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Mt Pilatus self-guided Golden Round Trip from Lucerne incl. boat cruise
Badge of ExcellenceLucerne, Switzerland
- 4 to 6 hours
- Mobile ticket
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Overview
Visit Lake Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus on a half-day tour by boat, cogwheel railway, and gondola. After a cruise around the lake, ride up the steepest—and most scenic—cogwheel railway lines in Europe. Stop at the peak of Mt. Pilatus where alpine vistas await. Descend via cable car to Kriens and take a public bus (ticket included in tour) back to Lucerne where your tour finishes.
- Half-day tour of Lake Lucerne, Mt. Pilatus, and Fräkmüntegg
- Start with a Lake Lucerne cruise, admiring the scenery from the water
- Ride up the world's steepest cogwheel railway to the summit of Mt. Pilatus
- Take a ride on the aerial Dragon Ride cable car
What's Included
- Lake cruise (2nd class) between Alpnachstad and Lucerne (or vice versa) on Lake Lucerne
- Steepest cogwheel railway in the world between Pilatus Kulm and Alpnachstad (or vice versa)
- Panorama gondola between Kriens and Fräkmüntegg (or vice versa)
- Food and drinks
- Tour guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Start time
Opening hours
- 5/9/2024 - 10/20/2024
Monday - Sunday : 08:30 AM - 05:30 PM
What To Expect
Make your way to the Lucerne train station. The station overlooks the pier, so start by boarding your boat for your cruise around Lake Lucerne.
Disembark at Alpnachstad, and head inside a welcoming chalet-style restaurant with a terrace. Use your time here to eat and drink at your own expense, then make your way to the cogwheel railway for a ride up the mountainside.
The steep line is known as a scenic route; cast your gaze out of the window as you pass alongside mountain streams and pastures sprinkled with alpine flowers on your way to the peak of Mt. Pilatus.
When you reach its 6,995-foot (2,132-meter) summit, take some tome to soak up the views from the gallery, terrace, or restaurant. If you’re feeling more energetic, then take a short stroll to a nearby peak.
Descend back down the mountain via the Dragon Ride cable car. At Fräkmüntegg change from the aerial cable way to the Panorama Gondola. Hop out at Krienseregg to enjoy a range of mountain activities. Test your agility climbing our rope park and get your adrenaline pumping (own expense), or treat the kids to a panoramic cable car ride to the children’s playground.
From Krienseregg, continue by gondola to Kriens, then take the public bus No.1 from Zentrum Pilatus to the Lucerne train station.
Please note: The order of this tour is flexible, and the round trip can be taken in both directions. Important is to check the boat time table beforehand, as there are only 2-5 boats per day depending on the season.
Disembark at Alpnachstad, and head inside a welcoming chalet-style restaurant with a terrace. Use your time here to eat and drink at your own expense, then make your way to the cogwheel railway for a ride up the mountainside.
The steep line is known as a scenic route; cast your gaze out of the window as you pass alongside mountain streams and pastures sprinkled with alpine flowers on your way to the peak of Mt. Pilatus.
When you reach its 6,995-foot (2,132-meter) summit, take some tome to soak up the views from the gallery, terrace, or restaurant. If you’re feeling more energetic, then take a short stroll to a nearby peak.
Descend back down the mountain via the Dragon Ride cable car. At Fräkmüntegg change from the aerial cable way to the Panorama Gondola. Hop out at Krienseregg to enjoy a range of mountain activities. Test your agility climbing our rope park and get your adrenaline pumping (own expense), or treat the kids to a panoramic cable car ride to the children’s playground.
From Krienseregg, continue by gondola to Kriens, then take the public bus No.1 from Zentrum Pilatus to the Lucerne train station.
Please note: The order of this tour is flexible, and the round trip can be taken in both directions. Important is to check the boat time table beforehand, as there are only 2-5 boats per day depending on the season.
Pilatus Luzern
Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Operates in almost all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Cableways are not in operation in case of storm
- Starting direction 1: Take the cruise ship at the railway station in Lucerne (Quai 2 in front of the train station)
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
Traveler Photos
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Reviews
4.5
149 reviews
Dixie_J, Aug 2023
I wouldn’t recommend booking in advance for this trip. Our weather was horrible, and cancellation was not possible.
Everything else was wonderful but we couldn’t see more than a few feet from our window.
Darren_S, Jun 2023
Great trip. Had a blast with the Golden Round Trip. The cruise is amazing plus they have a bar on board so you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery with a glass of wine. Plus the cog railway was super fun. And finally on the way down taking the leap of faith on the Dragon Ride and going straght off the cliff of Mt. Pilatus then gondola ridr was a fantastic experience. We stopped half way down at Frakmuntegg were my daughter (13 yr old) spent a few hours on the ropes course which was super intense!! Absolutely a must do excursion if in the Lucerne area!!!
Angela_G, Jun 2023
From the boat ride to the trains and gondola, what an extraordinary journey! We had lunch on top at hotel. It was so good and hearty. We will do this trip again!
Hayley_S, Oct 2022
Amazing experience, highly recommend. Directions could be clearer from Viator - you have an option of two different places to start. Not for someone who doesn’t like heights! I suggest you spend some time on the mountain and take part in all the fun activities and grab food at the restaurant up too at 7000 m!
Owen_M, Oct 2022
Excellent views and experience. The ferry boat accepts the voucher and does not require a ticket. Get the tickets after the boat ride at the train station. We didn’t leave until 1:38 pm ferry waiting for clear skies and it worked out great. There are ferry and cog rail schedules. The aerial tram runs every 15 minutes.
Ira_B, Aug 2022
It was far beyond all my expectations! And never felt pushed or ripped off. I’ve been in Europe 2 weeks and this experience was tops. Would do this again and highly recommend it.
Darren_G, Aug 2022
Tour was great, Swiss were fantastic however I will not book through Viator again as there were no instructions on how to activate ticket at the harbour if starting with the boat trip and other information was sketchy to say the least. Again I will reiterate, the Swiss we’re brilliant, in future I will book direct.
Judith_M, Jul 2022
Cruising on the lake was very relaxing. Wonderful scenery. The cogwheel train up the mountain was spectacular.
Anna_K, Jul 2022
This is a must do! I was nervous about logistics after reading reviews as the redemption point for the ticket seemed far away. However if you stay in a hotel they give you a free bus pass. We took the bus from the main train station to the redemption point in Kriens. That redemption point is right where the cable cars start to go up. It was so easy! We stopped at the info desk in the main train station to verify which bus and what stop to take. It was so worth it and way cheaper than buying there!
Ernest_W, Jul 2022
The views from Mount Pilatus are magnificent and stunning! We could see snow-capped mountain ranges in the distance, and Lake Lucern below. It was a humbling experience to realize how tiny we are in the grand scheme of things!
We did the counter-clockwise trip, starting at Kreins. We ended up taking a cab there from Lucerne because we didn’t know if bus #1 would drop us off in front of the gondolas. Each gondola seats up to 4 people. As you go up, the scenery gets more amazing! At the first stop (Krienseregg), you can stay on, or get off (there is a cool ropes course for younger kids). We got off at Frakmuntegg, where there was a cafeteria, ropes course for older kids and adults, and fun toboggan run (it was so fun, we went twice). From there you can transfer to the larger cable car that takes you to the top of Mount Pilatus. There are some short trails at the top to explore, and a nice outdoor restaurant to take in the views. We were surprised at the number of people on the hiking trails that came up from the base - not for the faint-of-heart! We took the cogwheel train down which was interesting. At the top, it provided some great views, but later on, much of the view was obstructed. Unfortunately, we missed the boat ride back from Alpnachstad to Lucerne (so took the train instead). We were lucky to have a clear day and could see for miles! Definitely worth half-day trip!
...
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Mt Pilatus self-guided Golden Round Trip from Lucerne incl. boat cruise
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