Day Trip to Mount Pilatus from Lucerne
- Anju Chandna
- Apr 25, 2022
- 4 min read
Mount Pilatus, or the Dragon Mountain, at an altitude of 2128 meters, is a must-visit on your trip to Switzerland.
We visited Mount Pilatus from Lucerne on a day trip; the journey includes a ride up the mountain on a funicular and once on top, one gets beautiful vistas of the Alpine mountains and lakes all around.
Best Ways to Reach Mount Pilatus on a Day Trip from Lucerne in the Summer
You can go up to Mount Pilatus in three different ways. The Golden Round Trip, Silver Round Trip and driving directly to the Gondola station.
Golden Round Trip to Mount Pilatus
The most popular one is the Golden Round Trip, especially for first-time visitors who wish to enjoy the breathtaking scenery and have allocated the entire day to this outing. This trip easily takes about 5-6 hours, unless you're really short of time, the Golden Round Trip is the way to go.
It combines a boat cruise, the world's steepest cogwheel railway, cable cars, and panoramic gondolas, making the journey itself a major highlight.
A typical Golden Round Trip looks like this:
It starts from Lucerne with a scenic boat ride to Alpnachstad on Lake Lucerne. The boat ride lasts 90 minutes, with beautiful alpine peaks and quaint villages all along.
After disembarking the boat, you get on the world's steepest cogwheel train with a gradient of 48%.
It takes you right to the top of Mount Pilatus in less than 30 minutes.
My Tip for You
The steep climb up the mountain is absolutely thrilling as the mountain scenery starts unfolding in front of your eyes. The entire journey feels like multiple experiences in one day.
Sit on the right side of the boat when heading from Lucerne to Alpnachstadt for beautiful views of the lake and mountains.
Summer is the best season to explore this because the boat and cogwheel railway usually operate from around May to November.
No wonder there are massive queues for the cogwheel, so getting to the station early is better.
Waiting in the queue for the cogwheel is worth it!
Silver Round Trip
The Silver Round Trip is a simpler and slightly faster way to visit Mount Pilatus from Lucerne. Unlike the Golden Round Trip, this travel option does not involve any boats, making it a good option if you are short on time.
A typical Silver Round Trip looks like this:
Bus from Lucerne to Kriens
Panoramic gondola and Dragon Ride cable car to Mount Pilatus
Return the same way to Lucerne
From Alpnachstad, take the cogwheel to the top.
My Tip for You
This route is quicker and more flexible. The panoramic gondolas offer beautiful aerial views of forests, cliffs and alpine meadows.
It is a great option during cloudy or rainy weather when the lake cruise is not enjoyable.
The only advantage that I could see here is that you will get a lot of time to do activities at the top of Mt. Pilatus (believe me, there are many, especially if you're travelling with kids) since trains are more frequent and you are not depending on the last boat to Lucerne on your way back.
On the flip side, you will miss the scenic boat ride on Lake Lucerne.
Driving to Kriens and Taking the Gondola
If you are travelling by car, one of the easiest ways to reach Mount Pilatus is to drive to Kriens and take the gondola.
Drive from Lucerne to Kriens
Park near the Pilatus gondola station
Take the panoramic gondola to Fräkmüntegg
Continue on the Dragon Ride cable car to Mount Pilatus
My Tip for You
This is the most flexible option for travellers with a rental car. Parking is available near the gondola station in Kriens. The gondola ride offers beautiful views of forests, valleys and surrounding mountains. You can stop at Fräkmüntegg for activities such as the rope park or the alpine coaster.
If you're short of time, then you can cover Pilatus even on a half-day trip using this option.
The downside is that you will miss out on the scenic boat ride and the cogwheel.
Arrive early in the summer because the parking lot near the gondola station can fill up really fast.
Whichever option you choose, the moment you reach the top, glorious views of Alpine lakes all around greet you. However, to get views from a higher spot, you can climb a tall column of steps to reach these panoramic terraces with peepholes carved out of the mountains.
There are many viewing platforms, hiking trails, observation decks, eateries and restaurants at the top.
There is a Dragon Path and Dragon World that can be fascinating for kids.
The weather was particularly kind on the day we were at Pilatus; it was bright and sunny, so we spent a great deal of time idling around and taking pictures.
On the way back, there are two halts before you reach Lucerne.
You take the cable car to the middle station at Fränküntegg
Then a small bubble gondola to Kriens.
From Kriens, you walk for 10 minutes to the bus stop to take Line 1 to Lucerne.
Or else, at Fränküntegg, you can opt for the amazing summer sledge or Toboggan.
This is the longest summer sledge in the world at 1350 meters long!
This is a not-to-miss attraction, and one should plan to incorporate it into the Pilatus itinerary.
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