Apr 30, 20223 min read

6 Not-to-Miss Day Trips from Lucerne, Switzerland - Mount Pilatus

Updated: May 20

Mount Pilatus or the Dragon Mountain at an altitude of 2128 meters is a must-visit on your trip to Switzerland.

Once on the top, you can get beautiful vistas of the Alpine mountains and lakes all around. Many vantage points on the mountain give stunning 360-degree views of the scenery all around.

There are 3 ways to reach Pilatus from Lucerne in Summer

- Golden Round Trip

- Silver Round Trip

- Directly by road to the Gondola station.

Golden Round Trip

The most popular one is the Golden Round Trip unless really you're short of time.

If you're going to Pilatus for the first time, then this is the way to go.

- This trip easily takes about 5-6 hours

- 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 -

The steep climb up the mountain is absolutely thrilling as the mountain scenery starts to unfold in front of your eyes.

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

This travel option does not involve any boats.

- You travel from Lucerne to Alpnachstad and back to Lucerne by train.

- From Alpnachstad, take the cogwheel to the top.

My Tip -

The only advantage that I could see here is that you will get a lot of time to do activities on 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.

Directly by road to the Gondola Station

- You can take a 20-minute bus ride from Lucerne to Krienseregg

- Further by gondola Dragon ride to the top.

My Tip -

Here, the advantage is that this is the quickest way to reach the top and also the cheapest. 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.

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 mountains.

There are many viewing platforms, hiking trails, observation decks, eateries and restaurants on 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.

Click on the link to learn about Tobogganing at Mt. Pilatus

https://www.journeys2memories.com/post/tobogganing-at-mt-pilatus-switzerland-the-world-s-longest-summer-toboggan-run

There is also an Adventure Tree Park with ropeways and fun things for kids here.

I have written about our Toboggan experience in a separate blog.

Travelling with kids to Switzerland? For more fun tips and things to remember, click on the links below -