Mt.Pilatus Golden Round Trip Small Group Day Tour from Basel
Overview
73 Alpine peaks and countless lakes ensure a unique and unforgettable all-round view at Mt. Pilatus which is located outside Luzern. The typical Golden Round Trip (Jun-Oct) offers a wonderful excursion: first by lake boat on Lake Lucerne to Alpnachstad. From there by the world's steepest cogwheel train to Mt. Pilatus. On the return travel by panoramic aerial cableway via Kriens and by local bus back to Luzern.
Families and adventure seekers are also very welcome on the Pilatus. Central Switzerland's largest rope park is on the Fräkmüntegg. Numerous attractions await you on Mount Pilatus. Or enjoy the time on the large viewing terrace.
Cogwheel railway and the scheduled lake boat are closed from Nov-May. During this time you reach Mt. Pilatus by cableway and we take a one-hour scenic lake cruise in Luzern instead.
Families and adventure seekers are also very welcome on the Pilatus. Central Switzerland's largest rope park is on the Fräkmüntegg. Numerous attractions await you on Mount Pilatus. Or enjoy the time on the large viewing terrace.
Cogwheel railway and the scheduled lake boat are closed from Nov-May. During this time you reach Mt. Pilatus by cableway and we take a one-hour scenic lake cruise in Luzern instead.
Inclusions
- transportation environmentally friendly and climate neutral by train
- all tickets, taxes, fees and handling charges
- June-Oct: golden roundtrip by lake boat, cogwheel train, cableway and local bus
- Nov-May: local bus, cableway and lake cruise in Luzern after returning
- Swiss Tourguide
- Entry/Admission - Basel SBB Station
- Entry/Admission - Lake Lucerne
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Basel SBB Station, Centralbahnstrasse 22, Basel 4051 Switzerland
Your tour starts with the one hour train ride from Basel to Luzern.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Lake Lucerne, Lucerne Switzerland
Continue your tour with the one hour lake boat transfer from Luzern to Alpnachstad. After leaving the bay of Luzern, the boat glides along the shore of Hergiswil and Stansstad to the bay of Alpnach. On the entire boat tour you have the surrounding mountains in sight.
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: Alpnachstad, Alpnachstad
Alpnachstad is the connection point between the lake boat and the steepest cogwheel train in the world.
Within 35 minutes the cogwheel train climbs along the ridge and passing alpine meadows to Pilatus Kulm.
Stop At: Pilatus Luzern, Schlossweg 1, Kriens, Lucerne 6010 Switzerland
Arrive at the mountain station Pilatus Kulm of the Pilatusbahn, where a viewing terrace, a panorama gallery and two mountain hotels are located on the scenic local mountain.
Visit several attractions at Mt. Pilatus like the dragon gallery, the viewpoint, the scenic terraces and the multimedia presentation.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Fräkmüntegg, 6010 Kriens, Switzerland
The largest rope park in Central Switzerland, tree tents, the toboggan run, hiking trails and fantastic barbecue areas invite you to relax.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Krienseregg, 6010 Kriens, Switzerland
The Krienseregg is perfect for families. In the versatile local recreation area you will find marked, varied circular hikes and large picnic areas
Pass By: Kriens, Kriens, Lucerne
In terms of population, Kriens is the third largest municipality and the second largest city in the Swiss canton of Lucerne. It lies at the foot of Mount Pilatus and borders Lucerne to the east.
At Kriens you leave the aerial cableway and after a 10 minutes walk to the bus stop, you board the local bus to Luzern.
Pass By: Zentralstrasse 1, 6003 Luzern, Switzerland
Return travel from Kriens to Luzern within 10 minutes by local bus.
Stop At: Basel SBB Station, Centralbahnstrasse 22, Basel 4051 Switzerland
Return travel from Luzern to Basel, where the tour ends.
Duration: 1 hour
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Basel SBB Station, Centralbahnstrasse 22, Basel 4051 Switzerland
Your tour starts with the one hour train ride from Basel to Luzern.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Lake Lucerne, Lucerne Switzerland
Continue your tour with the one hour lake boat transfer from Luzern to Alpnachstad. After leaving the bay of Luzern, the boat glides along the shore of Hergiswil and Stansstad to the bay of Alpnach. On the entire boat tour you have the surrounding mountains in sight.
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: Alpnachstad, Alpnachstad
Alpnachstad is the connection point between the lake boat and the steepest cogwheel train in the world.
Within 35 minutes the cogwheel train climbs along the ridge and passing alpine meadows to Pilatus Kulm.
Stop At: Pilatus Luzern, Schlossweg 1, Kriens, Lucerne 6010 Switzerland
Arrive at the mountain station Pilatus Kulm of the Pilatusbahn, where a viewing terrace, a panorama gallery and two mountain hotels are located on the scenic local mountain.
Visit several attractions at Mt. Pilatus like the dragon gallery, the viewpoint, the scenic terraces and the multimedia presentation.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Fräkmüntegg, 6010 Kriens, Switzerland
The largest rope park in Central Switzerland, tree tents, the toboggan run, hiking trails and fantastic barbecue areas invite you to relax.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Krienseregg, 6010 Kriens, Switzerland
The Krienseregg is perfect for families. In the versatile local recreation area you will find marked, varied circular hikes and large picnic areas
Pass By: Kriens, Kriens, Lucerne
In terms of population, Kriens is the third largest municipality and the second largest city in the Swiss canton of Lucerne. It lies at the foot of Mount Pilatus and borders Lucerne to the east.
At Kriens you leave the aerial cableway and after a 10 minutes walk to the bus stop, you board the local bus to Luzern.
Pass By: Zentralstrasse 1, 6003 Luzern, Switzerland
Return travel from Kriens to Luzern within 10 minutes by local bus.
Stop At: Basel SBB Station, Centralbahnstrasse 22, Basel 4051 Switzerland
Return travel from Luzern to Basel, where the tour ends.
Duration: 1 hour
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
Lynn R
October 2023
I came here to rave about our guide, Anisha. She took excellent care of us and thought of everything to make our day flow perfectly. She took the train from her home in Lucerne to meet us in Basel and take us back to Lucerne for the day. She is charming and speaks English like a native. She went ...
I came here to rave about our guide, Anisha. She took excellent care of us and thought of everything to make our day flow perfectly. She took the train from her home in Lucerne to meet us in Basel and take us back to Lucerne for the day. She is charming and speaks English like a native. She went out of her way to make sure we had the best experience. Forging ahead to save us the best seats on the boat, etc. The tour itself is well worth it; the boat ride, cogwheel train, and gondola provide amazing scenery and of course on top of the mountain the vistas are breathtaking. Anisha guided us every step of the way and provided interesting facts about everything we saw. When the tour was over she stayed with us to show us around Lucerne a bit and even offered to escort us back to Basel, but we assured her that with her perfect instructions about getting on the right train, we would be fine! One caveat about the trains: make sure you have your ID with you. One of our party didn’t have theirs and the train conductor on the trip home refused to let them ride without purchasing another ticket. I note here that the instructions from TripAdvisor for this tour DID say to bring your ID but our one person didn’t notice the instructions. Other than that, an absolutely perfect day and once again, thank you Anisha for being so accommodating and thinking of absolutely everythjng!Valerie W
August 2023
Michael was a fantastic tour guide. He is an experienced guide and was very well organized and pleasant. He had a lot of knowledge, answered all our questions and went at our pace. He met us at Basel train station, took us on the boat tour and then Mt Pilates. Had lunch on Mt Pilates. He took ...
Michael was a fantastic tour guide. He is an experienced guide and was very well organized and pleasant. He had a lot of knowledge, answered all our questions and went at our pace. He met us at Basel train station, took us on the boat tour and then Mt Pilates. Had lunch on Mt Pilates. He took care of tickets, seats, reservations and everything else. I would highly recommend him and this tour.Pamela_V
June 2023
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.
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.cfm54321
November 2022
Unfortunately the gondola rides off the mountain were closed for service so this tour was a train ride Basel to Lucern, a train ride to Mount Pilatus, Cog ride up, 50min on mountain, Cog ride down, train ride to Lucern, cruise on lake, train ride to Basel so more train time less panoramic sightse...
Unfortunately the gondola rides off the mountain were closed for service so this tour was a train ride Basel to Lucern, a train ride to Mount Pilatus, Cog ride up, 50min on mountain, Cog ride down, train ride to Lucern, cruise on lake, train ride to Basel so more train time less panoramic sightseeing. I'd highly recommend visitors preconfirm that nothing is closed for service for their tour. Only reason not rated significantly lower is that our guide was excellent-- very knowledgeable, excellent, friendly helpful and to help make up for things gave us a quick tour of Lucern's wooden bridge.851helgaf
November 2022
The place is just amazing. Worth for visiting. I feel a bit disappointed because we were not told by the event organazier in advance that the route has changed and has been simplified.
The place is just amazing. Worth for visiting. I feel a bit disappointed because we were not told by the event organazier in advance that the route has changed and has been simplified.Mona_W
October 2022
I appreciated that my tour guide came all the way from Lucerne to accompany me from Basel. He was very polite, friendly, and helpful. The experience itself was wonderful, and the view amazing!
I appreciated that my tour guide came all the way from Lucerne to accompany me from Basel. He was very polite, friendly, and helpful. The experience itself was wonderful, and the view amazing!