What to do on top of Mount Pilatus

The three walks from the station

Esel first. It is the viewing peak directly above the station, 2,118 m, a ten-minute climb on steps, and it is where the panorama opens: Lake Lucerne below, the Bernese, Uri and central Swiss Alps behind. Then the Dragon Path, a short walk through galleries cut into the rock with windows onto the cliffs, about 20 minutes, easy but cold and sometimes wet underfoot. If you have the time and the path is clear of snow, the Flower Path runs along the ridge to the Tomlishorn, 2,128 m, the true highest point, 60 minutes there and back. Oberhaupt (2,105 m) is a shorter top near the hotels. Daniel, who reviewed the Kriens ticket, summed it up as great viewpoints and hiking trails, which is fair.

Dragons, a queen and a Roman governor

Dragon World is the free indoor exhibition at Kulm on the legends: a dragon story recorded in 1421 and a healing dragon stone written up in 1509, which is why the cableway is called the Dragon Ride. The mountain also carries the legend that Pontius Pilate is buried in a lake up here, and medieval Lucerne banned climbing it for fear the spirit would conjure storms. Queen Victoria came up by mule in 1868 and the Hotel Bellevue dining hall is named after her. Ten minutes in the exhibition is enough for the story; it is also where I send people when the summit is in cloud.

Eating and sitting

Five restaurants on the mountain, two hotels at Kulm with terraces, and the terraces are the main event on a clear day. Food and drink are not included on any of the tours, and on the guided Golden Round Trip from 19 October the boat is replaced by a lunch voucher. Bring water for the paths. Wind on the terraces is what makes the summit feel colder than the 10-degree rule; a layer to put on is part of the plan, per the clothing page.

On the way down: Fräkmüntegg

If you descend by cableway and gondola, the mid station at 1,416 m has Switzerland’s longest summer toboggan run, the Fräkigaudi, a rope park with 10 courses, the Dragon Glider zipline and a playground. None of it is included in the tickets; all of it is why families run out of afternoon. In winter it turns into sledging and snowshoe trails. Rob from the Netherlands called the Dragon experience very fun and the facilities clean and well maintained, which matches what I see week to week.

Get up there with a guide

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