Dog Friendly Lucerne

fajndogwear
Feb 18
5 min read

Updated: Aug 11

Dog Friendly Lucerne Bars and Restaurants:

Most places were dog friendly but some specific places we visited and can recommend (in no particular order!):

Dog Friendly Lucerne Activities:

Old town (including: Kappelbrücke (Chapel Bridge), Wasserturm Kappelbrücke, Spreuerbrücke, Needle Damn and much more)
Hiking at Stoos, Rigi or any of the many mountains!

Our Journey

Train from Chur to Thalwil (1 hour 30 minutes) before a short change over and a second leg of the journey from Thalwil to Lucerne (40 minutes).
A dog ticket was required, as reminded by the conductor of the first train, but she proceeded to not check or ask again. No other conductor on Swiss trains asked for a dog ticket but they are meant to pay half fare or have a specific dog ticket!

DAY 1 - Old Town & Swiss Brews

Arriving in Lucerne, we hopped on a bus to our accommodation using the Lucerne Visitor Card, which grants free public transport in Zone 10 and discounts on attractions, something we made great use of during our stay. After checking in, we were straight back on the bus, ready to explore the Old Town.

We started near the main transport terminal, weaving past theatres before reaching the Reuss River, where the city's medieval heart truly begins. Kapellbrücke, Lucerne’s iconic wooden covered bridge, stretches across the water, with its striking stone water tower standing proudly in the middle.Though it looks ancient (and much of it is), the bridge was actually restored after a devastating fire in the 1990s, which destroyed most of its original structure from over 600 years ago.

After soaking in the views, we stumbled upon Bierliebe & Friends, a craft beer and burger bar—pricey, as expected in Switzerland, but a good spot to refuel before continuing our wanderings.

Crossing back over Kapellbrücke, we followed the river past the Lucerne Jesuit Church and the Needle Dam, which has controlled water levels since the 1800s. Another historic covered bridge, Spreuerbrücke, greeted us further down, complete with eerie 17th-century paintings above its walkway.

From here, we wandered through Mühlenplatz, Weinmarkt, and Hirschenplatz, admiring the intricate facades of old townhouses and, of course, making a quick stop at Pets Deli Luzern, for Nora-approved treats. Our stroll eventually led us to Kornmarkt, home to the Town Hall and its impressive clock tower, before looping back to Kapellplatz and Peterskapelle.

With the rain starting to fall, we sought shelter at Rathaus Brauerei, a grand German-style beer hall with a prime riverside location. Though the inside was packed, we perched outside under cover, people-watching over a pint.

As the evening cooled, we decided to brave the downpour and make our way to just a little brewpub—a much smaller but more affordable spot with great beer. Soaked and slightly exhausted (Nora included), we eventually hopped back on the bus, ready for a good night’s rest before a day in the mountains.

DAY 2 - Into the Clouds: Hiking Mount Rigi

We woke up eager to hike, only to discover that Josh's phone hadn’t charged overnight - a disaster, given that our Interrail tickets were stored on it. We quickly stopped at a repair shop on our way to the train station to drop it off for repair, and soon we were on our way to Arth-Goldau, where we stocked up on antihistamines for Nora (another bug bite, another allergic reaction) and snacks before catching the Bergbahnen cogwheel train up the mountain.

At Rigi Staffel, we were greeted by a wall of thick fog so dense that we could barely see five meters ahead, let alone the breathtaking views we'd been hoping for. It was also 5°C, and despite Nora’s jumper, she was shivering.

Determined to make the most of it, we jogged up to Känzeli viewing platform (confirming that, yes, the fog was impenetrable) before setting off on our ridge hike to Rigi Scheidegg.

As we wandered through the fields, the eerie sound of dozens of cowbells echoed through the mist, somewhere, invisible cows were grazing nearby. Eventually, we encountered them, and to avoid any potential Nora vs. Cow confrontations, she was promptly picked up and placed in "air prison."

Luckily, about 30 minutes in, the fog began to lift, revealing incredible panoramic views of Lake Lucerne and the surrounding peaks -finally, the reward we'd been waiting for! We followed the Rigi Felsenweg trail, passing the Unterstetten bridge and hiking through a former railway tunnel, enjoying the peace of an almost empty trail.

By the time we reached Rigi Scheidegg, Nora was exhausted and happily perched on an oversized bench, snacking while we admired the view. With the mountain cafés closed (off-season problems), we opted for the cable car down to Kräbel before catching the train back to Lucerne.

After freshening up, we treated ourselves to dinner at Restaurant Bündnerland Luzern, a cosy spot (and super dog friendly) specialising in Graubünden cuisine - exactly what we needed after a day of hiking!

DAY 3 - The Steepest Railway & Another Hike

Breakfast started at Bachmann Luzern a bakery so good it had queues out the door. Armed with pastries and sandwiches, we set off for another hike catching a train to Schwyz, activating one of our Interrail travel days to cover the high Swiss train costs!

From Schwyz, we hopped on the Stoosbahn, the steepest funicular railway in the world! The ride was smooth but nearly vertical, climbing straight up to Stoos SZ. We had to buy a day return, dog ticket for £10(!) but the whole process was unmanned so nobody checked.

From there, we set off on a challenging hike toward Klingenstock, the sun blazing down as we tackled steep inclines (with the occasional Nora lift assist). After two hours of climbing, we reached the summit, where the views stretched across the valleys and Lake Lucerne—easily one of the most stunning sights of our trip.

At 2000m altitude, the temperature dropped dramatically, and we layered up before continuing across the ridge to Fronalpstock. The 1.5-hour ridge hike turned into two hours as we stopped frequently to admire the scenery (and give Nora much-needed water breaks).

The final climb to Fronalpstock was daunting, and Nora was visibly flagging. Instead, we turned toward Stoos-Seeli and descended back to Stoos SZ, where the funicular took us down the mountain.

Back in Lucerne, we headed to FED Restaurant & Bar for dinner - a posh but dog-friendly spot. Though she started off restless, Nora quickly claimed our laps as her throne for the evening (understandable after a five-hour mountain trek!)

DAY 4 - Next Stop, Amsterdam

Before embarking on our mammoth 9 hours journey to Amsterdam, we made one last stop at Bachmann Luzern (because once wasn’t enough). With coffee and pastries in hand, we boarded our train, ready for the next adventure.

Any questions about our time in Lucerne? Just drop a comment in at the bottom of this blog and we will try to answer!