Seeing Lake Lucerne from a planeup to 12 ★
A lake of tangled arms between steep mountains, where the founding of Switzerland is said to have been sworn at the Rütli meadow. Look for the cross-shaped outline and Lucerne at its northwest end.
9 of our routes pass it. Switzerland · rated 6 of 10
The easy pick
Zurich to Paris: sit on the left, on the climb, 4 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Barcelona to Zurich | Right | on the way down |
| Madrid to Zurich | Right | on the way down |
| Nice to Zurich | Right Best seat for the whole flight: left | on the way down |
| Rome to Zurich | Left | 53 min after takeoff |
| Zurich to Athens | Right Best seat for the whole flight: left | on the climb, 3 min after takeoff |
| Zurich to Vienna | Right Best seat for the whole flight: left | on the climb, 3 min after takeoff |
| Zurich to Paris | Left | on the climb, 4 min after takeoff |
| Zurich to New York | Left Best seat for the whole flight: right | on the climb, 6 min after takeoff |
| Zurich to Rome | Right | 8 min after takeoff |
From the real paths of every nonstop on these routes in the last 10 days, at the usual time of day. Where the best seat for the whole flight is on the other side, you'd trade this sight for more elsewhere.
Questions
Which side of the plane do you see Lake Lucerne from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (6 of 9). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Lake Lucerne from a plane?
Near the airport, on the climb or on the way down, and mid-flight on longer routes: see the table for each route.
Do clouds matter?
Yes. These answers assume a clear day. Within 3 days of your flight, pick your exact flight in the app for the cloud forecast.
More
Lake Zurich Eiger / Jungfrau Aletsch Glacier Rhine Falls EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Barcelona (BCN) Zurich (ZRH) Madrid (MAD) Nice (NCE) All routes