LUCERN

PART 2

Day 2: Wander in museums and cruise the lake

9 a.m. Head to the railway station (Bahnhof) for a morning spent enjoying the city’s vibrant art scene, starting with the ultra-modernist, steel and glass Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern, or KKL. The popular concert and festival venue also houses the Museum of Art, which constantly changes its contemporary art exhibits. Five minutes away, the Rosengart Collection showcases more than 300 works by 19th- and 20th- century great masters, including Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

12 p.m. People-watch along the lively waterfront promenade, where kids rollerblade and old men play pétanque, a ball game similar to bocce. Stop in at the art deco Hotel Montana for lunch at the chic Scala restaurant. The lamb chops with leek, apple, and beetroot gnocchi and the potato gnocchi with celery cream and horseradish are equally delicious whether enjoyed on the open-air lakeview terrace or in the heated conservatory.

1 p.m. Take in Lucerne’s scenic charms with an hour-long lake cruise on the panorama yacht M.S. Saphir, which departs from just across the Bahnof. With a convertible roof left open on days when the weather is good, the cruise covers the main sights, includes an audio guide, and affords grand views of the Alps.

3 p.m. After disembarking, walk or bus to the Swiss Museum of Transport, which traces the history of road, rail, water, and air navigation through simulators and multimedia displays. Don’t miss the vintage locomotives. The museum complex includes a film theater and planetarium, but the grand bonanza for kids is the Chocolate Adventure, an interactive ride exploring the history and making of chocolate through visuals, smells, and tastings. Grab a light bite at the in-house restaurant Mercato, or take snacks across the street for a picnic at the lovely lakeside park where ducks waddle in and out of the water.

6 p.m. Wander back to Old Town for dinner and a show at Stadtkeller, a venue for live music and traditional folk performances, including yodelers and alphorn players. End the night with a characteristically Swiss dessert: a cheese platter accompanied by dollops of relish, jelly, walnut, fig, mustard, and bread.

Day 3: Take an Alpine train ride

10 a.m. Towering over Lucerne, 6,995-foot-high Mount Pilatus makes for a great day trip. Board a train from the Luzern Bahnhof to Alpnachstad, then transfer to the fire-engine-red Pilatus Railway, a 126-year-old cogwheel railroad—the world’s steepest, it trundles up the mountainside at angles sometimes as sharp as 48 degrees, gaining more than 5,000 feet of elevation. Operating from May to November, the train lets visitors watch the meadows slowly give way to Alpine vegetation. In off months, take the bus to Kriens to catch a cable car up to the peak of Pilatus.

3 p.m. Walk the winding Dragon Path around the mountain and through tunnels with large windows and viewing platforms that afford stunning vistas of Lucerne far below. Artwork by noted Swiss artist Hans Erni adorns the walls with depictions of the dragon legend.

In summer, indulge your active side at the Rope Park or the Toboggan Run. Grab a bite at the upscale Queen Victoria restaurant at Hotel Pilatus-Kulm or the self-service restaurant with a sun terrace at the Hotel Bellevue. Stop in the roofed Panoramic Gallery, which links the two hotels, for breathtaking views of the mighty Alps.