What's on in Lucerne, Switzerland through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Switzerland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Busy — Luzerner Fasnacht, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Luzerner Fasnacht

  1 Feb – 12 Mar · usuallyCarnivalCrowdedBook early

  It goes off with a bang at five in the morning on Schmutziger Donnerstag and runs to Tuesday: masked Guuggenmusigen playing deliberately out of tune, confetti a foot deep on Kapellbrücke. Rougher and louder than Basel's version. Source ↗

Busy — Luzerner Fasnacht, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Luzerner Fasnacht (1 Feb – 12 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Coach and day-trip hours, Easter holidays in Switzerland

• Season

  Coach and day-trip hours

  1 Apr – 31 Oct · usuallyDay-tripper crushCrowded

  Lucerne is the standard one-day stop on every Swiss coach tour, so the Chapel Bridge and the Lion Monument are a scrum from mid-morning to late afternoon. Before nine and after six it is a quiet lakeside town.

• Season

  Paddle steamer season

  1 Apr – 25 Oct · usuallySummer season opens

  Five Belle Époque paddle steamers work the lake in season and drop to a token winter service after. The boat to Alpnachstad or Vitznau is how you reach the mountain railways without a car. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Coach and day-trip hours, Spring holidays in Switzerland

• Opening

  Pilatus cogwheel railway season

  10 May – 15 Nov · usuallyTrail seasonClosures

  The steepest cogwheel railway in the world only runs when the track is clear of snow, roughly May to November; in winter the mountain is cable car only from the other side. Snow at the top can delay the opening by weeks. Source ↗

Still on: Coach and day-trip hours (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Paddle steamer season (1 Apr – 25 Oct (usually))

Busy — Coach and day-trip hours, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Coach and day-trip hours (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Paddle steamer season (1 Apr – 25 Oct (usually)), Pilatus cogwheel railway season (10 May – 15 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Coach and day-trip hours, Summer holidays in Switzerland

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Coach and day-trip hours (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Paddle steamer season (1 Apr – 25 Oct (usually)), Pilatus cogwheel railway season (10 May – 15 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Coach and day-trip hours, Summer holidays in Switzerland

• Festival

  Lucerne Festival

  10 Aug – 15 Sep · usuallyMajor festivalBook early

  The summer edition brings most of the world's touring orchestras through the KKL over five weeks, and the festival's own orchestra is assembled from principals who play nowhere else together. Tickets go on sale the previous spring. Source ↗

Still on: Coach and day-trip hours (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Paddle steamer season (1 Apr – 25 Oct (usually)), Pilatus cogwheel railway season (10 May – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Coach and day-trip hours, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Coach and day-trip hours (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Paddle steamer season (1 Apr – 25 Oct (usually)), Pilatus cogwheel railway season (10 May – 15 Nov (usually)), Lucerne Festival (10 Aug – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Coach and day-trip hours, Autumn holidays in Switzerland

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Coach and day-trip hours (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Paddle steamer season (1 Apr – 25 Oct (usually)), Pilatus cogwheel railway season (10 May – 15 Nov (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Festival

  Advent on the lakefront

  25 Nov – 24 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New Year

  Small markets on Franziskanerplatz and by the station rather than a single big one, with a Christmas boat doing loops of the lake. Short days, lit bridges, and far fewer coaches than in summer. Source ↗

Still on: Pilatus cogwheel railway season (10 May – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Christmas holidays in Switzerland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Advent on the lakefront (25 Nov – 24 Dec (usually))