Mount Pilatus

Pilatus rises straight out of Lake Lucerne to the south-west of the city, a jagged limestone massif whose summit, Pilatus Kulm, stands at 2,132 metres, and for many visitors it is the mountain of a Swiss trip. Legends of dragons living in its caves and of the ghost of Pontius Pilate in a lake on its slopes gave it a forbidding reputation for centuries; today it is one of the best-organised mountain excursions in the Alps, with two ways up. From Alpnachstad on the lake, the Pilatus cogwheel railway, opened in 1889, climbs to the summit at gradients of up to 48 percent, making it the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, a thrilling ride along cliffs and through tunnels in red railcars. From Kriens, on the edge of Lucerne, a panorama gondola climbs over meadows and forest to Fraekmuentegg, where the Dragon Ride aerial cableway, with its glass-walled cabin, swings up the north face to the summit. At the top, a cluster of historic hotels and restaurants, the Pilatus Kulm and the Bellevue, sits between two peaks, linked by walkways and short trails: the Esel path, the Oberhaupt and the Tomlishorn give 360-degree views over Lake Lucerne, the central Swiss plateau and, on clear days, a long chain of Alpine peaks. Walkers can follow the Dragon Path, a gallery cut into the rock with windows over the abyss. In summer, Fraekmuentegg adds Switzerland's longest summer toboggan run and a rope park. The classic way to do it is the Golden Round Trip, combining a boat from Lucerne to Alpnachstad, the cogwheel railway up, the cable cars down to Kriens and a bus back to town, offered from May to October; the Silver Round Trip skips the boat. In winter the cogwheel railway closes, and the summit is reached only from Kriens by gondola and cable car, with snow walks, sledging at Fraekmuentegg and the restaurants open. In November 2026 there is an unusual gap: the gondolas and Dragon Ride are closed for maintenance from 19 October to 27 November, the cogwheel railway runs until 29 November, and from 28 November the cable cars reopen on winter hours, with the last ascent from Kriens in the afternoon. The trip is not cheap; Swiss Travel Pass and Half Fare Card holders pay half price.

Planning the Golden Round Trip: from May to October, take a morning boat from the piers in front of Lucerne station to Alpnachstad, a cruise of about an hour and a half across the lake, then ride the cogwheel railway to the summit in about half an hour. Spend two or three hours at the top, walking the short trails and having lunch with a view, then descend by the Dragon Ride and the panorama gondolas to Kriens and take the bus back into Lucerne. The whole circuit takes most of a day, and the order can be reversed. Book the cogwheel railway in high season, as seats are limited, and check the weather and webcams before you commit: on cloudy days the summit can be in fog while Lucerne is clear, and vice versa.

Winter and shoulder season: outside the summer season, plan on the Kriens route only, up and down by gondola and cable car, with winter hours ending in the late afternoon. In late 2026, remember the maintenance closure of the cable cars until 27 November; if you are in Lucerne in the second half of November, the cogwheel railway from Alpnachstad is the only way up until it closes after 29 November, and on weekends until mid-November it can be combined with a lake boat. From 28 November, the Kriens gondola and the Dragon Ride run again, and the summit hotels and restaurants receive winter visitors, with snowshoe walks and, at Fraekmuentegg, sledging when there is snow. Check the operator's live timetable and disruptions page before travelling.

Tickets and value: tickets are sold by the Pilatus railways online and at the stations. The Swiss Travel Pass, the Swiss Half Fare Card and Eurail or Interrail passes give 50 percent off the mountain sections, and the regional Lucerne Travel Pass, sold as the Tell Pass in some years, covers Pilatus in full. Families can save with children's fares. Staying overnight in one of the summit hotels, with sunset and sunrise above the clouds, is an unforgettable splurge. For many visitors, Pilatus is the best single mountain day from Lucerne: higher and more dramatic than Rigi, easier and cheaper than Titlis.