Lucerne Prices & Travel Costs

Last Updated: Jan 2022

By far Switzerland’s most charming city, Lucerne combines excellent scenery and low-key urban life. It’s a small city that is far more beautiful and interesting than Zurich, Geneva, or Lausanne. With a gorgeous lake at its center and the famous Chapel Bridge in the middle of it all, this is the best place to visit in Switzerland after the Interlaken area.

 

Is Lucerne Expensive or Cheap?

Switzerland’s most famous tourist city, Lucerne is gorgeous from nearly every angle. With its signature walking bridges connecting the train station area with the main tourist area, this is a compact city that is easy to get to know.

Similar to everywhere else in Switzerland, things in Lucerne are very expensive, even by European standards. Sit-down meals and drinks in bars will drain your budget before you even realize it, so visitors who want to keep costs down will self-cater at least one or two meals a day.

Lucerne City Featured Image

Travel Costs to Lucerne

Population 76,200
Area 250,000
Timezone UTC+1
Currency Swiss franc
Airports Zurich Airport (ZRH)
1 USD = 0.8800 CHF
134 World cities ranked cheapest to most expensive: Backpacker Index for 2024

Accommodation Costs in Lucerne

Lucerne Hotel Seasons

Lucerne Hotel Prices

Rating Price(USD)
starstarstarstarstar51.14 - 77.27
starstarstarstarstar89.77 - 113.64
starstarstarstarstar90.91 - 170.45
starstarstarstarstar132.95 - 189.77
starstarstarstarstar227.27 - 255.68

Lucerne Hostels Prices

Type Price(USD)
Hostel Bed25.00 - 44.32

Lucerne Attractions Prices

Best tours in Lucerne

Location Description Type Price(USD)
Swiss Transport MuseumThis impressive museum filled with trains, planes, automobiles, and motorcycles is popular.
Adults
Under 16
56.82
26.14
Swiss Chocolate AdventureNext to the Transport Museum, this one shows how chocolate is made and whatnot.
Adults
Under 16
15.91
6.82
Lake Lucerne boat tourView nearby towns and sights on a 1 hour round-trip boat from Lucerne. Single hops are cheaper.
Adults
17.05

Lucerne Food and Drink Prices

Food Type Description Price(USD)
Budget breakfastHopefully your hotel or hostel will include breakfast. If not, head to the Coop supermarket for an early bite.5.68 - 10.23
Budget lunchYou can find pre-made sandwiches and sausages in this range, but sit-down meals cost more.9.09 - 13.64
Budget dinnerNearly all sit-down restaurants start in this price range, for lunch or dinner, not including a drink.20.45 - 27.27
Beer (.5L)You'd have to look around to find the lower part of this range, yet beer is cheap in supermarkets.7.95 - 10.23
Beer .33L (retail)Weirdly, alcohol in stores is fairly cheap in Switzerland.1.14 - 1.14
Vodka (.7L)Local vodka is among the cheaper spirits you'll find in shops.10.23 - 22.73
Salad (retail)Supermarkets carry a wide range of pre-made salads, which are popular for budget travelers.4.55 - 7.95

Lucerne Transport Prices

Type Price(USD)
Zurich to Lucerne train35.23
Interlaken to Lucerne train60.23
Boat to Transport Museum5.68

Getting to Lucerne

Getting around Lucerne

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When to visit Lucerne

Temperature and rainfall

Month High F Low F Precip (inches)
January38282
February41282.1
March50343.0
April58403.5
May66485
June72546.1
July77586
August75575.8
September67514.2
October58443
November46352.9
December40302.8

Lucerne Weather advice

Sunrise and sunset

21 Mar6:27am6:40pm
21 Jun5:31am9:25pm
21 Sep7:12am7:27pm
21 Dec8:09am4:40pm

Where to go before and after