering around. There’s a walking pass that will take you close to the lake where you’ll see a statue of Jesus Christ.
You can get to the castle by bus (free with the Lucerne Visitor Pass) and then walk approximately 15 minutes to the entrance of the property. From there, you’ll walk uphill for about 10–15 minutes until reaching the Castle gardens. The castle is only open on some specific days, but the grounds are open all year for free.
Even though small, the whole area is well looked after and everything is quite beautiful. So, we definitely recommend going there if you have the time.
Lucerne One Day Itinerary – Only Free Things to Do
This itinerary can be completed in a day if you’re starting early. Split it in two days if you’re just starting in the afternoon. Click on the map to open it in Google Maps.
Here’s a summary of what a day in Lucerne might look like covering all the activities we just mentioned in the previous list.
Morning
- Take a bus to Meggenhorn Castle and enjoy the views of Lake Lucerne (15-minute walk from the bus stop).
- Catch a bus to the Swiss Museum of Transport and walk along the shores of Lake Lucerne back to the city center.
Midday
- Visit Hofkirche St. Leodegar, then walk to the Lion Monument.
- Explore the Glacier Garden Museum next to the Lion Monument (paid, optional).
- Grab a cheese pie from Chäs Barmettler as a snack.
Afternoon
- Walk along the Musegg Wall, climb its towers for panoramic city views.
- Explore the Old Town’s picturesque streets and squares.
- Walk to Chapel Bridge, Lucerne’s most famous bridge, and cross it to the other side.
- Visit the Jesuit Church, then stroll along the Reuss River to Spreuer Bridge.
Evening
- Take the Gütsch elevator up for incredible views of lake Lucerne and mountains.
- If you have time, explore the walking trails in the area.
How to Get Around Lucerne
To get around Lucerne, you can rely on public transportation. If you’re spending the night in Lucerne, you’ll get a Visitor Card. The Visitor Card offers free public transport in Lucerne (Zone 10) and discounts on attractions. It also provides access to free WiFi hotspots. You can learn more here.
For this itinerary, you can use the buses covered by the Visitor Card and walk, so you won’t spend anything on transportation.
Where to Stay in Lucerne?
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably a budget traveler. It’s quite difficult to find affordable accommodation in Switzerland.
Here are some “budget” options located in the heart of the city:
We visited Switzerland in our campervan, so we stayed at campsites, which are significantly cheaper than hotels but still much more expensive than in other countries.
We stayed at Camping International Lido Luzern. The camping was really well maintained. One of the best we stayed at until today. It is located right next to the Swiss Museum of Transport and a pleasant walk from the city center. There are also direct buses (free with the Visitor Card) to take you directly to the city center. They also have small rooms and trailers, that can be cheaper than a hotel. If you’re travelling in high season, it is recommend to book with some advance.
We were travelling in September and they had a spot for us. Be sure to arrive early to guarantee a spot, specially if it’s weekend of high-season.
How to Get Internet in Switzerland
In Lucerne, with the Visitor Card you can get access to free WiFi hotspots. However, I always prefer to have my own data package and not having to rely on third-party Wi-Fi.
When travelling to foreign countries, we always opt for an eSIM to get internet data. We had good experiences with airalo, Maya, and Holafly. Check several providers to see which one offers the best package.
You can sign up for Holafly and use my referral code to get 5% off:
TripiwiIf you decide to go with airalo, you can use the referral code below on your first purchase to get a a 3$ credit:
SARA0837
Important: As a Portuguese traveler, our data plan doesn’t include roaming in Switzerland (contrary to many other countries in Europe). So, don’t use your national data plan. Get an eSIM card.
Wrapping Up
We hope you’ve found this guide useful. If you’re a budget traveler, you’ll see that you can still spend a great time in Lucerne city without spending a lot of money.
Our time in Lucerne was part of a longer road trip to Switzerland. We’ll publish more Switzerland itineraries and travel guides soon. So stay tuned.
Finally, you can use our links to book your accommodation, and activities and find cheap flights. You won’t pay more for it and you’ll be supporting our work.
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