Mt Pilatus Golden Round Trip: boat cruise + mountain excursion

The “Golden Round Trip” is a full day excursion from Lucerne, visiting the nearby Mt Pilatus. The outing includes a boat ride on Lake Lucerne, steep cogwheel mountain train to the top of Pilatus. 

At the top, you can enjoy the views from the observation deck, eat at one of the restaurants, and optionally hike. Then ride a cable car down the other side of the mountain, with more amusements like the alpine slide and ropes adventure course.

This outing is a great way to experience the best of the Lucerne area, enjoying a variety of classic Swiss experiences. Below is all the information you need to plan your day on the Pilatus Golden Round Trip.

Note: The Golden Round Trip is only possible from mid May through mid October, when the boat is running. In winter (Nov – April), you can instead visit Pilatus via cable car from Kriens. Learn more.

Quick info

Location	Lucerne City Pier 2
Open	mid May to mid October
Tickets	➡️ Book Golden Round Trip tickets * With Swiss Travel Pass or GA, the boat is free. Book just mountain tickets.
Discount	discount with the Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Half Fare Card, GA, Interrail, and Eurail. Free with Lucerne Region Tell-Pass.

Gallery

Overview of Golden Round Trip

Here is an overview the Golden Round Trip.

Flow of the day

1. Boat: From Lucerne, ride boat to the the base on the Pilatus mountain.
2. Mountain train: At Alpnachstad, transfer to the cogwheel mountain train and ride to the top.
3. Viewpoint: At Pilatus Kulm, you’ll find a large observation deck, restaurants and gift shop.
4. Short hikes: Optionally climb stairs to the Esel and Oberhaupt viewpoints on either side of the observation deck.
5. Longer hikes: Hike to Tomlishorn viewpoint on the “Flower Trail” cliff walk, about 1h round trip.
6. Cable car: Ride the cable car from Pilatus Kulm down to Fräkmüntegg (4 mins).
7. Amusements: Here you’ll find the summer toboggan, ropes park, Dragon Glider, Treetop Path, and restaurant.
8. Gondola: Ride the gondola down to Kriens. Optional stop at Krienseregg station for the Piluland playground.
9. Bus: At Kriens, catch bus back to Lucerne, about 20 min.

Planning your day

You will need a minimum of 5 hours for this outing.

On our last visit, we caught the 9:38 boat and arrived on Mt Pilatus at 11:30. We spent 2.5 hrs on the top and did the alpine slide on the way down. We arrived back in Lucerne at 16:00.

Sample timeline

Time	Activity
9:38	In Lucerne, board Pilatus boat at 9:38. Arrive Alpnachstad at 10:49.
11:05	Transfer to mountain train, which departs at 11:05. Arrive Pilatus Kulm at 11:32.
	Enjoy views from observation deck and Esel viewpoint, about 60-90 mins.
12:30	Ride cable car down to Fräkmüntegg (4 min ride)
	Ride summer toboggan and Dragon Glider (about 1 hour). Optional lunch at restaurant or picnic.
13:45	Ride gondola to Kriens (30 min), arriving at 14:15
14:22	Board Bus 15. At Kriens, Hoffmatt-Bellpark stop, change to Bus 1 (Direction Ebikon, Fildern) and ride to Luzern train station, arriving 14:21.
14:41	Arrive at Luzern train station

Travel times

Here are travel times for each leg of the trip.

• Boat ride – 1hr15. You should arrive at least 20 mins before your boat departure time so you can secure a good seat on the boat.
• Cogwheel train – 32 mins. But expect to wait in line for 10-30 mins before boarding the train.
• Pilatus Viewpoint – minimum 1 hour. Add 1 hour if you plan to eat at the restaurant. Add 2 hours if you plan to hike to Tomlishorn.
• Dragon Ride cable car – 4 mins, runs every 15 mins
• Gondola Fräkmüntegg to Kriens – 30 mins, runs continuously
• Summer toboggan – the ride is short, but plan for 30-60 mins to account for wait times and walking to and from the toboggan.
• Bus Kriens Luzern – about 17-25 mins. But add waiting time in case you don’t arrive in Kriens exactly when the bus departs.

Operating times

The Golden Round Trip is possible from mid May through mid October when the boat and cogwheel train are running. Outside of this time, you can still visit Mt Pilatus by riding the Kriens-Pilatus cable car.

In 2026, the Golden Round Trip is possible from 11 May to 18 Oct 2026.

Boat + Mountain Train schedule

The Pilatus boat and mountain train operate from mid May through mid October. The schedule is coordinated between the boat and cogwheel train. So choose a combo that works for you.

Below is the 2026 schedule. It may change anytime without notice. Verify the current schedule here before making plans.

Boat: Luzern 🡺 Alpnachstad	Train: Alpnachstad 🡺 Pilatus Kulm	Dates
8:38 – 9:25	9:55 – 10:22	Daily 4 Jul – 16 Aug / Sat/Sun/holidays 23 May – 3 July, 17 Aug – 18 Oct
9:38 – 10:49	11:05 – 11:32	Daily 23 May – 18 Oct / Sat/Sun/holidays 11-22 May
10:38 – 12:05	12:50 – 13:17	11 May – 18 Oct
11:50 – 13:04	13:25 – 13:52
12:38 – 13:45	14:00 – 14:27	Daily 23 May – 18 Oct / Sat/Sun/holidays 11-22 May
13:38 – 14:57	15:10 – 15:37	11 May – 18 Oct
14:38 – 16:10	16:20 – 16:47	11 May – 18 Oct

If you doing the round trip counterclockwise (gondola first, train & boat last), use the following connection for the descent from Pilatus Kulm to Alpnachstad, then boat to Lucerne.

Train: Pilatus Kulm 🡺 Alpnachstad	Boat: Alpnachstad 🡺 Luzern	Dates
8:44 – 9:17	9:30 – 10:28	Daily 4 Jul – 16 Aug / Sat/Sun/holidays 23 May – 3 July, 17 Aug – 18 Oct
9:54 – 10:27	10:55 – 12:16	Daily 23 May – 18 Oct / Sat/Sun/holidays 11-22 May
11:39 – 12:12	12:22 – 13:28	11 May – 18 Oct
12:14 – 12:47	13:08 – 13:55	Daily 4 Jul – 16 Aug / Sat/Sun/holidays 23 May – 3 July, 17 Aug – 6 Sept
13:24 – 13:57	14:07 – 15:27	Daily 23 May – 18 Oct / Sat/Sun/holidays 11-22 May
14:34 – 15:07	15:17 – 16:25	11 May – 18 Oct
15:44 – 16:17	16:27 – 17:36	11 May – 18 Oct
16:54 – 17:27	17:38 – 18:45	23 May – 18 Oct

Cable car timetable

On the north side of the mountain, you ride a cable car, then a gondola to get down the mountain.

From Pilatus Kulm, you start with a large cable to Fräkmüntegg. This departs every 15 mins. The journey is 4 mins. Last ride down from Pilatus Kulm 17:30 (in winter 16:30).

At Fräkmüntegg, you transfer to a small gondola car that travels down to Kriens, which takes 30 mins. It runs continuously throughout the day, but may have a long line in the afternoon. Last ride down 17:00 (in winter 16:00).

You cannot reserve a time slot for either of these cable cars – first come, first served.

If you are starting your day in Kriens, first ride up is 8:30 am. Check current schedule.

Bus schedule

The Golden Round Trip includes a bus ride between the Luzern train station and the Kriens Pilatusbahn gondola station.

Directly in front of the Kriens Pilatus gondola station, there is the Kriens. Pilatus Bahnen bus stop. This bus runs infrequently, so coordinate your plans with the timetable to avoid a long wait. Check schedule on SBB.ch.

Ride Bus 15 to Kriens, Hofmatt-Bellpark. Get off the bus and transfer to Bus 1, direction Ebikon, Fildern, which will take you to the Lucerne main train station. This full journey is about 17 mins.

Alternative:

If you missed Bus 15, you can walk 10 mins to the Kriens, Zentrum Pilatus bus stop. Catch Bus 1, direction Ebikon, Fildern. This bus runs about every 8 mins and takes about 12 mins to reach the Lucerne main train station (Luzern, Bahnhof), no transfers.

Tickets for Golden Round Trip

The Golden Round Trip “combo” ticket includes all transportation needed for this outing: boat, mountain train, cable car, and bus.

Prices for Golden Round Trip

In 2026, this Pilatus Golden Round Trip ticket costs CHF 119.50/adult.

Ticket type	2025 Price CHF
Adult	119.50
Swiss Travel Pass, GA	42.00
Interrail, Eurrail	60.90
Child age 6-15	59.90
Child under 6 or with Swiss Family Card or Junior Card	free
Lucerne Region Tell-Pass	free

Tickets with Swiss Travel Pass & Day Passes

The boat is free if you have a Swiss Travel Pass, Saver Day Pass, GA, Gemeinde Day Passes or other discount day passes.

So you only need to book the mountain train + cable car/gondola tickets, not the combo Golden Round Trip ticket.

Book mountain tickets via the Pilatus website and choose a one-way ticket for your desired direction of travel.

• Boat first? Book Alpnachstad-Kriens ticket
• Bus first? Book Kriens-Alpnachstad ticket

Seat reservation for cogwheel train

You can optionally reserve seats on the cogwheel train in Alpnachstad on the Pilatus website. This helps you avoid long waiting times, which can happen on weekends and high summer season.

When purchasing Pilatus tickets, you will have the option to select a time slot, as shown below. You should coordinate this time slot with the boat arrival or departure.

If you already have Pilatus tickets but did not purchase a seat reservation, you can purchase it separately on the Pilatus website.

Where to purchase tickets

Best to purchase tickets via the Pilatus website, which offers various ticket options and applies discounts for travel passes.

If you want a guided tour, book via GetYourGuide, which allows cancellations up to 24h in advance.

1st class tickets

You can purchase a 1st class ticket for the boat ride, which allows you to sit on the upper deck.

There is no 1st class for the mountain train or cable cars.

How to get there

This excursion is located in Lucerne in central Switzerland. See location on Google Maps.

I suggest starting with the boat ride in Lucerne. The Golden Round Trip leaves from Pier 2, directly in front of the Lucerne main train station, as shown on the map below. See on Google maps.

By public transport:

Take a train to Luzern, Bahnhof, the main train station in Lucerne. Walk out the main entrance to Pier 2 across the street.

By car:

The closest parking is at the Luzern train station, which is near the boat dock (Bahnhofpl. 1, 6002 Luzern).

Best to use the Parking 3 lot, which is slightly cheaper. See all Luzern parking options and download a PDF with a price comparison between all garages.

After parking, you walk through the train station and outside directly to the piers.

Direction of travel

I prefer to travel clockwise, starting with the boat ride and ending with the cable car ride because:

• there are only a few boat rides per day so I find it easier to schedule my day starting with the boat
• since the Alpnachstad boat departure times are few and far between, it can be tricky to time your cogwheel descent to catch the boat on time.  If you have to wait an hour or more, you can lounge at the lakeside café and get ice cream.
• with the cable car last, we can stop at the alpine slide at the end of our day

Some prefer to travel counter clockwise, starting with the cable car and ending with the boat because:

• you can get to Mt Pilatus earlier in the day and avoid some crowds at the top – first ride up 8:30
• you avoid a long wait for the cogwheel train at Alpnachstad on busy days
• you end the day with a relaxing boat ride, instead of a busy city bus to Lucerne.

But don’t stress. Just travel whichever direction makes sense for your group.

Photo story of the Golden Round Trip

1. Boat ride from Lucerne

From the train station, walk through the arch and directly to the water.

The Golden Round trip leaves from Pier 2.

We were able to board the boat about 15 mins before departure. It helps to be one of the first ones to board so you can get a good seat. You don’t show your tickets when you get on the boat.

The staff will come around the boat later and ask for your ticket. You can buy a ticket directly on board if necessary.

All sides of the boat are nice but the right side of the boat faces Mt Pilatus as shown in the picture here.

You can freely wander the boat during the ride to get different views. 

Upstairs requires a first class ticket.

2. Alpnachstad Cogwheel Mountain Train

From the boat, it’s a short walk to Pilatus-Bahn station where you get on the cogwheel train.

As you approach the station, these is a little ticket stand (the blue umbrella in the pic below) where you need to show your voucher and receive a bar code ticket for both the cogwheel train and cable car down the other side of the mountain.

On non-busy days, they may not have this temp ticket stand. Instead go to the ticket office on the left side of this picture.

The line for the cogwheel train can be very long on busy summer days. We were there on a Friday in early June and there were at least a couple hundred people in line.

The boat arrival is coordinated with the cogwheel train departure schedule. The first train filled up quickly and there were still lots of people in line. So I was worried that we would have to wait a long time for the next train. But three more train cars came to collect everyone. It seems that the trains are continually running up and down the mountain on busy days.

Like at other tourist destinations in Switzerland, the Pilatus Bahn staff want you to sit where they tell you sit. So when walking up the stairs, don’t just sit in the first cabin so you can get a window seat or you might get scolded. They want you to fill up the seats in order so every seat gets filled. But if possible, it’s best to sit on the far side, away from the stairs, which has a better view when you get above the tree line.

I stood up a few times to see the steep tracks ahead of us. It’s an exciting ride.

The journey takes about 32 mins to reach Pilatus Kulm. The steepest grade is near the top.

   

3. Pilatus Kulm Viewpoint

The train drops you at the observation desk shown below. The cogwheel train and cable car stations are both here.

At this complex, you’ll find restaurants, gift shops and many viewpoints. Many people just spend their time wandering the observation deck and taking pictures. Below I give suggestions on other ways to spend your time here. But for more detail, see my Mt Pilatus post.

4. Restaurants at Pilatus Kulm

The large building is a hotel and restaurant with outdoor seating. There is another self-serve restaurant near the cable car station with indoor and sometimes outdoor seating in good weather. Inside, there is also a café with sandwiches. Sometimes they have a kiosk selling sausages on the observation deck. This pic is taken from the Esel peak just above the cogwheel train station. 

5. Oberhaupt & Esel viewpoints

If you can manage stairs, I suggest you hike up to one of the taller peaks flanking the observation deck. In the pic below, we are standing at the Oberhaupt peak and looking across the the Esel peak.

Both hikes are a little steep with switchbacks but should only take you about 10 mins each way.

Here are the stairs leading up the Esel viewpoint with Lake Lucerne in the distance.

Here is the viewing area from the Esel peak.

6. “Flower Trail” cliff walk to Tomlishorn viewpoint

I also recommend the Tomlishorn Flower Trail (aka Blumenweg), which skirts along the cliffs shown here. To start the trail, follow the path past the hotel/restaurant that leads along the cliffs.

You can just walk along the path for a few minutes and turn back when you are tired. With my 74 year dad, we walked for about 20 mins down the trail and turned back. He loved the views and was very glad to have done it.

There is a fence along the cliffs, but if you are afraid of heights or with small children that might slip under the fence, perhaps skip this one.

The full trail is about 3 km there and back (plan about 1 hour+) to reach the Tomlishorn viewpoint (see hiking map here).

About the last 15 mins of the trail is steeper, with stairs and uneven terrain with lots of rocks. If you feel uncomfortable here, just turn back when you reach the stairs.

This is the view from Tomilshorn. Hike back the same way you came.

7. “Dragon Ride” cable car down to Fräkmüntegg

When you are done at the top, go inside the complex to the cable car station, which descends on the left side of this picture, opposite of the cogwheel train. It leaves about every 15 mins.

The cable car drops you at the Fräkmüntegg middle station, where you can transfer to a gondola that takes you the rest of the way down to Kriens.

Or you can stop for awhile at Fräkmüntegg to participate in various amusements like the alpine slide (info below), dragon glider and ropes course.

8. Fräkmüntegg toboggan run

You can see the Fräkmüntegg alpine slide in this picture, the squiggly line on the left. It’s 1350m long, the longest in Switzerland. It’s open 10:00 – 17:30 (last ticket sold at 17:00) in good weather. It’s not open in winter.

From the Fräkmüntegg cable car station, it’s about a 5-10 min walk uphill to reach the top of the alpine slide (path on the left in the pic below). My 74 yr old dad found the trail a bit steep for his bad knees but he managed.

Here’s the entrance to the alpine slide. There is a small cafe here and picnic tables.

You can purchase your tickets here at a machine. Children under 8 must ride with an adult over age 16. In 2022, it costs CHF 9/adult, CHF 7/children aged 8-16, and CHF 5/children aged 6-7, children under 5 ride free with an adult. See current prices.

You cannot take any bags with you on the slide, so store them in the free lockers. You also cannot use a camera or phone on the slide, a CHF 100 fine if you do. However, you can use your phone on the ride back up, which would be a nice opportunity for pictures.

9. Gondola down to Kriens

At Fräkmüntegg, scan your bar code ticket to get on the gondola to Kriens. The small gondola cars run continuously, so there usually isn’t a long wait except at the end of a busy day.

If you want to visit the PILU-Land playground, get off at the Krienseregg stop. You can use your same ticket to get back on and continue riding to Kriens.

10. Bus to Lucerne

In Kriens, exit the gondola station and wait at the bus stop directly outside the station, shown here. See current schedule for bus 15. Ride Bus 15 four stops to Kriens, Hofmatt-Bellpark.

Get off the bus, cross the street and walk a few meters to the bus stop, which is shown below. Catch Bus 1, direction Ebikon, Fildern, which will take you to the Lucerne main train station. This full journey is about 17 mins. 

Video of Pilatus Day Trip

A short video of our day on the Golden Round Trip in June 2022.

FAQ

How long is the Golden Round Trip?

As I described in the sample schedule above, I would plan for about 5 hours for the Golden Round Trip. That gives you enough time to enjoy various attractions and gives a buffer for possible waiting times.

Can I do the Golden Round Trip in a half-day?

If you are on a tight schedule, I suggest starting with the cable car ride and taking the first ride up at 8:30. The cable car ride takes about 40 mins. This gets you to Pilatus by about 9:10. Spend 1 hour at the top. Catch the 10:10 cogwheel train to Alpnachstad, which gets you to the 10:57 boat to Lucerne. You will arrive in Lucerne at 12:17.

If that is too long, don’t do the full Golden Round Trip. Instead just ride the cable car up and back, which is much quicker.

Can I bring a stroller?

You can bring a stroller on the boat and bus. But you will need to fold it on the cogwheel train, cable car and gondola. You can use the stroller around the Pilatus observation deck, which has elevators to avoid the stairs. But you cannot take it on any of the trails.

Is Pilatus wheelchair accessible?

The gondola and cable are accessible for manual and electronic wheelchairs, but electronic wheelchairs must register in advance.

The cogwheel train is also wheelchair accessible but both kinds must register in advance. Max dimensions and additional information is available in the Pilatus accessibility policy here.

At Pilatus Kulm, the toilets and elevators are wheelchair accessible, providing access to the panorama terrace and restaurants.

What if I miss the boat in Alpnachstad?

If you are doing this trip counter clockwise, you will ride the cogwheel train down to Alpnachstad, where you can catch the boat back to Alpnachstad.

However, if there is a long wait, you might not get on the cogwheel train at the right time to catch the boat. In this case, you can instead take a train back to Lucerne. The train station is adjacent to the boat dock.

Can I start my day with the Alpnachstad cogwheel train instead?

Yes. Just drive or take a train directly to Alpnachstad and start your day with the cogwheel train. The timing is a little tricky on the second half of your day to get back to Lucerne in time for the last boat. So check the schedule carefully.

Where to stay near Pilatus

I would suggest staying in Lucerne, 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.