Air Canada Vacations

Before you leave Canada

Entry requirements

A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit Switzerland. The passport should be valid for at least the expected duration of stay in the country. For all other nationalities, consult your consulate or tourist board for details. You can also visit www.voyage.gc.ca for up-to-date information.

Baggage

Please refer to aircanada.com for baggage information.

Airport check-in

It is recommended that you present yourself at the airport counter of the airline indicated on your voucher 3 hours prior to departure. Air Canada or Air Canada Vacations representatives will be available starting at 5 a.m.

During your stay

City highlights   
Complete with gable paintings, the covered, medieval Chapel Bridge forms the centrepiece of Lucerne’s townscape and is considered to be one of the oldest, covered wooden bridges in Europe. A further landmark of the town is the Museggmauer, a wall which, with the exception only of one of its towers, has been preserved in its original, 14th-century state. 

Historic houses decorated with frescoes line the picturesque town squares as they do the Weinmarkt square in the car-free old town. The Jesuit church dating from the 17th century is regarded as Switzerland’s first sacred Baroque building and the twin towers of the Hofkirche form an integral part of the townscape. The figure of a dying lion which was hewn from the face of rock in remembrance of the heroic death of Swiss Guards killed during an attack on the Tuileries in 1792 is one of the best-known monuments in Switzerland. And with its 112-metre-long Bourbaki panorama, Lucerne possesses one of the world’s few maintained, mammoth circular paintings.

Getting around

Bus
The local bus company is VBL AG. It is very efficient and covers the city and the suburbs.

Train 
Lucerne is situated on the main route running from north to south and is connected with the Swiss railway network. Direct fast trains link Lucerne to the international airports in Zurich, Basel and Geneva. The main rail station is located at Zentralstrasse 5.

Taxi  
Taxis are readily available throughout the city.

Shopping
Something typically Swiss? Exclusive watches and jewellery, attractive fashions and stylish accessories; not forgetting Swiss chocolate! You don't have to carry what you've bought very far; in Lucerne, everything is close by, and the old-town centre is car-free. Shopping can't possibly be any more beautiful than this.

Dining   
Whether you want to enjoy the gaiety of a Lucerne inn, exotic tidbits, or an elegant evening for two, Lucerne offers quite a culinary experience, from cozy traditional to high end international.

Be sure to try some of the following specialties.

Alpler Magronen, a traditional dish of pasta, cream and onions, is served with apple sauce and is as typically Swiss as the holes in Emmental cheese. This delicious Alpine specialty found its way from high up on the mountain to the valley below many years ago. 

The Lozarner Chugelipastete is the most famous example of local cuisine: a puff-pastry shell filled with diced veal and mushrooms in a creamy sauce.


Sightseeing 
Chapel Bridge is one of Europe’s oldest wooden bridges and a landmark of Lucerne. It has been faithfully restored to its original design after a serious fire.

Culture and Convention Centre of Lucerne (KKL) unites a large concert auditorium, the convention centre and the art museum under its imposing roof.

Swiss Museum of Transport is one of the most diverse museums in Europe for transport and communication, and the most-frequented museum in Switzerland.

Lake Lucerne. The scenic beauty of the lake can be discovered on the many different cruises offered by paddlewheel steamers and other vessels.

Pilatus, Rigi, Stanserhorn are some of more the accessible peaks around the city. Cablecars can take you to the top for picture-book panoramas of the region.

Your departure from destination

Hotel checkout

Hotel check out times may vary depending on the property but generally you must vacate the room by 12 p.m. (noon).

Duty-free shopping

After an absence of 7 days or more, Canadian residents are permitted to return with a maximum of CAD$750 of merchandise per trip without paying duty. Each time you leave Canada for at least 48 hours, you are eligible to declare up to CAD$400 of merchandise. A written declaration may be requested. Each adult is allowed 1.1 litres (40 oz.) of liquor, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or cigarillos, 200 tobacco sticks and 200 grams (7 oz.) of manufactured tobacco. To calculate the number of days absent, do not count the day you left Canada but include the day you return. If you include cigarettes, tobacco sticks and loose tobacco in your personal exemption allowance, only a partial exemption will apply. You will have to pay a minimum duty on these products unless they are marked “Canada-Duty paid”. Canadian made products sold at duty-free shops will be marked this way.

Airport check-in

Procedures are the same as for departure from Canada.

Customer care

For inquiries relating to extension of stay or change or hotel changes, please e-mail us at: prevoyageclientele@vacv.com We are at your service seven days a week; from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.