Mount Pilatus tickets only: the bare mountain ticket for drivers and pass holders
Alpnachstad or Kriens
The round-trip ticket makes you choose a valley station, and the choice matters more than it looks.
Alpnachstad is the cogwheel side. Up and down on the 1889 railway, 48% at its steepest, about 30 minutes up and 40 down, from a station with car parking and an S5 stop from Lucerne. Gina from the US found the train “surprisingly smooth for a cog train”. This is the side to pick if the railway is what you came for, and the only side that works from 19 October to 27 November when the cableway is in revision. It is closed from 30 November to 10 May.
Kriens is the cableway side. Panorama gondola to Fräkmüntegg, about 30 minutes, then the Dragon Ride to Kulm in under four. The valley station is at Schlossweg 1 with parking close by, which Marzena from Germany noted. Miriam from Spain described the view from this side as “Alps on one side, lowlands with lakes on the other”, which is what you get from the Dragon Ride cabin. Kriens runs all year, so it is the ticket for winter, when Fräkmüntegg has sledging and snowshoe trails.
Could you go up one side and down the other? Not on these tickets. That is the Silver Round Trip, which adds the bus and train legs so you end up back where you started.
The seat reservation, honestly
The round-trip ticket is rated 4.5 across 188 reviews, lower than the tours, and the reason is not the mountain. It is the cogwheel timetable. Stanislav from the Czech Republic: “you need to buy a seat reservation for the exact time of the cog railway.” The ticket includes the reservation, but you must pick a departure at booking, and it can be shifted up to 30 minutes before but not cancelled. People who choose a time and then get stuck in traffic on the way to Alpnachstad leave the lower reviews. People who plan it, like Jürgen from Germany, report “no waiting times with ticket and reservation”. The cogwheel page has the timetable outline: first ascent 08:10, last 17:30, check pilatus.ch on the day.
Round-trip ticket includes
- Round trip from your chosen valley station
- Cogwheel seat reservation (Alpnachstad side)
- Parking at the valley station
- Wheelchair accessible; children under 5 free
Not included
- Bus, train or boat from Lucerne
- Meals
- Fräkmüntegg activities: rope park, Dragon Glider, toboggan
- A guide
Rail pass holders: read this before buying
If you hold a Swiss Travel Pass, Half Fare Card, GA, Eurail or Interrail, the mountain sections are 50% off when bought on site, and the Swiss Travel Pass gets you to the valley station free. The Lucerne Travel Pass covers Pilatus entirely. You cannot apply any of those to a GetYourGuide ticket; it is one or the other. The pre-bought ticket wins on certainty (reservation sorted, QR at the turnstile, as Genesis from Costa Rica found: “just showed the QR code, and it worked for both cable cars”). The pass wins on cost if you already have it. The Swiss Travel Pass page and the cheapest way up page lay that out.
Beth from the US: “check weather and go early — clouds rolled in by 11 AM.” On warm summer days that is the pattern. Take the first or second departure, and look at the pilatus.ch webcam before you leave the hotel. The getting there page has drive and train times to both stations.
Check dates and book
The widget below is the Alpnachstad-or-Kriens round-trip ticket. For winter dates or a Kriens-only trip, the year-round cableway card further down is the one, and my Kriens review covers it. The round-trip ticket review deals with the reservation question at length.
Ticket-only options
Ticket onlyFrom Alpnachstad or Kriens: Mount Pilatus Roundtrip Ticket
Year-roundKriens: Mt. Pilatus by Panoramic Gondola and Aerial Cableway
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a Mount Pilatus ticket without a tour?
Yes. The round-trip ticket from Alpnachstad or Kriens and the Kriens cableway return are mountain-only tickets with no transport from Lucerne. If you want the bus and train legs too, the Silver Round Trip bundles them.
Is parking included?
The round-trip ticket includes parking at the valley station you choose. Marzena, a reviewer from Germany, found the Kriens parking close to the cable car. Both stations are 30 to 40 minutes from Lucerne by car; see how to get there.
Which valley station should I pick in winter?
Kriens. The cogwheel from Alpnachstad is closed from 30 November to 10 May, and the Kriens cableway runs year-round apart from the 30 to 31 March and 19 October to 27 November maintenance closures. The season page has the calendar.
Do children need a ticket?
Children under 5 ride free on both ticket products. Older children pay a reduced rate, shown at checkout. Dogs over 30 cm need a ticket of their own.
Is the Kriens ticket the cheapest way up?
It covers the fewest legs, so it costs the least of the six products, but a pass holder buying on site at 50% off may do better. The cheapest way up page compares the options without printing a figure.