While in Lucerne, you shouldn’t miss Verkehrshaus Lucerne or the Swiss Museum of Transport. At this museum, you’ll see all kinds of fun stuff about transportation.
Switzerland’s Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne is one of the country’s most visited attractions.
You’ll discover not just what we know now, but what life was like a century ago in terms of transportation. The museum is great for people of all ages.
Everywhere, historical vehicles and information are brought together to tell the story of progress. It’s fascinating to see everything, from horses pulling trams to modern cars.
Overview: Verkehrshaus Lucerne
The museum has a mix of exhibits, experiences, and shows. Some of the exhibits are meant to be seen, not touched. Other exhibits are meant to be interactive. They can be played with, answered questions about, or experienced personally.
The museum is spread out over several buildings. There will be multiple levels in each building. A whole day is a good amount of time to spend at Verkehrshaus. There is no need to take a guided tour. It’s probably better to wander around and explore on your own.
So what’s in store for you at Verkehrshaus?
You can see historic trains, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, boats, aircraft, and more. You’ll also find cable cars here, something incredibly common and useful in Switzerland.
Additionally, they have a planetarium, a chocolate experience, and films. There’s a fun ball track too, which we call Kugelbahn in German. You’ll also find picnic areas and two restaurants.
Last but not least, you can buy a souvenir from the museum’s shop, where they sell everything transportation-related. You can also buy chocolates in the gift shop at the entrance. Furthermore, you can make your own chocolate creations here, or have a chocolate gift personalized.
Verkehrshaus Lucerne: Things to Do
Here are some of the things that you can do at Verkehrshaus Lucerne:
Aviation and Space Travel
You will see helicopters and rockets in the Aviation and Space Travel section of Verkehrshaus. There’s a Space Transformer that rotates diagonally and you can walk on it. Also, you can try flying like Otto Lilienthal. You can also go inside the Rega Ambulance Jet. In addition, you can take a selfie in the Red Bull Stratos, the capsule from the legendary stratosphere jump.
Check the operating times for the space transformer and Rega Ambulance Jet. For kids, there is a flight safety game that you can do on the floor. You can also experience airplane and helicopter simulations.
Road Transport
You will learn about racing, motorcycles, and cars in the Road Transport section of Verkehrshaus. There is also a small mirror maze that you can go into called Spiegelwelt SEE YOU. You can see more cars on the top floor. You can see racing cars from Red Bull in particular.
You can do a crash test if you want to experience a car wreck in a safe environment. The car goes 10km/h and hits a wall (check operating times). The voting shows for cars start at 10:30 AM and go every 30 minutes.
Kids can play in the car garage and traffic garden. There are also shovels and baggers to play with or a trolley bus to take them around the Verkehrshaus.
Rail Transport
You will see various locomotives, a crane simulator, an exhibit about the Gotthard Base Tunnel, and more in the Rail Transport section of Verkehrshaus.
There’s also a crocodile electric locomotive, a story about trains, and a show about steam locomotives. You can also learn about the future of train travel in Switzerland here.
Kids will have a blast playing this game that pits a marmot against a child all the way up Brünig Pass.
Ship Travel and Tourism
You will see steamships and submarines in the Ship Travel section of Verkehrshaus. The uppermost floor has a fun ball track and cable cars.
You can watch a 20-minute show called Nautirama to learn about ship travel history. You can also go inside the submarine Auguste Piccard. A 10-minute tour inside the Auguste Piccard submarine includes a maximum of 8 people (check the operating times). You can also see the Habegger Rope Park and Rigi Steamboat, the oldest well-maintained steamboat in the world.
At i-factory, kids can play and learn about computers. And there’s a play ship called Thalwil.
Planetarium
Besides taking visitors on a journey through the starry sky, the Planetarium also presents a series of exceptional and exciting excursions, which demonstrate the vastness of the universe on a daily basis. The presenters of the Planetarium comment live on all of them. When we were there, the presenter spoke both in German and English.
The planetarium shows the movements of the planets and stars.
More Attractions at Verkehrshaus Lucerne
- Swiss Chocolate Adventure – Discover chocolate discovery, production, and transport with a multimedia journey through the Swiss Chocolate Adventure. You’ll be immersed in the chocolate world at the Swiss Chocolate Adventure. You’ll learn all about it with your eyes, ears, and palate.
- Film Theater – The film theater shows selected films in 2D or 3D.
- Hans Erni Museum – The museum has 300 paintings by the popular artist Hans Erni. Admission is included in your ticket price.
- Media World – You will be able to learn more about media. It also contains a TV studio, a green box, and selfies.
- The Edge – A virtual reality climb up the Matterhorn, showing the view from 4,478 meters above sea level.
Verkehrshaus Lucerne: Our Experience
Each year we go to Verkehrshaus with our kids and it’s always a blast. There are so many things to do and things to see that one day isn’t enough to see and experience everything. Each time we visit, we do something different. And we don’t even get to see everything.
It’s definitely worth spending at least one if not two days here. Buildings are arranged according to a theme; you should plan on spending at least one hour or more per building.
To make the most of your visit, come during the opening hours. There are a lot of really cool things with a time limit, so you might miss them if they run for a very short period and you are somewhere else in the museum.
Exhibitions stay mostly the same throughout the year, although new changes are introduced every now and then. I would definitely recommend also visiting the Planetarium. When we went there, we watched a film first. After the film, one of the employees from Verkehrshaus explained the night sky around Lucerne. This helped us get a glimpse of what will come from the time the sun sets until daybreak the following day.
In the middle of the museum is a wide-open area with a giant trampoline, a boating area, and many more. Small children can take a ride on a mini-train that runs around the museum.
Verkehrshaus Lucerne: Practical Information
- Opening times: Verkehrshaus Lucerne is open 365 days a year starting at 10:00 AM. The museum closes at 6:00 PM in summer and 5:00 PM in winter. Hans Erni Museum opens starting at 11:00 AM.
- Tickets: The ticket price might be high but it really is worth it. Discounts are available for certain card holders such as those with the Coop Hello Family Club, KulturLegi, Raiffeisen MemberPlus, SBB RailAway, Swiss Museum Pass, Swiss Travel Pass, and TCS Touring Club Schweiz. Discounts will be given upon personal presentation of the ID. Groups of 10 people or more are also eligible for discounts.
- Restaurant: The self-service restaurant is not cheap but sells a variety of food for everyone (salads, pizza, french fries, sausages, dessert, and more). A French Brasserie with Café Bar and outdoor terrace is also located near the entrance and exit.
- Parking: Parking lots are located directly beside Verkehrshaus.
How to Get to Verkehrshaus Lucerne
To get to Verkehrshaus in Lucerne, you can simply take the bus from the city center (8 minutes away) or walk (30 minutes). Some trains stop here as well.
| By Bus | Luzern, Verkehrshaus/Lido |
| By Train | Luzern Verkehrshaus |
| By Car | Lidostrasse 5, 6006 Luzern |
Final Thoughts: Verkehrshaus Lucerne
I think that Verkehrshaus Lucerne is one of Switzerland’s finest museums and well worth visiting. You have examples of vehicles, ships, planes, helicopters, and more.
Verkehrshaus is all about movement. This big museum is always changing, so you’re always welcome to come back again and again.
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Darla Uhl is the owner of TouringSwitzerland.com. Her home is in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Having lived almost 20 years in Switzerland, she's traveled extensively all over the country.
Darla's favorite regions to visit in Switzerland include Engadin, Lake Geneva, Bernese Oberland, Ticino, and Valais. She loves spending time with her family, hiking, visiting museums, and reading books.