Zug’s hoteliers – like most business people in the city – fairly glow with financial health: the combination of Zug’s high business profile, its proximity to both Luzern and Zürich, and its chronic shortage of accommodation means that they can overcharge and still be rewarded with enviously high occupancy rates. Booking ahead is vital.

The nearest campsite is 2km west of town on the lakeshore at Chamer Fussweg 36 (041/741 84 22) – take bus #4 from Bundesplatz to Brüggli (direction Hünenberg). An HI hostel is at Allmendstrasse 8 (041/711 53 54, fax 710 51 21; closed mid-Jan to mid-March); walk west along the lakefront Chamerstrasse, follow Allmendstrasse north under a railway bridge, and the hostel is to the right behind a petrol station. Dorm beds are Fr.27.

Of the hotels, best value in the Old Town was formerly Hotel Löwen, a stone’s throw from the water on Landsgemeindeplatz (041/711 77 22, fax 711 67 41), closed for renovation work at the time of writing but likely to remain in the c category after reopening in 2000.

Central, Grabenstrasse 9 (041/710 39 60, fax 711 21 65). Pleasant family hotel on the main road just above the Old Town, with smallish but comfortable rooms.

Guggital, Zugerbergstrasse 46 (041/711 28 21, fax 710 14 43). Up on the slopes overlooking the town from the south and – for the views and the service – the best mid-range choice. All rooms are modern and renovated, and virtually all face the lake for gorgeous sunsets (pay more for a balcony). Bus #11 from Metalli (cross under the station, and wait outside the Zuger Kantonalbank) stops outside.

Ochsen, Kolinplatz 11 (041/729 32 32, fax 729 32 22). A sixteenth-century gabled exterior and plush reception belie the rooms, which are less characterful than you might expect for a house venerable enough to have once hosted Goethe – the best are high up at the back overlooking rooftops and an internal courtyard. Weekdays you can barely move for suits.

Pension Bahnhof, Alpenstrasse 6 (041/711 00 89, fax 710 85 27). Zug’s cheapest rooms (without shower), though shabby and not particularly welcoming. Reception open Mon–Fri 8.30–11.30am & 5–7pm.