Delve deep into the Swiss countryside and admire the spectacular mountain scenery on this private Mount Pilatus tour from Lucerne. For your typical Golden Round Trip (June-October) you hop aboard your boat on Lake Lucerne with a private guide and enjoy a relaxing cruise on the tranquil waters. Admire panoramic views over the shoreline and peaks en route to Alpnachstad. Then, take the world's steepest cogwheel railway to the summit of Mt Pilatus at a dizzying 6,981 feet (2,128 meters) above sea level. After free time at the top, return to Lucerne, first by panoramic aerial cableway via Kriens and then by local bus back to Lucerne. From November to May your itinerary changes slightly as the cogwheel railway and the scheduled lake boat are closed. During this time you reach Mt. Pilatus by cableway, and you take a one-hour scenic lake cruise in Lucerne instead.

Enjoy a relaxing cruise on Lake Lucerne with a private guide
Admire breathtaking views over the surrounding peaks and valleys
Ride the world's steepest cogwheel railway to the summit of Mt Pilatus (June-October)
A private tour means a personalized experience

What's Included

Private Guide operated by Swiss Travel Guide for your party only
One-way boat trip Lucerne to Alpnachstad (Jun-Oct)
Cogwheel train ticket (Jun-Oct)/ Cableway ticket (Nov-May) to Mt Pilatus
Descent by Aerial cableway
Bus Ticket to Lucerne
1-Hour Cruise Lake Lucerne (Nov-May)

food and drinks
personal expenses during the tour

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

10:00 AM

What To Expect

Lake Lucerne

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Alpnachstad (Pass By)

Mount Pilatus

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Fräkmüntegg

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Krienseregg (Pass By)

Kriens (Pass By)

Lucerne Train Station (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
a minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Wheelchair accessible
children must be accompagnied by an adult
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
for wheelchair assistance - please contact us before booking

Please note: Boat and coghwheel railway will operate Mai to October only. Off season, the tour will be performed by travelling to mount Pilatus both ways by gondola, the tour will be finalized with a 1-hour tour on the lake Lucerne by panoramic boat after the return travel from mount Pilatus.
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

16 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 16 reviews

Tour that exceeded all expectations!

Jennifer_K, Sep 2023

Highly recommend this tour! I have used Viator in many different countries and have never had anything less than a great experience. Our guide Aneh was beyond amazing. She was organized, made efficient use of the time, so knowledgeable and answered all our questions and she was fun and friendly! The views from the top of mt pilatus were breathtaking, transporting from bus to boat to cog train to cable car was all effortless. Have recommended Viator to all my friends and will always use on future trips!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Thank you for the review, happy you had a great day with SwissTravelGuide

We had clouds at the top...

Charles_G, Jul 2023

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.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you for your feedback, we'll forward it to our guide.

Incredible Tour and Guide

Elizabeth_M, Nov 2022

Adrian was our guide and was exceptional! All of our experiences were timed perfectly. He was very knowledgeable and we would highly recommend him and this particular tour!

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for the feedback, already forwarded to the tourguide.

Amazing Day

Heather_A, May 2022

What a great day! The gondola ride, the tram in the sky, the steps to the peak where we actually got snowed on, and then back down on the cogwheel train was all amazing. Plus our guide Adrian was wonderful, knowledgeable, friendly and fun to be with. Highly recommend.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Thank you Heather, I forwarded it to Adrian. Indeed, I love this tour even I'm Swiss :-)

The mountain is fantastic and well...

James F, Feb 2018

The mountain is fantastic and well worth the trip. Our guide was local and very helpful. The rating is due to aviator selling a package (cog rail train) which is closed in winter. We paid for a specific experience and aviator did not deliver nor send us any notification of a corrected itinerary

This tour was the Highlight of our...

Kelly S, Aug 2017

This tour was the Highlight of our Trip, our guide Adrian brought Switzerland to life for us!

Our trip with Oscar was terrific...

Judith K, Jun 2017

Our trip with Oscar was terrific! He had all the insider tips for getting on the railway as quickly as possible, so we had the most amount of time to explore the mountaintop. When I asked him a question about something he didn't know offhand, he got an answer for me immediately. Everything was smooth and easy.

Anja was an outstanding tour guide...

Gayland_T, Aug 2016

Anja was an outstanding tour guide. She made sure that we were at the right place at right time in order to get onboard the train and gondola. She informed us of trails, restaurants, and things to do and see on the mountain along with the local culture and food.

This was an amazing experience...

Jennifer K, Jul 2016

This was an amazing experience. Lucerne was our favorite part of our trip and we traveled throughout France and Switzerland. The ferry ride was beautiful and relaxing. Our guide had booked us a lunch reservation at the restaurant on top of Mount Pilatus without even talking to us about it and we were so thrilled as we were all hungry by the time we got there. The food was wonderful. We had a great time on the mountain. There are several hikes you can do while up there and our guide allowed us to spend whatever time we wished while she answered questions and waited for us. She even went on the Luge with the kids. Her name is Debra and I strongly recommend her. We asked her nonstop questions all day about Switzerland and it's customs and incomes and way of life. We even got her number to book more tours with her when we return again.

Toni was great. It was a day that we...

James S, Jun 2016

Toni was great. It was a day that we will always remember.

My private tour of Mt. Pilatus was...

the1stnowell, Sep 2015

My private tour of Mt. Pilatus was fantastic. Tour guide Mike was very knowledgeable and accommodating. I was travelling alone and he took the time to personally answer my questions prior to booking and immediately felt at ease upon meeting him. Mike took me to all of the sites that I wanted to see and shared great information about the region. I would definitely recommend using Viator and requesting Mike as your tour guide. His coordination of all the entrance tickets and travel itinerary was well worth it.

Our tour guide Mike was great...

Daniel O, Aug 2015

Our tour guide Mike was great. Picked us up at the hotel 10 minutes early. We traveled at our pace and Mike explained everything we asked and more. the views were fantastic and he knew all the tricks to make the tour seem special. He then dropped us off back at the hotel, great day. We would use him again for sure.