Mt Pilatus Self-Guided Round Trip from Lucerne
Recommended by 91% of travelers
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Lucerne, Switzerland
- 3 to 6 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
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Overview
Visit Mt. Pilatus and take a train ride on the world's steepest cogwheel railway on a self-guided tour from Lucerne. A ride on the aerial cableway, the Dragon Ride, is included, as well as a panoramic gondola ride. Admire the views over the Alps All transportation is included, so you don’t need to worry about making your own bookings, and you are free to explore on your own once there.
- Explore Mt. Pilatus at 6,994 feet (2,132 meters) altitude
- Convenient public transport connections included
- Be amazed by the views of Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps
- Ideal for independent travelers who like to explore without a group
What's Included
- Public train between Luzern and Alpnachstad or vice versa (2nd class)
- Steepest cogwheel railway in the world between Pilatus Kulm and Alpnachstad (or vice versa)
- Panorama Gondola between Kriens and Fräkmüntegg (or vice versa)
- Aerial cableway "Dragon Ride" between Fräkmüntegg and Pilatus Kulm (or vice versa)
- Public bus between Kriens and Lucerne main station (or vice versa)
- Food and drinks
- Tour guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Additional activities (rope park, Dragon Glider, toboggan run, etc.)
- Other personal expenses
- Seat reservation for the cogwheel train
Meeting and Pickup
Operating hours
- 05/12/2026 - 10/20/2026
Monday - Sunday : 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
- 11/08/2026 - 11/17/2026
Monday - Sunday : 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Departure Point
- Pilatus-Bahnen AG, Schlossweg 1, 6010 Kriens, Switzerland
What To Expect
1
Pilatus-Bahnen AG
Admission Ticket Included
2
Pilatus Luzern
Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Check the timetable carefully
- Round trip can be done in both directions
- Operates in almost all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Cableways are not in operation in the case of storms
- A maximum of 9 people per booking
- Prior reservation mandatory for wheelchairs
- Strollers must be folded during transport
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- To avoid long waiting times for the cogwheel train between Alpnachstad and Pilatus Kulm (or vice versa), we highly recommend to make a cogwheel train reservation
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.5
based on 76 reviews
Janice_G, Oct 2025
There was some challenge getting from Zurich to Lucerne , but after we figure out the rail system, we enjoyed the trip very much. The tickets were easy to use and give us access to everything that we needed.
Ed_T, Sep 2025
Nice combo of city bus, cable car, gondola, mountaintop, cog railroad and boat ride. Tickets worked flawlessly.
Being on our own and without a guide even added a sense of adventure. World explorers!
Kristy_V, Sep 2025
We had a very foggy day so not much visibility. Still worth it !! The tram and gondola and tram ride were wonderful.
Edward_R, Sep 2025
Everything was as advertised. The only problem was the mountain top was fogged in. It is worth the time.
Phyllis_S, Sep 2025
Worthwhile trip. The views were spectacular! We did the gondola, cog train, train and bus. Train/ Bus station was confusing so perhaps a little more info about how find bus number 1.
Kayla, Sep 2025
This entire experience was 10/10. the ticket was so easy to use for all the activities. This was our favorite excursion we did!
ameya_a, Aug 2025
Good self guided tour. It covers 2 different routes of travel ( bus and then cabel car; cogwheel train and then train). So got to cover varied scenery. Unfortunately it was very cloudy at top of pilatus so couldn't njoy much. But the trip was good.
Anita_G, Aug 2025
Amazing and something you won’t forget!! The self guided tour instructions made it easy and you have one ticket for EVERYTHING, from the bus, train, gondola, cogway tram and back to the train back to Lucerne! So convenient, thank you!
Amit_M, Aug 2025
Great experience to enjoy the beautiful mountains and the scenery. No guides, but everything was perfectly arranged. There was no hassle in getting access to any listed activities.
Definitely be prepared for a whole day of action and requires lot of walking. Highly suggest to plan extra time to explore the various activities in the park at the top. It can get pretty busy in the afternoon and wait for the slide ride was about 1hr, but was a good experience.
MATTHEW_B, Jul 2025
Incredible views. This was simply easy to follow and you cannot miss this opportunity. Take your time and explore up top.
Saumya_K, Jun 2025
Seamless experience, tickets were all in place for the cable car, gondola and cogwheel and we could go about the whole tour at our own pace, Great experience
Cristine_C, Nov 2024
A very convenient trip. It was very easy to navigate. And the view at the top was amazing! Next time, i’ll stay longer at the top and wait for the sunset
Jimmy_J, Oct 2024
Great experience.worth the money
Three types of rides . Cable car, train all are best.the view from top was scintillating
Deborah_M, Oct 2024
We had a wonderful, sunny day - the previous day it was closed due to snow/ice. The directions and all signs were easy to follow... we started with the train ride to the cogwheel train. The views from the top were amazing! There was a fun tobaggan run (Frakigaudi) between the gondola and the cable cars. It was quite a lot of fun.
Lynn_M, Sep 2024
Great value. Got us to and up the mountain as well as back to our hotel. Enjoyed all the different modes of transportation. If you haven’t already done the boat tour of Lake Lucerne, I would recommend including this on your tour. We had done that the day before or tour, so enjoyed the train ride back to the city. The views were amazing on the way up and down. It was very cloudy the day we went, so the views from the end of the gondola ride weren’t as good as a sunny day would have been, but still beautiful. We didn’t walk all the way to the top because it was so cloudy. Well worth the trip up, and had no problem “guiding” ourselves.
Christine_F, Sep 2024
This was an easy to follow but yet independent way to see Mt Pilatus. I would suggest that you do the cog train first to avoid the crowds and go down by the cable car.
Susan_H, Aug 2024
The views from the top were breathtaking. The gondola and cogwheel were a little scary but fun. But we are also a afraid of heights!
Joseph_B, Jul 2024
Incredible experience with spectacular views of the Alps and Lake Lucerne. Enjoyed everything but Pilatus’ website and service. As per their recommendation I reserved seats for the cogwheel train at an additional cost. They in turn sent a QR code for vouchers that didn’t indicate the reservation time and said they couldn’t access QR codes at the site. Lost money.
Marina_C, Jul 2024
An amazing all day experience. So many different walks or longer hikes to choose from depending on your fitness levels. Pity the low cloud blocked some of our views but that’s just the chance you take when you have pre-booked and in Luzern for a short time. Highly recommend wearing good shoes and having your phones fully charged for taking lots of stunning photo’s and video’s.
Travis_J, Jul 2024
Our tickets got us to everything without waiting in lines. It was a great experience from start to finish. Amazing views!
Teresa_W, Jun 2024
Great experience! Easy to get the trains and buses needed to get to the excursion, great that they are ALL INCLUDED in the pass to go up and down the mountain from Lucerne.
Douglas_M, Jun 2024
Everything worked as described with the ticket. We went up and down the same way using the cog railway. The location and experience was outstanding. Highly recommend this outing. By the way, the price was half of a guided tour which is not necessary to enjoy the mountain. Lots of opportunities to climb on wonderful paths and great photo-ops.
Rhonda_M, Jun 2024
We found the experience delightful. Getting to go through express was so nice. We lucked out and had a beautiful day.
Cathy_R, Jun 2023
Enjoyed the different modes of transportation. Just need a little more specific direction regarding the return bus stop 1 in Kreins.
Nina_F, Oct 2022
Friendly, helpful staff plus beautiful weather made for an unforgettable experience. Would recommend this trip to anyone visiting Lucerne!
Felicia_H, Jun 2022
The redemption of the tickets was bad experience. We redempted the tickets at Pilatus Railway when the counter only given us one ticket for all. Then we walked back to the counter and asked for the correct tickets. Ended up again we found out the bus and train tickets was not given to us when we need to travel back railway to get out car. We had no choice but to rebuy the bus and train ticket to get out car back. Its was extremely annoying experience when we found out the tickets were incomplete.
Glenn_C, Oct 2019
The trip was great. Wouldn’t worry about the train section. More detail needed on bus and train connections.
Al C, Sep 2019
The cable car lift ride allowed beautiful vistas to be seen and/or photographed. Once at the top, the views of the glacier covered Alps were spectacular.
Catherine B, Aug 2019
This was a great excursion. We were blessed with great weather and we could see for miles. The activities at the top of Mt Pilatus were plentiful and we enjoyed the day. However, you need to know that the toboggan ride was not included in the price. Also, there was some confusion as to where you exchange your voucher for the tickets to ride up to the top of the mountain on the COG Railway. We actually bought train tickets to get to the Pilatus Railway Station to exchange our tickets This was suppose to be included in the price, very disappointing to have to pay double for a train ticket. Overall, the day was great but Viator needs to make their instructions clearer as to how to exchange your voucher for the actual tickets.
Kosta J, Aug 2019
Perfect way to spend the day, cog railway, views from the top and easy hikes were the highlight. Make sure to go on a clear day
From $118.44
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Mt Pilatus Self-Guided Round Trip from Lucerne
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