Guide · The lake

Where is Lake Lucerne, and what is it like?

Where is Lake Lucerne? In the heart of Switzerland, wrapped around the mountains between the city of Lucerne and the canton of Uri. Here is the lake in figures, its history, and where you can swim in it.

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Editorial team, lucerneboattrip.comUpdated October 19, 20266 minutes to read47 sources

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The lake at a glance

01Where: In central Switzerland, among the historic cantons of Unterwalden, Schwyz, Uri and Lucerne.¹
02Size: 114 km² of water and 130 km of shoreline.²
03Depth: 117 m on average, 214 m at the deepest point in the Gersau Basin.³
04Height: 433 m above sea level.⁴
05Swimming: Yes: free at the Ufschötti, or at the Lido and the Seebad for a fee.⁵ ⁶ ⁷

Where Lake Lucerne lies

Lake Lucerne sits in the middle of Switzerland, with the city of Lucerne at its north-western corner. Its German name, Vierwaldstättersee, means the lake of the four forest cantons, and it goes back to the historic cantons of Unterwalden, Schwyz, Uri and Lucerne that surround it.¹ Today the wider Lucerne-Lake Lucerne region counts five cantons: Lucerne, Schwyz, Uri, Obwalden and Nidwalden.⁸

The lake is not a simple oval but a chain of basins bent around the mountains. Its southern arm, Lake Uri, runs between Brunnen and Flüelen with steep shores and rock walls like a fjord.⁹ In the west, the Acheregg Bridge between Stansstad and Hergiswil marks where the main lake turns into Lake Alpnach.¹⁰

Two famous mountains stand guard over it. Pilatus rises on the south-west side, with its summit view at 2,132 meters, and the Rigi on the north side, given by Switzerland Tourism at 1,798 m.¹¹ ¹² On a clear day you see both from the city waterfront, one on each side of the bay.

The lake through time

From the Ice Age to the paddle steamers

About 12,000 years ago

A glacial lake

The lake forms at the end of the Ice Age.¹³
1601

Tsunami

Waves of up to 4 m after an earthquake.¹⁴
1837

Steam arrives

The Stadt Luzern makes its maiden voyage.¹⁵
1863

End of an era

Until then the only trade link to the Gotthard.¹⁶
1871

First mountain railway

Europe's first, from Vitznau up the Rigi.¹⁷

How big is Lake Lucerne, and how deep?

How big is Lake Lucerne? SGV, the lake's shipping company, gives a surface area of 114 km² and a shoreline 130 km long.² The shore folds in and out of bays and arms all the way round, and from a boat each headland seems to open a new lake behind it.

As for depth, the average is 117 m, and the deepest point, 214 m, lies in the Gersau Basin.³ The surface sits 433 m above sea level, and the water is renewed every 3.4 years.⁴ It is a naturally nutrient-poor lake, and there are currently 31 boat stations around it.¹⁸

The level hardly changes. At the federal gauge in Lucerne the mean water level over the record is 433.57 m above sea level.¹⁹ The highest reading in the gauge's 1936 to 2025 record, 435.23 m, came on 24 August 2005.²⁰

Water temperature

Monthly mean water temperature, May to October, in °C

°C

Monthly means 1973-2025 at the federal station on the Reuss in Lucerne, where the river leaves the lake (BAFU).²¹

In numbers

Lake Lucerne by the figures

Measure	Figure	Source
Surface area	114 km²	SGV
Shoreline	130 km	SGV
Average depth	117 m	SGV
Deepest point	214 m	SGV
Altitude	433 m	SGV
Water renewal	3.4 years	SGV
Record water level	435.23 m (2005)	BAFU

Figures from SGV's lake page and the federal gauge in Lucerne.² ³ ⁴ ²⁰

Three places to swim

Free beach, sandy lido or lake bath

Free

Ufschötti

Park on the lakeshore

Entry: Free
Hours: 08:00 to 22:00
Season: Closed November to Easter

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Sandy beach

Lido Luzern

Next to the transport museum

Beach: 300 m of sand
Bus: 6, 8 or 24
Views: Pilatus, Bürgenstock

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Swim till 8 pm

Seebad Luzern

Lake bath in town

Adults: CHF 6.00
Youths 6-15: CHF 4.00
Summer: Until 8 pm

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Decision helper

Where should you swim?

Pick the wish that matches yours

Ufschötti

The free place to swim in the lake in Lucerne.⁵

Lido Luzern

A 300-meter sandy beach with mountain views.⁶

Seebad Luzern

Swimming until 8 pm in summer.²²

Late July and August

Monthly means near 20 °C.²¹

Stay clear of the routes

Scheduled boats always have priority.²³

Lake Uri is one of the most impressive sections of Lake Lucerne. Between Brunnen and Flüelen, a fjord-like landscape unfolds with steep shores, striking rock formations and places closely linked to Swiss history.

Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (SGV)Source 9

Where the water comes from, and where it goes

Several rivers feed the lake: the Reuss near Flüelen and Seedorf, the Sarner Aa near Alpnachstad, the Engelberger Aa near Buochs and the Muota near Brunnen are among the most important.²⁴ Over time, the sediment of the Reuss has pushed its delta about ten kilometers north into Lake Uri.²⁵

There is only one way out. The Reuss leaves the lake in Lucerne, regulated by a weir, and flows on under the city's bridges.²⁶ When you walk across the Chapel Bridge you are standing over the very place where the lake becomes a river again.

The lake also breathes with the seasons. In winter, when the water cools to around 4 °C, the wind mixes it completely from top to bottom.²⁷ In summer the surface warms while the depths stay cold, and the boats glide over water that looks green near the shore and deep blue in the middle.

Map

Lake Lucerne from the city piers to Flüelen

The whole lake with its landing stages and the two mountains above it, then a close look at the piers between the station and the KKL.

Map of Lake Lucerne from Lucerne in the north-west to Flüelen in the south-east, with Pilatus and Rigi — The lake

Street map of the Lucerne lakefront with piers 1, 2, 3 and 7, the Chapel Bridge and the station — The Lucerne piers

1
Lucerne piers
Boats to Weggis, Vitznau, Brunnen and Flüelen leave from pier 1, to Alpnachstad from pier 2, and to Küssnacht and the Bürgenstock from pier 3.²⁸
In Google Maps ↗
2
Weggis
About an hour from Lucerne by boat; the cable car up to Rigi Kaltbad is a 15-minute walk from the pier.²⁹
In Google Maps ↗
3
Vitznau
The Rigi cogwheel railway starts right next to the boat station.²⁹
In Google Maps ↗
4
Gersau
Start of the car ferry across to Beckenried, a crossing of about 20 minutes.³⁰
In Google Maps ↗
5
Brunnen
Gateway to Lake Uri, the fjord-like arm of the lake that runs on to Flüelen.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
6
Flüelen
Turning point of the Grand Lake Cruise, which takes 5 h 30 min there and back from Lucerne.³¹
In Google Maps ↗
7
Alpnachstad
Valley station of the Pilatus cogwheel railway; in 2026 the boat from Lucerne ran until 18 October.³²
In Google Maps ↗
8
Küssnacht am Rigi
Boats for Küssnacht leave Lucerne from pier 3.²⁸
In Google Maps ↗
9
Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock
The MS Bürgenstock crosses hourly from Lucerne in around 30 minutes, then a funicular climbs to the resort.³³ ³⁴
In Google Maps ↗
10
Beckenried
The other end of the car ferry, which runs from 26 March to 10 October in 2027.³⁰
In Google Maps ↗
11
Pilatus Kulm
The summit at 2,132 m, reached from Alpnachstad on a cogwheel railway with gradients of up to 48 percent.¹¹ ³⁵
In Google Maps ↗
12
Rigi Kulm
The top of the Rigi, about 30 minutes up from Vitznau by cogwheel train.³⁶
In Google Maps ↗
13
Pier 1
Boats to Weggis, Vitznau, Brunnen and Flüelen.²⁸
In Google Maps ↗
14
Pier 2
Boats to Alpnachstad for Pilatus.²⁸
In Google Maps ↗
15
Pier 3
In front of the KKL: the boarding point of this site's catamaran, and of the boats to Küssnacht and the Bürgenstock.²⁸
In Google Maps ↗
16
Pier 7
Schweizerhofquai, the start of a 1-hour discovery cruise sold on GetYourGuide.
In Google Maps ↗
17
Chapel Bridge
Rebuilt in eight months after the fire of 18 August 1993.³⁷ ³⁸
In Google Maps ↗
18
Lucerne station
Direct trains to Zurich main station every 30 minutes.³⁹
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

For a swim in the lake

Bring

Swimwear and a towel
Sun cream for the open shore
Coins or a card for the Seebad or the Lido

Remember

Boats have priority on the water
Ufschötti closed from November to Easter
The water is coolest before June

Video

Lake Lucerne & the Most Beautiful Villages of Switzerland - 4K Cinematic Drone Tour

YouTube is only contacted once you press play.

Can you swim in Lake Lucerne?

Can you swim in Lake Lucerne? Yes, and Lucerne has several places to do it. The Ufschötti is the spot where you can swim for free; it is open from 08:00 to 22:00 and closes from early November until Easter.⁵ ⁴⁰ Lido Luzern, next to the Swiss Museum of Transport, has a 300-meter sandy beach with views of Pilatus, the Bürgenstock and the Stanserhorn.⁶ ⁴¹

At the Seebad Luzern you swim in the open lake, and in summer until 8 pm, with a restaurant and bar for the sunset afterwards.²² Entry is CHF 6.00 for adults and CHF 4.00 for youths aged 6 to 15.⁷ Strandbad Tribschen charges CHF 7.00 for adults and CHF 5.00 for children.⁴²

The water is warmest late in summer. At the federal station on the Reuss in Lucerne, where the river leaves the lake, the monthly mean is 19.2 °C in July and 20.1 °C in August, and 5.3 °C in February.²¹ Remember one rule above all: scheduled passenger boats always have priority, so keep clear of their routes.²³

A lake full of history

The lake is young in geological terms. It formed around 12,000 years ago as a glacial lake at the end of the last Ice Age.¹³ Its quiet surface hides a dramatic past: in 1601, after an earthquake, tsunamis on the lake are believed to have raised waves of up to 4 meters.¹⁴

For centuries the lake was a road. Until 1863 it was the only trade connection to the Gotthard Pass, the great route over the Alps to the south.¹⁶ Steam arrived in 1837, when the steamer Stadt Luzern made its maiden voyage, the start of a new era on the lake.¹⁵

Tourism followed the steamers. On 21 May 1871, Europe's first mountain railway made its first ascent from Vitznau on the Rigi.¹⁷ Today the five paddle steamers that SGV keeps in service, built between 1901 and 1928, are the lake's living link to that age.⁴³

Seeing the lake from the water

The easiest way to meet the lake is from its own boats. In Lucerne the piers line the Bahnhofquai right in front of the station: boats to Weggis, Vitznau, Brunnen and Flüelen leave from pier 1, to Alpnachstad from pier 2 and to Küssnacht and the Bürgenstock from pier 3.²⁸ From there the whole lake is within reach without a car.

For a first look, an hour is enough. This site's catamaran round trip boards at pier 3 in front of the KKL, spends 1 hour on the lake with Pilatus, Rigi and the Bürgenstock named as the views, and returns to the same pier, from $38. SGV's own short catamaran cruise from that pier lasts 55 minutes.⁴⁴

To see the lake end to end, take the Grand Lake Cruise to Flüelen and back, which takes 5 h 30 min from pier 1.³¹ Between the short loop and the long cruise lies every kind of trip, from a steamer to a mountain railway, and the rest of this guide walks through them one by one.

What Lake Lucerne is famous for

Ask what is Lake Lucerne famous for and most answers start with the view: mountains rising straight from deep water, with the towers of Lucerne at one end. Switzerland Tourism says the fjord landscape of the lake is best explored by boat, and names Brunnen, Vitznau for the Rigi and Alpnachstad for Pilatus as top destinations.⁴⁵

It is also famous for its mountain railways. Luzern Tourismus lists the region's records: the world's steepest cogwheel railway on Pilatus, Europe's first mountain railway on the Rigi, the world's first double-deck open-top cableway on the Stanserhorn and the world's steepest funicular at Stoos.⁴⁶

And it is famous for its climate on the sunny shore. Thanks to a mild climate, palms, orchids and chestnut trees grow around Weggis and Vitznau, which is why the area is called the Lucerne Riviera.⁴⁷ The best way to understand all of it is the simplest: board a boat at the city piers and watch the lake unfold.

Your hour afloat