Switzerland · MOUNT PILATUS TOURS

The 12 Best Mount Pilatus Tours from Lucerne

12 tours  ·  from $215

The classic Pilatus day is a boat out, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway up and a cable car down the other side. These 12 sort the golden-round-trip versions from the quick ones, with prices and how long each really takes.

Mount Pilatus Summit from Lucerne With Lake Cruise - The Dragon Ride and the 2,132-meter summit
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Mount Pilatus Summit from Lucerne With Lake Cruise

1.Mount Pilatus Summit from Lucerne With Lake Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,260 reviews · 5 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $223Our pick

From central Lucerne, ride a panoramic gondola and Dragon Ride to Mount Pilatus, enjoy free time at 2,132 meters, descend by cogwheel train, then cruise Lake Lucerne from Alpnachstad. The English tour lasts about 5 hours 15 minutes and includes transport and admissions.

“Enjoyed the cable car and gondola up the mountain and the cogwheel down the mountain. Sites on top were amazing!!”

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Mt Pilatus and Lucerne Day Trip from Zurich With Lake Cruise - Lucerne in less than an hour
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Mt Pilatus and Lucerne Day Trip from Zurich With Lake Cruise

2.Mt Pilatus and Lucerne Day Trip from Zurich With Lake Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 694 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $250

Travel from Zurich to Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus with a multilingual guide such as Adolfo or Rafael. Explore Lucerne briefly, ride gondolas to 2,132 meters, walk the Dragon’s Path, descend by the world’s steepest cogwheel railway, and finish with a Lake Lucerne cruise in the summer season.

“Bus, train and cable car this tour has it all. Along with beautiful mountains, lakes and views all seen with very informative commentary from an experienced guide. A day well spent in nature with lovely professional people.”

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Mt Pilatus Peak and Lake Lucerne Cruise Small Group from Lucerne - Riding the Dragon Ride to Fräkmüntegg
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Mt Pilatus Peak and Lake Lucerne Cruise Small Group from Lucerne

3.Mt Pilatus Peak and Lake Lucerne Cruise Small Group from Lucerne

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 189 reviews · from $260

Join a guide such as Rose, Jonas, Santiago, or Leighton for a five-and-a-half-hour outing from Lucerne to Mt. Pilatus and Lake Lucerne. Ride the Dragon Ride cable car, enjoy summit views or a short hike, descend by cogwheel train, and finish with a lake cruise. Seasonal routing can change.

“Leighton of Swiss Tours was fantastic! He was very knowledgeable and lively! The boat ride was a bit boring after as amazing as Pilatus was.”

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Mt. Pilatus & Lake Lucerne Cruise Small Group Tour | From Basel - Riding Mount Pilatus above Lucerne
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Mt. Pilatus & Lake Lucerne Cruise Small Group Tour | From Basel

4.Mt. Pilatus & Lake Lucerne Cruise Small Group Tour | From Basel

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 99 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $463

Travel from Basel to Lucerne with a guide, ride up or down Mount Pilatus by cable car and cog railway, and cruise Lake Lucerne. Guides including Anna, Rose, Michael, and Ray have earned strong praise for local insight and care, but transport plans can change.

“The most memorable part is when I was at the top of Mount Pilatus with a magnificent and breathtaking view and the cable car ride from 7,000 feet elevation to the bottom. The boat ride is very smooth with fantastic views. Our tour guide, Michael, is the best! Aside from giving us a very informative tour, he made sure that everybody is safe, directing us where to find the best view, He is very patient, answered all our questions and stayed with us until we returned to Basel. I would recommend him and this trip. The best tour ever!”

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Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Small Group Day Trip from Lucerne - Alpnachstad and the steep cogwheel climb
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Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Small Group Day Trip from Lucerne

5.Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Small Group Day Trip from Lucerne

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 36 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $499

Travel from Lucerne to Mount Pilatus by boat, cogwheel railway, gondola, and local bus with an English-speaking guide. You’ll have about three hours at Pilatus Kulm for viewpoints, the Dragon Gallery, terraces, lunch, or optional activities. Groups are capped at 15 people.

“We started on a cloudy morning with our already known tourguide Mike. He took us to the gondola by bus and we drove to Mount Pilatus. Half of the way we were only in the clouds. Mike made the best of it and with a great meal and a slightly longer tour of the hotel's history we were lucky enough to catch a short eye of the surrounding region. Because of the weather, we stopped along the way to have a look at Lucerne from above. The boat tour that followed was informative and a good closure of the day. We didn't actually see much, but the tour was still…”

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Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Small Group Day Trip from Basel - Starting at Basel SBB at 8:45 am
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Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Small Group Day Trip from Basel

6.Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Small Group Day Trip from Basel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $640Top rated

Travel from Basel to Mt. Pilatus with an English-speaking guide such as Emil, Ueli, or Faisel. You’ll take the train to Lucerne, cruise to Alpnachstad, ride the world’s steepest cogwheel railway, and descend by gondola. The small group is capped at 15, with transport and reserved rail tickets included.

“Michael was a great guide with interesting points information we learned so much about this area. The boat ride was amazing. The views from the mountain were breathtaking.”

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2-Day Alps Tour from Zurich: Mt Pilatus and Mt Titlis - Leaving Zurich for Lucerne and Lake Lucerne
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2-Day Alps Tour from Zurich: Mt Pilatus and Mt Titlis

7.2-Day Alps Tour from Zurich: Mt Pilatus and Mt Titlis

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 24 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $804

Travel from Zurich to Lucerne, ride the cable cars and steep cogwheel railway on Mt Pilatus, then visit Mt Titlis for its glacier cave, Ice Flyer, and Cliff Walk. The trip includes transport, mountain tickets, breakfast, and a 3-star overnight stay. Confirm the hotel location before booking, as arrangements can vary.

“We stayed a night in Mt Pilatus. It was worth the money and the service was very good. Then we headed on to Mt Titlis. Everything was well planned and we were well taken care of.”

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Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Private Day Trip from Basel - The morning train from Basel to Lucerne
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Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Private Day Trip from Basel

8.Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Private Day Trip from Basel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $743

Travel from Basel to Lucerne by train, cruise Lake Lucerne, climb Mt. Pilatus by cogwheel railway, and descend by gondola. Your private English-speaking guide handles the connections and can adjust the pace. Guides including Mike, Adrian, Roman, and Oskar have been praised for clear explanations and attentive service.

“Boat cruise was great and the view from the top of Mt Pilatus was amazing! Excellent tour guide who gave very personal service.”

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Basel Private tour - Mt. Pilatus and Cruise on Lake of Lucerne - Riding the Dragon Ride toward Mount Pilatus
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Basel Private tour – Mt. Pilatus and Cruise on Lake of Lucerne

9.Basel Private tour – Mt. Pilatus and Cruise on Lake of Lucerne

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $771

Travel from Basel to Mount Pilatus and Lake Lucerne with a private guide and hotel pickup. Ride the Dragon Ride cable car, descend by the steep cogwheel railway, and cruise the lake in first class. Guides including Michael, Ray, Jonas, and Lina have helped guests manage train changes and mobility needs.

“Wonderful daytrip! Ray, our guide, was fabulous! He patiently paced our tour to accommodate my mobility issue .Ray was extremely kind. thoughtful, and very knowledgeable. The trip itself was breath-taking! Highly recommend this trip! Magnificent photo opportunities,”

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Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Private Day Trip from Luzern - Three hours at Mount Pilatus
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Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Private Day Trip from Luzern

10.Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip Private Day Trip from Luzern

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $617

Travel from Lucerne to Mt. Pilatus by boat and steep cogwheel train in warmer months, then descend by aerial cableway and bus. Your private guide, including highly praised guides such as Adrian, Mike, Rolf, or Anja, can adjust the pace for views, walks, family stops, and local insight.

“We had clouds at the top of the mountain but otherwise had a wonderful day on the lake and mountain. Our guide Adrian was helpful and informative.”

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Zurich: Adventure to Pilatus Gold and Silver tour and Lucerne - Silver or Gold: Choose the Right Descent
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Zurich: Adventure to Pilatus Gold and Silver tour and Lucerne

11.Adventure to Pilatus Gold and Silver tour and Lucerne

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 15 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $214Best value

Travel from Zurich to Mount Pilatus by panoramic bus and cable car, then choose Silver or Gold. Gold adds the steep cogwheel train and Lake Lucerne cruise. You also get free time in Lucerne, with guides such as Angelo and John assisting on selected departures.

“Please don’t buy this Zurich: an Adventure to Pilatus Gold and Silver Tour and Lucerne. I made that mistake and was sadly disappointed. The problems? 1) The drive there was ridiculous. It appeared at first that they were trying to load a recording, but couldn’t get it to work. The guide – I use the word loosely – fumbled around, then just turned it off. He gave a super brief, few sentence explanation of the Swiss government, then just ignored us and talked to the driver in German. There were five of us tourists on the bus, and we all spoke English. When pressed, he finally got the audio working,…”

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Guided Daytrip to Mount Pilatus and Lucerne from Zurich - Taking the Dragon Ride toward Mount Pilatus
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Guided Daytrip to Mount Pilatus and Lucerne from Zurich

12.Guided Daytrip to Mount Pilatus and Lucerne from Zurich

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 9 reviews · from $269

Travel from Zurich to Lucerne and Mount Pilatus with a multilingual guide such as Monica Jorba, Lars Faber, Pedro, or Antonio. Ride the Dragon Ride cableway, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway, and a Lake Lucerne boat before returning to Zurich.

“Very interesting trip especially the cog railway up Mt Pilatus. Guide was very knowledgeable and friendly”

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