Coach Hire Across Switzerland

Lucerne Coach Hire: Permits, Stops and Mountain Days

In Lucerne a coach may not stop in the centre without a permit booked in advance, a system no Swiss city had before. Since 1 April 2025 Schwanenplatz, Löwenplatz and Kasernenplatz admit only coaches with a voucher bought online for that day and that number plate. Book it before anything else.

How the stop permit works

Bookings open four months ahead and must be made before arrival; nothing is sold at the stop. Each approach needs its own booking, even a second one on the same day, and a group staying several nights books every approach. Date and plate cannot be changed, only booked again.

At Schwanenplatz the group may only get off, so agree a different pick-up point before the group steps out. Löwenplatz, by the Lion Monument and the Glacier Garden, and Kasernenplatz, five minutes from the old town over the Spreuerbrücke, allow boarding and luggage. None of the three allows parking.

MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view
MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view

Free bays and coach parks

The two Inseliquai bays near the station and the boat piers need no voucher. The city keeps them free for classic hire trips such as school outings and club days. Coaches approach from the south, and luggage handling is allowed.

After a set-down the coach goes to a coach park. Rösslimatt in Kriens and Brüelmoos take coaches for up to 24 hours. Landenberg at the Alpenquai is closer, open 06:00 to 22:00, with a two-hour limit. The app iParkiere Bus shows live occupancy.

Airports for a group arriving in Lucerne

Stadiums and arenas a coach can reach

  • thermoplan arena (formerly swissporarena) — Home ground of FC Luzern (Swiss Super League) on the Allmend, beside Messe Luzern; opened in 2011 on the site of the old Stadion Allmend. It carried the name swissporarena for 15 years; since 1 July 2026 it is called "thermoplan arena" (naming-rights deal for at least ten years, announced on 31 October 2025). Served by the underground station Luzern Allmend/Messe (S4, S5). Visiting fans arriving by special train are taken from Luzern station to the stadium by special buses, for which Zentralstrasse and Bundesplatz are briefly closed to traffic. No coach parking for visiting groups is published.
  • Allmend / Messe Luzern halls — The four Messe Luzern halls are also used for concerts and large company events.

Coach day trips from Lucerne

  • Kriens (Pilatus cable car) — about 5 km, about 15 min
  • Alpnachstad (Pilatus cogwheel railway) — about 15 km, about 25 min
  • Bürgenstock — about 19 km, about 30 min
  • Vitznau (Rigi railway) — about 24 km, about 45 min
  • Zug — about 30 km, about 35 min
  • Engelberg (Titlis) — about 36 km, about 50 min
  • Flüelen (Lake Uri) — about 42 km, about 45 min
  • Schwyz — about 44 km, about 45 min
  • Schwyz-Schlattli (Stoos funicular) — about 46 km, about 50 min
  • Ballenberg Open-Air Museum (Brienz) — about 48 km, about 1 h
  • Zürich — about 51 km, about 55 min
  • Einsiedeln (Kloster Einsiedeln) — about 57 km, about 1 h
  • Interlaken — about 71 km, about 1.5 h
  • Andermatt — about 73 km, about 1.25 h
  • Bern — about 110 km, about 1.5 h
  • Lugano — about 169 km, about 2.5 h

Where a coach can stop in Lucerne, and other rules

  • Zurich Airport (ZRH) is about 67 km by road from the Schwanenplatz, about 1 h in light traffic. Journeys take longer at peak times.
  • Since 1 April 2025 coaches may stop at the three city-centre stopping places Schwanenplatz, Löwenplatz and Kasernenplatz only with a stop permit (voucher) booked and paid online in advance on the Luzern Tourismus webshop. Luzern was the first Swiss city with such a system. The rule applies 24 hours a day. A coach without a valid booking is turned away by the traffic service; the permit cannot be bought at the stopping place, and the driver must first go to a coach park (Landenberg/Alpenquai, Rösslimatt Kriens or Brüelmoos) to book.
  • Booking rules: bookings open at most four months ahead and can also be made at short notice, but always before arrival. The booking needs the exact date, the stopping place where passengers get off and the coach's registration number; a camera checks the number plate on approach and the traffic service scans the QR-code voucher (on the driver's phone or printed) at the stopping place. The voucher is valid only on the booked calendar day and only for the booked coach. The full permit covers one drop-off and one pick-up plus up to 24 hours' parking at the Rösslimatt Kriens or Brüelmoos coach parks; a reduced permit covers a single drop-off or a single pick-up, also with 24 hours' parking. Every further approach, even on the same day, needs a new booking. There is no daily cap on bookings. Changes (date, number plate) are not possible: book again and ask the Tourist Information to cancel the old booking by e-mail during office hours on the day of arrival at the latest. Payment is by card or mobile payment only; no invoice and no payment on site.
  • The permit rule also applies to groups staying overnight in Luzern hotels, and a group staying several nights needs a booking for each approach. It applies to all "Gesellschaftswagen" (vehicles with more than nine seats, single- or double-deck). Minibuses with nine seats or fewer and cars may not use these coach stopping places at all, even with a paid voucher; Luzern Tourismus advises minivans to stop at public car parks or goods-loading bays.
  • Schwanenplatz (old town side, GPS 47.05357, 8.30875): 3 bays; getting OFF only with a booked permit; no boarding, no luggage handling, no parking. About 10 minutes' walk to Löwenplatz. Groups must agree a different pick-up point with their guests before they get off.
  • Löwenplatz (GPS 47.05668, 8.31087): 11 bays; getting on and off and luggage handling allowed with a booked permit; no parking, not even for a short time. About 10 minutes' walk to the old town via Hertensteinstrasse; directly by the Löwendenkmal and Gletschergarten.
  • Kasernenplatz (GPS 47.05165, 8.30006): 5 bays; getting on and off and luggage handling allowed with a booked permit; no parking. About 5 minutes' walk to the old town via the Spreuerbrücke.
  • Haltekante Inseliquai (near the station and boat piers, GPS 47.04854, 8.31445): 2 bays; no voucher needed and none valid; getting on and off and luggage handling allowed, no parking. Approach from the south; coaches coming from the Bahnhofplatz can turn via the Landenberg coach park. About 4 minutes' walk to the boat station and Luzern station. The city keeps the Inseliquai and Landenberg stops outside the stop-permit charge, especially for classic hire trips from Luzern (school trips, club outings).
  • Coach parks (all charged; pay with common parking apps or at the machines; switch the engine off after parking): Rösslimatt Kriens (GPS 47.033173, 8.295662): 28 spaces, open day and night, maximum stay 24 hours, NO getting on or off and no luggage handling, about 3 km from the centre, access via Obergrundstrasse - Eichwilstrasse and a coaches-only entrance from Arsenalstrasse in Kriens (opposite the Südpol), toilets and WC-emptying station. Brüelmoos ("Parkplätze Lido/Brüel", GPS 47.0493, 8.34172): 13 spaces, open day and night, maximum stay 24 hours, getting on and off allowed, about 3.7 km from the centre, coaches may use the Haldenstrasse bus lane. Landenberg/Alpenquai (GPS 47.04687, 8.31551): 14 parking spaces plus 4 bays reserved for getting on and off, open 06:00 to 22:00 (night parking ban since spring 2024 because of engine idling), maximum stay 2 hours, getting on and off and luggage allowed, about 1.2 km from the centre, access via Bahnhofplatz or Tribschenstrasse; the stop permit does NOT include parking here.
  • Parking is forbidden at all city-centre stopping places; after the drop-off the coach drives on to a coach park and waits there. Coaches must not stop in bus lanes or at public-transport stops; the city has signed no-stopping zones at city bus stops and the police enforce them. Waiting on the street is not allowed, and drivers must follow the instructions of the traffic service.
  • Navigation and live occupancy: the app "iParkiere Bus" shows the coach stops and parks with real-time occupancy.
  • Hotels: besides the official stopping places, some hotels without their own coach parking have yellow no-parking boxes marked with a diagonal cross in front of them (for example on Frankenstrasse and Winkelriedstrasse); these may be used only for loading and unloading hotel guests and are not part of the paid permit system (city report of October 2024).
  • Heavy vehicles over 3.5 t that are not coaches, and motorhomes, may not use the coach parks (Luzern Tourismus leaflet 2023-2024); they may park where no length limit is marked, mainly in parking zone "Z" (with a parking disc from 08:00 to 18:00, without one from 18:00 to 08:00, as signed).
  • Effect and outlook: compared with 2024, the number of coaches at Schwanenplatz fell by two thirds by 2026 and at Löwenplatz by half. On 11 September 2026 the city council decided to keep the regime unchanged; a second phase with time slots ("Slot-Management") or a daily booking limit will be considered only if bookings rise strongly again. A large underground coach-park project ("Stadtpassage") was dropped in 2023 because of its cost.
  • Former Inseli coach park: after the 2017 vote for the initiative "Lebendiges Inseli statt Blechlawine", coach parking moved from the Inseli to Rösslimatt Kriens on 1 November 2022, and the last Inseli coach stops and parking were removed on 1 July 2023; the area is now a public space. The Inseli is being redesigned (planning 2025 to 2028, new park planned to open in early 2031) and keeps hosting the Lozärner Määs autumn fair (3 to 18 October 2026).
  • Planned long-distance coach stop on the Allmend: the Kanton Luzern is building a stop with four bays next to the Restaurant Schützenhaus in front of the stadium (two bays reserved for scheduled long-distance buses, the others also usable for hire trips and event shuttles; covered waiting area, toilets, lockers). Opening was planned for summer/autumn 2026; on 11 September 2026 the city still described it as planned. Until then long-distance buses stop at the Landenberg/Alpenquai coach park.
  • Lucerne Fasnacht 2027: on Schmutziger Donnerstag (4 February 2027) and Güdismontag (8 February 2027) the main axis Schweizerhofquai - Seebrücke - Pilatusstrasse is closed to all traffic from 13:00 to about 17:00, and on Güdisdienstag (9 February 2027) the Seebrücke - Schweizerhofquai axis is closed from about 19:00 to 22:30 for the Monster-Corso. The city's coach operating concept describes the Schwanenplatz approach as coming from the east with turning at the end of Schweizerhofquai, so plan other stops on these days.
  • Pilatus: the Kriens panorama gondola and aerial cableway are closed for maintenance from 19 October to 27 November 2026; the Alpnachstad cogwheel railway runs until 29 November 2026.
  • Luzern station (Bahnhofplatz): terminus station used by about 100,000 passengers a day, with IR and IC trains to Zürich HB every 30 minutes, hourly IR trains to Basel SBB, IR/EC trains via Arth-Goldau and the Gotthard Base Tunnel to Lugano, and the hourly Luzern-Interlaken Express over the Brünig pass; the SGV boat piers and the KKL are directly in front of it. Nearest coach stops: Haltekante Inseliquai and Landenberg/Alpenquai. The planned underground through-station (Durchgangsbahnhof) is expected in the 2040s; SBB test drilling runs until December 2026.
  • Luzern Verkehrshaus station: on the S3 and Voralpen-Express line, 8 minutes from Luzern station, for the Swiss Museum of Transport and the Lido area.
  • Luzern Allmend/Messe station: underground station served by S4 and S5 every quarter hour (2 minutes from Luzern), for Messe Luzern and the thermoplan arena.
  • Cabotage: under Article 20 of the EU-Switzerland Land Transport Agreement, a coach operator established in an EU state may not carry passengers between two places in Switzerland. A group journey that starts and ends in Switzerland therefore needs a vehicle from an operator established in Switzerland. Coaches may carry groups across the border in both directions; these occasional services need no authorisation, but the coach carries a journey form (Fahrtenblatt).
  • Road charges: coaches and other buses over 3.5 tonnes pay the flat-rate heavy vehicle fee (pauschale Schwerverkehrsabgabe, PSVA) for every day they are in Switzerland, on all public roads, and need no motorway vignette; foreign-registered coaches pay the PSVA online through the BAZG "Via" portal or app before entering Switzerland. Minibuses and cars up to 3.5 tonnes need the motorway vignette (the e-vignette linked to the number plate, or the sticker) to use motorways and expressways (Autobahnen / autoroutes / autostrade).
  • Speed and driving bans: on motorways and expressways coaches may drive at up to 100 km/h (articulated buses and scheduled buses with standing places excepted); heavy vehicles are otherwise limited to 80 km/h. The Swiss night driving ban (22:00 to 05:00) and the Sunday and public-holiday ban for heavy vehicles do not apply to vehicles carrying passengers.
  • Drivers' hours: coach drivers follow the Swiss ordinance ARV 1, aligned with the EU rules: at most 9 hours of driving a day (10 hours twice a week), a break of at least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving and at least 11 hours of daily rest, recorded by tachograph. Drivers of foreign-registered coaches must keep the same driving, break and rest rules in Switzerland. In domestic traffic, professional drivers of cars and of minibuses with up to 16 seats besides the driver follow ARV 2 instead.
  • Winter: Switzerland has no general winter-tyre obligation, but a vehicle must be fit for the road conditions and the driver must keep control of it at all times; the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) recommends winter tyres from October to Easter. Where the sign "Schneeketten obligatorisch" / "chaînes à neige obligatoires" / "Catene per la neve obbligatorie" (sign 2.48) is shown, at least two drive wheels on the same axle must be fitted with snow chains.
  • Gotthard: the A2 Gotthard road tunnel (Göschenen to Airolo, about 17 km) is the main road link between central Switzerland and Ticino. It is a single tube with one lane in each direction. ASTRA is building a second tube; when it opens, the existing tube will be closed for refurbishment, and even with two tubes only one lane in each direction will be open. Heavy goods vehicles are metered at the portals (the Tropfenzählersystem, 150 m between lorries).

Small groups, smaller vehicles

A minibus of nine seats or fewer is barred from the coach stops altogether, voucher or not. For a small group, plan the set-down at a public car park, or choose a vehicle with more than nine seats so the coach stops are open to you.

Lake, Pilatus and Rigi

Steamers leave from the piers in front of the station, four minutes on foot from the Inseliquai bays. Groups of 10 or more book the boat in advance. A classic round takes the boat to Alpnachstad and the cogwheel railway up Pilatus, while the coach waits at Kriens for the cable cars down. The cogwheel line does not run in winter.

For the Rigi, Vitznau is 45 minutes by road. At Arth-Goldau coaches cannot drive up to the station, so the group gets off at the Eichmatt car park. Engelberg is 50 minutes away and Zurich 55.

What organisers ask us

Can the coach stop outside our hotel?

Only where the hotel has a marked loading box, and only to load and unload guests. Otherwise the group uses an official stop, and the permit rule applies to hotel guests as well.

Where does the coach wait during a concert at the KKL?

There is no coach stop at the KKL itself. Set the group down at the Inseliquai, then the coach waits at a coach park until the concert ends.

Does Lucerne Fasnacht affect coaches?

Yes. On the main Fasnacht afternoons the Schweizerhofquai and the Seebrücke close to all traffic, which cuts off the approach to Schwanenplatz. Plan another stop on those days.

More group trips by coach

Vehicles, each with a driver