Usually the third weekend of November, there’s a Christmas market on top of Mt Pilatus at 2128m, overlooking the Lake Lucerne region. It’s a fun way to kick off the holiday season and a good excuse to visit Pilatus to admire the views. It only runs one weekend, so don’t wait.
When: 17 – 18 Nov 2023
Where: cable car from Kriens near Lucerne
Cost: Adults CHF 62.40, Children CHF 35.10, discounts for travel cards
More info: www.pilatus.ch
Location
Mt Pilatus is located near Lucerne. See location on Google Maps. You need to ride a cable car to reach the Christmas market.
Opening times
The Christmas market is open just one weekend, usually the third week of November. In 2022, here are the opening times:
Friday 18 Nov 2002: 12.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Saturday 19 Nov 2022: 9.00 am – 6.00 pm
Sunday 20 Nov 2022: 9.00 am – 4.00 pm
Check the weather on their webcams to make sure you can get a good view. It’s not worth it if you’re stuck in the clouds. Note that the cable car and/or cogwheel train may close due to bad weather. So check the current status before heading out.
Ticket Prices
Your cost is for the cable car ride to the top of Mt Pilatus. During the Christmas market, you get a discount off the usual full fare for this trip. Here are the prices for 2022.
- CHF 57.60 for adults
- CHF 32.40 for children (aged 6-16), GA & SBB Half-Fare
- Free for children under 6 years old and those with a Junior Card
How to get there
During the Christmas market, you can usually can only reach Pilatus with the cable cars from Kriens. So I will give those instructions here.
By car: Drive to Schlossweg 1, 6010 Kriens and follow signs to Pilatusbahn. There are 3 small metered parking lots adjacent to the cable car station. In 2020, parking costs CHF 5 for 24 hours.
These spots can quickly fill up on busy days, which happened to us on our last visit. There is another parking lot about a 5 min walk down the street: Parkhaus Hofmatt at Horwerstrasse 13, 6010 Kriens.
By public transport: From Luzern main train station, take bus 1 to Kriens, Zentrum Pilatus (11 min ride), then a 5 minute walk to the valley cable car station as shown below. The bus runs quite frequently, check the schedule. Note, there is a closer bus station, but the bus doesn’t stop there for some strange reason.
Photo story
This picture shows the view as you ride up the cable car. This picture was taken in late October.
At the top of Mt Pilatus, the cable car drops you off at in indoor area with a gift shop, café, and restrooms. During the Christmas market, these halls are lined with tables selling lots of handmade crafts and Christmas paraphernalia.
Outside you can wander the observation terrace, catching the views.
Sunchairs with blankets.
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The market stalls outside were mostly selling food, all the winter favorites like mulled wine, sausage, raclette.
When we were there, they had a room sponsored by Hasbro with lots of games to try.
Although it’s not the best Christmas market I’ve been to, I did see a lot more handmade things on offer than I typically see at other markets. The main reason to visit is the novelty factor of being on top of a mountain.
If it hasn’t snowed yet, you can do a short walk up some stairs to the two viewpoints on either side of the observation deck, Oberhaupt or Esel. But often these are closed, so set your expectations accordingly. You can check the status here. Here’s the view from Oberhaupt.
In this picture, you can see the viewpoint, Esel, just above the buildings. It’s a short 10 min walk up stairs to get there.
Here’s the view from Esel, but the pic was taken in summer.
If there is no snow or ice, you may also be able to wander along the cliff walk to enjoy the views from a different perspective.
See my Mount Pilatus post for more details about visiting Pilatus and hiking there.
Where to stay
This is an easy day trip from Zürich, Basel or Bern. But if you want to stay overnight nearby, I would suggest staying in Lucerne city, where you can enjoy the charms of the city after your adventure and have access to many restaurants.
Our friends suggest Hotel des Balances, which is right on the river near the famous tower bridge. We’ve also enjoyed Hotel Anker, which has a cool, funky vibe and a great breakfast. For a budget stay, you might consider Ibis Budget Hotel near the Lucerne train station.
Plan a trip to Mt Pilatus in summer
2 responses
Just a small update: we went today and were able to take the cogwheel train! It was lovely to get above the clouds and be in the sun.
It looks amazing – I think we will definitely add it to our list for next Spring.
Actually I quite fancy going tomorrow for the Christmas market, but we have already promised the kids a zoo/aquarium.
Oh and I hear you loud and clear with the CHF 5 drinks – what is that all about?