Switzerland (Switzerland)
Zurich and Lucerne are the two halves of the classic first trip to Switzerland: a polished lakeside city of banks, guild houses and world-class museums, and an hour away by train, a medieval town on a turquoise river at the foot of the Alps, with three famous mountains at the end of its boat piers.
Zurich gives you the cobbled lanes of the Old Town, the twin towers of the Grossmuenster and the Chagall windows of the Fraumuenster, the Kunsthaus and the Swiss National Museum, the FIFA Museum and the Lindt Home of Chocolate with the largest chocolate fountain in the world, plus summer swims in the lake and a cogwheel-free mountain, the Uetliberg, twenty minutes from the station. Lucerne gives you the Chapel Bridge and its painted gables, the Swiss Museum of Transport, and the mountain days that people cross the world for: Pilatus by the steepest cogwheel railway on earth, Rigi by the first mountain railway in Europe and Titlis by a rotating cable car to a glacier at 3,020 metres. This guide books the region properly, with honest notes on winter closures, the Swiss Travel Pass, Christmas markets and the Rhine Falls, then matches you to the right hotel, from the Baur au Lac in its private park to a 500-year-old inn in Lucerne, because in a country this efficient, where you sleep decides how many mountains you can fit in.
Zurich Old Town: Grossmuenster, Fraumuenster and Lindenhof
Two banks of the Limmat and a thousand years of history — the twin towers of the Grossmuenster, Chagall's stained glass in the Fraumuenster, the biggest church clock face in Europe at St. Peter and the Roman hill of the Lindenhof. Free to wander, easy to love.
Lindt Home of Chocolate
The world's largest chocolate fountain, nine metres of flowing chocolate in the atrium, then an interactive journey from cocoa bean to bar with tastings along the way and a vast Lindt shop at the end. On the lakeshore in Kilchberg, open daily.
Chapel Bridge and Lucerne Old Town
Lucerne's wooden covered bridge with its octagonal Water Tower, painted gable panels and swans on the Reuss — plus the Spreuer Bridge, painted squares, the Musegg Wall and the Lion Monument. Free, an hour from Zurich, and the picture of Switzerland.
Mount Pilatus
Lucerne's dragon mountain, 2,132 metres above the lake — up by the world's steepest cogwheel railway in summer or by panorama gondola and the Dragon Ride cable car year-round. Note for Nov 2026: cable cars closed to 27 Nov, cogwheel closes after 29 Nov.
Two banks of the Limmat and a thousand years of history — the twin towers of the Grossmuenster, Chagall's stained glass in the Fraumuenster, the biggest church clock face in Europe at St. Peter and the Roman hill of the Lindenhof. Free to wander, easy to love.
Switzerland's largest art museum, in two buildings on the Heimplatz — Munch, Giacometti, Monet and the Swiss masters, a Chipperfield extension and major temporary shows. The collection is free for everyone on Wednesdays; closed Mondays.
A fairy-tale castle next to Zurich main station holding the story of Switzerland — from the first settlers and medieval armour to the history of the modern country, with a family exhibition and a striking modern wing. Closed Mondays.
Football's world museum in Zurich's Enge district — the original World Cup trophies, the shirts and boots of legends, a rainbow wall of every member nation's kit, and an interactive pitch-side play zone. Closed Mondays.
The world's largest chocolate fountain, nine metres of flowing chocolate in the atrium, then an interactive journey from cocoa bean to bar with tastings along the way and a vast Lindt shop at the end. On the lakeshore in Kilchberg, open daily.
The simplest pleasure in Zurich — a public boat from the Buerkliplatz past lakeside villages, vineyards and villas, with the Alps on the horizon. Mini, short and long cruises to Rapperswil, a reduced winter timetable, and valid with the Swiss Travel Pass.
The Top of Zurich, twenty-odd minutes by train from the main station — a lookout tower above the city, the lake and the whole chain of the Alps, the Planet Trail ridge walk to Felsenegg, and a toboggan run in snowy winters. Free, except the train.
Lucerne's wooden covered bridge with its octagonal Water Tower, painted gable panels and swans on the Reuss — plus the Spreuer Bridge, painted squares, the Musegg Wall and the Lion Monument. Free, an hour from Zurich, and the picture of Switzerland.
Switzerland's most popular museum, on the Lucerne lakeshore — locomotives, cars, ships, planes and space travel, simulators and hands-on halls, plus a planetarium, a giant cinema and the Swiss Chocolate Adventure ride. Open daily.
Lucerne's dragon mountain, 2,132 metres above the lake — up by the world's steepest cogwheel railway in summer or by panorama gondola and the Dragon Ride cable car year-round. Note for Nov 2026: cable cars closed to 27 Nov, cogwheel closes after 29 Nov.
The Queen of the Mountains, an island of green between three lakes — reached by Europe's first mountain railway from Vitznau, with sunrise views over Lake Lucerne, a Mario Botta mineral spa and gentle trails. Free with the Swiss Travel Pass.
Eternal snow at 3,020 metres above Engelberg — the world's first rotating cable car, the Cliff Walk suspension bridge, a glacier cave, the Ice Flyer and the new Titlis Tower. Snow and ice every day of the year, a scenic train ride from Lucerne.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Bahnhofstrasse / Lakefront
Zurich's grand hotel since 1844, still run by the founding family in its seventh generation — a private park on the lake, 119 rooms and suites, Marguita on the water, Baur's brasserie and three Michelin Keys. The classic address for an occasion.
Check rates →Old Town / Weinplatz
A guesthouse on the Limmat since the Middle Ages, first recorded in 1357 — 64 light-filled rooms on the river in the heart of the Old Town, La Rotisserie with its terrace, the Barchetta bar under the arches and the rooftop bar The Nest.
Check rates →Langstrasse / Europaallee
A playful design hotel where the bankers' Europaallee meets the nightlife of the Langstrasse, steps from the main station — 170 rooms, some over the tracks, NENI's Middle Eastern sharing plates, the Cinchona Bar and a rooftop sauna.
Check rates →Enge / Paradeplatz
Budget-smart design in an expensive city — compact, well-equipped rooms, a lounge themed on chocolate, mountains and Lake Zurich, and a central location near the Paradeplatz and the lake. The value pick for Zurich.
Check rates →Lucerne Lakefront / Schweizerhofquai
Lucerne's lakefront grand hotel since 1845, run by the Hauser family — 101 historic rooms and suites, guests from Mark Twain and Tolstoy to Wagner, lake and mountain views, Brasserie VICO and VILLA Schweizerhof. Five minutes from the Chapel Bridge.
Check rates →Lucerne Old Town / Weinmarkt
A boutique hotel on the Reuss in the heart of Lucerne's Old Town, with views of the Chapel Bridge, the Jesuit Church and Pilatus — 56 rooms, a riverside terrace and a restaurant rated by Gault and Millau. The romantic Old Town address.
Check rates →Lucerne Old Town / Bahnhofstrasse
Five centuries of hospitality in Lucerne's Old Town — a tavern turned hotel with 48 individually furnished rooms, wood-panelled dining rooms and a summer terrace, a member of the Romantik and Swiss Historic Hotels groups. Characterful and great value.
Check rates →Niederdorf / Old Town
One of Zurich's oldest guest houses, first recorded in 1291, reborn as a 39-room design hotel in the heart of the Niederdorf — historic beams and vaults, clean modern rooms, the IGNIV restaurant and a tram stop at the door.
Check rates →Niederdorf / Old Town
A friendly three-star-superior in the Niederdorf with 52 air-conditioned rooms decorated with paintings of Zurich, and the Swiss Chuchi downstairs, one of the city's favourite places for fondue and raclette. Old Town value done right.
Check rates →Hirschengraben / Old Town
A quiet, three-star boutique hotel on the Hirschengraben, just above the Niederdorf, with 46 air-conditioned rooms in eight categories, accessible rooms and the TimeOut restaurant. Central Zurich without the late-night noise.
Check rates →Near Zurich Main Station
A no-frills, renovated budget hotel in a neoclassical building a few minutes' walk from Zurich main station — small budget doubles, family quads, a continental breakfast and the best prices you will find this central.
Check rates →Old Town Riverside
A three-star hotel on the river in the heart of Lucerne's Old Town, with rooms looking over the Reuss to the Chapel Bridge, the lake and Pilatus, some with balconies, and breakfast served all day. Postcard views at a fair price.
Check rates →Next to Lucerne Station
A three-star-superior hotel right beside Lucerne station, with 91 renovated, air-conditioned rooms, the Gleis 1 restaurant, round-the-clock reception and strong sustainability credentials. The practical base for lake and mountain days.
Check rates →Hofkirche / Lakefront
A characterful 29-room hotel in a seventeenth-century half-timbered house at the foot of the Hofkirche, a minute from the lake promenade — artistically furnished rooms, a rustic restaurant serving Lucerne classics and breakfast in the Hofstube.
Check rates →Weinmarkt / Old Town
A simple three-star hotel on the Weinmarkt, the most beautiful square in Lucerne's car-free Old Town — 25 practical rooms including triples and quads, a breakfast buffet and the Chapel Bridge two minutes away.
Check rates →The first-timer's itinerary that gives Zurich a full day, Lucerne a full day and a mountain the third, with lake boats, museums and chocolate fitted in, and honest notes on winter closures.
The practical primer for a first visit — getting in from the airport, the Swiss Travel Pass and its alternatives, mountain closures, money, Sunday closing, tipping, tap water and the etiquette that keeps Swiss life running smoothly.
How to choose between Zurich and Lucerne as a base, the best neighbourhoods in each, and our hotel picks from the Baur au Lac and the Schweizerhof to boutique Old Town houses and smart budget options.
A food lover's guide to the region — the classic dishes of Zurich and Lucerne, cheese fondue and raclette, Swiss chocolate from Lindt to Spruengli, markets and supermarkets, wine from the lake and how to manage the prices.
A seasonal guide for November to March — the 2026 Christmas market dates in Zurich and Lucerne, which mountain railways run and which close, sea-of-fog days, lake boats in winter and how to plan around short days.
A side-by-side guide to the three great Lucerne mountains — heights, routes, seasons, costs with the Swiss Travel Pass, who each one suits and how to fit two into one trip.
