Switzerland Guide
Luzern
The Verkehrshaus
One of the main draws of Luzern is the Verkehrshaus (Transport Museum). If you're not arriving by boat, hop on bus #6 or #8, or take the pleasant twenty-minute stroll around the lakeshore.
This vast complex is devoted to Swiss engineering skill and could keep you amused all day: you'll need the free plan to navigate your way around. It's divided into several large areas, taking in Road Transport, Rail Transport, Aviation and Space Travel, Cableways and Tourism, and so on. Everything is in English, and "hands-on" is a rule, not an exception. Particular highlights include the train section, with dozens of giant locomotives on display (complete with evocative oily smell) and a well-presented walk-through account of the digging of the Gotthard tunnel, dramatized with slides and soundtrack. The airplane section has flight simulators, a mock-up of an airport control-tower and the Cosmorama, an interactive tour of the asteroid belt. The tourism bit has the Swissarena, a composite aerial photograph of the entire country covering the floor of a 200-square-metre hall. There's also a huge section devoted to communications, an excellent Planetarium and a separate, giant building housing an IMAX cinema (regular showings throughout the day for an extra Fr.16; 
www.imax.ch ).
Address: Lidostrasse 5
Opening time: Daily 10am–6pm; Nov– March closes 5pm
Price: Fr.24; joint ticket including one IMAX film Fr.32
Website: www.verkehrshaus.org