Things to do in Lucerne

Lake Lucerne fills a four-armed valley walled in by three peaks: Pilatus, Rigi and, an hour further at Engelberg, Titlis. Lucerne city sits where the lake narrows into the Reuss river. The region means the water, not the town.

What's around the lake

• Pilatus. Reached by the world's steepest cogwheel railway, on the lake's west shore.
• Rigi. Called the queen of the mountains, with cable car and cogwheel routes up from Weggis and Vitznau.
• Titlis. A glacier at 3,238 metres above Engelberg, an hour from the lake.
• Lakeside towns. Weggis, Vitznau, Brunnen and Küssnacht — each a stop on the historic paddle steamers, not a full day on its own.

Getting up the mountains

Every peak here has its own way up, and most visits pick one mountain rather than try for two. A paddle-steamer crossing can be half the day itself.

• Cogwheel and cable cars. Pilatus, Rigi and Titlis each run their own lift; none connects to the others.
• Lake steamers. Historic paddle boats still cross the lake on a timetable, not just for tourists.
• Private versus group. A private car reaches two or three lakeside towns in a day; the steamer or train covers one mountain properly.

Practical

• Weather. About 24C in July and 3C in January at the lakeside; the summits run 10-15C colder and catch cloud the shore doesn't see.
• Season. Cable cars and cogwheel trains run less often, or close for maintenance, in November and again in low-snow spring weeks.
• Booking ahead. Titlis and Pilatus fill on clear-weather weekends in summer.
• What to bring. A layer for the summit even on a hot lakeside day; wind at altitude cuts through anything left at the hotel.