Luzern was (and is) the main town of the region, and evidence of its medieval prosperity is manifest in the frescoed facades of its charming Old Town and the two surviving covered wooden bridges spanning the river, both formerly part of the city's fortifications and both boasting unique triangular paintings fixed to their roof-beams. In 1993, fire almost destroyed the fourteenth-century KapellbrA?cke , a dog-leg angled around the squat mid-river Wasserturm ; it was reconstructed with facsimiles of the roof-paintings (although a few charred originals remain) - check out no. 31's William Tell. The SpreuerbrA?cke downstream is also worth a look for its macabre "Dance of Death" paintings. The north bank is home to a compact cluster of medieval houses, with MA?hlenplatz, Weinmarkt, Hirschenplatz and Kornmarkt forming an ensemble of cobbled, fountained squares ringed by colourful facades. Next to the Renaissance town hall on Kornmarkt is the Picasso Museum in Am Rhyn-Haus, Furrengasse 21, containing a small fine-art collection supplemented by hundreds of intimate photographs of the artist's later years (daily: April-Oct 10am-6pm; Nov-March 11am-1pm & 2-4pm; Sfr6). A few minutes west along riverside St Karliquai brings you to the NA¶lliturm , a fortified gate marking the southwestern extent of a lengthy stretch of the surviving fourteenth-century town walls. Pass through the gate and head right up the hill to gain access to the battlements (Easter-Sept daily 8am-7pm) and their impressive views. Northeast of the Old Town is LA¶wenplatz, overlooked by a circular building holding the Bourbaki Panorama , a 10x110m painting depicting the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, newly revamped with audio effects (daily 9am-6pm; Sfr6; www.panorama-luzern.ch ). Just north of the square is the moving LA¶wendenkmal (Lion Memorial), a dying beast hewn out of a cliff-face to commemorate the seven hundred Swiss mercenaries killed by French revolutionaries in 1792 for defending Louis XVI. Adjacent is the Gletschergarten (daily 9/10am-5/6pm; Nov-Feb closed Mon; Sfr9; www.gletschergarten.ch ), a set of geological potholes demonstrating Luzern's prehistoric subglacial existence which are completely upstaged by a nightmarish century-old Mirror Maze in the same complex.

A big reason to visit Luzern is the Verkehrshaus , 2km east of the centre at Lidostrasse 5 (daily 9/10am-5/6pm; Sfr21, discounts with rail passes; www.verkehrshaus.org ) - take bus #6 or #8 from the station, or have a pleasant walk along the lakeside. The museum, inadequately translated as the "Transport Museum", is a vast complex that could keep you amused all day. It's packed with loads of hands-on technology including videophones and fully equipped TV and radio studios, various original space capsules, railway locomotives (including a walk-through account of the digging of the Gotthard tunnel beneath the Alps, dramatized with slides and soundtrack), aeroplanes, cable cars and more. An incongruous highlight is an excellent museum housing the whimsical and attractive works of the little-known Swiss artist Hans Erni . Adjoining the complex is an IMAX cinema , with shows throughout the day (Sfr16; joint admission with museum Sfr31; www.imax.ch ). The newest attraction is a tethered helium balloon known as the Hiflyer , which can lift thirty people up to a height of about 150m (daily 11am-5pm; Sfr20; www.hiflyer.ch ).