5-Day Lucerne Itinerary for Hikers, Switzerland

This Lucerne Itinerary is an adventurous trip for hikers, who want to explore the Lake Lucerne Region of Central Switzerland. This is our exact day by day itinerary.

Our 5-day trip starts and ends in Lucerne, but also ventures to the car-free village of Stoos and the charming alpine town of Engelberg. In five days, you will hike the Stoos Ridge Trail (T2 – moderate), the 2-day Stanserhorn-Engelberg Ridge Trail (T3 – difficult), and the Walenpfad Panorama Trail (T2 – moderate). 

This car-free Lucerne itinerary is unique, because it integrates the 2-day Stanserhorn-Engelberg hike (Tell Trail Stage 5), with an overnight in Alp Laucheren (tents, sleeping mats, and meals provided). Hikers must have a head for heights.

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5-Day Lucerne Itinerary Map

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How to Book this Lucerne Itinerary

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Accommodation 

Book 2 Nights in Lucerne |  The Lubo (budget), Hotel Münzgasse (budget), Hotel Des Alpes (midrange), Cascada Boutique Hotel (midrange), Hotel Central Luzern (midrange), or Hotel des Balances (luxury).

Book 1 Night in Alp Laucheren | Email laucherenalp[at]hotmail.com

Book 1-2 Nights in Engelberg | Ski Lodge Engelberg (budget), Hotel Bellevue-Terminus (midrange), Hotel Sonnwendhof Engelberg (midrange), H+ Hotel & SPA Engelberg (midrange), or Hotel Alpenclub (luxury). 

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Public Transit 

This route requires the use of SBB transit and multiple cableways. We recommend either purchasing the Swiss Travel Pass, or the Swiss Half Fare Card to save money on transit.

Use the sbb.ch website to research timetables and connections. 

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Day 1: Lucerne 

Lucerne is only a 40-50 minute train ride away from Zürich HB train station and a 1:10-hour train ride away from Zürich Airport (with transfer).

Upon arriving in Lucerne, we dropped off our luggage at our hotel and then spent the day exploring the Altstadt (Old Town), starting with a wonderful lunch at the riverside Mill’Feuille (Google Maps). 

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Museggmauer: City Wall and Towers

Lucerne’s Old Town stretches between the Reuss River and the medieval Museggmauer city wall, built in the 13th century. Originally, the city fortifications comprised an inner and outer ring along with 30 towers. Today, an 870-meter stretch of the outer wall and 9 towers still stand. 

For sweeping views of the Old Town, we recommend climbing the various towers that stand at regular intervals along the Musegg wall. 

To find the Museggmauer Weg path, head to the riverside Nölliturm tower (Google Maps), between the Spreuerbrücke and Geissmattbrücke bridges. Just beyond the tower, there is a pathway that links St. Karliquai to Museggmauer Weg. Ascend the trail to Männliturm tower, which is open to visitors. 

After climbing the tower, the Museggmauer Weg continues on the north side of the city walls to the Wachturm tower. Scale the steps of the Wachturm to access the elevated path along the walls to the Zytturm clocktower and onwards to the Schirmerturn. Exit the tower and return to the Old Town. 

Opening Hours | April 1st – November 1st,  daily between 8 am and 7 pm. 

Entrance Fee | Free

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Timber-Covered Bridges: Chapel Bridge and Chaff Bridge

Lucerne’s most popular attraction is the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), a timber-covered pedestrian bridge spanning the Reuss River, built in the 14th century. It diagonally connects Neustadt (New Town) with Altstadt (Old Town). 

The footbridge contains a series of painted panels from the 17th century, depicting scenes of local and Swiss history. Sadly, most of the paintings were destroyed in the 1993 fire.

Another defining feature of the bridge is the octagonal water tower, which was historically used as a prison, torture chamber, archive, and treasury. 

Further downstream, there is another timber-covered bridge, Spreuerbrücke (Chaff Bridge), with pictorial Dance of Death themed panels. Caspar Meglinger’s morbid paintings illustrate that death is pervasive. The dogmatic message is: “you best behave, because you never know when you’ll die.”

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Lucerne Promenade

If time allows, walk the lakeside promenade that runs parallel to Haldenstrasse in the direction of Seebad Luzern. 

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Dinner

We ate a memorable dinner on the riverside terrace of Hotel des Balances in the Old Town.

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Where to Stay in Lucerne 

Altstadt | The bustling Old Town is located along the north bank of the Reuss and is contained within the old city fortifications. It’s a maze of squares and alleys, packed with restaurants, shops, and hotels. The Old Town is walking distance to the Lake Lucerne Promenade and the train station. Lucerne’s timber-covered bridges are the pedestrian arteries, connecting the city center. Top accommodations: The Lubo (budget), riverside Hotel Des Alpes (midrange), and riverside Hotel des Balances (luxury). 

Neustadt | Neustadt (“New Town”) is the neighborhood directly south of the Old Town, on the opposite side of the Reuss River. It borders the Lucerne Train Station. With its many restaurants, bars, and nightlife areas, Neustadt is considered the “hippest” area of Lucerne. Unsurprisingly, it can also be loud. Take a look at Hotel Münzgasse (budget), Cascada Boutique Hotel (midrange), Hotel Central Luzern (midrange), and Hotel Restaurant Anker (midrange-luxury). 

Lake Lucerne: Schweizerhofquai and Haldenstrasse | Lucerne is poised along the northwestern arm of Lake Lucerne, a serpentine body of water that flows into the River Reuss. Just east of the Old Town, there are many fine lakefront accommodations including Hotel Beau Séjour Lucerne (budget-midrange), Grand Hotel National Luzern (luxury), Hotel Schweizerhof Luzern (high-end luxury), and Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern (high-end luxury). Further away near the Lion Monument, you’ll find the top-rated Capsule Hotel – Chapter Lucerne (budget).

Look for accommodation in Lucerne.

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Day 2: Stoos Ridge Trail 

The 4.5 km long Stoos Ridge Trail runs between the Klingenstock and Fronalpstock peaks in the Schwyzer Alp, high above the car-free village of Stoos. It’s an undulating high trail that delivers bird’s-eye views of the multi-armed Lake Lucerne and its surrounding peaks. 

To start this hike, first head to the Stoosbahn funicular valley station in Schwyz (1:20 transit journey from Lucerne). We’ve explained the logistics of this trail in our Stoos Ridge Hiking Guide.

The Stoosbahn funicular is included in the Swiss Travel Pass. The chairlifts to/from Klingenstock and Fronalpstock can be purchased at the Stoosbahn valley station at a discounted rate. 

It takes only 2:10 hours to hike the undulating ridge from Klingenstock peak to Fronalpstock peak. However, with the various cableways, allow at least 4 hours. At the end of the hike, we recommend eating lunch at the mountainside Fronalpstock hotel restaurant. 

Return to Lucerne.

We ate dinner at Zur Werkstatt in the Neustadt neighborhood. This unconventional restaurant serves one surprise dinner menu.

Stay a second night in Lucerne:

Budget-Friendly | Capsule Hotel – Chapter Lucerne (Lion Monument), The Lubo (Altstadt), or Hotel Münzgasse (Neustadt)

Midrange | Hotel Des Alpes (Altstadt), Cascada Boutique Hotel (Neustadt), or Hotel Central Luzern (Neustadt)

Luxury | Hotel des Balances (Altstadt)

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Day 3: Mount Stanserhorn – Alp Laucheren Ridge Hike

For the next two days, trace the Stanserhorn-Engelberg ridge north to south, following the Tell Trail in the Uri Alps. 

The first stage leads to the Alp Laucheren alpine pasture hut. This is not a mountain hut (Rifugio, Hütte), but rather the private residence of the Niederberger family, who care for their herd of sheep and cows during the summer months.

To help hikers tackle this long route, they kindly provide tents, sleeping mats, and meals. You can book directly, by contacting Agnes and Melk at laucherenalp[at]hotmail.com. 

The hike commences at the summit of Stanserhorn. Take a 20-minute train to Stans. From the Stans train station, walk to the Stanserhorn Standseilbahn (funicular) valley station. Ride the funicular followed by the CabriO-Bahn (Aerial Cableway) to Stanserhorn. These cableways are included in the Swiss Travel Pass.

I’ve described this trail in detail in our Stanserhorn-Engelberg ridge hiking guide. 

Alp Laucheren Overnight Packing Essentials | e-Reader, headlamp, and sleeping bag

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Day 4: Alp Laucheren to Engelberg Hike 

After breakfast at Alp Laucheren, continue south along the ridge trail in the direction of Storeggpass. Near Lake Lutersee, hikers can descend to Engelberg directly, or continue along the official Tell Trail to Engelberg via Bocki (recommended).

Stage 2 is very satisfying, if you love lonesome trails, narrow ridge paths, and trail variation . But, it’s also challenging due to technical passages, the length, and significant elevation loss. 

Engelberg is a beautiful alpine town, embraced by mountains on all sides. The town center is filled with hotels, restaurants, and sports gear shops.

We ate a wonderful dinner at Spannort Hotel & Restaurant, before settling into the lovely Hotel Bellevue-Terminus. The rooms are stylish and modern. The breakfast buffet is delicious and supplemented with made-to-order eggs. Guests can use the complimentary coffee and tea stations, located on each floor. 

Here are some more town center accommodations: Ski Lodge Engelberg (budget), Hotel Sonnwendhof Engelberg (midrange), H+ Hotel & SPA Engelberg (midrange), and Hotel Alpenclub (luxury). 

Find an accommodation in Engelberg.

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Day 5: Walenpfad Panorama Trail

On day 5 of your Lake Lucerne region itinerary, walk 20 minutes to the Engelberg-Ristis Cableway Valley Station (Google Maps). Ride the cableway to Ristis. You can trim off more elevation by ascending further to Brunnihütte with the Ristis-Brunnihütte chairlift. 

The Walenpfad Panorama Trail is a 10.3 km point-to-point hike that traverses the western flank of the Walenstöcke massif to the Bannalp mountain pasture. Beneath the striking Walenstöcke peaks, this gorgeous high trail crosses pastureland, forest, and spurs. It takes about 4 hours to complete.

Across Engelberg Valley, you’ll proudly see the Stanserhorn-Engelberg ridge, which you just hiked the previous two days.

The hike ends at the Fell-Chrüzhütte cableway mountain station. Descend with the cableway and then take the bus to the Wolfenschiessen train station. From here, you can either return to Engelberg (stay a second night), or head back to Lucerne by train. 

For info on cableway tickets and a complete trail description, read our Walenpfad hiking guide. 

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Keep Reading about Switzerland

Appenzell:

• Appenzell (Appenzellerland) Region Guide
• Appenzell Village: Hotels, Restaurants, and Museums
• Best Hikes in Appenzell
• 3-Day Alpstein High Trail Trek

Alps:

• Best Hikes in the Alps
• Summer in the Alps

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