Museums · Lucerne · Switzerland
6 best museums in Lucerne
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: JosefLehmkuhl, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Swiss Museum of Transport, Rosengart Collection and Bourbaki Panorama. Together the 6 picks below take roughly 9–11 hours across 5 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 6
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 9–11 hours
- Areas
- Lido, Neustadt and Löwenplatz
Museums in Lucerne
Museum · Lido
1.Swiss Museum of Transport
The Verkehrshaus covers Swiss rail, road, air, water and space travel with real locomotives, planes, cable cars and simulators, plus a planetarium, a large-format cinema and the Swiss Chocolate Adventure ride.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Gallery · Neustadt
2.Rosengart Collection
In a former bank building on Pilatusstrasse, the Rosengart family's collection holds a large group of works by Picasso and Paul Klee, plus paintings by Cézanne, Monet, Matisse, Chagall and Miró.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Löwenplatz
3.Bourbaki Panorama
A 360-degree painting more than 100 metres long, by Edouard Castres, shows the French Army of the East under General Bourbaki crossing into Switzerland in winter 1871 to be interned.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · Löwenplatz
4.Glacier Garden
Next to the Lion Monument, the Gletschergarten preserves glacial potholes and fossils from the Ice Age and a time when the area had a subtropical coast.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- History
Museum · Tribschen
5.Richard Wagner Museum, Tribschen
Richard Wagner lived in this lakeside villa from 1866 to 1872 and wrote parts of his later operas here.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Old Town
6.Natur-Museum Luzern
The city's natural history museum near Kasernenplatz covers local animals, minerals and Alpine habitats, with hands-on displays and some live animals aimed at children.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Lido | Swiss Museum of Transport | Half a day |
| Neustadt | Rosengart Collection | 1.5 hours |
| Löwenplatz | Bourbaki Panorama and Glacier Garden | 1 hour + 1–1.5 hours |
| Tribschen | Richard Wagner Museum, Tribschen | 1 hour |
| Old Town | Natur-Museum Luzern | 1–1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 6, 2 low cost, 3 mid-priced, 1 expensive. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Swiss Museum of Transport; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Lido): Swiss Museum of Transport, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Neustadt and Löwenplatz): Rosengart Collection → Bourbaki Panorama → Glacier Garden, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Tribschen and Old Town): Richard Wagner Museum, Tribschen → Natur-Museum Luzern, at least 2 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- January: highs of 3°C (37°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold and often grey under a layer of low fog, while the peaks above can be sunny; good for snow trips to Titlis and quiet museums.
- November: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Damp, grey and quiet, with some mountain railways closed for maintenance; Christmas markets open late in the month.
- March: highs of 10°C (50°F), about 11 rainy days, quiet crowds. Changeable weather and some mountain lifts closed between seasons; the lakeshore starts to green up.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Neustadt — Grid of residential streets, local bars and everyday shops south of the station
- Tribschen — Lakeside parks, Wagner's villa and swimming lawns south-east of the KKL
More of Lucerne
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Lucerne?
Swiss Museum of Transport. The Verkehrshaus covers Swiss rail, road, air, water and space travel with real locomotives, planes, cable cars and simulators, plus a planetarium, a large-format cinema and the Swiss Chocolate Adventure ride.