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7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Lucerne, Switzerland's Lakeside Old Town
Between a 14th-century covered bridge, a cliffside war memorial and a lake ringed by mountains, Lucerne packs an unusual amount of picture-postcard Switzerland into a compact old town.
Sep 25, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Lucerne sits at the northwestern tip of Lake Lucerne, where the Reuss River drains out toward Basel, and its compact old town has kept enough of its medieval and Baroque fabric intact to make it one of the more consistently photogenic city centres in Switzerland. Here are seven spots worth building a visit around, each with a direct map link.
1. Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge)
Built around 1333 and generally considered Europe's oldest surviving wooden covered bridge, the Kapellbrücke crosses the Reuss diagonally alongside its octagonal water tower. A 1993 fire destroyed much of the original structure and its painted roof panels; the bridge reopened in April 1994 after reconstruction, keeping its historic form even where individual boards are new.
2. Lion Monument
Carved directly into a sandstone cliff face in 1820-21, the Lion Monument commemorates the Swiss Guards killed defending the Tuileries Palace in Paris in 1792. Mark Twain, after seeing it, called it one of the saddest and most moving pieces of stone he had ever encountered, and the dying lion's expression remains the main draw for visitors today.
3. Lake Lucerne waterfront
The promenade along the lake's edge frames Mount Pilatus and the surrounding peaks across the water, and is at its best in the early morning or at sunset, when the lake is calm enough to mirror the mountains behind it.
4. Old Town frescoed facades
Squares such as Weinmarkt and Hirschenplatz are lined with buildings carrying painted facades, some dating back centuries and repainted over time, that give Lucerne's old town a noticeably more decorative streetscape than many Swiss city centres.
5. Musegg Wall
Part of Lucerne's surviving medieval fortifications, the Musegg Wall retains nine towers along its length, several of which can be climbed for views back over the old town's rooftops and out toward the lake.
6. Jesuit Church
Completed in the 17th century as one of the first large Baroque churches built north of the Alps, the Jesuitenkirche's twin onion domes sit directly on the Reuss riverfront, forming a recognisable part of Lucerne's skyline from either riverbank.
7. Mount Pilatus
Reachable via the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, Mount Pilatus rises above Lucerne to the southwest and gives a wide panorama back over the city, the lake and, on a clear day, a stretch of the surrounding Alps.
Traveller tips
- Lucerne is roughly 45 minutes by train from Zurich, making it an easy day trip or short stopover.
- The Kapellbrücke and lakefront are best photographed early morning before crowds build up.
- Mount Pilatus can also be reached via the Golden Round Trip, combining boat, cogwheel railway and cable car.
- Switzerland is not part of the EU but is in the Schengen area; confirm current Schengen visa requirements before travel.
Where this is
Lucerne, Switzerland