How to go zurich to lucerne?
This article is a detailed transportation guide to travel from Zürich to Lucerne by train and car, including ticket prices, timetable & online booking tips.
The distance between Zürich and Lucerne is 40 km (24 miles), and you can travel between the two places by train and car. Because the distance is very short, there’s no flight to Lucerne.
The journey takes about 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your transportation choice.
Taking a train is the most convenient way to get to Lucerne.
Traveling by train on this route, you can enjoy incredible views, comfortable seats, fast transport, and free Wifi in some cases —in both second and first class.
Also, as both train stations are located in the city center, it’s very convenient, and you can avoid potential transfer expenses.
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) offers several direct trains from Zürich to Lucerne. The trains depart approximately every half hour throughout the day.
From Zürich, you can also join an excellent day tour to explore Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus.
You’ll start your trip with a bus ride to Lucerne and a short city tour. The tour continues with a visit to Mt. Pilatus by cable car and funicular and a cruise back over the Lake of the Four Cantons by boat.
Duration: 50 minutes
Many people fly to Switzerland and land at Zürich Airport. Although there are several nice attractions and things to do in and near Zürich, you may want to explore other areas of Switzerland. Another popular destination in Switzerland is Lucerne. If Lucerne is on your travel plan for Switzerland, you have several ways to get from Zürich to Lucerne. Let’s explore the transport options to allow you to choose the best modes of transportation from Zürich to Lucerne for your next trip to Lucerne as we all have different travel needs.
Lucerne is located in central Switzerland. It is the capital city of the canton of Lucerne. Lucerne has a population of about 82,000 people, making it the most populous city in central Switzerland. It is a hub for culture, media and transport with many train connections to other Swiss destinations. Lucerne is in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.
Lucerne is located on the shores of Lake Lucerne from where you can view Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi, two of the mountains in the Swiss Alps. Mount Pilatus is known for its unique cogwheel railway experience. You can complete a spectacular cable car ride with great views once you leave Mt Pilatus – definitely worth every cent! The city has several top attractions, including the Chapel Bridge and the Lion Monument. Lucerne’s old city is also worth a visit with beautiful traditional Swiss houses. The Lucerne City Train is a convenient way to see Lucerne and to learn about the city.
You may feel confused when you see some guide books or websites spell Lucerne as Luzern. If you are wondering is Lucerne the same as Luzern, Luzerne is the German spelling and Lucerne is the French or English version used by many tourists.
Looking for a hotel? Try the Hotel PickWick in Lucerne with a beautiful view of Chapel Bridge.
You can easily use Lucerne as the base from which you explore Switzerland as it is near popular areas, such as Interlaken and cities such as Lausanne, Montreux and Lugano. Alternatively, you can do a Lucerne day trip as part of a private tour or by yourself if you are staying in Zürich.
If you are travelling from Zürich to Lucerne, you can choose between different modes of transport. Switzerland’s public transportation is excellent, but private travel options are also available.
The train journey from Zürich’s main station or Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zürich HB) to Lucerne takes about 40 minutes and a train ticket costs between $25-$45 for a single trip, depending on the time of day you travel and also the class of travel you choose. The trains run at intervals of 30 minutes and you will never have to wait long for the next train if you miss one! Most of these train journeys is a direct train trip between the two cities and you won’t need to transfer trains anywhere.
To save money on train travel in Switzerland, considering purchasing a Swiss travel pass that gives you discounted rates on train travel and attractions in Switzerland. There is a variety of travel passes to choose from, such as passes for consecutive travel days or for non-consecutive travel days. Using these passes can save you a significant amount of money while travelling through Switzerland. You can book train tickets online as long as you have one of the world’s main credit cards. Click here to book the cheapest train tickets!
You can take a taxi to complete the journey. It will take about 40 minutes and cost you around $240-$300. Although this may be one of the fastest ways to travel between Zürich and Lucerne, it is also the most expensive way to complete the journey.
Using a rideshare is another way to travel cheaply if you are a budget-conscious traveller. The journey’s duration is just over an hour and will cost you $3. There is one rideshare opportunity daily and you will be dropped off near the Lucerne Train Station.
You can rent a car in Zürich and drive to Lucerne yourself. This will cost you between $7-$10 and the journey takes approximately 37 minutes. Having a rental car does allow you to make stops at smaller towns along the way and this may make your journey longer.
If you want to do a Lucerne day trip, you can choose from a variety of day trips from Zürich, including:
There are no international airports in Lucerne. If you are flying to Switzerland and want to visit Lucerne first, your best option is to fly to Zürich International Airport, also known as Zürich Flughafen in German. The Zürich Airport is the airport closes to Lucerne. From Zürich Airport, you can make use of the following transport options to get to Lucerne:
Taking the bus from Zürich Airport to Lucerne is the cheapest way to get to Lucerne. There are three busses per day and a bus ticket costs between $8-$10 for a single trip. The bus trip takes about 90 minutes and you will arrive at the bus depot in Lucerne, which is a 6-minute walk from Lucerne’s Train station. For the cheapest bus tickets, click here!
Taking the train from Zürich Airport to Lucerne Station takes approximately 70 minutes to cover the distance of 64.4 kilometres. A train ticket will cost you between $28-$50 for a single trip, depending on the time of you day you travel and also the class of travel you choose. You can also visit Lucerne on a day trip and do a return trip to Zürich Airport. The train between these two destinations run every hour.
For most of the train journeys from Zürich Airport to Lucerne you may have to change trains at either Zug or Zürich, depending on the route you take. Taking this train journey, you will arrive at Lucerne Train Station, right next to Lake Lucerne. From here it is an easy walk to most of the famous landmarks, such as the Lion Monument or Chapel Bridge. You can also board a boat tour to either Mt Pilatus or Rigi from near the Lucerne Train Station. Click here to book the cheapest train tickets!
