Exploring Switzerland – Lucerne

Hello dear reader! I hope you’re having a great day. My name is Alexandra, and I am an international student at HSLU. As part of my course, I’ve decided to create a content campaign on one of the topics that had become part of my life since I came to Switzerland. “Exploring Switzerland” – in this series of blogs, I will talk about Switzerland in general and my experience here as an international student. Whether you are an international student, a prospective student, or just someone looking for information about this beautiful country, I believe this blog will be interesting and helpful to you. So let’s start!

As a first blog, I would like to talk about Lucerne.

“Lucerne (or Luzern Swiss Standard German) is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the district of the same name. With a population of approximately 82,000 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and a nexus of economics, transportation, culture, and media in the region.” (Wikipedia)

About City

I live and study in Lucerne. The very first thing I thought after I came out of the Lucerne central train station (Luzern Bahnhof) was – “Wow, that’s beautiful”. As you come out of the train station, you find yourself in the center of the city. There you can find numerous stores and boutiques, restaurants, banks, parks, and of course, a gorgeous view of Lucerne Lake (Vierwaldstättersee) and mountains. I even got a view of the lake and the mountains out of my window! (Consider the fact that I rent a room in student housing and not a fancy apartment.)

Student Experience

One of the main questions or even troubles for an international student is to get to know the area and learn how to move around easily. Fortunately, Swiss public transport is a great, thought-through system that will get you anywhere in Switzerland. The most important things to know about transportation:

1. Use the SBB app. SBB app is a public transport app that will plan your trip from point A to point B. It will show you all available routes, schedules, tickets prices, etc.
2. Visit your local SBB office and ask about different discount packages and offers. As I live in Lucerne but often visit my friends in Zurich I have purchased two discounts packages:
   • Half-Tax – allows you to purchase all your tickets for half price for a year (120-185 CHF / year).
   • Unlimited travel in “Zone 10” (Lucerne city) (starting at 61 CHF / month),

and by the way, I did the math, and I officially confirm it is good savings!

About People

So far, I have only met the nicest and friendliest people in Switzerland. Even as a non-German speaker, I always find people willing to help me. Most Swiss people speak good English, and those who don’t will still try to help you by explaining things through gestures. They never make you feel bad for asking for help. They always try to help and are genuinely glad if they could do so. So don’t be shy! If you need help just ask for it.

In a summary, I would say – Lucerne is a very beautiful city with nice and kind people. It is easy to navigate and travel around, with all the necessary things nearby (supermarkets, pharmacies, etc.). Feel free to leave your comments and/or questions below. Talk to you soon!