i see that this subject has been touched upon at least briefly in the past, so please forgive my compulsive need for reinforcement however, i will be in switzerland for two days (7-9 October) between Lyon and Berlin and am wondering which is the better choice, BERN or LUCERNE? thanks in advance for the help.

I've been to both places and I preferred Lucerne more than Bern. Not that Bern isn't nice, it's just that you can see pretty much everything in a day. Lucerne is small too but I thought it's more picturesque and has more charm.

I think, overall, Lucern is a prettier place what with the lake, etc. I think it is definitely more picturesque than Bern.

If you do go, please feed the swans on the river for me.

IMHO Lucerne has much more for the tourist. A very pretty town (be sure to stay in a hotel overlokking either the lake or the river) with more to see and do - and also close to a variety of sights/attractions. You can do boat trips on the lake including those to Titlis or Pilatus and a variety of cute villages - and easy train connections to Interlaken and the Jungfrau.

Agree with the above, and one of the extra benefits is that from Lucerne you can reach almost anyplace in the country as a daytrip (Bern in 90 minutes). J.

Luzern in a landslide--beautiful city, awesome mountain and lake/river views and memorable things to see, such as Pilatus, Lion monument (Lowendenkmal), transport museum and Bourbaki Panorama.

Second the suggestion to stay in a hotel with a lake/river and Pilatus view. Hotel Des Alpes is reasonable for Luzern (235 chf/nt for double with view) and Hotel Des Balances for a splurge (350+chf/nt), with Tourist Hotel and Mr. Pickwick as budget choices (~150chf/nt).

thank you all very much. i will be in lucerne this fall (feeding the swans). thanks again.

The transportation museum in Luzern is outstanding. I enjoyed it, twice.
I agree with the others on Bern. I was not captured by its charm.

Bern is the seat of the government, so if you like to look at government buildings go there. It is actually a pretty town, and if you like art they have a pretty good museum, but the bulk of their collection is the work of Paul Klee, so if you like that genre, you might want to go there. For scenic views and touristic activity, however, Lucerne is, in my opinion, the clear choice.