Lucerne or Zurich: Which city is better as a base?

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Lucerne and Zurich are both attractive cities in the German part of Switzerland, each with its own lake, restaurants, museums, and historical buildings. There are many advantages to each city – whether it be its proximity to destinations, shopping, or family-friendly offerings.

If you’re spending a couple of days in Switzerland and aren’t sure which city to pick as your base, we’ve compared Lucerne and Zurich and outlined their advantages to help you decide which one to pick.

Image of Lucerne by TouringSwitzerland.com

Contents hide

1 Overview: Lucerne or Zurich

2 Which City Is Better to Stay In as a Base – Lucerne or Zurich?

2.1 What are the advantages of staying in Lucerne?

2.2 What are the advantages of staying in Zurich?

3 Places to Visit: Lucerne or Zurich

3.1 Places to Visit in Lucerne

3.2 Places to Visit in Zurich

4 Which City is Better for Shopping – Lucerne or Zurich?

5 Which City is Better for Children – Lucerne or Zurich?

6 Which City is Closer to the Swiss Alps – Lucerne or Zurich?

7 Which City has Better Hotels – Lucerne or Zurich?

7.1 Hotels in Lucerne

7.2 Hotels in Zurich

8 Related Posts

8.1 Related Posts: Lucerne

8.2 Related Posts: Zurich

Overview: Lucerne or Zurich

The key differences are as follows:

Lucerne	Zurich
Population: approx. 80,000	Population: approx. 415,000
One of Switzerland’s most famous tourist destinations	Switzerland’s most populous city
Elevation: 435 m	Elevation: 408 m
Area: 37.4 km²	Area: 87.88 km²
Highlights: Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument, Glacier Garden, Old Town, Transport Museum	Highlights: Switzerland’s Financial Capital, Switzerland’s Transport Hub
River: Reuss	River: Limmat
Lake: Lucerne	Lake: Zurich
Canton: Lucerne	Canton: Zurich

Which City Is Better to Stay In as a Base – Lucerne or Zurich?

You’re better off staying in Lucerne compared to Zurich if you prefer a laid-back, compact city that’s closer to the mountains. My opinion is that Lucerne is a more beautiful place to stay in general due to its picture-postcard backdrop.

Zurich is a better option if you’re looking for larger city amenities, such as restaurants, museums, hotels, bars, and proximity to an international airport.

My opinion: The place you might stay depends on your tastes and needs. The choice is yours. Lucerne is better for relaxation, and Zurich is more of a work destination, especially if you work in financial services.

What are the advantages of staying in Lucerne?

Image of the Lake Lucerne by TouringSwitzerland.com

Lucerne city itself is more picturesque than Zurich – with its cobbled stones, Chapel Bridge, Water Tower, and an impressive mountain backdrop.
Lucerne is closer to the Alps. Kriens (Pilatusbahn) is 28 minutes away by bus and 35 minutes away from Arth Goldau by train. From Kriens (Pilatusbahn), you can go up to Mount Pilatus. From Arth Goldau, you can go up to Mount Rigi.
Lucerne is also closer to the village Engelberg from which Mount Titlis is easily accessed. Titlis is fascinating to visit due to its rotating cable cars Rotair, the Cliff Walk, and the Glacier Cave (with ice up to 5,000 years old!). The last part of the cable car leads to a glacier. Even in summer, snow tubing is available in the glacier park.
Lake Lucerne is larger than Lake Zurich. Furthermore, lake towns on Lake Lucerne are more tourist-friendly (Vitznau, Weggis, Bürgenstock). Towns on Lake Zurich are more residential.
Two other mountains close to Lucerne worth visiting are Stanserhorn where you could ride the world’s first Cabrio (open) mountain cable car and Bürgenstock – a beautiful mountain resort overlooking Lake Lucerne.

Here’s a short video from MySwitzerland regarding Lucerne:

For more comprehensive posts regarding Lucerne and attractions near it, read more here:

What are the advantages of staying in Zurich?

Image of Zurich by TouringSwitzerland.com

Zurich, being the largest city in Switzerland, is naturally a bigger and more bustling city compared to Lucerne. Zurich has more restaurants, nightclubs, and bars compared to Lucerne.
Zurich has a beautiful old town filled with restaurants and shops. Walking near the Limmat River and Lake Zurich is also relaxing and beautiful.
There are also beautiful churches in Zurich – Grossmünster, Fraumünster, St. Peter, and Predigerkirche.
Shopping is better in Zurich. Although Swiss souvenirs are abundant in Lucerne, there are more shops along the main shopping street in Zurich – Bahnhofstrasse.
Zurich has less mass tourism compared to Lucerne. Large tour buses normally stop in Lucerne and there are moments when it feels overrun by tourists.
Zurich is logistically easier to get to from abroad by plane as it is closer to the Zurich Airport and by train due to the Zurich Train Station.
There are lots of beautiful towns close to Zurich that can be visited for a day trip – Einsiedeln, Arbon, Stein Am Rhein, Aarburg, Lenzburg, Rheinfelden, and Laufenburg.

Here’s a short video from MySwitzerland regarding Zurich:

For more comprehensive posts regarding Zurich and attractions near it, read more here:

Places to Visit: Lucerne or Zurich

Places to Visit in Lucerne

Chapel Bridge – The Chapel Bridge in Lucerne is the city’s most famous landmark. This wooden bridge over the Reuss River is one of the oldest in Europe. The bridge was built in 1300 as part of the city walls. Even though it burned down and got badly damaged, it was rebuilt in 1994.
Old Town – You can wander around restaurants and boutiques in Lucerne’s Old Town. Apart from the Chapel Bridge, you have the Spreuer Bridge crossing the Reuss River. Nearby is a beautiful Jesuit church.
Verkehrshaus – The Transport Museum in Switzerland is one of the most visited museums in the country. At Verkehrshaus, you’ll see cars, ships, submarines, planes, trains, trams, and cable cars. In addition to transport exhibits, there’s also a Planetarium, a Swiss Chocolate Adventure, a Communications area, and a 2D or 3D Film Theater.
Lion Monument – The Lion Monument was created by Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen in 1821 to honor the Swiss Guards that lost their lives during the revolutionary siege of Paris on August 10th, 1792. It was in vain that the Swiss Guards tried to keep King Louis XVI alive, and they paid the price by dying. In the monument, a dying lion lies across broken pieces of the French monarchy.
Glacier Garden – The Lucerne Glacier Garden has some impressive glacier potholes from the last ice age 20,000 years ago, proving that Lucerne was covered in glaciers then. Shell fossils and palm leaves show that there was a subtropical sea beach here 20 million years ago.

Places to Visit in Zurich

Grossmünster Church / TouringSwitzerland.com

Grossmünster Church – The Grossmünster Church (Great Minister) is a beautiful church in a central location. The Church was built between 1100 and 1250. The end of the 15th century saw the towers added. Located along the Limmat River, the Grossmünster Church is only 950 meters or 12 minutes by foot from the train station. Zurich’s most famous landmark is a Romanesque-style church with slender and striking towers. The Grossmünster Church is known as the cradle of the Zwingli Reformation; Zwingli himself took over the house in 1519.
Polybahn funicular – The Polybahn funicular has been running since January 1889. It brings visitors from Zurich Central to the Polyterasse. It is still a cool thing to do to go up from the city center to the vantage point 41 meters higher. To avoid crowds, come in early in the morning or late in the afternoon. It gets busy during lunchtime.
Uetliberg – Uetliberg is one of the four popular viewpoints near Zurich. You can also hike 400 meters up from Triemli or Albisgüetli instead of taking the train. But if you want the more comfortable option, it is accessible in 27 minutes with the S10 Train from Zurich Train Station. It is a steep standard adhesion railway, traveling with a 7.9% gradient. It is an easy walk to the peak from the train station. Uetliberg offers great views of Zurich city, the Glarus Alps, and Central Switzerland. If you want to eat, there’s a restaurant on the mountain called Uto Kulm.
Landesmuseum Zurich (Swiss National Museum) is the most-visited museum in all of Switzerland. It is located next to the Zurich Train Station (Zürich Hauptbahnhof in German). Opened in 1898, the museum has had exhibitions from prehistoric times until the present. Landesmuseum contains over 820,000 objects. It has the largest collection of all cultural history and handicrafts in the country. The permanent exhibitions cover prehistory and early history. The museum has weapons, art, jewelry, clothing, and everyday objects from various eras. It also has temporary exhibitions, sometimes with subjects appealing to children as well.
Fraumünster is the smallest of the 34 Evangelical Reformed churches in the city. Even so, it is very beautiful. There used to be an abbey on its grounds. The abbey was dissolved in the face of reformation. In 1898, the abbey was eradicated to give way (eventually) to what we now know as the Fraumünster Church. Fraumünster also contains the works of world-famous Marc Chagall and Augusto Giacometti. The installation of the windows by Giacometti was done in September 1945. The delay was due to the Second World War. It is the last of Giacometti’s over 20 glass paintings. This masterpiece is 9 meters high and twice as large as Chagall’s Christ Window. In 1970, Marc Chagall added the five-part choir windows of the church, as well as the rose window in the south transept.
Kunsthaus Zurich is a fine-art museum in Zurich. There are works by Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Andy Warhol in the museum. Other renowned artists from various times and styles also contributed to it. In October 2021, a new section designed by David Chipperfield opened, effectively doubling the public space previously available.

Which City is Better for Shopping – Lucerne or Zurich?

Image of Zurich’s Main Shopping Street – Bahnhofstrasse by TouringSwitzerland.com

Both Lucerne and Zurich have a mixture of big international brands and small boutiques. For shopping, there is definitely more variety in Zurich compared to Lucerne.

An interesting shop for souvenirs is the Schweizer Heimatwerk with 5 locations in Zurich (2 in the airport and 3 in the city) and 1 in Lucerne. The Swiss label “Heimatwerk” represents top-notch quality and excellent design. This shop enables farmers to improve their income during winter by producing high-quality handmade products and toys. Among the souvenirs sold are richly ornamented bells, cuckoo clocks, fondue pots, wooden toys, and wooden cutting boards.

If you really do want to go shopping in Lucerne, there is a big mall called Mall of Switzerland in Ebikon with 150 shops. It is the largest shopping mall in Central Switzerland and has numerous shops, restaurants, and even a movie theater. It is open from Mondays until Saturdays.

Which City is Better for Children – Lucerne or Zurich?

Both cities have indoor and outdoor activities for families with children of all ages. Two of the most popular sites to visit for families are the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne and the Zurich Zoo.

Image of Verkehrshaus by TouringSwitzerland.com

In Lucerne, there is a well-known Transport Museum called Verkehrshaus which is a big hit with kids. It exhibits various forms of transport in Switzerland, including automobiles, ships, submarines, aircraft, trains, trams, and cable cars. Aside from the transport exhibits, there is also a Planetarium, the Swiss Chocolate Adventure, and a Film Theater (Movie House) in 2D or 3D.

Verkehrshaus is open 365 days a year. It costs CHF 32 per Adult to get into the museum. A day pass for the entire area costs more at CHF 56. The day pass covers the entrance to the Museum, a visit to the Swiss Chocolate Adventure and the Media World, and the daily screenings/shows in the Film Theater and Planetarium. Discounts are available from Coop Hello Family Club, KulturLegi, Raiffeisen (MemberPlus), SBB RailAway combi deal, Swiss Museum Pass, Swiss Travel Pass, and TCS Touring Club Schweiz.

Image of Zurich Zoo by TouringSwitzerland.com

If your child is a big animal lover, Zurich has a big zoo to visit – Zurich Zoo. The zoo is open daily, 365 days a year. It costs CHF 29 per Adult to get in.

Zurich Zoo is considered one of the best zoos in Europe. It is accessible from Zurich city center with Tram 6. The Zoo has a new 5.6-hectare African Lewa Savanna attraction which opened in June 2020. In the Savanna, we can see zebras, rhinos, and giraffes. Inside the Zoo, we can also find the following main attractions:

Tropical Masoala Rainforest – a heated and cooling system that mimics a real tropical rainforest and includes species such as lemurs, parakeets, doves, herons, chameleons, tortoises, and many more.
Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park
Australia – koalas, wallabies, emus, and other Australian animals
Aquarium
Pantanal – wildlife from the wetlands of South America such as capybaras, anteaters, capuchins, tapirs, squirrel monkeys, and many more.
Zoolino – a petting zoo containing several domestic and farm animals
Mongolian Steppe – home to camels, yak, and cashmere goats

Which City is Closer to the Swiss Alps – Lucerne or Zurich?

If you want to see the highest peaks in Switzerland, Lucerne is nearer compared to Zurich. The highest peaks (4,000 meters and above) are in the Pennine Alps (Valais) and the Bernese Alps (Bernese Oberland).

Image of the Bernese Alps by TouringSwitzerland.com

Lucerne is generally half an hour nearer the Pennine Alps and the Bernese Alps if traveling by car.

On the other hand, Zurich is nearer Grisons where the Bernina Range is. Most of these mountains have peaks of more than 3,000 meters with Piz Bernina being the only mountain above 4,000 meters. Also worth visiting is the Engadine Valley, where St. Moritz is located.

Which City has Better Hotels – Lucerne or Zurich?

Image of Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne by TouringSwitzerland.com

In terms of hotels, Zurich has more options than Lucerne. However, I don’t think this should be the deciding factor. Although Zurich has more options, Lucerne doesn’t lack hotel options for any budget.

Hotels in Lucerne

Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa (5-star) – A luxurious and elegant hotel with distinctive design and decor, marble bathrooms, and views of the Jungfrau mountain.
Swiss Hotel Apartments (5-star apartments) – With spacious rooms equipped with a kitchen, balcony, dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, and coffee maker, it’s the most affordable and convenient place to stay in Interlaken. It’s also just 80 meters from Interlaken Ost train station, so you can easily get there from Zurich and Geneva airports.
Hotel Royal St Georges (4-star superior) – Close to the Harderbahn Funicular and Interlaken’s center, Hotel Royal St. Georges has a large, elegant lobby, restaurant, spa, and relaxing rooms. Personally, I loved staying here.
Hotel Bellevue (4-star) – This boutique hotel is near Interlaken West train station. Each room has a balcony with a view of the mountains.
Hotel Bernerhof (3-star) – The Hotel Bernerhof is an affordable, central hotel right opposite Interlaken West train station. It has modern rooms and a restaurant that serves Swiss food.
Interlaken Youth Hostel (Hostel) – A convenient hostel located near the Interlaken Ost train station. They have clean and basic accommodations, plus breakfast is included.

Hotels in Zurich

Baur au Lac (5-star) – This gorgeous hotel in the heart of Zurich has fantastic views of Lake Zurich and the Alps. It has two renowned restaurants, a fitness center, luxurious rooms, and excellent service.
Dolder Grand Hotel (5-star) – This fantastic hotel is located on the Zürichberg hill overlooking Zurich. Located next to a Cog Railway Station, Dolder Grand has 2 outstanding restaurants, an exclusive spa, fitness facilities, and superior service.
B2 Boutique Hotel (4-star) – One of the cool things about this hotel is its public thermal bath and spa, which features different swimming pools, a wellness area, and a steam bath, right in the heart of Zurich. In addition to that, it’s located in an old brewery.
Hotel Schweizerhof Zurich (4-star) – A short walk from Zurich’s main train station, this hotel is a great choice for people who want something stylish and convenient. Schweizerhof Zurich has noise-proof rooms, a great location, and free access to Holmes Place Fitness & Spa next door.
Motel One Zurich (3-star) – I’d highly recommend Motel One to anyone looking for something more inexpensive. Having stayed at Motel One Basel, I am 100% sure that the Motel One hotel in Zurich is just as nice, clean, and affordable. Plus, it’s incredibly close to the train station, Grossmünster, and the heart of the city.

I highly recommend using Booking.com. It is a fantastic way to find wonderful hotels in Lucerne and Zurich.