Pilatus Luzern

Pilatus Luzern

Pilatus Luzern
4.5
Nature & Wildlife AreasSki & Snowboard Areas
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Admission tickets
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₹6,326.14
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  • DrDelGrosso
    Bellevue, Kentucky150 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    DO NOT MISS THIS!!!
    The most beautiful views in the world. Two hotels on top and hiking everywhere. There are also activities for the younger people. Lunch was fabulous at the hotel overlooking the mountain. We did the hardest trail and it was not difficult at all. Took the train up and the cable car down. Gorgeous!!
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 June 2024
  • Mark T
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The best of our trip.
    The highlight of our trip. We did the boat to the cogwheel to the top. Spent ~3 hours up there including a meal, and then did the gondola to the alpine slide and then the cable car back down. Very, very awesome, all of it. There was a decent wait for the alpine slide, but that's because we did it on the way down and got to the mountain late (we traveled to Luzern first that day). I'd do it early if you can to beat the crowds. You could also do it "backwards," but I wanted to have reserved seats for the cogwheel going up to avoid lines. Do it in reverse probably doesn't require that. Either way, do it...Jungfrau sucked for us, I'd suggest this instead if you have to choose.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 26 June 2024
  • Robynl717
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Magnificent mountain - great day with family!
    We stayed in a hotel overlooking the mountain so as we saw it was a good visability and a clear warm day in Lucern, figured it was a good day to go up the mountain. We took the city bus (free with our hotel stay), up to Krien stop, followed the signs for Mount Pilatus, booked the trip up via the gondola and cable car and down via the cogwheel train. We bussed back to Lucerne to save time but we could have taken the cruise back. Weather was perfect, the mountain is magnificent and there are plenty of stops along the way. There is a great playground at the first stop and the food at the top was good too.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 30 June 2024
  • hayagreeva
    San Jose, California65 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great destination and the journey itself is an experience
    It's not just that the views at the top are amazing, they are spectacular in fact. But the whole journey to top and back is an unforgettable experience. We took the Kriens Zentrum gondola route on the way up. Came down the cog wheel train to Alpnach station and did the boat journey back to Lucern. The day we went was exceptionally pleasant and the views were clear. Had a great 1 1/2 hour hike around the peak so got the full 360 degree visual treatment. A swiss travel pass is highly recommended. You get a discount on the gondola as well as cog wheel train. And the boat ride is free, along with any train and bus travel. I also recommend Kriens as the starting point so you end up on the lakefront in the city center, have a meal and proceed with other sightseeing. Check out the boat timings in advance before coming down to Alpnach. We narrowly missed our first boat and had to hang around the dock for an hour for the next one
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 1 July 2024
  • S&O
    Zurich, Switzerland29,325 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Overnight stay at Pilatus Kulm - repeat offender
    A night in the Kulm on Pilatus is simply something very special and highly recommended. We hiked high on Saturday, enjoyed a very fine night - menu and descended again on Sunday. At 6.30pm the last train leaves and from there it is just wonderful up here. Very good staff. The food in the restaurant is excellent. Great double room, very good bed - mountain luxury;-).
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 July 2024
  • Melissa C
    Bothell, Washington157 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Took the gondola to Frakigaudi and enjoyed the activities there
    Teens wanted to do the toboggan run so we took the bus to Kriens super easy and grabbed the gondola up to Frakiguadi. It was a beautiful day and could see really far from the ride. Had to wait in line for a bit to do the run but we enjoyed our time up on the mountain.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 August 2024
  • GlobetrotterBella
    San Antonio, Texas2,317 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Must do and don’t skip the toboggan
    We took the train to Kriens and then took the gondola up. The first gondola is small and seats about four people. The second one is huge and can get very crowded. With the half fare care, it was CHF 39. The views are beautiful. You’re truly on top of the clouds. There’s a restaurant that overlooks the mountains at one of their two hotels. They start serving lunch at 11. Like anywhere in Switzerland, it can be pricy. They also have a cafe inside. Bathrooms are available. The walk to the view points are not too difficult. We did ride the toboggan. It was 9CHF. They lend you a phone holder as you have to use both hands. Lockers free since you can’t take your bags with you. It is easy and fun. It takes about 4-5 minutes to reach the bottom. You are then pulled back up.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 2 September 2024
  • Martin Schofield
    16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    On top of the world
    Okay, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: it's expensive, but it's Switzerland, so whaddaya expect? We travelled up and back by cablecar, having travelled by bus from the centre of Lucerne to the entry point at Kriens, which takes about 15 minutes. The trip up to the summit takes about half an hour, with the first section in a small gondola, with the silence of the hills surrounding you. The second part is in a much larger cablecar, but it's surprising how everybody falls silent once it's moving. The views from the summit are as staggering as they were when we last visited 25 years ago. Clear weather does help, of course and apart from some fair weather cloud we were quite lucky. Facilities are clean and excellent with plenty of places to eat and drink, there are a number of trails and walks around that you can do if you feel energetic, or you can just sit and enjoy the view, and there is a shop selling expensive souvenirs (remember, it's Switzerland).
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 14 September 2024
  • NortheastUSA
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania134 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Visit to Scenic Pilatus Peak
    The trip to Pilatus peak is a must-do while in Luzern. Go to the Pilatus store in Luzern; there they can sell you tickets, answer questions, give tips. There's a few different ways to go, we opted for the "Silver Pass". That is a one price ticket for #1. the train from Luzern to Alpnachstad (the base of the cog railway), #2. the cog railway up to the peak, #3. The gondolas back down to Kreins (a suburb of Luzern). And then #4. a public bus back to the Luzern train station. It's not cheaper than doing it all piecemeal, but it's MUCH simpler, and you can reserve your seats on the cog rail leg of it. In the busy season those cog seats can get sold out or you end up stuck in single seats away from your travel partners. At the top there's a large visitor center with the usual gifts. They do have bathrooms and a restaurant. We brought a great picnic lunch at Coop that morning and used the picnic tables at the summit. You can just hang at the center, there's even some nice sling chairs to relax in. On our visit they had guys playing Alpenhorns and some parasailers floating around, But there's also some walks to higher areas. Make sure to go around at the top to the walkway on the far side of the peak; there's a series of carved out caves and opening's that give a views not available from the visitor center. One of the cool things in that direction is a church perched out on a cliff...the "Klimsinkapelle". Some of the walkways and stairs are steep, but the views are well worth it. One minor issue to the day was that once you come back down on the gondolas into Kreins, there's a fairly long walk to the bus stop. And it's not marked that well...you're sorta abandoned in the middle of town with no clear direction where the stop is. It was also a crowded public bus which many had to stand for the 20 min ride back to the station.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 18 September 2024
  • Departure13120440989
    7 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Breathtaking Views of the Alps
    We took the Golden tour which started by boat, then cog railway to the summit, gondolas down and public bus back to Lucerne. While the overall experience is not to be missed, we were a little disappointed with the arrangements for the last leg of our trip which involved a bit of a long walk to a public bus with not too much information on how and where to catch the bus. As such, the end put a damper on what is otherwise an incredible experience going to the top of the mountain and taking in the breathtaking views of the Alps.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 25 September 2024
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Andreas T
Bay City, MI99 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
On a clear day, the trip to the top of Pilatus is a must! Go early in the morning to avoid the crowds. Once on the summit, a variety of explorations are available. Two of us hiked out along a trail which provided information about the flowers of the region. This one was of medium difficulty. Others simply stayed and enjoyed the view. Two hotels are located on the mountain along with a few dining options. Though guide books recommend taking the cog rail to the top and the cable cars down, that may be fine. When we bought our tickets at the Pilatus store in Lucerne, we were advised to reverse the course since we wanted to include the boat ride. What a great suggestion! I must admit, the Pilatusbahn team accommodated the crowds by adjusting the schedules and sending the cog rail up more often than on the schedule.
Written 13 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Magali J
13 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Friends
Round trip by rack railway from Alpnachstad. We had paid 5 francs more per person per trip to reserve our place. It was appreciable, but arriving 30 minutes before departure time, I think it is doable without reservation. To get off, the train was almost empty at 2 p.m. Large parking lot for 5 francs per day, but you have to walk a little if you arrive late. (after 10 a.m.).
I would advise doing the loop in order to benefit from an even more varied and pretty landscape on the lakes (rack train, cable car and train or boat which brings us back to the starting point. In one direction or the other. Everything is at the same location in Alpnachstad.
Put on good shoes to climb a little to the top at the finish, it's just magnificent.
If not the world, everything is magical up there.
Google
Written 8 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dreamer_in_dreamer
Halifax, Canada849 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023
Scared of heights but I was determined to do it.
The day we visited Pilatus it was a rainy day so we hesitated going but we did it.
We thought we would take just the first 2 gondolas and stop at that height but decided to buy the whole package and go to the top.
We bought our tickets when we arrived, we did not reserve or buy ahead of time and it turned out great.
We did not take the cogwheel train and after seeing the line-ups for it we are glad we didn't.
The rain stopped on our way up the gondola and it turned into a beautiful day.
I've attached a few pictures.
Written 25 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maps684287
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Family
I went on Sunday to visit Mount Pilatus in Luzern with my partner and my 19 months baby. We arrived at Pilatus Railway station at 11am. We had bought tickets online (38CHF for a 30m ride) but were told we should have made a time slot reservation because even though with a valid ticket seats are limited per time slot. We had a free time slot for 13h10pm. The lady that provided us the time slot said it would be "advisable" to reserve a time slot to return when we arrived at the top. The train was 20m late and we arrived at mount Pilatus at 2pm. As soon as we got out of the train we went to the reception and said we wanted to reserve a time slot for 3h10pm. With all the delays it was already a bit stressful for the baby so we wanted to come back down as soon as possible. We were told that it was not possible to make a reservation because all the trains were full and that the only thing we could do was to wait on the line for any free spaces. We went for a brief walk and at 3pm we were on the line which and had already over 30 before us! We waited, standing, in the cold, without any information for 2 hours! By the time we left it was getting dark and colder and the line had hundreds of people :( A disaster in terms of organization that could even be dangerous . This could be easily avoidable with some respect for the tourists, specially the ones traveling in families, informing them in advance of potential waiting times and allowing us to book a reservation to come come down before going up!!! Never again and I strongly advised against for any families. There are better destinations where tourists are treated more respectfully.
Written 18 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

WILD T
40 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Couples
It is proposed as a Christmas market in a particular place, this would be true if the stalls were placed outside. The space in the various terraces is a lot and the weather should not be a problem, the people for whom they are should go and stay in the city center. On the upper terrace 4 little houses of food, nothing Christmas. All the other stalls are inside and this makes it a worse market than most of the others, which at least are outdoors, in the streets of the villages, in the town squares, in the historic centers. This creates unique, particular, specific contexts. The market at Pilatus is inside, so whether you are there or in any other closed facility in the city center, in Switzerland, in America, or elsewhere, little changes! The feature was outside, the mountains, the air, the outside view of the hotel, etc. In short, for what the climb costs and everything is sold up, very expensive, it is absolutely not worth it. Speaking of the Christmas Market. If you want to visit it for the mountains, the view, etc. is another matter and despite the costs it definitely makes more sense. But the market is nothing special, you don't realize you're at the Pilatus for the way it's set up, so it doesn't make sense.
Automatically translated
Written 17 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mogambu4u
McLean, VA9 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
Had purchased the Golden round trip with reservations in advance. Rain and clouds were predicted on the day of our reservation so tried to postpone and make changes but got declined on site.Took the boat to Alpnachstad and it was great.
For the reservation the staff just mixes you with a regular line unlike Jungfrau tickets where online reservations get a priority for entry and have a separate seating queue.Went up the Cog wheel and there was zero visibility. On the way down was told that the cable car is not working today and have to ride the cogwheel down. Didn't understand why was this not announced at the cog wheel station in our way up? And why the resistance to make changes or refund for bad weather or inoperability.

The product being sold is the experience and the cost to ride the cog wheel and cable cars etc.
Customers are paying for a service and experience in good faith, what's the harm in providing little flexibility not unless it is profit oriented.On several occasions found the staff rude and not accommodating.Seems more interested in selling tickets then providing service or experience.

Recommend not purchasing tickets in advance.

Also the boat ride to Alpnachstad is covered in the Swiss pass so don’t double pay with online reservations.
Written 7 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robbe
7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022 • Couples
Beautiful view but the staff were quite angry and rude. Created a rather uncomfortable experience on numerous occasions. A couple of times was addressed rudely before I even opened my mouth... "Sir, leave! We are closed!" Barked one bartender at me. Caught me very much by surprise as I was just looking for a cup of water... And otherwise had no indication they were closed.. felt like they hated their jobs and had zero politeness. An easy "Sorry we are closed" would suffice...

Another instance, was told I was not allowed to drink my own water in the restaurant, though we ordered a big meal (ok, maybe swiss custom to mandatory buy water, even though water is a fundamental human right). And then, at the end of the meal, was watched by the waiter and asked to leave a tip, which is *not* customary in Switzerland. If you're going to gouge us for water as part of Swiss custom, don't demand a tip (which is not part of Swiss custom). Can't have your cake and eat it too.

While onboarding the lift, the employee aggressively split up our group of four into 3 and 1 solo person, even though the lift cars hold 4 people. When asked to wait and let others pass onto the lift until there was one for all of us, he became extremely agitated with us and forced us to separate. Way to pay 60 euro for a solo ride we looked forward together.

I have worked in customer service in numerous countries and this experience was absurd.
Written 28 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Coastal308239
Sydney, Australia23 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
This was a great day trip from Lucerne.

An expensive tour is unnecessary, this is easily done on your own.

Take the bus to Kriens from Lucerne railway station. 10 mins). From there its a short walk to the Gondola (about 8 minutes uphill ) Buy your tickets here.
The gondola takes you to an area with tobogganing,ziplining and other activities suitable for most ages groups. There's even a kids zipline.

From there there's a cable car which takes you to the top of Pilatus. Really spectacular area. Can have lunch in cafe there or pack a picnic.

From there its easy to take the train down. The railway is next to the cable car station.

My recommendation is to travel in this sequence. The group tours start with the boat and then the train, which leads to huge queues for the train in high season. Reversing the order can save a lot of time.

I'd leave the boat trip for another day if you have time, and enjoy more of the beautiful lake.
Written 30 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

S L
Singapore, Singapore29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022
What made Mount Pilatus unique to me was I went up via the Pilatus Gondola (had to switch at Frakmuntegg station) and came down via the Pilatus Cogwheel Railway: the world's steepest cogwheel railway. I took the Silver Route which allowed me to travel to Kriens Pilatus and Alpnachstad.

The views were also equally impressive during the short window of non-fog I got. It is also home to a wide range of walking paths so everyone of all ages can experience walking and hiking.

At the top of Pilatus, you can hike up further to two viewing points. However, this may be physically straining especially at such altitudes, so go slow if need be. There is also a Dragon Walk outside (can be slippery ground). They also have indoor activities such as a cinema featuring a short clip about Pilatus, and a children's corner where they can play some games and interact with the screens.

There are also a few restaurants offered (including snack bars) at the two hotels there.

<> You can either start from the Alpnachstad Train Station where the Pilatus Cogwheel Railway is located, or the Pilatus Gondola Station at Kriens. Do note, the journey to start at Kriens Gondola Station requires you to take buses, so if you have Citymapper and Google Maps this will help significantly. At both locations you can purchase the tickets to travel up to Pilatus. You can also purchase the tickets to ascend via one and descend via another. You can also opt to stop at any station along the way up/down when it is open.

There is also a Golden Route (I didn't take that) which will allow you to travel via boat as well. Swiss Travel Pass gives a discount for your trips.

<> Now, what makes Mount Pilatus unique to locals (from what I gathered) is that it is almost foggy all the time. Even on summer days where fog or cloud doesn't exist anywhere else, Pilatus would very likely still have clouds on it. Reminds me of how the legends there talk about dragons inhabiting the mountain with its smoke.

<> So while I rate this an amazing experience on my part, just manage your expectations of being able to always see views atop Mount Pilatus itself (though, along the way up and down, you will get to see breathtaking views).

If you want a guaranteed view of your surroundings, what locals recommended me to see is Mount Titlis instead.

<> Note the Pilatus Cogwheel Railway doesn't operate during winter.
Written 26 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Raintree_Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand4,465 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022
Naturally, the majesty of the views from the peak depends on the level of cloud cover. The day we went up, the forecast was for clouds all day, but a break in the weather came and the skies were clear in the morning, affording us spectacular views. The ride up the cable car and gondola was fun and the panorama from the top was unforgettable. There are various shops at the top offering (expensive) food, drinks and souvenirs. But, the scenery is the calling card. Don't miss trekking out through the tunnels honeycombing the mountain, which provide unique views from a variety of perspectives.
Written 17 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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PILATUS LUZERN (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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