Swiss Museum of Transport

The Swiss Museum of Transport, the Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, opened in 1959 on the shore of Lake Lucerne and has grown into the most visited museum in Switzerland and one of the best transport museums in the world, with a huge collection spread across several halls and an open-air site. It tells the story of mobility in a country shaped by its mountains, where engineers have spent two centuries building railways, tunnels, roads, passes and cable cars, and it does so in a way that delights children and specialists alike. The rail hall is the heart of the collection, with historic steam and electric locomotives, including famous engines from the Gotthard line, models and the story of the great Alpine tunnels, from the first Gotthard tunnel to the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the longest railway tunnel in the world. The road transport hall displays cars, bicycles, motorcycles and carriages in a striking storage wall where a robotic arm brings vehicles out for display. The aviation hall holds aircraft from early flying machines to airliners and the story of Swiss aviation, while other sections cover navigation on Swiss lakes, cableways and space travel. Throughout the museum there are simulators, hands-on exhibits and play areas where children can drive, fly, steer or pilot. Beyond the main museum, the site includes the planetarium, the Filmtheater with one of the largest screens in Switzerland, the Swiss Chocolate Adventure, a ride through the world of chocolate, and the Media World on communication. Separate tickets apply to the museum, the planetarium, the film theatre and the chocolate ride, with a day pass covering everything. The museum is open daily, usually from 10am to 6pm, with shorter hours in winter. A visit can easily fill a whole day, especially with children.

How to plan your day: choose your ticket first. The museum alone is enough for a half-day visit; the all-day pass adds the planetarium, the Filmtheater and other attractions and suits a full day, especially in bad weather. Arrive at opening time, head first to the most popular simulators and the road transport storage wall before the crowds, then take lunch in one of the restaurants or a picnic on the lakeshore. The Swiss Chocolate Adventure has limited capacity and can be temporarily unavailable, so check before you plan around it. School holidays and rainy weekends are the busiest times; weekday afternoons in term time are quieter.

Getting there: the museum is in the Lido area on the north shore of Lake Lucerne, about twenty minutes on foot from the station along the lake promenade, or a few minutes by bus or by S-Bahn train to the Luzern Verkehrshaus station. In summer, the lake boats stop at the Verkehrshaus pier, which makes a cruise and the museum an easy combination. Car parking is available but limited on busy days. The museum is fully accessible, with lifts and pushchair-friendly halls.

Combinations and passes: Tiqets sells combination tickets pairing the museum with the Titlis cableways, a one-hour catamaran cruise on Lake Lucerne or the Lindt Home of Chocolate near Zurich. Swiss Travel Pass holders receive a discount on admission rather than free entry; check the current conditions. Even visitors with no special interest in transport tend to stay longer than planned, because the museum is ultimately about how a small, mountainous country connected itself, and that is the story of Switzerland. Before you leave, walk out to the lakeshore in front of the museum: the views across the water to the Old Town, the Rigi and Pilatus are among the best in Lucerne, and in summer the Lido beach next door offers a swim after a day among the engines.