Information page of the International Office
Daily Life
144 Emergency Medical Rescue Service
117 Police
118 Fire station
112 General emergencies
145 Information about toxic substances
1414 Rega, air rescue
+41 41 211 14 44 Medical Center, Lucerne Train Station
+41 58 678 32 68 Emergency Hotline HSLU
Emergency Hotline HSLU: Only call this number if you have had a serious accident or are involved in an act of violence out of the office hours. The hotline staff will try to help by offering immediate advice. Be aware that if this number is called, the details and all contact data will be recorded. The management and exchange/international coordinators will be informed. Depending on the situation, the emergency contact at home may also be alerted. Do not misuse this service. We pay for every phone call to this number. If you call it with no reason, you will be charged.
Personal liability insurance offers coverage in case of third-party liability claims. Foreign students should inform themselves at their own insurance company as to whether their insurance coverage is sufficient if they break something which belongs to someone else or cause injury to someone. Personal liability insurance is not compulsory in Switzerland, but it is recommended (e.g. in the case of renting an apartment).
Possible liability insurance:
Zurich
Generalagentur Luzern
Am Mattenhof 2C
6010 Kriens
Phone: +41 41 319 47 00
Email: luzern@zurich.ch
https://www.zurich.ch/en/private-customers/liability-and-legal/personal-liability
Mobiliar
Versicherungen & Vorsorge - Generalagentur Luzern
Pilatusstrasse 38
6002 Luzern
Phone: +41 41 227 88 88
Email: luzern@mobiliar.ch
https://www.mobiliar.ch/privatpersonen/haftung-und-recht/privathaftpflichtversicherung
CSS Versicherung
Hauptsitz
Tribschenstrasse 21
6005 Luzern
Phone: +41 58 277 11 11
[xln url="https://www.css.ch/en/private-customers/properly-insured/additional-insurance/liability-insurance.html[/xln]
If you wish, you can open a bank account in Switzerland. For students and young people, there are special options available with few or no account fees, for example:
– UBS Campus Account
– Lucerne Cantonal Bank LUKB - Privatkonto blu
– Post Finance – SmartStudents
Requirements for opening a Swiss student bank account:
1. Residence permit with your address in Switzerland (some banks also accept the certificate of registration from the residents' registration office)
2. ID card/passport
3. Study confirmation and HSLU Student Card
Additionally, Swisscare (provider for student health insurances) now offers credit and prepaid cards specifically tailored to the needs of (international) students. These cards provide a simple, reliable, and globally accepted payment solution that is particularly appreciated when arriving in a new country. The main benefits include:
- a preferential annual fee in the first year,
- no bank account required,
- 0.5% cashback on card transactions,
- online access via the iCornèr app and the iCornèr web portal,
- flexible partial payment options (credit card),
- useful insurance coverage, e.g. purchase protection,
- contactless and mobile payments (iOS & Android),
- as well as availability as a prepaid card.
If you have further questions on the credit and prepaid cards offered by Swisscare, please call the following number: +41 91 800 41 41.
The Swiss public transport system is very good and well-known for its punctuality. Schedules and train passes can be checked on the following website www.sbb.ch or on the SBB Mobile App.
Unfortunately, there is no free or reduced public transport for students, but there are reductions for people under 25 years. We advise students to look for “supersaver tickets” (German: Sparbillett) for individual journeys or buy an appropriate pass or travelcard.
For the regional area around Lucerne you can buy a so-called passepartout. It is like a zone ticket for a period of time, e.g. month, half-year, year with good prices. It is valid in zones with certain numbers. You can find all information about prices, zone plan and passes here. Otherwise, simply obtain the information and tickets from the SBB information desk at the train station.
Schedule
Tickets
Travelcards
Other discounts
- Halbtax / Half-Fare Travelcard: With the Halbtax most public transportation such as trains, busses, trams and boats are offered at half price. Find more information here.
- Night GA Travelcard: can be purchased by anyone under 25 years. With this card all trains are for free after 7pm to 5am. On Saturdays, Sundays and national public holidays, it is valid until 7am. Find more information here.
- Tageskarten / Daily Card: If you plan to travel further but still within Swiss borders, a daily card can be purchased at the municipality office. The prices vary from place to place. For more information please get in contact with the authorities of your municipality.
Little hint: get the SBB Mobile App to get all the schedules for your next connection with the train, bus, boat, gondola and to buy your tickets and the supersaver tickets directly in the app.
It might be useful to have a Swiss mobile number during your stay in Switzerland. For exchange students, we recommend buying a prepaid card instead of a subscription. If you chose a mobile subscription, check the minimum duration as well as the cancellation policy. The most common providers are:
– Sunrise
– Salt
– Wingo (Website in German, French and Italian)
– M-Budget Mobile (Website in German, French and Italian)
– Swisscom
The following rules apply in most villages and towns around the city of Lucerne:
- Official REAL garbage bags (Lucerne) and official ZEBA garbage bags (Zug) must be purchased at supermarkets and used to dispose of your household trash.
- Garbage bags, carton, green waste and paper are collected either from the sidewalk in front of your house or from collection points in your neighbourhood according to the calendar schedule.
- Paper and carton must be flattened and bundled neatly for pickup.
- Bulky items require a sticker (sold in supermarkets) for every 5 kg.
- Glass, aluminium and plastic PET bottles need to be separated and then deposited at local recycling points (Map). Glass items are further separated by colour. PET bottles can also be left at supermarket collection points (Map).
- Recycling collection containers for oil, clothing and metals are available in most neighbourhoods.
- Larger items are collected with an official sticker. Items heavier than 25kg or larger than 2m x 1m x 0.5m must be delivered to the Ökihof, which is the city's waste depost. There are locations in Ebikon, Emmenbrücke and Horw (Lucerne) and in Rotkreuz, Hünenberg See, Cham (Zug). More information about the locations can be found here (Lucerne) and here (Zug).
Please note that a different waste disposal system may apply in student accommodation - inform yourself on site. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
- MAPS.ME - Offline maps and GPS route planner
- SRF Meteo - Weather forecast
- Schweizer Pärke - Best hiking, cycling and excursion tips
- Peak Finder - 360° panorama with the names of all the mountains
- SBB Mobile - Public transport timetables and tickets
- oevplus.ch - Public transport tickets. For journeys in Central Switzerland
- just-eat.ch - Order food online
- Too good to go - Save good food as a takeaway
- Usga.ch - The nightlife of Switzerland
The Swiss mountains are well known and definitely worth a trip - but be careful and inform yourself before you start a hike or journey to the mountains. You will find important tips for planning and precautions in the Powerpoint presentation of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) attached below as well as on the SAC-website.
You can rent bikes in Lucerne through nextbike. With nextbike you can rent bikes hourly. You can rent bikes 24/7 via app or hotline. You'll find more information on their website.