On the shores of Lake Lucerne, Lucerne is both a charming historic city and a destination with a modern infrastructure, ideal for hosting MICE operations supported by the services of its Convention Bureau. It was by playing with the water of this lake that Jean Nouvel designed the architecture of the KKL, the Lucerne Convention Centre.emblematic cultural and congress centre of the city. Since 2000, this huge black and glass block has housed an 1898-seat concert hall renowned for its acoustics, as well as a 900-seat multi-purpose hall, a conference room for 300 participants, meeting rooms and a museum.
The "French starchitect" left another mark on the city, also being behind the contemporary design, The Hotel, a boutique hotel in the Marriott Group's Autograph Collection, blends wood and steel. As the hotel has no event space for business meetings, it is working with the Astoria hotel, which has modern rooms for seminars of 10 to 220 people, and dinners for 500.
As far as accommodation is concerned, Lucerne boasts a number of luxurious hotels with elegant facades on the lakeside, all of which are well suited to business tourism. These include the Schweizerhof, which has 101 rooms and 8 function rooms for up to 500 people, and the Grand Hotel National, which is smaller with 41 rooms, but offers function rooms for up to 150 people for seminars and 230 for banquets. The Mandarin Oriental group, which took over the historic Palace Lucerne in 2022, is offering a 5-star hotel with 136 rooms, including 48 suites, designed for the most discerning travellers. exceptional events including its Alpine Lounge, with its original Belle Époque décor dating from 1906. Its four rooms can accommodate up to 144 people for seminars and 160 for banquets.
Also close to the lake, the Art Deco Hotel Montana, a 4* with 62 rooms, can host events for up to 130 people for seminars and 160 for cocktails. In a more classic style, the town also boasts a Radisson Blu hotel - with 189 rooms and a MICE area that can accommodate 250 people for theatre and 180 for dinner - as well as a Holiday Inn, a 3-star flagship with 260 rooms. More surprisingly, on the heights of the city, Château Gütsch, a 4* boutique hotel with 37 rooms, stands out with its extravagant architectureThere are also rooms suitable for smaller events such as board meetings.
A top-of-the-range resort in exceptional surroundings
Just 20 minutes by boat from Lucerne, the new Bürgenstock Resort dominates the lake from its rocky promontory. After nine years of renovation and extensions, the complex, which served as a backdrop for the in the 60s to the film GoldfingerWith its 4 hotels and 12 restaurants, it is an ideal location for MICE. Particularly for events requiring a high level of discretion or security thanks to its isolation and its location at an altitude of 450 metres, accessible by an impressive funicular railway. It was here that a summit on Ukraine was held last June, bringing together some fifty heads of state and government.
All these celebrities were able to stay either at the Bürgenstock - a 5* hotel with 102 rooms and suites - or at the Palace Hotel, a 4* hotel with 108 rooms dating back to the Belle Epoque, or at the Waldhotel Healthy Living, an ultra-modern 4* hotel with 137 rooms and suites. And to get their work done, they had access to the meeting rooms of his 2,500m² conference centreIt can accommodate up to 500 people for a seminar and 600 for a theatre performance. Overlooking the lake, the Bürgenstock Resort is also the starting point for hikes in conjunction with events, among other activities with a 9-hole golf course, 3 tennis courts and an immense 10,000 m² spa.
A green hotel and conference centre
The Sempachersee Hotel & Conference Center is just as original, but rated 4*. It is located 20 minutes by train from Lucerne station, in Nottwil. Surrounded by greenery, the hotel has 150 rooms and a conference centre including no fewer than 43 meeting rooms and a plenary session for 500 people. The complex is adjacent to a clinic specialising in research and rehabilitation for paraplegics. The hotel is used extensively by Paralympic athletes and international sports teams, particularly rowing teams, who come here for their training sessions, thanks to the proximity of Lake Sempach.
A historic city to discover on foot
Lucerne's second asset is its historical heritage, starting with the Chapel Bridge, the small part of which that was not destroyed by fire in 1993 dates back to the 14th century.e Its paintings evoke the history of the city. Crossing the River Reuss, this covered wooden bridge leads to the Water Tower, another symbol of Lucerne. Its thick walls, which were once used as a safe and prison, provide a unique place to visit. exclusive receptionsfor up to 60 guests.
Above the old town, dotted with houses with painted facades, stands the Musegg wall, a medieval fortification whose nine towers can be visited on the covered walkway. It also offers a unique view of Lucerne, the lake and Alpine landscape in the background. Not far from there is also the Lion monument, a monumental sculpture carved into the rock representing a dying lion in tribute to the Swiss guards killed during the French Revolution while trying to protect Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette when they were arrested at the Tuileries Palace in 1792. As well as being the most visited museum in Switzerland, the Museum of Transport is also an exceptional venue for events, with a capacity of 400 for conferences and 200 for dinners.
An unspoilt environment
Lucerne is also well worth a visit for its natural environment, with its string of mountains surrounding Lake Lucerne. Visitors can discover this majestic landscape on private cruises - with optional cocktails or meals - on modern boats or old paddle steamers that have been carefully preserved. A number of stopovers offer access to the surrounding peaks, such as the village of Vitznau, at the foot of the famous Rigi, whose slopes can be climbed by cogwheel railway.
A starting point for hikes, the "Queen of the mountains" has a huge event tent on its slopes, the Rigi Event Marquee (600 people for theatre/450 for dinner) with a breathtaking view over the lake. As from the chalets that welcome groups for sumptuous meal. When it comes to accommodation, Vitznau boasts two historic waterfront addresses: firstly, the Park Hotel, a 5* hotel with 47 rooms and suites, which is reopening its doors after three years of renovation. This Swiss 'château' has nine seminar rooms (for up to 65 people, 140 for dinners and 200 for cocktails), but is also renowned for its gourmet cuisine. As well as its cellar, which contains thousands of bottles!
The Hotel Vitznauerhof ensuite is a 4-star hotel in the Art Nouveau style on the outside, but with 53 rooms decorated in a contemporary style on the inside. It also has 9 modular rooms and can accommodate up to 200 people, depending on the configuration. More modern in the centre of this resort is the Neuro Campus Hotel Das Morgen, a 4* establishment with 54 rooms, all different, on the theme of neuroscience. This is a place where business groups can find 3 modular rooms (for up to 60 people), a cookery school (for courses for 12 people) and, for the past year, a "neuroscience centre". concert hall A 275-seat, copper-coloured auditorium used for conferences. Its foyer can be used for dinners and cocktails.
Situated in the centre of Switzerland, Lucerne benefits from great accessibility thanks to its proximity to Zurich international airport, 1 hour's drive away, and its rail and road links with the latter city, as well as with Berne and Basel. After the station itself went up in smoke in 1971, a new one was inaugurated twenty years later, featuring imposing architecture by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
