Train stations in Lucerne

Luzern Bahnhof is the station for Lucerne, on the lake beside the old town. Fast trains reach Zürich HB in 42 minutes, Bern in about an hour and Basel SBB in 1 hour 1 minute, and Zentralbahn trains run to Engelberg and across to Interlaken Ost.

Which station to use

Luzern Bahnhof, shown as Luzern in timetables, is the main station. It stands at the lake, and the Lake Lucerne boats leave from piers opposite it. The old town lies across the Reuss river. Walk out to the river and the Kapellbrücke, the wooden bridge, starts at the Luzerner Theater on the south bank and runs past the Wasserturm to the Rathausquai. It is free to cross at any time, so the old town needs no bus.

Buses, boats and the Verkehrshaus

VBL city buses leave from the station forecourt. A single in Zone 10 costs CHF 4.80 and is valid for one hour; a short ride of up to six stops costs CHF 3.00. Buy at a stop machine, a ticket counter, from the driver or in an app. Line 1 from stop A reaches Kriens, Zentrum Pilatus in about 15 minutes.

For the Verkehrshaus, the Swiss Museum of Transport, take the S3 or the Voralpen-Express to Luzern Verkehrshaus (about 8 minutes), bus 6, 8 or 24 (about 10 minutes), or the boat. The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 through the winter. SGV boats to Weggis, Vitznau, Brunnen and Flüelen run a winter timetable from 19 October 2026 to 16 April 2027.

Trains from Luzern

Times are as of November 2026, for the timetable that runs to 12 December. Times change from 13 December.

• Zürich HB: two InterRegio trains an hour. The IR 70 leaves at :09 and takes 42 minutes; the IR 75 leaves at :35 and takes 50. The first train leaves Luzern at 04:52 and the last at 23:35. In the early hours of Saturday and Sunday a late-night train (N7) runs hourly each way, leaving Luzern from 00:35 to 03:35.
• Works: from Saturday 7 November to early Monday 9 November 2026, and on Sunday 22 November 2026 from about 21:40, no trains run between Luzern and Ebikon. Replacement buses leave Luzern Bahnhof for Ebikon, where the trains to Zug and Zürich start; allow about 20 minutes extra.
• Zürich Flughafen: the IR 75 runs direct in 1 hour 10 minutes, on most hours from 05:35 to 19:35. From 13 December only the 13:35 and 19:35 are direct on weekdays; otherwise change at Zürich HB.
• Bern: the IR 15 leaves every hour from 06:00 to 23:00 and takes 1 hour 4 minutes.
• Basel SBB: at least one direct train an hour. The fastest, at :54, takes 1 hour 1 minute.
• Interlaken Ost: the Zentralbahn Luzern-Interlaken Express leaves hourly from 06:06 to 18:06 and takes 1 hour 48 minutes.
• Engelberg: a Zentralbahn InterRegio leaves at :10 every hour from 06:10 and takes 43 minutes. The last train leaves at 22:10, but on weekday evenings until 20 November 2026 trains after 20:10 stop at Dallenwil and a replacement bus continues to Engelberg.
• Lugano, Bellinzona and Locarno: the SBB InterCity 21 uses the Gotthard Base Tunnel and takes 1 hour 40 minutes to Lugano and 1 hour 26 minutes to Bellinzona, nine trains a day from 06:18 to 22:18. The SOB Treno Gottardo takes the old panoramic line over the Gotthard every two hours from 07:18 to 19:18, reaching Bellinzona in about 2 hours 45 minutes. On weekdays most continue to Locarno (3 hours 9 minutes); on November weekends you change at Bellinzona.
• Milan: no direct train. Take an InterCity or the 16:18 EuroCity to Lugano and change to the RE80 regional train to Milano Centrale; the 16:18 from Luzern, with that change at Lugano, reaches Milan at 19:17, about 3 hours. Northbound, the 10:43 RE80 from Milano Centrale connects at Lugano with the EuroCity that reaches Luzern at 13:41.
• St. Gallen: the SOB Voralpen-Express leaves hourly from 07:39 to 19:39 and takes 2 hours 16 minutes.

Pilatus and Rigi

For Mount Pilatus, take the S5 to Alpnachstad (17 minutes) for the cogwheel railway, which runs until 29 November 2026. The gondola and cable car from Kriens are closed for maintenance from 19 October to 27 November 2026 and reopen on 28 November with winter hours.

For Mount Rigi, ride to Arth-Goldau (31 minutes on the fastest train) and take the cogwheel railway to Rigi Kulm, or take a boat to Vitznau. Both Rigi lines run an autumn timetable to 12 December and a winter timetable from 13 December.

Tickets

Buy before boarding, in the SBB app, at station machines or on sbb.ch. Regional and local trains sell no tickets on board; travelling without a valid ticket costs a surcharge from CHF 90.

Rail passes and reservations

As of November 2026, a Global Pass or One Country Pass Switzerland covers SBB trains, the Zentralbahn to Interlaken Ost and Engelberg, and the SOB Voralpen-Express and Treno Gottardo. Regional, InterRegio and InterCity trains need no reservation, and within Switzerland the EuroCity needs none. Pass holders booking the EuroCity into Italy pay a reservation of €13 to €17. A Treno Gottardo seat costs CHF 5 and is optional. Pass holders get 50% off the Pilatus and Rigi railways and Lake Lucerne boats, and 25% off the Stanserhorn and Titlis cableways: discounts, not free travel.