Mt. Pilatus & Lake Lucerne Cruise: Dragon Cable Car Tour

Ride the dragon cable car up Mt. Pilatus, hike to the summit, and float back down over the Alps

A small-group tour from Lucerne that takes you up Mt. Pilatus by the famous dragon aerial cable car, gives you time to hike to the 2,132-meter summit or rest at the restaurant, then brings you down by cogwheel train and finishes with a cruise across Lake Lucerne. Your guide meets you at Lucerne Train Station and stays with the group all day; the route and timing shift seasonally depending on which descent railway is operating.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mt. Pilatus and Lake Lucerne tour

• Meet guide at Lucerne meeting point
• Ascend Mt. Pilatus by dragon ride cable car
• Explore summit and enjoy valley views
• Descend Mt. Pilatus by cogwheel train
• Cruise on Lake Lucerne
• Return to Lucerne meeting point with guide

The Experience

Lucerne Train Station is where your guide meets you before heading to Mt. Pilatus. The ascent happens inside the dragon cable car—a glass cabin suspended in mid-air that rotates as it climbs, giving you 360-degree views of the Alpine landscape and the city receding below. The ride itself is the centerpiece: many travelers compare it to flying, and the windowed walls mean you watch the terrain change the entire way up.

At the summit, you choose how to spend your time. The restaurant offers a place to sit with the views, or you can hike to the peak itself—a walk that puts you at 2,132 meters with a bird's-eye view of Lucerne, the surrounding lakes, and the rolling valleys. Your guide shares the history of the mountain, including the legends of dragons and the stories tied to Pontius Pilate that gave the peak its name. The clean mountain air and the scale of what you see from up there is the reason people come.

The descent changes depending on the season. From mid-May through mid-October, you take the cogwheel train down to Alpnachstad—the steepest rack railway in the world—then board a boat that carries you across Lake Lucerne back to where you started. From November through April, the cogwheel closes due to weather, so you take a round cruise on the lake instead, seeing Bürgenstock, Rigi Mountain, and Pilatus from the water. Either way, the lake crossing is the final leg, and your guide stays with you until you're back at the meeting point.

What’s included

• Meet and greet at Lucerne Train Station.
• the Mt. Pilatus Golden Route Pass (mid-May to mid-October).
• a live guide in English or Spanish.
• and the Lake Lucerne Cruise Pass.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Tours of Switzerland

Is this one for you?Most Mt. Pilatus tours make you arrange your own transport between the cable car, the train, and the boat—or they skip the lake entirely. This one strings all three together with a guide who stays with you the whole way, so the day holds together without you figuring out which platform to find next or whether you have time for the boat before heading back.

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Top questions

What is the dragon cable car like on the way up Mt. Pilatus?

The dragon cable car is a glass cabin that floats up the mountainside while rotating, giving you 360-degree views of the Lucerne region and the Alpine landscape. Many travelers describe the experience as flying because of the suspended glass walls and the changing perspective as you climb.

Do I have to hike to the summit of Mt. Pilatus, or can I stay at the restaurant?

You have the choice. At the top, you can either hike to the summit of Mt. Pilatus for the bird's-eye view, or stay at the restaurant and enjoy the panoramic vistas from there. Your guide will be with the group either way.

How do I get back down from Mt. Pilatus?

The descent depends on the season. From mid-May to mid-October, you take the cogwheel train to Alpnachstad, then board a boat across Lake Lucerne. From November to April, the cogwheel closes due to weather, so you take a round cruise on the lake instead. Both routes end back at Lucerne.

What is Lake Lucerne also called?

Lake Lucerne is also known as the Lake of Four Cantons. During the cruise, you'll see Bürgenstock, Rigi Mountain, and Pilatus Mountain from the water as you travel across it.

Where does the tour start and how long does it take?

Your guide meets you at Lucerne Train Station, and the full tour takes 5.5 hours from start to finish, including the cable car, time at the summit, the descent, and the lake cruise.