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Practicalities
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Luzern's
train station
is on the south bank, where the lake narrows into the river, across from the KapellbrA?cke and beside a stunning Convention Centre designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. The
tourist office
is on platform 3 (April-Oct daily 8.30/9am-7.30/8.30pm; Nov-March Mon-Sat 8.30/9am-6pm, Sun 9am-1pm; tel 041/227 17 17,
www.luzern.org
). Luzern's
HI hostel
is northwest of town by Lake Rotsee, Sedelstrasse 12 (tel 041/420 88 00,
www.youthhostel.ch
; A?10-15/$16-24; bus #18 to Jugendherberge); friendly SB
Backpackers
, Alpenquai 42 (tel 041/360 04 20,
www.backpacker.ch
; A?10-15/$16-24; bus #6/7/8 to Weinbergli, then cut left), and central
Tourist Hotel
, St Karliquai 12 (tel 041/410 24 74,
www.touristhotel.ch
; A?15-20/$24-32), also have dorms. Of the
hotels
,
LAśwengraben
, in the Old Town at LAśwengraben 18 (tel 041/417 12 12,
www.loewengraben.ch
; A?20-25/$32-40; dorms A?10-15/$16-24) was Luzern's prison from 1862 to 1998: now you can bed down in the comfortably refurbished cells.
Lido
A
campsite
, Lidostrasse 8 (tel 041/370 21 46), also has dorms (A?10-15/$16-24). When you check in, ask for a stamped
visitors' card
, which grants plenty of discounts around town (including a bargain three-day bus pass from the tourist office for Sfr8). Luzern's main
adventure sports
operator is Outventure (tel 041/611 14 41,
www.outventure.ch
), offering canyoning, bungee-jumping and more.
Eating
and
drinking
venues crowd the waterfront and the Old Town squares.
Manora
has a rooftop terrace at Weggisgasse 11; shabby
Bahnhof Buffet
on the top floor of the station charges budget prices for gourmet dishes prepared by
Au Premier
adjacent.
Hofgarten
, Stadthofstrasse 14, has excellent veggie food; relaxed
Parterre
, Mythenstrasse 7, offers Internet access. Top
bars
include the buzzing
Jazz Kantine
, Grabenstrasse 8, with DJs and live bands downstairs;
WA¤rchhof
, Werkhofstrasse 11, with Sfr5 meals, music galore and women-only nights (Mon); chic
LAśwengraben
; and frenetic
SchA?A?r
, Tribschenstrasse 1, with excellent music and cheap weekday lunches. Luzern's infamously raucous six-day February
carnival
, ending on Mardi Gras night, is the biggest and best in Switzerland, a constant round of drinking, dancing and partying. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Switzerland,
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