Getting here
The house stands on the lake side of the old town, between the boat landings and the eastern end of the promenade. All the times below are measured from the front steps.
| From | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Luzern railway station | On foot along the water | 9 minutes |
| Luzern railway station | Taxi | 4 minutes |
| Zurich Airport | Train, one change at Zurich HB | 1 h 10 |
| Basel SBB | Train, direct | 1 h 05 |
| Bern | Train, direct | 1 h 00 |
| Boat landing stage 3 | On foot across the quay | 2 minutes |
| A2 motorway, Luzern-Zentrum exit | Car | 7 minutes |
Train, car, boat, foot
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By train
Luzern is a terminus, so every train ends at the same platforms. Leave by the lake exit, turn right along the water and keep the lake on your left. The promenade runs the whole way, and the house is the one with the glass canopy. It takes nine minutes at a normal pace, or twelve with a case on the cobbles.
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By car
Leave the A2 at Luzern-Zentrum and follow the signs to Schweizerhofquai; the quay itself is one-way eastbound. The hotel has no car park of its own, but the desk reserves spaces in the public garage two streets back and the attendant will take your keys at the door. The garage has electric charging at two points.
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By boat
Landing stage 3 is directly opposite. Steamers and motor vessels run to Weggis, Vitznau, Beckenried and Alpnachstad, with the first departure before eight in summer. Timetables lie on the hall table and change twice a year.
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On foot
The old town begins four minutes west, the covered wooden bridge is seven, the lion monument eleven, and the lake baths are twelve minutes east. Everything worth seeing in central Lucerne is within twenty-five minutes on a level pavement.
What is near the door
West of the hotel the quay narrows into the old town, with painted house fronts, two market squares and the river running out of the lake under the covered bridge. The bridge dates from the fourteenth century and the tower beside it is older, and both can be visited free of charge.
The city wall and its towers stand north of the river, and three of the towers can be climbed in summer. The lion monument, cut into a cliff face above a pond, is eleven minutes from the door and quietest before nine in the morning.
For shopping, try the arcades along the north bank and the streets behind them, which have most of what you would want. Market days are Tuesday and Saturday mornings on both banks of the Reuss.
Mountains you can reach and return from in a day
Lucerne sits in a bowl, with three summits around it. For Pilatus, take the boat to Alpnachstad and then the cogwheel railway, or the cable car from Kriens; the round trip takes most of a day, so start early. For Rigi, take the boat to Vitznau and then the rack railway, which makes about five hours there and back with time at the top.
Stanserhorn, the smallest of the three, makes the easiest half day: train to Stans, then the funicular and the open-topped cable car. On a clear afternoon you can set off after lunch and be back for dinner in the Seesaal.
Reception sells combined boat and mountain tickets at the counter and checks the summit webcams before you commit to the fare. If the cloud is sitting too low to bother, they will tell you so.
Seequai 14, 6003 Luzern
Switzerland. Telephone +41 41 227 38 60, answered at any hour.
Electronic mail [email protected], answered within one working day.