Lucerne's old town is a pedestrian zone, and a kerb space in the centre gives you 60 minutes at most. So the real decision is which car park, and the gap is wide: a day costs CHF 29 at City-Parking and CHF 65 at Schweizerhof.
I'd buy the CHF 40 e-vignette before the border, leave the motorway at Luzern-Zentrum, park at City-Parking and walk three minutes into the old town.
Parking in Lucerne: Day caps from CHF 29 to 65, and an old town on foot
1. Don't drive into the old town
The old town is a pedestrian zone. The city's 2019 access report allowed goods handling Monday to Saturday 06:00–10:00, with paid day permits for trades. Hotel arrivals and departures are still allowed. Rising bollards at four entry points have been planned since 2023, and in September 2026 the SP party proposed shutting hotel guests' cars out too. That's a proposal, not a rule.
2. Pick the car park by its day cap
The city car parks share one tariff sheet, valid from 25 August 2026. City-Parking caps a day at CHF 29, Altstadt at CHF 40, Casino-Palace at CHF 44, Bahnhofparking P1 and P2 at CHF 60, and Schweizerhof at CHF 65. Same old town, more than double the price.
3. Do the three-hour sum
Three hours is CHF 7 at City-Parking, CHF 8 at Altstadt or Casino-Palace, CHF 9 at Schweizerhof and CHF 13 at the station. City-Parking has 455 spaces and a 2.00 m roof. Altstadt sits right at the motorway exit, but its roof is 1.90 m.
4. Treat the kerb as a one-hour stop
Zone 1 kerb spaces cost CHF 3 an hour, with a 60-minute limit between 07:00 and 19:00. Zone 2 is CHF 2 an hour around the clock, and Zone 3 charges 07:00–19:00. The city's digital option is TWINT, and you pay only for the minutes you use.
5. Set the blue disc to the next half-hour
Blue spaces in zones A to U give one free hour with a parking disc. Set the arrow to the next half-hour after you arrive. Federal rules apply the limit on working days, 08:00–19:00, and in Switzerland Saturday is a working day. Zone Z allows three or five hours.
6. Leave the coach bays to coaches
Coaches book a CHF 100 slot through Lucerne Tourism to stop downtown, and their parking is out at Landenberg on Alpenquai. Those bays aren't spare car spaces.
Overstay a blue space by an hour and the CHF 40 fine costs more than a whole day at City-Parking.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| City-ParkingZürichstrasse 35; open 24 hours, 455 spaces. Three minutes' walk to the old-town pedestrian zone | CHF 3 first hour, CHF 7 for three, then CHF 1 an hour from the eighth; CHF 29 daily maximum. Roof 2.00 m. Run by Arlewo AG. | 6 charging spaces, billed separately; price not published. |
| AltstadtBaselstrasse 4, at the Luzern-Zentrum motorway exit; open 24 hours, 456 spaces | CHF 4 first hour, then CHF 2 an hour; CHF 40 daily maximum. Roof 1.90 m. Cash in CHF or euros, cards, TWINT. | 6 chargers, CHF 0.53 per kWh. |
| Casino-PalaceHaldenstrasse 6, on the lakeside promenade by the Grand Casino; open 24 hours, 250 spaces | CHF 4 first hour, then CHF 2 an hour; CHF 44 daily maximum. Roof 2.00 m. | 6 chargers, CHF 0.52 per kWh. |
| Bahnhofparking P1Bahnhofplatz 1, under the station and next to the KKL; open 24 hours, 377 spaces | CHF 5 first hour, then CHF 4 an hour; CHF 60 daily maximum (P1 and P2). Roof 2.10 m. Only one machine takes cash; no campers or trailers. | 5 chargers at the end of sector A, CHF 0.50 per kWh. |
| SchweizerhofIn the old town by the Schweizerhof quay; the dearest day in the city | CHF 3 first hour, CHF 3 each for the next two, then CHF 4 an hour; CHF 65 daily maximum. Height not published. | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | SBB P+Rail Littau (8 spaces) | 4 CHF ≈ €4.3 | The city and the tourist board publish no visitor park-and-ride. SBB lists Littau at CHF 4 a day, but with only 8 spaces; overnight rules are not published, so I treat it as day parking. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | City-Parking | 5 CHF ≈ €5.4 | height 2.00 m · CHF 1 an hour from the 8th hour |
| A full day (10 h) | SBB P+Rail Littau (8 spaces) | 4 CHF ≈ €4.3 | The city and the tourist board publish no visitor park-and-ride. SBB lists Littau at CHF 4 a day, but with only 8 spaces; overnight rules are not published, so I treat it as day parking. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | City-Parking | 21 CHF ≈ €23 | height 2.00 m · CHF 1 an hour from the 8th hour |
| 24 hours | City-Parking | 29 CHF ≈ €31 | height 2.00 m · CHF 1 an hour from the 8th hour |
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Towed in Lucerne: Towed in Lucerne? Start with the traffic police
1. Ring the traffic police first
Neither the city nor the police publish a pound address, a tow fee or a hotline for towed cars. I'd call the Luzerner Polizei traffic police on 041 288 92 22; they sit at Rothenburgstrasse 15, Emmenbrücke. In an emergency, dial 117.
2. Know the fine in francs
Swiss parking fines are fixed nationally by the Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV). Over the time limit: CHF 40 up to two hours (item 200.1), CHF 60 up to four (200.2), CHF 100 up to ten (200.3). A wrong arrival time on the disc is CHF 40 (203.1), and so is paying more after your time ran out (203.5).
3. Contest a ticket within 30 days
The city says a disputed ticket can be rejected free of charge within 30 days, through the Luzerner Polizei.
A tow bill nobody will quote in advance isn't one I'd gamble on.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Neither the City of Lucerne nor the Luzerner Polizei publishes a towing procedure, pound address, fee or hotline. The traffic police are the place to start
- Phone
- Luzerner Polizei traffic police (Verkehrspolizei), Emmenbrücke: 041 288 92 22
Police emergency: 117 - Collect it at
- Not published. The traffic police are at Rothenburgstrasse 15, Emmenbrücke; ask them where the car went.
- Hours
- Not published.
- What it costs
- Tow and storage fees are not published. Federal fixed fines (OBV): overstaying CHF 40 up to 2 hours (200.1), CHF 60 up to 4 (200.2), CHF 100 up to 10 (200.3); a false arrival time on the disc CHF 40 (203.1).
- Bring
- Nothing is listed for visitors. I would bring the registration document or rental contract, my driving licence and passport; for a hire car, ring the rental company first.
EV charging in Lucerne: Lucerne car-park chargers at about 50 rappen
1. Charge where you park
Four central car parks list chargers. P1 has 5 at CHF 0.50 per kWh, Casino-Palace 6 at CHF 0.52 and Altstadt 6 at CHF 0.53. City-Parking has 6 charging spaces, billed separately, with no published price.
2. Count the parking as well
The kWh price covers the electricity. None of the car parks says the parking tariff stops while you charge, so I'd assume it doesn't. Three hours at P1 is CHF 13 before the first kWh.
3. Take a tall car to P1
P1's roof is 2.10 m, the highest of the four; Altstadt's is 1.90 m. P1 bans campers, caravans and trailers, and only one of its machines takes cash.
For a charge with the station on the doorstep, P1 is my pick, despite the CHF 60 day.
Where to charge
- Bahnhofparking P1 — 5 chargers — Bahnhofparking P1, end of sector A. CHF 0.50 per kWh, the cheapest published rate I found, plus the parking tariff
- Casino-Palace — 6 chargers — Casino-Palace, on the lakeside promenade. CHF 0.52 per kWh
- Altstadt — 6 chargers — Altstadt, at the motorway exit. CHF 0.53 per kWh; roof 1.90 m
- City-Parking — 6 charging spaces — City-Parking. Billed separately; price not published
Free parking in Lucerne: Free parking in Lucerne: an hour, an evening, a Sunday
1. Use a blue space for one hour
The disc hour is free. The limit applies on working days, 08:00–19:00; Sundays and holidays are covered only when an extra plate under the sign says so.
2. Park on the kerb after 19:00
Zones 1 and 3 charge from 07:00 to 19:00, so evenings cost nothing there. Zone 2 charges around the clock. The city doesn't say whether Sundays are free in zones 1 and 3, so read the meter.
3. Don't expect a free hotel space
I found no Lucerne hotel whose own site says parking is free. Hotel Seeburg, on the lake road east of the centre, charges CHF 15 a night, about half City-Parking's day cap. Bus 24 reaches the station in about ten minutes.
4. Don't plan on park and ride
Neither the city nor the tourist board publishes a visitor park-and-ride. SBB's P+Rail Littau has 8 spaces at CHF 4 a day, too few to plan around.
Every price on this page was checked on the operator's or the city's own page on 5 October 2026.
Free or nearly-free spots
Blue zones: one free hour with the disc
In zones A to U, one hour with the parking disc, arrow set to the next half-hour. The limit applies on working days (Saturday included) 08:00–19:00; Sundays and holidays only where an extra plate says so. Zone Z allows three or five hours.
Lucerne kerb zones 1 and 3 after 19:00
Zones 1 and 3 charge 07:00–19:00 only, so evenings are free; Zone 2 charges around the clock. Sunday rules for zones 1 and 3 aren't on the city page, so read the meter.
Hotels with free parking
- Hotel Seeburg — Seeburgstrasse 53-61, 6006 Luzern, on the lake road east of the centre Map. Not free: its own page says CHF 15 a night. I found no Lucerne hotel whose own site promises free parking. Bus 24 to the station, about ten minutes
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- The old town is a pedestrian zone. The city's 2019 report gives goods handling Monday to Saturday 06:00–10:00 with paid day permits; since 2023 parcel services may enter without a permit only 06:00–10:00 and 17:30–19:30. Hotel arrivals and departures are still allowed.
- Rising bollards at four central entry points were announced for autumn 2025; a September 2026 report still calls them planned. The same month the SP party proposed banning hotel guests' cars from the old town. Neither is in force as far as I could confirm.
- Every Swiss motorway needs the CHF 40 vignette, including the A2 that brings you to the Luzern-Zentrum exit; driving without one is a CHF 200 fine. Buy the e-vignette online before the border.
- Coach bays are not car parking. Coaches book a CHF 100 slot through Lucerne Tourism for downtown stops and park at Landenberg on Alpenquai.
- Fines quoted here come from the OBV version of 1 April 2024. A version dated 1 July 2026 exists on fedlex, which I could not open; the amounts may have changed.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.