Mount Pilatus Summit from Lucerne With Lake Cruise
Description
Enjoy a day of Alpine adventure in Switzerland on this half-day, summer trip to Mt Pilatus from Lucerne. Begin your journey toward the skies with a 30-minute panoramic gondola ride to Fräkmüntegg, and then hop aboard the aerial cableway for your ascent to the summit of Mt Pilatus. Relax at your leisure on the peak or take a short hike to make the most of the stunning scenery below. Descend to Alpnachstad aboard the world's steepest cogwheel train and cruise out onto Lake Lucerne to admire the views from the water.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide in central Lucerne in the early afternoon.
Hop aboard your comfortable coach for the short journey to Kriens, at the foot of the imposing Mt Pilatus. On arrival, begin your ascent to the mountain’s lofty summit with a 30-minute panoramic gondola ride to the Fräkmüntegg terminus. Enjoy beautiful views over the rolling hills and lush pine forests below. At Fräkmüntegg, hop aboard the aerial tramway — a spacious and modern cabin with panoramic windows designed to give the feeling of flight. Continue your climb to the summit at a dizzying altitude of 7,000 feet, and take in spectacular views over the Alpine peaks and lakes from your vantage point on the mountain. During your free time atop Mt Pilatus, perhaps sit down to a high-altitude lunch among the peaks (own expense) or relax on the expansive sun terrace. Venture down the Dragon's Path and take a short hike around the summit to enjoy the amazing views.
Take the world's steepest cogwheel train down to Alpnachstad, descending past trickling mountain streams and sheer rock faces toward the verdant, green meadows below.
Conclude your tour with a picturesque 1-hour boat ride across lovely Lake Lucerne and enjoy the spectacular scenery from an entirely different angle.
At the end of the cruise, your tour ends back in Lucerne.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- 19.10.-27.11.2026: Ascent and descent by cogwheel train, no boat ride but lunch voucher included
- 28.11.-29.11.2026: Ascent by cable car, descent by cogwheel train, no boat ride but lunch voucher included
Reviews(1,329)
Well worth doing and nice experience
The experience was not met on this tour. The tour included a ride on the cogwheel train and a CHF 20 food voucher for lunch. The cogwheel train broke down before we were supposed to ride. We were not given the CHF 20 food vouchers as listed in the booking details. I requested for a partial refund but I was denied of any amount of refunds. We always booked with Viator for our tours but this was a disappointment that they didn’t stand behind their customer service.
It was an awesome experience to be able to go to the top of Pilatus and being able to see all the beauties of the surrounding villages and cities below us. To go down on the cogwheel train to the boat tour was great experience and my wife really loved seeing the cows on the way down with authentic cowbells. The views and hiking were breathtaking and an experience we loved.
It was wonderful except for the cloudy view :) Dry well run and easy to use. Would like to go again !!
It was a great trip. It had five different modes of transportation and the trails and views on the mountain were fantastic. The only thing I would point out is that on the trip details it mentions a food voucher at the mountain. This is only during a brief period of the year and didn’t apply to our trip. Several other guests were confused by that point also.
This was such a fun little excursion! It was like 5 little adventures in one! It was definitely worth every penny!
This was a great experience. The fact that you used 5 modes of transportation was fun. The excitement kept building until you got to the top of the mountain which was the highlight. The views were spectacular. The boat ride around Lake Lucerne was very relaxing and enjoyable too. Couldn’t get over the beautiful turquoise color of the lake.
This was a fantastic tour! Mount Pilatus does NOT disappoint! We even rode the Alpine Coaster which was a big hit with my teens. Up on top, the views were magnificent! Getting down on the cog wheel train and then the boat tour was a great way to wrap it up. Only removed a star because we were told we would have a $20 CH per person lunch voucher and we did not get it. Spent $100 CH on lunch. Be prepared!
What an awesome experience! Our tour guide Andrea was great. She was friendly, knowledgeable and made sure every knew where they needed to be and when. The views from the gondola rides were absolutely breathtaking and we enjoyed being able to have a couple hours on top of Mount Pilatus. We had lunch with a view and were able to explore the different views from each viewpoint. Riding the funicular down was also a great experience with great views. To need the trip, we had amazing view with a Lake Lucerne cruise. Highly recommend this excursion!
We arrived in Lucerne early, but the tour operator allowed us to take the earlier scheduled excursion. We were very comfortable, on the air conditioned bus.
