Hotels in Lucerne
 

I have researched hotels in Lucerne for a one-night stay and we are considering the following. Comments on these (or other recommendations for hotels under $250/night) would be appreciated! I have grouped them approximately from best to last based on reviews I've read.
1. Waldstätterhof Swiss Quality Hotel Lucerne
2. Ameron Hotel Flora
3. Hotel Bellevue (outside of city center but 10-15 min by bus)
4. Hotel Balm Meggen (outside of city center but 10-15 min. by bus)
5. Hotel De la Paix
6. Hotel Seeburg (outside of city center but close by bus)
7. Cascade Swiss Q
8. Hotel des Alpes
9. Hotel Zum Rebstock
10. Zum Weissen Kreuz
11. Pension Villa Marie (outside city center but close by bus

well, you've got a lot of recommendations, but don't have the one I stayed at and I loved it. It was the Hotel Schiller which is only about two short blocks from the train station (on the same side of the river). I was arriving and leaving by train, so that made it easy for me as I could easily roll my luggage down there. It was easy to just walk across the river to the main Old Town area for sightseeing, etc. It was a really nice hotel, the rooms very comfortable and the staff very nice.

I was there in summer and got a reasonable rate for that level of hotel just by booking on their website. I know it was somewhat less than your limit, although it was a couple years go. Right now you can get double rooms for about 200 CHF in July for one night, I think there are prepayment deals which I used.

Given I just wanted to walk to/from the train station, I wanted something closer to that rather than one in the Old Town area and also due to the noise reasons. Even though the Schiller is on the main street going along that side of the river from the train station (Pilatustrasse, not right next to the water), and my room overlooked the street with a small balcony, it was very quiet due to the double-paned windows (and I think it had AC, although I don't remember if I used it, I think it was hot).

I considered the Waldstatterhof as it had fairly good reviews and was right in or next to the train station, but its rates were higher than the Schillers. I was glad I made my choice, as I am never crazy about staying right next to a train station (and that area definitely is more crowded/noisy/congested, even if just a short bit away), and it was real easy to get to the Schiller.

http://www.schiller-luzern.ch

Keith and I are staying at the Hotel Montana. It is on the lake. The hotels along the lake are in a quiet location.

The last time I was in Luzern, I stayed in the Old Town at a hotel close to the train station.

The location was VERY NOISY. The hotel had no air conditioning, so I had to open the windows at night for a cool breeze. This let in a lot of street noise.

If you are travelling to Luzern, I advise you to find out if your hotel has air conditioning. If not, you could be in for a sleepless night if staying "in town."

Thin

Depending on the day of the week, you might be able to get a very nice room at the Hotel Wilden-Mann. It's on the train-station side of the river but in a quiet location just beyond the Jesuit Church. There are river views from a few rooms, and the breakfast buffet is huge.

http://www.wilden-mann.ch/cms/index.php?page=304

Just a quick correction -- the Hotel Montana is not on the lake but rather up on a hill overlooking the lake. You take a funicular to get to it.

s

I suppose one can see from a map, but I wouldn't call any hotel in Old Town close to the train station. To be what I consider close, you'd have to be on the same side of the river.

It's really only a short walk across the bridge from the Old Town to the train station. While being on the same side of the river MAY be closer, it really depends on where your hotel is located.

We stayed at the Des Balances Hotel twice and it is very nice. Haven't priced it lately, so I don't know if it is in your range or not. It is right on the River across from the lovely churches and the views are wonderful.

Well, my hotel was close to the train station. I could hear the trains coupling and uncoupling at night.

How the hell do you know where I stayed, Christina???

I can't remember the name of my hotel, but it was very near the best gourmet restaurant in Luzern. I can remember my taxi driver saying that people came from all over Switzerland to eat there.

Thin, who will cut a bitch

Thanks for doing the legwork on this. We are traveling to Switzerland and would like to stay in Luzern for 3 nights. Your research is greatly appreciated!

Christina, thanks for recommending Hotel Schiller but it is in the $300 and above range in late Sept. unless there is another booking website I missed. It has a lot of negative reviews on Tripadvisor, but some people really liked it, as you did. I guess it depends on the room you happen to get.

Jean, The Wilden Mann looks beautiful but it is in the $300 -400 per night range. Thanks for the suggestion. Wish we could splurge!

Sorry, drchris. You didn't give a month for your trip, so I obviously guessed wrong in trying out some dates. Note to others, it's helpful to provide dates when asking for recommendations in a particular/strict budget range.

bettyk - The Des Balances is beautiful but unfortunately out of our price range. Thanks for the suggestion.

ThinGorjus - What were the temperatures when you were there? I've checked average daily temps for the time we will be there and they sound cool. We live in Houston, TX, so anything in the mid 70's or below would be considered "a tad chilly"! Just trying to get a handle on whether air conditioning will really be needed in September.

I think the Waldstaetterhof is fine, many of their simple rooms have balconies and the simple restaurant on the ground floor is usually very full and popular during lunchtime due to the good value quality food they serve. The train station fronts the riverbank so you won't see much passenger traffic or taxi unloading area. the street in front of the hotel is a one way street and it does have an entry to the small supermarket inside the station and the SBB travel office so it's not that busy.
Their room furniture is made of real wood instead of formica which unfortunately is the trend for most renovated hotel rooms in Luzern including Des Balance which lost it's Swiss charm after they switched to the renovated formica look.
If your budget allows, the National hotel would be my number one recommendation for a good quality swiss hotel with the most ideal location. Hotel Montana is considered to be one of the best hotels in Lucerne however the location

Hotel Montana is a bit more inconvenient due to the uphill funicular and it is a fairly good hike to get to the old town center unless you take a taxi all the time. It's ideal if you have a car.

> Hotel Montana is considered to be one of the best hotels in Lucerne ..

Called Art Deco Montana or something like that and considered to be 4* superior, priced accordingly as well. As corrected above by Swandav, it's located up on a hill so be careful if you think it's on the lake. (to Thin - not to OP). Great hotel but as DAX mentioned, some consider it an inconvenient location.

I've stayed at Hotel Schiller and it was quite noisy. They have multiple bars that are open late that seemed to attract a lot of locals. I would ask for a quiet room away from any bar noise.

What kind of style are you looking for? "Olde World"?

I've stayed in the Schweizerhof and the Grand National, both lovely but out of your budget (mine too, fortunately these were business trips and somebody else picked up the check).

If you like (or can tolerate) modern style, the Radisson Blu might have rooms in your budget. I stayed there recently and it was fine. The rooms don't have anything particularly Swiss about them, but the hotel is quiet, has a good restaurant with nice wine selection, and is near the train station. No great views but close to the lake. Warning: there is a cool-looking restaurant next door that I hated. Bad service, mediocre food.

We have just returned from Switzerland and in Lucerne we stayed at Hotel Des Alpes. The location could not be better. Right on the lake, a 5 minute walk from the train station, and cost CH 193.50pn. Excellent value for money. A good breakfast is included. It was sheer heaven to sit on the lovely terrace eating breakfast and watching the swans gliding on the Lake.

We stayed at the Waldstatterhof and were very happy with our choice. It is across the street from the RR station, so it made it easy for us to just walk there. It's just around the corner from the Lake/ Chapel Bridge, etc. It was NOT noisy at all. Lovely area.

When we registered at the desk they gave us an upgraded room. Why? Who knows? We were just pleasantly surprised.

Would recommend it.

Thanks to everyone for so many helpful replies. Dax, the National is beautiful but more than we want to spend. Oh, for the good old days when we were able to stay at beautiful hotels and my husband's business picked up the tab. We were able to use some of the Marriott points he accumulated to get a nice room at the Marriott in Zurich for our last night before we fly out. And we've booked 3 nights in Lauterbrunnen, Still have Lucerne, Montreux or Vevey, and Zermatt to go. I've done lots of research - just need to make some decisions.

Just a note - Our room at the Waldstatterhof faced the side street. Perhaps that's why it wasn't noisy. But, there are also these metal blinds - they're on the outside of the building, over each window, but you control them from your room, and can close them to shut out the light and noise as well.

I returned last week from Switzerland. We spent 2 wonderful nights at the Hotel des Alpes in Lucerne. It was lovely. We had a room on the lakeside. As Irenen said,it is only a short walk from the train station. The breakfast is plentiful with a good variety of foods. I enjoyed my stay there and would highly recommend this hotel.

IrishDeb and Irenen - You convinced me! I just booked the Hotel des Alpes. Wish I could've gotten your rate, Irenen. Ours was 250 ch for a river view room. All of the hotels in Switzerland are so much more expensive than in the US. But this will likely be our only trip to Switzerland (we have so much of the world left to see!), so paying a little extra for the view seems reasonable. I requested a balcony room, if available, as this trip is a belated celebration of our 40th anniversary. Hope there's still a balcony available.

MLF611 - The Radisson Blu looks great, but it was booked for our date. Thanks for the suggestion.

drchris-I got this good rate by booking on www.booking.com. It was significantly cheaper than booking directly through the hotel. Also we passed on the river view and balcony, since we were absent from the room between 9.30am and 10 pm, except coming back to change and shower. So perhaps that's why it was cheaper. It's a pity you only have 1 night in Lucerne. It is a lovely area and there is plenty to do. If you are looking for a good lunch in air conditioning, at reasonable prices, try the buffet lunch in the Manor dept store. I know it sounds odd to be eating in a dept store but the selection there is really something above the norm. I think it is either on the 5th or 6th floor. Have a great time.

I usually stay in Des Balances which is out of your comfortable price range apparently..however I have stayed at the Flora...not certain it is the same one you listed...the Flora I stayed in was a Best Western and about as well-located for sightseeing as it gets..minutes from the river, the jesuit Church, the rail station and the old town.

No views and basically minimalist decoration but otherwise, very good.

Irenen, Thanks for the tip about a good place to eat, hopefully on the cheap! Wish we could stay in Lucerne longer, too, but we only have 10 days and want to take in as much of Switzerland as we can without being too rushed. I have devoured The Fodor's, Frommers, and Rick Steves' guides as well as online sites to try to prioritize where we spend time, and it sounded as if we could do a walk through of Lucerne in a day or two before we head to Lauterbrunnen. We have an unplanned day at the end of the trip, and if we feel we need more time in Lucerne, can return then. Thanks for all of your help!

Irenen, Forgot to say that I checked all of the hotel booking sites and the prices for the river view room were the same (or within a few dollars of) as booking with the hotel, which I have found to be true at most of the hotels. I hope it won't be a waste to have splurged on the river view room. We may be so jet lagged that we don't get to enjoy it! I tend to be willing to stay at cheaper places but my husband was spoiled by years of business travel and likes at least a few comforts.Can't say that I mind them, either!

About Flora, it has been renovated about a year ago and now it's called Ameron hotel Flora as op noted - not Best Western anymore), I heard, so if anything it could look better.

drChris, I'm with on Irenen on eating at the Manor department store. It is wonderful. A very large buffet something for everyone and in terms of Swiss food prices relatively inexpensive.

Don't forget to go for an afternoon cocktail at the Palace Hotel. You can sit outside on a patio overlooking the lake.

Thin

drchris, make sure you grab a terrace table for breakfast if staying at Hotel Des Alpes. The view of the lake is wonderful and you look down on the swans swimming by. You can certainly do a walk of the old town in about 2 hours. I would highly recommend the guided walking tour starting at the TI in the station, which leaves at 9.45 am each morning (buy your tickets a few minutes earlier in the TI office). The tour is a 2 hour tour and takes you past all the main sites, and you get a bit of history thrown in. If time is limited, I find these walking tours with a guide much more efficient than trying to cover the same ground on our own, as we tend to wander around in circles sometimes, which is lovely if time is plentiful, but not otherwise.

After the tour, you could walk to Lowenplatz ( about a 10 min walk from where the tour ends) and look at the large Lion carved into the rock, then go for lunch at Manor (it is on the way back and a 5-10 min walk from Lion). If possible, try to fit in an afternoon or sunset cruise on the Lake. There are many boats to choose from.

The very modern catamaran with white leather seats outside makes you feel like a millionaire and you can purchase something nice to drink from the bar. We took the 2 hour cruise which was free with our Swiss Pass.

You will love Lucerne. It is a delight.