If you’re looking for a Swiss city that combines a charming old town, a beautiful lake, mountain views and things to do without feeling overwhelming, Zug is a great choice for a day trip. Located between Zurich and Lucerne, Zug is small enough to explore on foot but has surprisingly plenty to discover.
Spend your morning wandering through the medieval old town, enjoy lunch beside the lake, head up the Zugerberg for panoramic views and finish the day with one of the prettiest sunsets over the lake.
I recently spent a day exploring Zug. Read on to find out how I would recommend making the most of one day in Zug for you!
One Day In Zug Switzerland
A few facts about Zug
Zug is the capital of the canton of Zug and sits directly on the shores of Lake Zug. The city has a history stretching back centuries, with the old town looking back on around 800 years of history. Its medieval centre is still filled with historic buildings, towers and narrow cobbled streets.
But Zug isn’t only about history. The city is also surrounded by beautiful nature, with Lake Zug on one side and Zugerberg, the city’s local mountain, rising to around 1,093 metres on the other.
Zug is also famous for its cherries, known locally as Chriesi, and for Zuger Kirschtorte, the traditional cherry liqueur cake associated with the region.
So while Zug might be best known as a wealthy Swiss business centre, there’s much more to the city than offices and finance.
Morning: Explore Zug’s Old Town
I’d start your day in Zug’s Old Town, where most of the historic sights are concentrated within a relatively small area.
The star of the show is undoubtedly the Zytturm, Zug’s famous clock tower and one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks. The tower is part of the former city fortifications and has an impressive astronomical clock. It originally served as a gate and watchtower, and even included small prison cells known as the “Timpis”.
If it’s open during your visit, you can climb the tower for views across the old town, Lake Zug and the surrounding mountains.
From here, simply wander. One of my favourite things about Zug’s old town is that you don’t really need a strict sightseeing plan. Follow the narrow streets and look up at the colourful façades, old houses and historic details.
Some of the other sights worth looking out for include the Kolinbrunnen, the Greth Schell Fountain, the Liebfrauenkapelle, St Oswald’s Church, the Powder Tower and Huwilerturm.
Zug Tourism actually has a self-guided old-town route covering 12 highlights, which takes around an hour. Recommended!
Zuger Kirschtorte
At some point during your morning, you’ll need a coffee and cake stop, and in Zug, there’s one obvious local speciality to try.
Zuger Kirschtorte is a layered cake traditionally made with sponge, buttercream, meringue and cherry liqueur. The cake is closely associated with Zug and is one of those Swiss specialities worth trying in its hometown.
You can consider trying this at Confiserie Speck – Bistro zum Pfauen in the old town area.
Even if you’re not usually a cake person, this is a good excuse to sit down for a coffee and watch the city go by.
Late morning: Walk towards Lake Zug
After exploring the old town, make your way towards Lake Zug.
The old town sits directly beside the lake, so it doesn’t take long to go from medieval streets to a lakeside promenade. Take a leisurely walk along the water and enjoy the views across the lake towards the mountains.
Lake Zug is particularly beautiful on a clear day, when you can see the Alps in the distance and mountains such as Mount Pilatus. The lakeside is also a great place simply to slow down for a while. There are places to sit, restaurants and cafés, and in warmer months you may even see people swimming.
If you’re visiting in summer, you could easily spend longer here with an ice cream or drink by the water.
Lunch in Zug
For lunch, I’d stay around the old town, lakefront or near towards the train station.
There are plenty of restaurants and cafés around, so this is a good opportunity to try some Swiss food or simply have a relaxed lunch before heading up the mountain.
Some of our restaurant recommendations are:
- Hafenrestaurant – A swiss restaurant right on the lakeside with stunning views
- Kaisin – Super healthy food bowls with lots of options
- Kohinoor Indian Restaurant – A delicious restaurant for authentic Indian food
Afternoon: Head up the Zugerberg
After lunch, it’s time to see Zug from above!
Take the Zugerberg funicular from Schönegg. The journey takes only around eight minutes, but it transports you from the city to a completely different landscape at around 1,000 metres above sea level.
Once you’re at the top, you have several options.
You can simply enjoy the viewpoints and take a short walk, or you can spend a few hours exploring some of the marked hiking trails. There are routes suitable for different fitness levels, along with restaurants, picnic areas and barbecue spots.
If you’re visiting with children, the Schattwäldli playground is another option. Your kids will love a pitstop here playing, while you enjoy the views!
Back to the city: More lakeside time
After coming back down from Zugerberg, head towards the lake again.
If you have time, this is a lovely opportunity to explore a little more of the waterfront or grab an afternoon drink. Along the lakeside you can discover some wild animals who are local residents, such as the exotic birds and deer.
For the afternoon you can also browse some of the smaller boutiques and shops around the old town. Zug’s historic centre has a mixture of independent shops and small creative businesses selling regional products.
One of my favourite things to do in Zug is also some second hand shopping. My favourite shop for this is huge and is called Brocki Zug. It’s just a short bus ride or a 20minute walk from the train station.
And if you’re visiting during the warmer months, this is probably when you’ll start to understand why the lake is such an important part of Zug’s atmosphere.
Finish the day with a Zug sunset
If there’s one thing I’d definitely try to time your day around, it’s sunset at Lake Zug.
Zug is known for its spectacular sunsets, with the lake, surrounding hills and mountains creating a beautiful backdrop as the sun goes down.
Find a spot along the lakeside, wait for the show. There’s something particularly nice about ending a day of sightseeing this way. After spending the morning surrounded by medieval buildings and the afternoon looking down over the city from Zugerberg, you’re back beside the lake watching the colours change across the water.
Is one day in Zug enough?
For me, one day in Zug is a really good amount of time if you want to experience the city’s main highlights without rushing.
You can explore the historic old town, see the Zytturm, walk beside Lake Zug, try Zuger Kirschtorte and take the funicular up Zugerberg, all within one day.
Of course, you could easily stay longer if you wanted to add museums, a longer hike or a boat trip on Lake Zug (which I hope to do next time!). But if you’re travelling around Switzerland and only have one day available, Zug makes a very manageable and varied day trip.
And perhaps that’s what I liked most about it: Zug gives you a little bit of everything, some history, the lake, pretty mountains, good food and classic Swiss scenery – all within a relatively small area!
Want To Stay The night In Zug?
Zug is also a great base to sleep at, while exploring more of Switzerland. Since it’s 30 minutes away from Zurich and also only 30 minutes away from Lucerne. Here are some of our hotel recommendations for Zug:
- City-Hotel Ochsen – Rated 9.5, it’s situated in the middle of the beautiful historic centre, 200 metres from the Zug Postplatz Train Station and from Lake Zug.
- Hotel Löwen am See – Rated 9.0, it’s perfect for those wanting to enjoy panoramic lake and mountain views, and their in-house restaurant.
- Hotel Zugertor – Rated 8.6, it’s a family-run hotel offering 36 comfortable, modern and bright rooms – within a 7 minute walk from the train station of Zug.
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