Mt Pilatus from Lucerne Including Boat Trip, Gondola, Cable Car

Tour by yourself: Mt Pilatus from Lucerne Including Boat Trip, Gondola, Cable Car

Go early in the morning. This tour is done by yourself. First We took the bus #1 called Kriems, Zentrum Pilatus across the street from the Luzern train station. We got off at Pilatus and we followed the signs for the Dragon ride Pilatus. Very well indicated in red. We we took the Gonfolas up to Pilatus then we took the train down that ends next to the lake cruise. You take the cruise all the way to the departure. Very nice ! Worth every penny! Make sure went you go up you ask for the cruise time so you don’t miss it. Time your day accordingly to the boat cruise.

Great Lucerne, Switzerland experience!

The whole experience was exceptional. Had a family of 6. Kids loved it too! Ferry ride was my families favorite part. Easy to navigate. Overall a wonderful experience!

Must Do When In Lucerne

This is a great adventure and easy to manage without a guide. Spectacular views from the top of Mt. Pilatus.

Must do

Cogwheel into the clouds a very special and unique experience that must be done by all in the area of Luzern

Rainy Day on Mt. Pilatus.

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.

Amazing day trip from Lucerne

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!!!

From the boat ride to the...

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!

Views are worth the money!

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!

Beautiful view of Alps. Variable times to start.

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.

Do it! It is awesome.

Absolutely great trip. Just do it. It is lovely views and not so much walking. You can stop for nice restaurant and just enjoy your day. After cable cars, the boat trip is amazing.

It was far beyond all my...

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.

Book direct

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.

Less confusion than expected - worth the money!!

We had some confusion (as it seems others did) concerning actually getting our tickets, but it all turned out to be fine. We took the city bus to Kierns (free visitor bus pass came with our hotel) to arrive at the Pilatus office/departure point for the cable car at 8:30. We had no trouble at the desk getting our tickets with the voucher we had from trip advisor. We then took the cable car and then the gondola up to the top of Pilatus. We spent about 3 hours doing the shorter hikes and taking in the views. The hikes are really lovely, but they are steep. A lot of people had trekking poles and they certainly would’ve been helpful. Also be sure to have a sweater or two, even in the summer. It was gorgeous! We took the 1:55 cog train down. We could’ve jumped on the boat at that time but decided to chill a bit and get the next one. We thought there would be more to explore in Alpnach, but there really wasn’t. Would recommend packing your lunch and snacks for the day so you don’t have to spend money at the restaurants up top. Overall we really enjoyed the day and thought it was worth the money.

Awesome trip

We chose the counterclockwise route and found it to be easy and enjoyable, no need to redeem for tickets till you reach the gondola tickets window, just hop on the bus in Luzern to Kriens. Clouds cleared out while we were on top and we could see Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger…

Great tour!

Loved this tour! The scenery was fabulous. One of my favorite days! It was an easy bus ride to the tram. Tour guide talked in 3 languages. Amazing!!

Great trip!

Cruising on the lake was very relaxing. Wonderful scenery. The cogwheel train up the mountain was spectacular.

Must do!!

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!

Breathtaking views

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!

We need to contact you...

We need to contact you I would like a refund To get to redeem tickets it was like 2 hours from Zurich and in train it was 50 dollars round trip on top of what we paid Please I wold like a refund

Amazing Experience

I have no hesitation in recommending this tour. It exceeded all of our expectations. It was any easy bus trip from the Lucerne train station followed by a short walk to the gondola entrance. You will need to get a ticket with your email barcode. The first leg ends with some beautiful scenery and optional activities. We just took pictures. The next leg is a larger gondola to the top. Tip 1: bring a sweatshirt or light jacket. It was quite chilly at the top. There are many options for adventurous hikers. The cogwheel train down was beautiful. Tip 2: sit towards the front of the car to get the best view. The boat ride back to Lucerne was great. Tip 3: find out the boat schedule. On a week day they are not as frequent as on weekends. We just missed the boat and had to wait 2 1/2 hours. We could have easily made it hadvwe checked the schedule. The boat ride back was an hour.

Tour operator communication

We were happy with Viator but could not get a response back from the tour operator regarding the location of the tram in Lucerne. We sent multiple E-mails and no response!

Mt Pilatus tour must do.

Wonderful ship ride over to base of mountain. Quite a long wait there until cog railway came back down for pickup. A great experience going up mountain. Nice hikes at top. Fun going down on arial trams great photos taken. Recommend trip for all.

Great experience, but a little confusing

If it weren’t for my 25 yr old daughter, we may not have made this trip due to some sketchy instructors via Trip Advisor. She actually referenced the Mt. Pilatus site to get specific time tables, which were key. We started at the cable car at 8:30 am and spent some fun time on the peak. We caught the 11:30 rail car down and walked directly on to the 12:20 boat. A flawless schedule. The activity was awesome. Some great views; lots of hiking to the peaks; beer and pastries outside (bummed the Panorama Grill was not open). Combination of the 3 transportation modes was really cool. A great 5 hour excursion from Lucerne! I would recommend!!

Amazing experience and well worth every penny!

Brilliant trip!!! Would highly recommend to everyone. The scenery is spectacular and is an experience we will never forget!

Beautiful scenery but confusing instructions

Would have given this 5 stars except that the instructions for redemption of voucher were woefully inadequate. Viator, you need to be much more detailed on where to find the dock for the ferry and provide much more information about the times for the ferry. Views were fabulous and the cog railway was my favorite.

Good experience

Its quite straightforward and the staff is happy to guide. Its useful to carry an offline German to English translator on Google Lens

One of my favorite days ever

A fantastic full day. I thought the top was going to be barren, it was not! I could have stayed there a long time. During summer months I would recommend boat first, train, then gondola for 2 reasons, it was hot on the boat, and there are restaurants up on top! The most beautiful views, so amazing. Definitely recommend!

A day full of majestic sights as far as the eye can see

Better than expected. I went with option 2. Picked up tickets ay railway at 800am. First train up at 810am. Started at train ride up to Plitus. Gondula down into town. Downhill walk to bus stop. Bus ride back to Lucern Lake. Boat ride back to start. 5chf parked all day at train station. MUST print confirmation before picking up tickets at railway. Boat ride, 2nd class means first level seats. 1st class upper level. Some shaded seats with tables. Pay 14cfh more for first class once you're on board. You can get drinks and snacks, but check your wallet. It was almost $10small Coke Zero bottle. Make sure cameras have fresh batteries, and extra memory cards. You won't stop taking pictures. Worth every penny.😎

Great Tour / Wrong Departure Time On Voucher

The scenery was beautiful. The voucher showed a 8:30AM departure time when the ticket office opened at 9:00AM and boat left at 9:38AM. Hard sitting around that long and wondering the status.

Heaven on Earth

You can check on when the boat leaves. The boat leaves several times a day. Plan at least a half a day for the trip. Viator offers this trip at half price! It is a wonderful day trip!

Mr Pilatus, Cogwheel train, lake Lucerne

Fantastic! Many options on how to complete the excursion, very helpful personnel along the way! Great

Breathtaking in every season

Mt Pilatus is always on the cards for when we have guests visiting from overseas. Whether it's in Summer or Winter, the trip up is always breathtaking and the views from the summit are always beautiful. You can take the Golden Roundtrip from Luzern to Alpnachstadt, up Pilatus and back down to Kriens, or straight up and down from Kriens (it's a quick bus trip directly from Luzern train station to Kriens and you'll need to walk a little way to get to the Pilatus terminal/station). (The round trip will set you back quite a bit more, but a worthwhile experience for first-time visitors). You can buy food, snacks and drinks at a restaurant or the kiosks at the summit. The fare up here is more expensive than you'll get at lower altitudes, so if you're travelling with your budget in mind, consider bringing snacks along. Dogs are allowed, but aren't free, so don't forget to buy a ticket for your furry friend.

Excellent day out

Doing the trip in reverse from the usual guidance was a great piece of advice from the hotel. Far less busy. A wonderful day out with plenty to see and do. Good places to eat and drink as well as places to walk and breathe good air. Return trip on half empty paddle steamer!

Pure bliss at 7,000 Ft

Mt.Pilatus is my favorite mountain not only because I live at the foothills of Mt.Pilatus but it’s more like what the locals call here a“Haus-Berg” or a house mountain. At 7,000 ft experiencing pure bliss especially on a good weather day is something magical. If you take the cable car from Kriens, don’t miss the fabulous view all around and I would read a bit of the history of Mt.Pilatus before going up. No doubt the golden round trip is awesome. Glistening waters from the lake of LUZERN and then taking the cogwheel train which is the steepest in the world is a thrill on its own. Pls choose a good weather day.

Excellent Day on Lake Lucern and Pilatus

Do yourself a favor and take the Golden Round Trip. And if you already have the Tell Pass, it's free! And they views from Pilatus are fantastic!

wonderful day

enjoyed every minute of this tour. The different ways of transport up & down. My wife who hates heights reall enjoyed everything Just amazed as to how clean the hill sides are in Switzerland.The cost was reasonable and had no trouble connecting with different rides.

View from Pilates is fantastic

Really enjoyed this trip. Great views along the lake and fantastic view from pilates. Pleasant scenic boat trip and great scenery from mountain.

Golden Round Trip

The actual trip was awesome. The boat cruise, cog wheel train and cable car were all unbelievable. The only hiccup was getting an email from Viator at 4:30 PM the day before, telling us we could not pick up our tickets at the ferry dock and that we had a 3 mile walk or bus ride to pick them up. This was WRONG. The paper work provided by Viator on line was all we needed.

Golden Round trip for 7

We had the best day going on this tour! There were seven of us in our group ranging in ages from 26 to 78 years old and everyone had a wonderful time. It was breathtaking and a very easy ride up to the top. I would definitely recommend this to any group any person it is a must see.

Great Views, very peaceful

We did the golden loop. You can buy the tickets at the luzern train station. We had the Swiss travel pass so it was half off I think it was about 100chf for two. We took the bus to Kriens so that we could go up the aerial cableway and gondola as it closes earlier. The views were amazing I definitely recommend it. The Pilatus Kulm was beautiful and we did the Tomlishorn trail all the way until the end and back. The sound of cow bells is very melodic as you hike. We aren't in great shape and it was a fairly easy walk until the end where it gets quite steep and rocky. Worth it if you have the time it took about 2 hours at our slower pace. We took the cogwheel down which was slow but fun and then the boat back to Lucerne which was gorgeous. When you get on the boat make sure you sit in the right section as we accidentally went to the second floor deck which was first class (it's hardly marked) or you will have to pay an upgrade or get kicked out which is uncomfortable.

Tour of Mt. Pilatus and Lucerne

Where oh where to begin... This was by far the best day I had on my 10 day trip to Europe. We mentioned to our Air BNB landlord we were taking this trip and she kindly recommended that we go up the mountain first and end with the lake cruise. She also told us to dress for fall but pack some winter clothes, which was a great call. She also mentioned to pack some snacks, lunch, and drinks since it would be quite a long day. She was absolutely right. Half way up the mountain there is a little stop to switch from a small enclosed lift to a large gondola. At the halfway point they have a ropes course and a little toboggan run (in which I set the new record) that are both worth the time and money. DO NOT get in a rush to get on the gondola. Enjoy yourself at the half way point. Once we got to the top we enjoyed seeing the snow capped mountains and miles and miles of views. We explored around and went as far as we could go in every direction before getting on the cog train to head down the mountain. Once we got down the mountain and on the boat the real relaxation began. We grabbed a cold beer or two and watched in amazement as we went from stop to stop. The views are second to none from the crystal clear water to the beautiful green hills and snow capped mountains. No picture can do this trip justice. Be prepared to have a permanent smile plastered on your face!

Lake Lucerne is super

We went back to Lucerne on the boat after the mount pilatus trip .... The views are just drop dead gorgeous .... Thought of taking another ride on the lake but couldn't do due to the paucity of time

Wonderful Day

This was a wonderful experience. We really enjoyed the boat and the cog wheeled train. Mt Pilatus was one of the highlights of our trip. If you take the bus back to Lucerne, pay attention to the signs because you will walk a little way to the bus stop. All in all, would highly recommend this trip.

Run, don’t walk

This was the highlight of our trip. Starts with an 1 1/3 hr boat ride, then ride to the top of Mt Pilatus on a cogwheel train which takes about 1/2 hr. At the top you are treated to magnificent views of the Alps, be prepared to slush through some snow and dress accordingly. The trip down the mountain was a combination gondola, chair lift which offered incredible views. I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

Excellent all around.

This company might want to clarify some of the instructions for taking this tour. The starting time was off as well as what was needed to begin the tour.

Great self-paced tour, redemption point too far away

This tour is amazing and you can go at your own pace, stopping and spending time where you please. Breathtaking views, fun activities, food, etc. All exceptional. The redemption point for the ticket however, is a 15 minute drive from where the tour departs (or a 55 minute walk). We came in the night before and were unable to get there before we were supposed to depart. It would be nice if there was a more central location in Lucerne to redeem the voucher or at an office that stays open past 5. The tour operators were good about letting us go anyway, but it would have been nice to just take care of it ourselves.

Fantastic

The best trip. Kinda hard with no guide to say how to get bus but we figured it out.the most beautiful trip I have ever taken.

To avoid the crowds, do the tour in reverse

Start out with the bus trip to Kriens, then walk up the hill to the gondola, then the cable car, then the top of the mountain, then take the cogwheel down, then the boat trip back to the train station. When I did this last week, I did not wait in any lines, but when I got off the cogwheel, there where a couple hundred people waiting to get on to go up.

Golden trip

Trip itself was great getting tickets with voucher was tough. We were staying in Lucerne but had to bring our voucher out to Mt.Pilatus the day before to leave from Lucerne the next day. Bus ride out to get tickets 3/4 hour each way. Why couldn't tickets have been printed out instead of voucher? TRIP ITSELF THE NEXT DAY WAS GREAT. Getting tickets them self a pain.

Wonderful experience - don't miss it.

I did the tour in reverse, which means I started with the bus trip to Kriens, then obtained my ticket at the gondola. I did not have to wait at all to start my trip. This is the only way to go!!! When I came down the cogwheel train, there was a massive line waiting to get on. The views at the top are amazing. There were several different musical things going on which were very enjoyable. Note that the walk from the bus up to the gondola is slightly uphill and can be strenuous, but so worth it.