In January, Lucerne hosts the Lilu Light Festival, with a variety of light installations, created by Swiss and international artists, scattered around the city.
It’s free to visit this light festival, spending an hour or so walking about Lucerne city enjoying the sights. They also offer two indoor light and music shows, for which you need to purchase tickets.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about visiting the Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne.
When: Jan 11-21, 2024, every evening 18:00 – 22:00
Where: Lucerne old town and lake promenade
Cost: free to visit light installations, tickets required for indoor light shows
Website: www.lichtfestivalluzern.ch
How to get there
This light show is located in Lucerne city (see on Google maps). You can reach all the installations by walking from the main train station.
Because of the popularity of this event, it’s best to arrive by public transportation.
By public transport: Take a train, tram or bus to the Lucerne Bahnhof, the main train station.
By car: There are several parking garages in Lucerne. I find the Parkhaus Altstadt (Baselstrasse 4, 6003 Luzern) the most convenient as you exit the freeway directly into this parking garage, without having to drive through the city. See more parking in Lucerne. From Parkhaus Altstadt, walk along the river until you see a light installation and start your tour there.
Walking map
The tour starts directly at the Lucerne main train station at the arch, though you can start anywhere along the route.
You can get a program and map of the light installations from the Lilu information booth at the Lucerne train station. Here is the 2022 map. The installations and locations change each year so it may be different when you go.
If you walked this full route, it would be about 4.5 km, as shown on this map.
Shorter route
If you are with small children that cannot go the distance, I would focus on the loop in the old town, from 1-10, which would be about 2km. You could bring a stroller but there is some cobblestone on the route and a few stairs.
Number 13 is at the Lion monument, which is quite far from the other installations, so I might skip this as well.
Bus back to start
If you end at station 21, you can easily take the bus back to the train station. Just walk from the lakeshore directly to the main road, where you’ll find the Dietschiberg bus stop. Catch bus 6 or 8 to the Luzern Bahnhof, a 7 mins ride. The bus runs about every 15 mins.
Tickets
It is free to walk around the city and visit all the light installations. You only need tickets for the light shows.
Light show “Eternity”
During the festival, there is a light and music show at the Jesuit Church. Moving images that are projected on the walls and ceiling, creating an immersive experience.
The show is about 30 mins long and plays each night of the festival. Showtimes vary based on the day, so check the schedule online.
We’ve been to three of these shows and really enjoyed them. Here are some impressions from the Genesis show in 2020.
Some of the shows are accompanied by a live organ or other musical artists instead of recorded music and the ticket is more expensive to reflect that.
Location: Jesuitenkirche – Bahnhofstrasse 11A, 6003 Luzern
Cost 2023: The regular show is CHF 18/adult, CHF 12/child aged 6-16.
Impressions of 2020 Lilu Light Festival
Here are pictures from my visit to the 2020 festival. The light installations change each year, so it may be different when you go. These lanterns were hanging along the tree covered lake promenade.
In this installation, anyone could play the piano to control how the lights moved around the dome.
The front of the Hofkirche was the most impressive with these psychedelic swirls. The light show is inside this church but you can enjoy the outside for free.
These illuminated swans were programmed to swim around the lake.
The tower bridge had a strange light show projected on the tower every 20 mins or so.
A little interactive film about a chocolate factory line played on the facade of the Schweizerhof hotel. On the sidewalk, you could control one of the chocolate machine and make it overheat and smoke.
Where to stay in Lucerne
If you want to stay overnight in Lucerne, our friends suggest Hotel des Balances, which is right on the river near the famous tower bridge. We’ve also enjoyed Hotel Anker, which has a cool, funky vibe and a great breakfast. For a budget stay, you might consider Ibis Budget Hotel near the Lucerne train station.
