Lucerne Day Trip from Zurich Including Lake Lucerne Cruise

Zurich, Switzerland

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5+ bookings last month.

10 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Zurich looks close to Lucerne on a map, but it can seem far away when you’re traveling without a car. This day trip offers an easy way for you to reach it with round-trip transportation from Zurich, an express Lucerne sightseeing tour, and then ample free time to explore as you wish. A ticket for an hour-long Lake Lucerne cruise is an extra perk.

Use an express city tour to orient yourself around Lucerne’s top attractions
Get the lowdown on landmarks such as Chapel Bridge and the Jesuit Church
Explore Lucerne freely without the rigid schedule of a day-long guided tour
Relax on the journey to/from Zurich with the driving left to professionals

What's Included

1-hour panorama cruise on Lake Lucerne
Partly guided tour by professional multilingual guide (English/Spanish)
"Best of Lucerne" audio guide (available for download on your own device)
Transportation by air-conditioned coach
Carbon-balanced operations certified by myclimate

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Personal expenses

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Best of Switzerland Tours AG
Sihlquai Bus Station, Limmatstrasse 2, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland
The official departure point for all tours departing from Zurich is Sihlquai Bus Station, near Zurich’s main train station (Zürich HB). Please check in at least 15 minutes before departure at the “Best of Switzerland Tours” counter with your QR code on your voucher ready, printed or electronically.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.9:00 am

Itinerary

In the morning, depart from your centrally located pickup point in Zurich, and enjoy the scenic journey to Lucerne by climate-controlled coach. Admire the Swiss countryside en route before embarking on an introductory coach tour of the city on arrival.

Cruise past monuments including the Baroque Jesuit Church and Chapel Bridge while listening to your guide's narration. Receive recommendations on where to explore during your free day. Then, disembark the coach to stroll the quaint city streets independently.

You can opt to while away the hours in one of Lucerne’s many cafés—famed for its thriving café culture, the city is the perfect place to kick back with a traditional Swiss lunch (own expense). You can also stroll the historic city center to see the 14th-century Musegg Wall, or browse the artistic exhibition within the Richard Wagner Museum (admission fees own expense).

At a time that suits your schedule, head down to the shores of Lake Lucerne to redeem your complimentary cruise ticket. Climb aboard your vessel and set off for a scenic boat tour.

At a prearranged time, reconvene with your guide and group and relax during the return journey to Zurich.

Zurich (Pass By)

Luzern Altstadt

5 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Lake Lucerne

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Zurich (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 12 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infant seats available

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
In 2026, the Saphir yacht is being converted to a sustainable hydrogen-powered system and another motor vessel will operate the cruise. No audio guide will be available.
The tour includes accompaniment from Zurich to Lucerne and back. For the individual stay in Lucerne and the yacht cruise, tickets and a written itinerary are provided
Please note that some shops in Lucerne may be closed on Sundays.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 48 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Laura_C

Our bus ride was comfortable and informative, and our guide was so helpful and kind. The cruise on Lake Lucerne was absolutely stunning, and you still have plenty of free time during the day to explore the city, eat lunch and do some shopping on your own time. The guide also gave us a map with all the major attractions in the city which was convenient and easy to follow. Overall a wonderful tour and would definitely recommend.

Reviews

4.0

based on 60 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Very nice tour

Mindy_S, Oct 2025

Very easy to find the bus station to get on our tour bus. The tour guide gave us a nice overview of the area and took us on a small guided walk to the famous wooden bridge in Lucerne. She provided us with a map of other tourist spots around town and showed us where the boat launch was located. The boat ride was nice and it gave a good overview of the lake and some of its history. Our return bus arrived on time and gave us a comfortable ride home. Please note you are left alone to tour on your own in Lucerne. No one guides you through town. We enjoyed this because we love to check out new locations on our own at our own pace.

Good transportation and guides

scott_b, Sep 2025

Lots of “on your own time” in Lucerne. We had over 6 hrs to explore. The coach ride was well narrated into town and the lake cruise was beautiful on a comfortable quiet boat.

Wonderful cruise and great tour!

Laura_C, Sep 2025

Lucerne in a day

Maureen_D, Aug 2025

It’s worth doing as they travel the back roads to Lucerne. Had a great guide. We enjoyed wondering round the city. Took a cruise on the lake. Went to the Lion monument.enjoyed the KKL ( culture center)Lucerne really needs more than a day to really enjoy it.

Do Lucerne yourself

Michael_G, Aug 2025

We did the Lake Lucerne cruise and visit. It was among our least favorite excursions, mostly due to the fact that we felt trapped in Lucerne like a rudderless ship. We were provided a rudimentary map and sent forth on our own. No information about sites to see and as a result, we simply went from church to church and wandered aimlessly up and down curt streets. We felt trapped in that we had to wait for the bus to return from the mountains and unless we wanted to spend the extra money to train back to Zürich, there was little to do. No wife available except at specific areas and all instructions were in Swiss German. We got on the shphyr boat for a circular one hour cruise. The viator app noted we had to download an app which we were unable to do and as it turned out, there were headsets available but nobody informed us that this was the proper route. The bus from the mountains was about 20-30 minutes late headed home. If all you are wanting to do is Visit Lucerne, save the fees and take the train yourself. Otherwise folks that visited the mountains seems to have a better time than us.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Dear Michael, Thank you very much for joining our partially guided tour to Lucerne and for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are very sorry to read that the logistics of the tour did not meet your expectations. As clearly stated in the Viator description, this is a partially guided tour, accompanied by a tour guide from Zurich to Lucerne and back, but once you arrive in Lucerne, you have free time to explore the city at your own pace. While it is possible to travel to Lucerne independently using public transportation, most of the guests find value in having a tour guide who acts as a facilitator and a readily available point of contact for any inquiries that may arise. Furthermore, the primary reason our guests choose our tour over an individual visit is the opportunity to hear the tour guide's personal anecdotes and receive insightful information about Switzerland's history and culture. We are also sorry to hear that you experienced difficulties downloading the app and regret that you did not contact us during the tour so we could have assisted you immediately to avoid any discomfort. Regarding the delay of the bus on the return trip, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Unfortunately, traffic conditions are beyond our control and can sometimes affect scheduled times. Despite these challenges, we hope you were able to enjoy the beautiful city of Lucerne, and we look forward to the opportunity to welcome you on another tour in the future, perhaps one that better suits your preferences. Best regards, Clara from Best of Switzerland Tours

Nice day in Lucerne

JohnHernandez, Aug 2025

Tour was exactly what we expected so it was great. The lake cruise was nice and glad we took it. Lucerne is very nice and I feel like we spent a good amount of time there.

Easy, convenient

Kimberly_B, Jun 2025

Good day trip, nice city, easy tour for the masses to enjoy and not be confused over. Guide was good. We had zero issues.

Lucerne Visit

DAVID_C, Oct 2024

So this wasn’t quite what we expected. We wanted to visit Lucerne and thought doing so through an arranged excursion would be better than going ourselves by train. As it turned out, we were grouped, for convenience sake, with the larger tour heading up to Mt. Pilatus. There were just a few of us doing only the Lucerne part so when the bus arrived in Lucerne, our “guide” walked the group to the Chapel Bridge, gave a brief overview, then set us loose. Then the larger group heading up the mountain went back to the bus. Lucerne is a beautiful city but we were there for too many hours (about 6) for being on our own. The boat ride on Lake Lucerne was nice, but you really don’t go that far (this is a huge lake). If we were to visit again, I would just take the train from Zurich.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Dear David, Thank you very much for joining our Lucerne Day Trip with Yacht Cruise and for sharing your experience with us. We are sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations. As mentioned in the tour description on Viator, our guests are accompanied by a professional, multilingual tour guide from Zurich to Lucerne and back to Zurich in the evening. Upon arrival in Lucerne, guests have approximately 6 hours of free time to explore the charming city at their own pace. For this self-guided portion, we provide a comprehensive information booklet, including schedules, upgrade options, and recommendations for sights and activities. The tour also includes a 1-hour boat cruise on Lake Lucerne, offering beautiful views of the city’s shoreline and surrounding mountains. We believe this is a nice addition that enhances the overall value of the tour. While it is true that one can travel to Lucerne independently by public transport, many of our guests appreciate having a tour guide to facilitate the experience and serve as a point of contact for any questions. Additionally, the guide's personal anecdotes, as well as the historical and cultural insights about Switzerland, are often the key reasons why guests choose our tour over an individual visit. We are glad to hear that you found Lucerne beautiful—it truly is an interesting city with much to offer. We hope you keep fond memories of your visit and the boat ride, and we would love to welcome you on another tour in the future, perhaps a fully guided one. Best regards, Magdalena from Best of Switzerland Tours

A beautiful city to spend your day exploring!

Denise_C, Sep 2024

We enjoyed the city. Easy to walk around and take in the sights. The cafe’s by the water were comfortable for an afternoon bite to eat.

Lovely Trop to Lucerne

Lanny_S, Sep 2024

Thanks Adolpho and Bernadette for your guidance. Thanks to the bus driver and the staff at the booth.

The best day trip!

Kath_S, Jul 2024

This trip was wonderful and the perfect day trip during our trip to Zurich! Adolfo and his team were wonderful guides. It was great to not have to worry about the logistics of the trip and also receive wonderful recommendations. Definitely recommend!

Outstanding experience!

aajd89, Jun 2024

Raffael, Jean and Juan were amazing! They conducted this beautiful tour in 2 languages with many people going in different directions and made it so smooth. Lucerne is beyond beautiful and not to be missed and this tour gave you enough time to really enjoy it all.

Good day to be away from busy Old Zurich Town

Imelda_M, May 2024

It was a wonderful trip. I would recommend this. Did a lot of walking during free time and enjoy the city.

Wonderful trip to Lucerne.

Marianne_E, Oct 2023

The boat ride was exceptional. The tour guide was very informative about Zurich and the area between Zurich and Lucerne. She wasn’t familiar with the boat ride so we needed to investigate the logistics ourselves. I feel that a better communication was needed.

Lucerne is a magical place. It is a must see.

Maria_F, Aug 2023

The tour guide was very knowledgeable. The bus ride was very enjoyable. The scenery on the way to Lucerne was breathtaking. The tour guide was making comments through out the bus ride. We had enough time to enjoy the beautiful streets of Lucerne, the lake cruise, do some shopping and have lunch.

Tour not as advertised

James_M, Jun 2023

Trip as advertised did not state tour was to two locations. After drop off in Lucene we had six hours to take a one hour boat cruise and walk for five hours in hit sun. Would not recommend

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Dear James, Thank you very much for joining our partly guided tour to Lucerne with Boat Cruise tour and sharing your experience with us. We are surprised to read that the tour is not well advertised as we constantly work to make sure that all pertinent information is clearly stated. As clearly stated in the tour description of Viator, our guests are accompanied by the tour guide from and back to Zurich. The remaining time in Lucerne is available to our guests to explore the charming city of Lucerne at their own pace and enjoy a boat cruise. This information is given as well in the tour description where it states that our guests take a 1-hour boat ride on Lake Lucerne, followed by 5 hours of leisure time to explore the city. Lucerne offers a wide range of activities and places worth visiting, such as the Swiss Museum of Transport, the Jesuit Church, the Lion Monument, or the famous Chapel Bridge. Sunny weather also provides incredible views of the mountains around Lucerne! We understand that the heat can be overwhelming but there are so many restaurants and coffee places to sit down in the shadow and enjoy an ice cream during a break. We are sorry to hear that the experience did not meet your expectations and hope you could still enjoy the boat cruise in Lake Lucerne. Best regards, Magdalena from Best of Switzerland Tours

This was a great briefly guided tour. Boat tour was the highlight.

Liz_P, May 2023

This was a wonderful tour. I liked it bc we got information of Zurich and Lucerne. But One of the organizers forgot to provide us with the map on what to see in Lucerne. Our tour guide asked everyone to take a picture of her map instead. This tour is briefly guided so you are on your own with tips on what to do and how to get your boat tour ticket. The lion was not visible due to repairs as of May 5th. No one mentioned this during the tour.

Not a guided tour. Just drop off and pickup

Kunal_P, Apr 2023

We were just dropped at Lucerne and pickup up after 6 hr..not guided tour.. you can simply go in train from Zurich to Lucerne and get same experience..no need to waste $100 with them.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Dear Kunal, Thank you very much for participating in our partly guided tour to Lucerne including a lake cruise and rating your experience. As stated in the tour description in Viator, our guests are accompanied by a professional multilingual tour guide from Zurich to Lucerne, and from Lucerne back to Zurich in the evening. Once our guests arrive in Lucerne, they will enjoy approx. 6 hours of free time to explore the charming city of Lucerne at their own pace. For this unguided part, guests receive a comprehensive information booklet including schedules, upgrade options as well as recommendations of sights and activities. Our tour also includes 1-hour boat cruise on Lake Lucerne to enjoy the beautiful views of the city shores and the mountains. We believe this is a nice add-on and contributes to the overall value of the tour. It is true that one can go to Lucerne individually by public transport, however, many guests appreciate having a tour guide who serves as a facilitator and a direct contact person in case of any occurring questions. Also, listening to the personal anecdotes of the tour guide and historical and cultural information of Switzerland is the main reason why our guests opt for our tour instead of an individual visit. We are very sorry to hear that you felt our tour was not worth the money and hope that you still enjoyed a wonderful stay in Switzerland. Best regards, Ambika from Best of Switzerland Tours

Mt Pilatus

Pat_H, Jul 2022

We went to Lucerne and enjoyed it but decided to pay more money and continue on the bus to Mt Pilatus. We are so glad we did. It was a wonderful experience. We were in Europe 16 days and Mt. Pilatus and Paris were the highlights of our trip.

Great Tour

ROBERT_S, Oct 2019

wonderful full day excursion . Guide one of best we have ever had, knowledgeable and interacted with group in so many wonderful ways

Don’ t miss Lucern

Marlene R, Aug 2018

Awesomely beautiful city not to be missed. The ride through the countryside is a great start to the day. We enjoyed walking all over the city as it is very clean and quaint. Beautiful lake Lucern on the boat was a highlight of the day. Lovely places along the river to rest with a cold beverage and to have an excellent meal. We enjoyed the tour thoroughly.

I'm Not a Fan of This Tour - Much Better to Do Lucerne On Own that Sign Up for This Tour

Gary_K, Jun 2018

This tour was not worth the money and everything could have been done more efficiently a la carte. Tour leaves from Zurich HB at 0930 and takes 2 hours to make a 45 minute drive to Lucerne because the tour bus was doubled up with another tour going to a different destination. After a long drive of dropping off another tour, there was about 10 minutes of actual tour guide information and then we are dropped off at a gift shop in Lucerne and told to meet back near Lucerne train station at 5:50 pm. It would have been much better to just take train from Zurich to Lucerne (45 minutes), buy the boat excursion a la carte and then not have to worry about return time. The value-add for being on the tour was very minimal and quite the opposite, much better to do this adventure on your own. The bus was packed, the guide was pretty uninspiring, and the stress for timing was not worth the hassle. Please consider just unbundling and doing this itinerary on your own and you will enjoy the day much more!

My friend and I who took this trip...

nicole.gallant, Dec 2017

My friend and I who took this trip felt it was a complete rip off. We paid more for this trip than any other viator trip we have taken and this was our least favorite trip. I was incredibly disappointed. Details were left out of the description of this trip that would have altered our decision to take it. We arrived at the bus, which to our surprise, had 3 tour groups on it. This was never explained to us. We drove for about 45 minutes and then were dropped off in Lucerne for an 8 hour day there with no guide. Lucerne is a beautiful city but we felt we were stranded there for 8 hours with nothing to do. We took the boat tour which was nice but only took up an hour of our time. It was a complete waste of our day in Switzerland. I wish we had found a different tour to go on. I think much clarification is needed for the tour description and I would not recommend this tour to anyone. You're better off paying the extra 100 to stay on the bus and travel with the group to the other stops!

Conrad was very explanatory and...

Satish, Dec 2017

Conrad was very explanatory and punctual as a tour guide. Highly recommended and plenty of time to tour the sites in Lucerne.

This was no fault of Viator but the...

Daryl K, Nov 2017

This was no fault of Viator but the day we had scheduled the trip it was overcast and drissiling. Luckily the cruise was operating anyway, We didn't get to see much of the Alps as a result but the audio was interesting. The rest of the day was on our own and we had the time to leisurely walk around the city, which is beautiful. If you're looking for an independent excursion, you will like this one. The departure point is well marked to return back to your originating city and it's only an hour away from Zurich.

A wonderful trip which gave us ample...

Lea A, Nov 2017

A wonderful trip which gave us ample time to explore the old city and interesting small shops in Lucerne. The lake cruise was also pleasant and we could do it in our own time. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and provided clear instructions on where we should meet etc. She really made the trip special.

I really enjoyed this day trip as...

Monique_R, Oct 2017

I really enjoyed this day trip as such because we had more free time to explore Lucerne on our own. I like guided tours for the most part, but many times find that we don't spend enough time at some locations. This was a perfect way to get a feel and flavor of the city at our own pace and then meet the bus to go back to Zurich. The Lake Lucerne cruise was lovely although it was a bit overcast. I recommend this option for those who prefer to explore a city on their own.

Lucerne is a lovely tourist city and...

Kevin_S, Oct 2017

Lucerne is a lovely tourist city and we enjoyed walking through the city buying souvenirs and seeing the sights. The Lake Lucerne Cruise was scenic and relaxing. The guide could have given us more information about Lucerne on the way to and from Lucerne .If you are adventurous, I would encourage you to take a train from Zurich to Lucerne in stead of this trip. it is cheaper and you can stay as long as you want on your won schedule.

The overall trip was great with...

Malcolm_G, Sep 2017

The overall trip was great with plenty of time in Lucerne to do what you wanted. The commentary on the cruise was interesting but I would have liked to boat to have got closer to the lakes edge on occasions to allow for better photography.

Nice day out but poor...

Andrew_L, Sep 2016

Nice day out but poor timekeeping. This trip may have made 4 stars but for the very lengthy wait almost 1.5 hours for the coach to collect us for the return from Lucerne. I appreciate that the company Best of Switzerland cannot be held responsible for heavy traffic conditions, but nonetheless annoying, especially when we had been instructed to be at the pick-up point early as they would not wait. Having said all that, we had a lovely day to ourselves in Lucerne, having been dropped off to our own devices whilst the tour bus and guide went on up to the mountains with the majority of the coach passengers. Lucerne is a beautiful city and we had no problem filling our time for a leisurely and relaxing afternoon, including the pleasant cruise on the lake. The guide, Miriam, was informative about Swiss history and culture on the drive to Lucerne, and in fairness to her was very apologetic about the delay when we were eventually collected I don't think our experience was a one-off as I notice another reviewer reports an issue with the delay in collection.