A fjord-like lake ringed by mountains, with old paddle steamers, cog railways and a pretty medieval town at one end. Here's what Lake Lucerne is like, when to go and how long to stay.
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Temperatures are the average daytime high in °C.
May to September is best for lake swimming, boat trips and mountain walks, when every cable car and cog railway is running. July and August are the busiest months. Autumn brings golden colours and clear days, and December has Christmas markets, but some mountain lifts close for maintenance in November and spring.
Lucerne's covered wooden bridge, with painted panels under its roof and a stone water tower.
Ride the world's steepest cog railway up from Alpnachstad and a cable car back down to Kriens.
The 'queen of the mountains', reached by boat and cog railway, with easy walks and views of the lake.
Cruise the lake on a historic paddle steamer. Swiss Travel Pass holders ride free.
Trains, planes and a planetarium, a big hit with children and on rainy days.
Take the world's steepest funicular to Stoos, then walk the ridge between two peaks.
Painted houses, fountains and the city walls, with towers you can climb for free in summer.
Four or five days lets you see the town and do two or three mountains and a boat trip. Two days covers the town and one mountain.
May to September, when it's around 19 to 25°C and all the mountain lifts and boats are running. September is quieter than July and August.
Yes, like the rest of Switzerland. A Swiss Travel Pass or the Tell-Pass can save a lot if you plan to use boats, trains and mountain railways, and picnics help with food costs.
Fly into Zurich, then take the train from the airport to Lucerne in about an hour. Trains also connect easily from Geneva, Basel and Milan.
Very. The Transport Museum, cog railways, boats and easy mountain walks with playgrounds keep children busy, and under-16s travel free on Swiss trains with a parent's pass and a Junior Travelcard.
Put Lake Lucerne on standby with everyone's other ideas. You each spread your points in secret, get one veto, and the draw picks where you go.