MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial What to do around Lucerne if raining?
-
I am travelling 1st time to Switzerland & will be in Lucerne for 3 days in last week of August.
Planned for Mount Pilatus & Titlis. As per weather forecast, it would cloudy & there are chances of thunderstorm.
What all other places I may visit instead of above in such case.
-
Hello shank and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
In Switzerland it can be hard to predict what the weather will do in 2 days, let alone in a month. 😎
If in the unlikely event it rains then go for a Lake cruise or visit the Swiss Transport Museum.
Hello (second try, grrrr !)
If you have a very rainy day with low clouds and the forecast is that it will be like that all day, I would not go for a cruise on Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee). Rather, I would opt for the Swiss Museum of Transport (Verkehrshaus der Schweiz) which can be easily reached by city bus and which can keep you occupied for hours. Their website is in German, French, Italian and English. It is located on the Lidostrasse and the attached map shows the many ways you can get there. Note that the links (for example, http://www.sbb.ch, are not clickable in the attachment.
If you are lucky enough to have three wonderful weather days, then I would definitely recommend a cruise on the lake. You really should look at http://www.lakelucerne.ch to learn about the many possibilities and to make plans for travel on this beautiful lake. This website is in Deutsch, English, Français, and “International”. Lake Lucerne is, I think, the most interesting of all the Swiss Lakes, although the eastern end of Lake Geneva is pretty nice as well.
Attachments:Hi Shank,
There are also a few panoramic train trips that leave from Lucerne that could work well in rainy weather (or it isn’t rainy at the end destination). See here for some ideas: https://www.myswissalp s.com/lucerne/activiti es
I have three days in Lucerne as well in Sept. I have Basal and Bern as rainy day backups. They are OK right?
St Gallen is a bit far but the monastery looks amazing.
Hello KCH (and also Shank),
Sometimes when it is raining in Lucerne the weather can be pretty much the same in other centres north of the Alps (such as Berne, Basel, Zurich, and St. Gallen), and yet the weather is perfect on the south side of the Alps. The train trip from Lucerne to Lugano in the usually sunny Ticino, takes just under 2 hours. This short time is possible because of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which by itself is not scenic, but you will see some interesting scenery on the way up to the north portal of the tunnel and also from the south portal down to Lugano. There is plenty to do in Lugano and its surrounding area. Here is an article I found, called Lugano: The Sunny Side of Switzerland. This will give you an idea of the many things you can see and do in this part of Switzerland. If you get off to an early start from Lucerne and com back in the evening, you can enjoy a very full day down there.
Hi KCH,
Yes, I second Peter’s suggestion of Lugano – the weather could be quite nice down there whereas Bern and Basel, while nice towns to explore, might be just as rainy (although finding a museum is always an option).
Have a read through my trip report there last spring: https://www.myswissalp s.com/forum/topic/tici no-region-trip-march-31-april-2
Hej Lucas,
Somehow I missed your Ticino report, but I looked at it just now and you certainly got around to some nice spots during your three days. Great photographs as well; I especially liked the one from Gandria looking along the lake towards Monte San Salvatore. If Shank does go to the Ticino as a one-day escape from the rains north of the Alps, he unfortunately will not be able to do and see all that you did. Monte San Salvatore is an easy (but not from the east side !) and uncrowded hike up, with great views from the top, but if there is not enough time to walk it, the funicular from Paradiso is quick and scenic. Both times I was in Gandria I got there by boat, once continuing eastwards to Porlezza in Italy. If time is critical, I would not go on to Porlezza again. Next time I will do the walk back to Lugano like you did. Rather than continuing to Porlezza I would recommend going to Morcote which is perched on the edge of Lake Lugano to the SSW of Monte San Salvatore. Morcote was chosen the most beautiful village in Switzerland for 2016. Check out this video about Morcote: youtu.be/dtWwb0-tEQ0 Sono felice che ti sia piaciuta la tua visita in Ticino!
Attachments:easy choices for me would be:
– lion monument… they also have a fun little museum, house of mirrors next door.
– wall / towers
– guided tour
– lake cruise
– brewery
Good tips Peter, Thanks for the comments on the pics. We lucked out mostly with weather! I thought the views from Mont Bre were really great. Ticino is a wonderful region.
I agree with you about the south, east, and west views from Monte Brè.
As for weather, I would say that the southern Ticino and the Rhone Valley in the Valais (from Martigny and up towards Brig) are the sunniest parts of Switzerland.
While on the topic of the Ticino, somebody should start a thread on the Ceneri Base Tunnel, which when it opens will halve the travel time between Locarno and Lugano. It will be open soon.
2020 isn’t that soon 😉
Goodness the Swiss love to save time wherever possible! It does add up in the end though.
I hope Swiss commuters know how spoiled they are! 🙂
The Bourbaki Panorama in Lucerne is well worth a visit. It is Edouard Castres’ circular painting of 1881 –depicting a memorable event of the Franco-Prussian War (1870/71).
Mageo
- The thread ‘What to do around Lucerne if raining?’ is closed to new replies.
