The town is clustered around the northeast corner of the small Zugersee, with the station about 400m north of the lakeshore, and the same amount again north of the Old Town, which ranges down the eastern shore of the lake. Zug is a rail junction, situated at the point where a line from Luzern in the west meets the main north–south route running from Zürich through Flüelen and the Gotthard Tunnel to Ticino. By road, Zug is on the A4 between Luzern and Zürich, and is easily accessible from the Gotthard routes, detouring via Schwyz. Parking is not a problem in the modern part of town around the station, but it’s tricky and expensive trying to park in or near the Old Town.

The station has all the usual services, including a change office (daily 7am–8.30pm) and bike rental (daily 7am–7.30pm). You emerge from the station at a little roundabout at the head of Alpenstrasse, leading down (south) to the lake. Less than 50m away on the left is the tourist office (Mon–Fri 8.30am–6pm, Sat 8.30am–3pm; hours slightly truncated in winter; 041/711 00 78, www.zug.ch), from where you can get a free city map and plenty of guidance. Zug’s main post office is on Postplatz, and inside the Zuger Kantonalbank on Postplatz are three terminals giving Internet access free for fifteen minutes (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm).

Lake transport

Boats ply the Zugersee from top to bottom. Departures for a two- or three-hour tour around the lake leave from the Bahnhofsteg, at the foot of Alpenstrasse (mid-April to May Sun only; June–Sept daily; Oct Sat & Sun only). Note that some of the summer Sunday boats are short one-hour round trips. Contact Zugersee Schifffahrt, Alpenstrasse 14 (041/726 24 24, www.zugersee-info.ch), for more, and also for details of their numerous eat-aboard trips – everything from winter brunches to Glenn Miller-accompanied starlit dinners.