Mount Pilatus Summer Day Trip from Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland

For a full day of alpine summer splendor, make for the mountains on this guided roundtrip from Zurich to central Switzerland's Mount Pilatus. Your full day guided tour includes a gondola and aerial cable car ride, the world's steepest cog-wheel railway and a cruise on Lake Lucerne.

Travel over Albis Pass and along the shores of Lake Lucerne until arriving in Lucerne. Disembark for a highlight tour of the city, including the Lion Monument, Chapel Bridge and Jesuit Church. Afterwards you will have approximately one hour at your leisure to stroll Lucerne's beautiful Old Town.

You'll then continue to Kriens and board a panoramic gondola and aerial cable car to the top of Mount Pilatus at 7000 feet (2132 meters). Enjoy an hour and a half at your leisure admiring breathtaking views over the surrounding mountains and lakes. Venture down the Dragon's Path and make the short hike to the summit before descending Mount Pilatus to Alpnachstad by cog-wheel railway. At a gradient of 48% it is the world's steepest!

Your summer alpine adventures conclude with a picturesque boat ride across lovely Lake Lucerne.

This tour operates between April and October, however If you are traveling in late October, the aerial cable car could be canceled due to poor or unsafe weather conditions. If this is the case, you will travel up and down Mt. Pilatus by cogwheel train. If traveling when boat is no longer in operation (approximately October 23), you will return to Lucerne by train.

USD $147.78

Review by: April H	October 2011
This trip was well worth the money. The guide was extremely professional. They stopped for picture opportunities and gave us a great historical account of the country as we traveled to and from Lucerne. I highly recommend this -- I've never seen such a beautiful panoramic view. Traveling by aerial cable, cogwheel and boat was a real treat!

Review by: Dora K	October 2011
If you have only one day to spare it is worth taking this trip..especially to Mount Pilatus. The visit to Lucern was a bit rushed but otherwise an exceptioanal tour. We could have stayed a little less time up on top fo the mountain as there is not much to do except eat and the food is quite pricey. I would have enjoyed a longer stay in Lucern. The guides were very friendly and professional. Beware of the hotel pick up policy. The pick up only applies if you are staying at that hotel stated. We stayed next door but were refused hotel pick up.

Review by: Najabat A	October 2011
This was a fantastic trip. Good ride with guides and nice scenery from the peaks of Mount Pilatusand from the road. An exciting experince of riding the cable cars and the cogwheel train. The boat ride back to Zurich was also nice. Overall this was a best trip I ever had. The guides were very nice and experinced person. I will visit switzerland if get a chance to have another trip to Europe.

Review by: terrence w	October 2011
lovely mountain views however i like mount titlis a little bit more

Review by: Hande B.	October 2011
This was a perfect day trip combined with bus, gondola, cogwheel train, and a ferry ride. Definitely worth your time and money. Spectacular views from Mount Pilatus and on the way up to it. Lucerne is gorgeous, but the ferry ride makes it even better! Would highly recommend this trip to everyone!!!

Review by: Graeme D	October 2011
This full day tour exceeded my expectations and it incorporates amazing cable car rides to the top of Mount Pilatus but also features the cog rail trip back down. The bus trip gives great views of Swiss scenery and there is a boat cruise and stop to visit Lausanne. Good bang for your buck!

Review by: AMIR Y	September 2011
The trip was an enjoyable one to my family members and I. The trip covered all the areas as been described in your web. Thanks for the excellent service rendered._br/_ From Amir Yahya, MALAYSIA.

Review by: absolutwalter	September 2011
Excellent day trip. Lucerne is a charming little city and you get just a little taste of what it can potentially offer. The trip up the mountain is lovely, the view from the top is spectacular and the trip back down is fun and the boat ride back to Lucerne is relaxing especially with a glass of wine from the bar. What can I say more, it was worth it especially if you only have one day to visit and you have already seen Zurich and you want to do something a little different...this is an ideal tour.

Review by: Susan G	September 2011
This was a great tour and the tour guide was very nice and full of information.

Review by: Anirban B	August 2011
Well arranged

Review by: pigalfrisco	August 2011
Excellent

Review by: BG	August 2011
Excellent value for money. Very good guides, very helpful and informative

Review by: Julia C H	August 2011
Nice overview type trip. Both my husband and I would have enjoyed lots more time for hiking around the top of Pilatus.

Review by: Srfarr	July 2011
My family and I loved this tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable about what we saw and made it very interesting and understandable. Although we speak English, she did an excellent job translating what we saw and did into Spanish. We enjoyed all of the modes of transportation this tour included. The rides up and down the mountain were our favorite. Everything was so green and lush, and we got some wonderful pictures of the views of Lucerne and the mountains. Unfortunately, it was very cloudy at the top, but we were still able to hike the short trails and explore the area. The cruise on the lake was a relaxing end to our excursion. You will use up every moment of time you spend in Lucerne. It is a beautiful city with a lot of things to see. I would highly recommend this tour.

Review by: Rodney L	July 2011
Outstanding trip! Met all my expectations and more.

Review by: Yogesh B	July 2011
very good..need extra time once you get to the top.

Review by: Todd S	July 2011
The only way this excursion could have been better would be for a little more time on Mt. Pilatus. Fantastic day!

Review by: Sachiko E	June 2011
Fantastic day trip and knowledgeable guide!!! The views from Mt Pilatus were worth the scary cable car trip to the top. Luckily there were no clouds to obstruct the view. Beautiful boat trip back to Lucerne.

Review by: lisabboop	June 2011
Worth every cent!! Going up Mt Pilatus you can not prepare your self for how amazing it is from the top. View or alps breath taking. When you stop in Lucerne have a cake at the little bakery near the meeting point great cakes and cheap. The Lion momunent was unreal didnt expect it to be so big and detailed. Wonderful day out!!

Review by: Yvonne P	June 2011
excellent,what could one say,excelent guide and excellent service_br/_ Highly recommended the touring company

Review by: AIsha J	June 2011
This was a lovely trip. The coach was large and comfortable. The guides were well informed and all of the aspects of the tour were great. Highly recommend!

Review by: Neda D	June 2011
Very nice tour, a good combination of different transportation, fantastic view if the weather would be good. We enjoyed a lot

Review by: Melissa F	June 2011
This was a great tour especially if you want a taste of everything in the Lake Lucerne area. The drive to the area was maybe 45 minutes. Upon arriving in the area the guide took us to this amazing lion monument carved in the side of a cliff. Then we were given about 45 minutes of free time to talk around the town of Lucerne. Lucerne is a great town with nice shops (great chocolates and pastries can be found here). After this we had about a 15 minute drive to the gondola for Mt. Pilatus. The ride up the mountain was amazing, I only wish the weather had been better the day we went as it was very overcast. You then ride this terrifying cable car to the top of Mt. Pilatus. The views at the top of the mountain was worth the price of the tour alone. At the top of Mt. Pilatus you are literally above the clouds and can see forever. We were given about 1.5 - 2 hours to explore the top of the mountain. There are many walking trails at the summit, so bring appropriate shoes if you enjoy hiking. You then ride a cogwheel train to the bottom of the mountain and from there you take a boat ride back to the center of Lucerne. This ends the tour with about a 45 minute ride to Zurich. Overall this was a great tour, the guide was very knowledgeable and was more than happy to answer questions. I highly recommend taking some tour to the Swiss mountains as there are amazing views that can't be matched.

Review by: Jojo J	June 2011
Great trip, well organized.

Review by: Grace P	June 2011
This was the highlight of our trip to Switzerland! The guide was friendly, and there was enough time to view Luzern on foot, explore Mount Pilatus, and take in everything by bus, foot, cable car, gondola, cogwheel railway, and boat on Lake Luzern. Despite the overcast weather, we caught enough sun to view the countryside, and the cable car and gondola rides to the top were thrilling, each minute showing us a new aspect of the landscape. We also met nice and interesting people on the tour, and that helped make it a better trip for us! Thank you for this wonderful, unforgettable experience!

Review by: Mary R	May 2011
This was our second tour of the week from Zurich. This mountain trip was also great. We saw mountain goats and walked through a mountain cave trail. Lunch was delicious.The cog rail down the mountain was nice. The boat ride back to Luzern was amazing (beautiful scenery in every direction). and our tour guide Millie, who is a life long resident of Luzern was very Knowledgeable.

Review by: Anna H	October 2010
Had a wonderful time visiting Lucerne and Mt Pilatus. Recommend this trip to everyone!!!

Review by: SACHIN N	October 2010
Very Good.

Review by: VYDIANATHAN R	September 2010
This is another excellent tours, Had some most beautiful time in our lives on this tour. It was a bit cloudy , hence could not take good phots. A must visit

Review by: Thomas R	September 2010
seeing Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus is a great day trip from Zurich and the timing allotted for everything was perfect. The tour guides where friendly and knwoledgeable and I came away from this tour 110% satisfied. It more than met my expectations and would highly recommend.

Review by: Helen P	September 2010
Outstanding tour!!!! Once again Viator has exceeded our expectations!

Review by: Raheel M	August 2010
It was an exciting tour from start to end. i along with my wife enjoyed every moment of the trip. The guide was outstanding and the tour covered most beautiful parts of the country in one day

Review by: Kaliappan G	August 2010
The tour was great with gondola rides, cogwheel train ride and Lucerne boat trip. The view from Mount Pilatus was, however, completely hidden by rain and fog on the day of my trip. Otherwise, It is an excellent tour, although a little bit more time in Lucerne would have been better

Review by: James S	August 2010
Trip was exciting, informative and well worth the money.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
Excellent guide who was interested in her group and kept everyone informed. Weather not so great but that couldn't be helped

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
This was a wonderful tour and we had an absolutely fabulous tour guide. Never have I seen scenery and mountains look more beautiful!!

Review by: Elizabeth Z, United States of America	July 2010
Stunningly beautiful! We did the toboggan ride and it was well worth it for the kids. However, the line can be lengthy, so be careful to time your arrival to catch the departure bus from the top. We barely made it. This was our favorite tour out of several during a 10 day trip.

Review by: Duncan T, United States of America	July 2010
Very pleasant trip

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
This was a great day trip, and I especially liked the different modes of transportation. The tour of Lucerne was good and there was adequate time to explore on our own. Mt. Pilatus was beautiful! The cog train was great, as was the boat trip back across Lucerne Lake to Zurich. Good day!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
Great trip!!!

Review by: Koustubh K	July 2010
The tour is well organised and not too hurried. The guide was great. The tour has a cable car ride, cog wheel train and a river cruise....and great scenery.

Review by: Rituraj K	July 2010
We had an absolutely fabulous time on this tour. The entire day was full of one exciting thing after another. The guides were good and well prepared. The coach was comfortable and everything worked very smoothly. The only drawback was that we did not get much time in luzern. Other than that it was great.

Review by: shawn a, United States of America	June 2010
Best trip of my recent trip to Europe. The tour guide was wonderful and everything was exactly like I was told it was to be.

Review by: Richard V, Australia	June 2010
I have nothing but positive comments to make regarding the Mount Pilatus day trip from Zurich. The Coach Driver, was wonderful, The Tour Guide was Fantastic, being well organised and able to convey a very interesting commentary of the trip. Clear and concise instructions were given regarding meeting points and time tables. Well done by all.

Review by: Peter M, United States of America	June 2010
Very nice tour guide, beautiful day, would highly recommend this trip

Review by: Shawn A	June 2010
Best trip of my recent trip to Europe. The tour guide was wonderful and everything was exactly like I was told it was to be.

Review by: ANTHONY G, Australia	May 2010
Great value for money.Well organised and provided a variety of transport modes bus ,gondola,cable car ,ratchet train and ferry to and from a spectacular location. It was a terrific day out. No doubts about recommending this trip to others.

Review by: Lauren D, United Kingdom	October 2009
What a great trip! The tour guide was very informative, and the day couldn't have been better. Got to do so many different things on one trip! Strongly recommended.

Review by: Jerry D, United States of America	October 2009
We had a great trip. Our guide was very informative. She spoke perfect English and very nicely kept everybody on time and moving in the right direction. We had time for everything except the optional toboggan run. We had a party of 7 and all loved the trip. We would do it again, use Viator Tours again and highly recommend this trip.

Review by: John R, United States of America	October 2009
Awesome tour! The sights were just amazing. I loved the route bus, gondola, cog train and boat and thought the tour was well worth the money.