Mt Pilatus Cable Car Adventure from Kriens: Exploring Lucerne's Iconic Landmark
4.6
178 Ratings
Kriens
Embark on a thrilling cable car adventure to Mt. Pilatus from Kriens. Enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps from 7,000 feet above sea level.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
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Pilatus Luzern - Start your trip at Kriens valley station and enjoy the 30 minutes ride with the panoramic gondola from Kriens to Fräkmüntegg, where you can visit the biggest rope park of Central Switzerland (suitable for visitors from 4 years old). In winter, there are sledging routes and snowshoe trails from Fräkmüntegg down to Krienseregg; the rental station is at the valley station in Kriens.
At Fräkmüntegg you will change to the aerial cableway “Dragon Ride” and reach the summit Pilatus Kulm at 2132 meters above sea level in 5 minutes. At the top of the Lucerne’s landmark mountain, you can enjoy the great panoramic view over the Swiss mountains and Lake Lucerne. You can also hike to one of the three peaks at Pilatus Kulm (Esel, Oberhaupt or Tomlishorn) or walk along the Dragon Path.
At Krienseregg, Fräkmüntegg, and Pilatus Kulm you can try some local specialties in one of the restaurants before heading back to Kriens by cable car.
What's Included
- Panoramic gondola ride from Kriens to Fräkmüntegg
- Aerial ‘Dragon Ride’ cableway from Fräkmüntegg to Pilatus Kulm
What's Not Included
- Tour Guide
- Seat reservation for the cogwheel train
- Hotel pick up and drop off
- Meals and snacks in restaurants
- Additional activities (rope park, toboggan run)
- Parking fee at the valley station Alpnachstad and Kriens (CHF 5 per day)
- Other personal expenses
Additional Information
A trip to Mt. Pilatus is a primary attraction when touring the Lake Lucerne region. Your journey begins at the Kriens valley station, where you will have a scenic 30-minute gondola travel over the pre-Alpine terrain up to Fräkmüntegg. Here, you’ll switch to the ‘Dragon Ride’ aerial cableway for a five-minute journey, taking you up to an altitude of 7,000 feet (2,132 meters). Bask in the breathtaking sights of the lake and the Alps before returning to Kriens via the same route.
Please note, this is not a guided tour and there is no designated meet-up location.
- Check the timetable carefully
- Don’t miss the last transportation down to the valley
- This is an unguided individual tour
- Operates in almost all weather conditions; please dress appropriately
- Cableways are not in operation in case of storm
- Prior reservation mandatory for wheelchairs
- Strollers must be folded during transport
- Operation of the cogwheel railway: 06.05.2024-17.11.2024
- Cable Car closed due to maintenance: 21.10.2024-08.11.2024. During that time, Pilatus Kulm is accessible by cogwheel train from Alpnachstad.
- Infants participate for free (age 0 - 5.99 years)
- You can choose your start and end point (Kriens and/or Alpnachstad)
- The transportation to the start and from the end point is not included
- To avoid long waiting times for the cogwheel train between Alpnachstad and Pilatus Kulm (or vice versa), we highly recommend to make a reservation for the cogwheel railway
Location
Pilatus Luzern
Schlossweg 1
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(178 Ratings)
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Jim
Mar 6, 2024
Cable cars up 7000 feet - Holy cow this was fun! The cog railway was closed for the season and for refurbishing so we took the cable cars to the top. The first section is in a small car which seats up to four. Part of the way up, we stopped at a station to switch to a much larger car to travel to the summit. The cables up we at about a 45 degree angle, but the ride was smooth and not worrisome for my hates-heights self. There is a hotel at the top! Brave folks can ascend even further with stairs. This one of the best 2 or 3 excursions I have been on.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
196rizwank
Dec 30, 2023
Lots of snow - The view was amazing , service was very good. Parking was cheap. Restaurants were amazing and clean.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melissa_s
Sep 18, 2023
Fabulous experience - Beautiful experience. Lovely views. Easy to access tickets from voucher. Enjoyed cable cars and tram
Review provided by Viator
Jlandmike
Aug 22, 2023
Amazing! - Loved this! Spent about 5 hours doing this experience riding bus, cable car, toboggan, gondola and cog train. Highly recommend the toboggan ride. Too hot to hike but we did walk the dragon tail which gave spectacular views.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bob_c
Aug 19, 2023
Spectacular Views! - The Cable cars, cog train and the views!!! Spectacular!! And I talked to a few locals and vacationers. Great experience!!!! A must!!!
Review provided by Viator
Jennifer_l
Jul 22, 2023
Amazing Vistas! - The cable cars and the toboggan ride we very memorable Pinot Grigio in France. The views were fantastic and overall a great experience.
Review provided by Viator
Ioana_t
Jul 21, 2023
Incredible - It's impossible to describe the majesty and beautyof Mount Pilatus. It has to be experienced. Make sure you go all the way to the top!!
Review provided by Viator
Kaidia2017
Jul 8, 2023
A must do when in Lucern - This was a spontaneous adventure and so glad we did it, and easy to get to by public transport (the bus). Mount Platius gondola ride cost us CHF 33.30 to go all the way to the top. Amazing and well worth the spend. It started to snow during the first stage of the gondola ride which was a real treat and by the top was totally white.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flymehigh
Jun 9, 2023
Must do if you stay in Lucerne! - This was definitely the highlight of our stay in Lucerne and we totally didn’t regret making this trip up to Pilatus. The views were breathtaking, and we enjoyed every single second at the peak. Highly recommended to all who spend at least 2 nights in Lucerne!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bcs488
Aug 18, 2023
Mt. Pilatus trip was a bust due to inclement weather. - While the cable car experience was fine and the visitor center was nice, we did have a very good lunch there, I am rating this as a poor experience since we were 'in the clouds' and thus had no view at all. Yes that is the luck of the draw so far as weather goes. Once we were down and back at Lake Luzerne, weather was nice but oh well, that's how it goes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
