Which Markets Can You Walk to From Lucerne Station?
All of them, and that's what makes Christmas in Lucerne so easy by rail: the station sits right on the shore of Lake Lucerne, so you won't need a tram or bus to reach a single one of the market stalls.
| Market | Where | From the station |
|---|---|---|
| Rudolfs Weihnacht | Inseli Park, beside the KKL | A couple of minutes on foot |
| Lucerne Ice Magic | Europaplatz | Straight out of the main entrance |
| Christmas tree market | Schweizerhofquai | Along the lakefront, over the Seebrücke |
| Lozärner Wiehnachtsmärt | Franziskanerplatz | About ten minutes, across the Reuss |
| Craft market | Weinmarkt, old town | Over the Chapel Bridge |
| Venite International Christmas Forum | Kapellplatz | Just across the river |
Timing matters. Arrive in late November and only the lakeside half of the city is lit, because Franziskanerplatz doesn't fill with stalls until December. The dates for both are in the box at the top of this page.
Got luggage? Leave it in the lockers at Lucerne station first. The old town lanes are cobbled and narrow. A busy December Saturday on the Chapel Bridge is no place for wheels.
Rudolfs Weihnacht and the Lakeside Markets
Turn right out of the station and you'll smell it before you see it: cheese fondue, Glühwein and woodsmoke drifting out of Inseli Park. Rudolfs runs the whole Advent season, with fairy lights in the trees reflected in the lake, a fondue chalet, a music chalet that stays open late and plenty of food and drink. On weekdays the gift stalls only open in the afternoon.
Next door, Europaplatz becomes the rink of Lucerne Ice Magic. Skating is free, you can hire skates on site, and the atmosphere on the Advent opening night is something else, with a fire show, the St Nicholas procession and the city's Christmas lights switched on all at once!
Free Advent concerts fill the Europaplatz stage on selected evenings, while a little further along the Christmas tree market and a small market outside the Hotel Schweizerhof line Schweizerhofquai.
Crossing the Reuss to Franziskanerplatz
The Lozärner Wiehnachtsmärt is the traditional old town market. Wooden stalls ring the square in front of the Franciscan Church, selling candles, decorations and crafts, and the fountain wears the biggest Advent wreath in Central Switzerland. Choirs and brass groups play beside it on most December days, and the atmosphere at dusk is pure Christmas card.
Here's a walk that links everything up. From the station side, cross the Chapel Bridge to Kapellplatz, home of the Venite international Christmas market in the last days before Christmas. Carry on to the Weinmarkt, where local makers run the craft market on selected days, then follow the river to Franziskanerplatz. Come back over the Seebrücke as the lights come on for the classic view of the bridge and the Water Tower glowing over the water.
Is the Lucerne Christmas Train a Real Train?
No. Despite the name, it's a decorated city tour on the streets, with music and stories from the city's festive past, and it can be cancelled in icy road conditions. Seats are limited, so buy tickets on the Lucerne Tourism Christmas page.
The real trains are the ones that get you here.
Getting to Lucerne by Train
None of the SBB trains into Lucerne need a seat reservation: buy a ticket on the SBB website or app, or use your Swiss Travel Pass, and get on.
- From Zurich HB: direct InterRegio trains through the day, the obvious base for a day trip.
- From Zurich Airport: direct trains from the station under the terminal.
- From Basel and Bern: direct trains, so you can pair two cities' markets on one long weekend.
- From Interlaken: the Luzern-Interlaken Express over the Brünig Pass, past Lake Brienz and Lake Lungern, the snowy scenic way in.
- From the UK: Eurostar to Paris, then TGV Lyria to Basel and change. See our train to Switzerland from London guide.
Journey times are in the box at the top. Our guide to how Swiss trains work covers tickets, passes and classes.
What to Book Ahead
- Eurostar and TGV Lyria: reservations are compulsory, so book early for Advent weekends
- SBB trains: no reservation, but saver tickets tie you to one train
- Luzern-Interlaken Express: a seat reservation is optional
- Christmas Train city tour: buy tickets before you go
- Pilatus: check which way up is running that day
Planning a Lucerne Christmas Market Day by Train
Arrive from Zurich late in the morning and start at Rudolfs while it's quiet. Have lunch in the fondue chalet. Cross the Chapel Bridge after lunch for Kapellplatz and the Weinmarkt, and reach Franziskanerplatz as dusk falls and the Advent wreath lights up.
Finish with a skate and a mug of mulled wine by the lake, a short walk from your platform.
Mountain Railways and Lake Markets in Advent
The mountains around Lake Lucerne have their own Christmas season, and the train gets you to all of it.
- Pilatus: a Christmas market usually runs one weekend in mid-November on Pilatus Kulm. The Kriens gondola is closed for maintenance then, so take the train to Alpnachstad and the cogwheel railway up. After the cogwheel season ends in late November, you go up from Kriens. Check the Pilatus timetable.
- Rigi: the rack railway from Arth-Goldau to Rigi Kulm runs all winter, and trains from Lucerne go to Arth-Goldau direct.
- Einsiedeln: a big market in front of the abbey, by train with a change at Biberbrugg.
- Vitznau and Brunnen: small Christmas markets by the water on set weekends, Vitznau by lake boat or bus and Brunnen by train.
Can You Visit on an Escorted Rail Holiday?
None of the holidays we list stops at Lucerne's markets in December. If you'd like someone else to handle the flights, transfers and connections, Newmarket's Swiss Christmas Markets break is based in the Alpine village of Château-d'Oex, with an evening at Montreux Christmas Market on Lake Geneva and a tour manager throughout. The tour card on this page shows the dates and current from price, or check dates with Newmarket.
Travelsphere's Winter in Switzerland runs after the markets close, with an optional rail day from Interlaken to Lucerne on the Luzern-Interlaken Express and a guided walk over the Chapel Bridge, and the Holiday Director sorts tickets and timings. See the Travelsphere tour.
For more festive trips, our guide to Christmas markets by train compares the holidays, and there are station guides to the Zurich Christmas markets and the Basel Christmas market, or start with Switzerland by train.
