Mount Pilatus Golden Round Trip is the most popular excursion from Lucerne in Switzerland. And rightly so – it’s such a great way to experience the stunning Alpine scenery by boat, cogwheel train, on foot, and via a series of cable cars.
But what to expect and what to know before you book your tickets (only bookable in season!) and how to best plan your Mt Pilatus day trip so that you can make the most of your time and enjoy the best that this Golden Tour has to offer?
In this guide, we share our experience, common mistakes, and useful tips to help you plan your Mt Pilatus Golden Round trip from Lucerne. Find out!
Good to know: Lucerne Golden Round Trip is the most complete and the most scenic option for those planning a day trip to Mt Pilatus, but it’s not the only way to visit Mount Pilatus. If you are interested to learn more about all the other options, please see our guide to the best ways to visit Mt Pilatus from Lucerne.
Below, you can find all the details, info, and map for the Mt Pilatus Golden Round Trip – read on!
PRO TIP: Want to experience the Golden Round Trip—complete with bus from Lucerne, gondolas, cogwheel train, and boat cruise—but feeling overwhelmed by the logistics or tight schedule? Simplify your adventure by booking this highly-rated guided tour. It includes all tickets, and your guide will ensure you make the most of your day, stress-free!
READ ALSO: Best Things to Do in Lucerne
Practical Info & Map of Pilatus Golden Round Trip
Mt Pilatus Golden Round Trip is a ‘loop’ excursion to Mt Pilatus from Lucerne using a series of different means of transport: a bus, a gondola, an aerial cable car, a cogwheel train, and a scenic boat.
Below, you can see the map that will give you a good overview of this trip. You can do it in any direction, but there are important things to consider when deciding which way to do it – more about it further below.
Here is some important information for the Golden Round Trip:
- SEASON: Golden Round Trip can usually be done from mid-May to mid-October. You can still visit Mt Pilatus outside of the summer season, but for the entire Golden Round Trip, you need all the transport to run and the boat and the cogwheel train aren’t available in winter. This year, the cogwheel train will run from 12 May to 16 November 2025. The boat that you need for this trip is scheduled to run from May 12 to October 20, 2025.
- DURATION: Golden Round Trip takes at least 4 hours. However, if you want to take it easier, explore the best viewpoints or have lunch at a restaurant at the top of Mt Pilatus, do some hiking, or try one of the fun activities at Fräkmüntegg, you’ll need more time. We recommend planning at least 5-6 hours for this excursion.
- TICKETS: You can easily do the Golden Round Trip from Lucerne on your own. It’s best to get this combi ticket that includes all the instructions and all the transport options (available in season). Booking it all separately is not only more expensive, but it will also add unnecessary stress and hassle. This ticket allows you to do the trip in any direction. If you have the Swiss Travel Pass, you get a big discount on your tickets; in that case, it’s best to get them at the valley stations or some other sales points in Lucerne. In addition, it’s now recommended to reserve a specific time slot on a cogwheel train. You can do it online for a small extra fee (tickets are separate).
- TOURS: If you find all the planning overwhelming, consider doing the Golden Trip with this highly-rated guided tour from Lucerne. It’s just a bit more expensive than the self-guided ticket, but you have an experienced local guide who takes care of all the practicalities and keeps you on schedule. It’s a bit less flexible than going on your own, but you’ll make the best use of your time and be sure not to miss any connections. There’s also a private tour, but you pay a lot more for just a bit more flexibility. If you are coming from Zurich, the best way to visit is with this tour.
Good to know: While the Mt. Pilatus Golden Round Trip is only available in the summer, you can visit Mt. Pilatus year-round by taking a gondola from Kriens. However, the gondola usually closes for maintenance for a few weeks between late October and early November. During that time, you can still reach Mt. Pilatus via the cogwheel train from Alpnachstad.
Here’s what you see on the map above:
- YELLOW – bus between Lucerne and Kriens.
- GREEN – cable car (gondola + Dragon Ride) between Kriens and Mt Pilatus.
- RED – cogwheel train between Mt Pilatus and Alpnachstad.
- BLUE – boat trip between Alpnachstad and Lucerne.
- The black line shows the regular train between Alpnachstad and Lucerne. It’s not part of the Golden Trip since you are taking a scenic boat ride instead. If you prefer to take the train, opt for a Silver Trip ticket (all the rest stays the same).
Below, you can find more info for each leg of the journey.
Pilatus Golden Round Trip: Transport & What to Expect
As you can see, doing the Golden Round Trip from Lucerne to Mt Pilatus and back involves quite a few different transportation options.
We start with the bus from Lucerne and end with a boat ride back to the city, but you can also do this trip in the other direction. Further below, you can read more about the best direction and why we recommend doing it that way.
Here is an overview – and pictures – of all the transport you have to take as part of the Pilatus Golden Round Trip from Lucerne, so that you have a better idea of what to expect:
BUS from Lucerne to Kriens
The first leg of your Golden Round Trip journey is a bus ride from Lucerne to Kriens.
From Lucerne city center, take RBus nr. 1 to Kriens. It’s a (trolley) bus in the direction of Obernau Dorf, and you have to get off at “Kriens, Zentrum Pilatus” bus stop.
There are buses every few minutes, so you don’t have to plan much in advance. The bus ride between Lucerne Railway Station and Kriens takes less than 15 minutes.
In Kriens, you’ll have to walk to the cable car valley station. It’s a short walk of 5-10 minutes and there are plenty of signs pointing to where you have to walk.
GONDOLA from Kriens to Fräkmüntegg
The cable car ride from Kriens to Mt Pilatus is split in two.
The first part is a 4-person gondola ride from Kriens to Fräkmüntegg that takes about 18-20 minutes. The views are really nice and you can see the city and the lake in the distance.
Since you have to disembark in Fräkmüntegg anyway, you can explore this area a bit more before going up to the top of Mt Pilatus. There’s a rope park here, a zip-line glider, a mountain toboggan, and more fun activities that could easily take half a day (you can find an overview of all activities here). However, you won’t have time for all of that if you are doing the Golden Day Trip. If you are short on time, you could try the Dragon Glider or the Toboggan.
We did the toboggan run and it was really nice, but you need at least 30-45 minutes extra time to your itinerary if you plan on doing it. The ride itself isn’t long, but it’s a bit of a walk from the cable car station.
DRAGON RIDE to Mt Pilatus from Fräkmüntegg
Next, is the so-called Dragon Ride – an aerial cable car from Fräkmüntegg to Pilatus Kulm.
It’s a big gondola that takes lots of passengers at once, and the ride takes 3.5 minutes.
If there are no clouds, it’s a very scenic ride, so try to stand close to the windows. The best views are, of course, in the direction of Lucerne and the lake (the left side or the back of the gondola when going up, or the right side or the front of the gondola when going down).
PILATUS KULM
Pilatus Kulm is the name of the Mt Pilatus peak destination. Here, you’ll find a hotel with a restaurant, several viewpoints, and some hiking trails.
Time permitting, try to at least visit the main viewpoints: Oberhaupt and Esel. The family-friendly Dragon Trail is also nice to do.
You can also take a 40-min hike on the Flower Trail to Tomlishorn. On a clear day, the views are amazing. It’s not a difficult hike, but be sure to stay on the path and hold on to your kids! This is also one of the best places to see wild ibex.
COGWHEEL TRAIN from Pilatus to Alpnachstad
After you have explored Mt Pilatus and are ready for the journey back, take a train to Alpnachstad. The ride down takes 40 minutes.
Mt Pilatus railway is the steepest cogwheel train in the world (48%) and a ride on this train is an experience in itself!
Important! Be sure to keep an eye on the train and boat schedule to be sure that you have enough time to get down by train and don’t miss the last boat! TIP: It’s now possible to reserve a time slot for a cogwheel train online in advance. It costs a few Swiss Francs extra but can save you a lot of stress.
BOAT from Alpnachstad to Lucerne
The final leg of the Golden Round Trip journey is the boat ride from Alpnachstad to Lucerne.
Depending on which boat you take (where it stops along the way), the boat ride to Lucerne takes between 1 hour and 1 hour 20 minutes. It’s a scenic ride and you can also get some drinks or food on board. A ride on the boat is a great way to end your Mt Pilatus sightseeing trip.
Good to know: If you want to, you can upgrade your tickets to the 1st class, and sit on the upper deck. You can simply do this on the boat itself, so no need to decide in advance. The main advantage is that it’s usually much quieter on top and they also serve drinks at the table. So it’s a bit more luxurious. But as far as the views go, it doesn’t matter that much whether you sit on the lower or on the upper deck. We found the upgrade worth it.
Best Direction for the Golden Round Trip & Our Experience
As you can see on the map above, the Golden Round Trip is a circular trip that starts and ends in Lucerne. It’s possible to do it in either direction and the views are equally nice, no matter which way you go.
However, you have to keep an eye on the schedule of the boat, the cogwheel train, and the gondolas, to be sure that you can do the entire trip and get back to Lucerne in time and without having to rush.
Our experience: We have read so many reviews online trying to decide which way to go and opted to do the Golden round trip clockwise, so starting with the boat from Lucerne to Alpnachstad first.
We took the earliest boat in the morning (9.38 AM). However, by the time we reached Alpnachstad, it was so busy at the cogwheel train that we had to wait for the next one. We finally reached Pilatus Kulm past noon. It was ok timing-wise, but it felt like we spent half a day just to get there and just had to start sightseeing. It was also really busy at the top, the restaurants and the viewing platforms were crowded as well.
The reason why we opted to go this way was because we read that many people missed the last boat to Lucerne if they did the trip the other way around. We also thought that this would give us more time to enjoy the activities at Fräkmüntegg (adventure park, summer toboggan) – this was indeed correct. But we did this trip with kids, so it was important for us. But not many day tourists seem to be even interested in these activities…
However, having done the Golden trip this way, I would definitely opt to do it in the other direction next time. Here’s why.
Our recommendation: Do the Lucerne Golden Round Trip anti-clockwise! So start with a bus ride to Kriens, followed by a gondola ride/ aerial cableway to Mt Pilatus.
If you start early in the morning (in summer, cable cars start running at 8.30 AM), it will be quiet everywhere you go. Even if you start at 9 AM or a bit later, you’ll still be at the top of Pilatus long before the biggest crowds start to arrive.
This will not only let you make the most of your time at the top, but it will also ensure that you have a more relaxing day afterwards. When you are ready to go down, take a cogwheel train from Pilatus to Alpnachstad and then a boat from there to the city. Taking the train in this direction is usually also less stressful and there are fewer passengers. But sometimes it’s also possible to reserve a specific time slot.
It’s also nice to be able to end your excursion with a scenic boat ride on Lake Lucerne. You can relax and rest while enjoying the views from the boat, and you’ll still be fit enough to explore the city afterwards if you choose to.
Below, you can see our recommended Mt Pilatus day trip itinerary.
Important: Get a ticket that includes all the transportation (these tickets are typically bookable in the season when the trips actually run, so may not be available if you are too early).
Also, keep an eye on the boat schedule to be sure you don’t miss the last boat from Alpnachstad to Lucerne. In high season, there is usually one boat per hour. At the moment of the last update, there are boats scheduled at 1.08 PM, 2.07 PM, 3.17 PM, 4.27 PM, and also at 5.38 PM.
Mt Pilatus Day Trip from Lucerne – Golden Round Trip Itinerary
Below, you can see an overview of what your day trip could look like. Please note that the hours are based on the current departure times, so be sure to check the official website for the up-to-date timetable. You’ll also be able to find the schedule in the travel brochures that you can pick up when you get your tickets.
Mt Pilatus Golden Round Trip Itinerary:
- Get your tickets in advance (only bookable in season). This ticket is also your bus ticket and a voucher for the actual scannable tickets for the gondola, train, and boat, that you’ll pick up on the spot.
- 8.15 AM Take an RBus #1 from Lucerne Railway Station in the direction of Obernau Dorf. Disembark in Kriens – Pilatus Zentrum bus stop. The bus ride takes about 12-15 minutes.
- 8.30 AM Walk from the bus stop to the Mt Pilatus gondola station. The walk takes 5-10 minutes and there are signs indicating where to go.
- 9.00 AM Pick up your tickets at the valley ticket desk and take a gondola to Fräkmüntegg.
- 9.30 AM Take the Dragon Ride (an aerial cableway) to Pilatus Kulm.
- 9.35 – 11.20 AM Explore the viewing platforms at Mt Pilatus, take a hike to Tomlishorn, or have brunch/lunch at the restaurant.
- 11.39 AM Take a cogwheel railway to Alpnachstad. The ride on the train takes 40 minutes. The boat to Lucerne stops just across the street from the train station (less than 5 minutes walk), and the schedules are aligned so that the boat leaves 10 minutes after the train arrives.
- 12.22 PM Take a scenic boat ride from Alpnachstad to Lucerne.
- 1.28 PM Arrive in Lucerne. This leaves you plenty of time to explore the city in the afternoon. If you start later and/or take the next boat at 1.08 PM, you’ll be back in Lucerne a bit before 2 PM. In the peak season, there is also a boat at 2.07 PM, arriving in Lucerne around 3.27 PM.
!!! This is just an example of how to plan your time if you do the Golden Round Trip from Lucerne. Make sure to double-check the train/boat schedule on the day itself. You can easily adjust the trip and the timing depending on your interests and the gondola/train/boat schedule. Kriens gondola starts running at 8.30 AM in the summer season.
If you have more time, you could also first stop at Fräkmüntegg before going to the top of Mt Pilatus. There are some nice activities here – mountain toboggan is really fun!
You could also do some more hiking. There’s plenty of choice, but most trails here are quite steep and require at least 2-3 hours. You can also spend more time hiking at the top of Pilatus itself. There are some relatively easy trails with great views. Or simply start your day a bit later (but keep in mind that it will be much busier later in the day).
Mt Pilatus Golden Round Trip by Car
If you are driving to Mt Pilatus by car, you can easily do the Golden Pilatus trip as well. After all, it’s a loop, so you can always come back to the place where you left your car. (Just to be clear – you cannot drive up the mountain itself, but there are plenty of car parks where you can leave your car for visiting Mt Pilatus).
Parking. You could leave your car in Lucerne, in Kriens, or in Alpnachstad. Parking in Kriens or in Alpnachstad is much cheaper than in Lucerne city center, so these are the two best options.
However, because of the cable car, train, and boat schedule, I highly recommend that you leave your car in Kriens, from where you can take a cable car to Mt Pilatus. You then take a train down to Alpnachstad and a boat from the to Lucerne.
Afterwards, you can easily spend some time in Lucerne and then take a bus to Kriens at any time it suits you. Buses run continuously, also in the evenings, so you won’t have to rush.
So, this is our guide to visiting Mt Pilatus with the most popular excursion – the Golden Round Trip from Lucerne. I hope that it gives you a better idea of how it works and helps you plan a more relaxed and memorable day.
TIP: If you have some extra time in Lucerne, you may also want to visit Mt Titlis nearby. With over 3,020 meters (10,000 ft), Mt Titlis offers a very different experience than Mt Pilatus 2,132 m (7,000 ft).
Titlis is one of the highest easily accessible mountain peaks in central Switzerland, it’s open year-round, and it’s very close to Lucerne as well. Check it out!
LEARN MORE: How to Visit Mt Titlis, Switzerland
Travel guides for the Lucerne area:
- Best Things to Do in Lucerne (+map & tips)
- Best Day Trips from Lucerne (+ info on how to visit each place)
- Lucerne to Mt Pilatus (all the transport options and tickets explained)
- Four Lakes Hike in Engelberg (same area as Mt Titlis)
- Trübsee (Engelberg, at Mt Titlis)
- Stoos Ridge Hike (a beautiful hike + a very unique funicular; +- 1 hr drive from Lucerne)
Some of our favorite places in Switzerland:
- Zermatt & Best Hikes in Zermatt
- Bern
- Gornergrat (Zermatt)
- Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe
- Grindelwald-First
- Schynige Platte
- Interlaken
- Trümmelbach Falls
- Skiing in Wengen & Skiing in Engelberg
- Geneva
If you found this post useful, don’t forget to bookmark it and share it with your friends. Are you on Pinterest? Pin these images!
Some of our favorite hikes in Switzerland:
- Matterhorn Glacier Trail (Zermatt)
- Best Hikes at Schynige Platte (near Interlaken)
- Oeschinensee Hike (close to Interlaken)
- Bachalpsee Lake (Grindelwald)
- Gornergrat Hike to Riffelsee & Rotenboden (Zermatt)
- Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge (the longest suspension bridge in the Alps, near Zermatt)
Valentina
Sunday 2nd of February 2025
Sveiki, Jurga Skaičiau ir žavėjausi gebėjimu taip šiltai ir vaizdžiai pateikti tai, ko labiausiai reikia keliautojui.Rugsėjį planuojame 10d.kelionę radau viską ir dar taip lengvai parašyta. Pagarba.Lengvos plunksnos....
Jurga
Monday 3rd of February 2025
Dėkui, Valentina. :) Thank you. Have a great trip!
Roberta
Thursday 30th of January 2025
I'm strongly considering doing the recommended guided Lucerne: Mt. Pilatus Cable Car, Cogwheel Train & Lake Cruise, It covers everything we'd need to take advantage of the Golden Pass. It seems to include all methods of transportation which makes it so appealing. If I purchase this do I understand the guide will possess our ticket entries for to all transportation for the day, keeping us on time? We will not have to purchase anything else except lumch/drinks, tip?
Jurga
Saturday 1st of February 2025
Hi Roberta, if you mean this tour, then I don't think you have to worry about anything. It's a guided tour including all tickets, they do this every day, and they will make sure that you are on time everywhere. I assume they also make reservations for the cogwheel train. In certain periods in autumn, this tour also includes a lunch voucher, but otherwise, you'll have to purchase lunch yourself. There are restaurants at the top. Or you can take something small with you, have a picnic, and spend more time sightseeing. You can have a full dinner back in Lucerne. The good thing about going on tours like this is that, indeed, you don't have to worry about tickets or transport schedules. Just follow the guide's instructions and enjoy your day.
Nicole
Thursday 23rd of January 2025
Hi! Awesome blog post and so helpful. I am struggling to find the golden circle tickets when I click your link. I am needing them for May 2025 so I realize they may be out of season and unavailable but trying to find out price to help with budgeting. I am purchasing the Swiss travel pass.
Jurga
Thursday 23rd of January 2025
Hi Nicole, as mentioned in several places in the article, these tickets are typically not released this early in the year. So check again in a few weeks. If I recall well, last year, they released them sometime in March, but I'm not 100% sure. That said, they don't really sell out - at least not for the gondola, but you may want to make reservations for the cogwheel train in advance. This costs 5 CHF per ride and has to be done separately from the ticket. Funny enough, you can't buy tickets yet but you can already reserve the time slot for the train - see here). As for the budget, the cheapest/easiest way to visit Mt Pilatus is by taking a gondola from/back to Kriens (this year, the summer ticket will cost about 80 CHF) rather than the Golden Ticket (the cheapest one will be 111 CHF). If I see it correctly, you can get a 40CHF discount with the Swiss Pass for the Golden or Silver Round Trip tickets. If you need more information about the passes, please see our guides to the Swiss Travel Pass (best for those traveling by train and public transport) and Swiss Half Fare Card (best for those traveling by car). Hope this helps.
Laurentiu
Sunday 19th of January 2025
Hi Jurga, A Happy New Year! I recently found your blog and I find it very interesting, with a lot of useful information! I have been to Switzerland twice, but each time I was with an operator tour, so an organized trip. In general, tour operators have more visits to cities in their program. I now want to take a trip on my own, but I want to visit more of the mountain Switzerland, the mountain villages and less the Swiss cities. I thought of an 8-day, 7-night, trip from Romania by plane to Basel. From Basel I would like to go to Lucerne for two nights. I mention that it's just me and my wife. In Lucerne, we originally planned to visit two places, the Swiss Museum of Transport and a trip to Mount Pilatus. Then we would like to visit the Lauterbrunnen-Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren area, with an accommodation in that area. After this area, we want to go to Zermatt and go up by train to Gornergrat. Another goal we want to achieve is a train trip on the Glacier Express or Bernina Express route. Can you please help me with some travel advice, such as the best way to proceed, which type of discount card would be more suitable, if it is appropriate to rent a car or not, any information would be useful. I am convinced that many people call on your travel experience and ask for your advice, and I am convinced that you do not have much free time at your disposal, but I would be grateful if you could answer me. Thank you very much and happy travels! Best regards, Laurentiu
P.S. I forgot to mention, we want to make the trip during the summer or at the latest in September.
Laurentiu
Monday 20th of January 2025
@Jurga,
Hi Jurga,
Thank you for your message and advice. I will try to plan the trip as optimally as possible, taking into account the information you gave me, but also from your blog, which is very detailed and useful. I will definitely contact you again in the future and yes, I will tell my friends about your travel blog!
Best regads!
Jurga
Monday 20th of January 2025
Hi Laurentiu, indeed, I can't really help you with a detailed itinerary - there are jut too many options. But your plan sounds really good and is doable both - by car or by train. If you decide to rent a car, I recommend checking here for the best deals. In that case, get a half-fare card for discounts on gondolas and mountain trains. And if you would rather use public transport, simply get the Swiss Travel Pass for the entire duration of your trip. That said, if you want to do Glacier Express and Bernina Express, it's probably better not to rent a car. If you only do Bernina Express, you could do it as a day trip. Yet another option for you is to do this as a one-way trip by train starting or ending in Milan or Bergamo (whatever airport works best for you). So e.g. after you visit Zermatt, take Glacier Express to Chur or St Moritz, and from there, take Bernina Express to Tirano in Italy, from where you can then go to Milan or Bergamo airports. Just an idea. As for travel season, it's a lot quieter in the second half of August and September than it is in July or early August. Hope this helps. Good luck with the planning!
Liv
Thursday 1st of August 2024
HI - thank you for your helpful article. Does your proposed schedule work on a Sunday, or would the bus to Kriens be on a different schedule?
Jurga
Thursday 1st of August 2024
Hi Liv, there are so many buses every couple of minutes that it really shouldn't be an issue. Just be sure to check the cogwheel train and boat schedules (you can also do it on the day itself, there are informational booklets with schedules everywhere).