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Mt. Pilatus Tour: Experience Lake Lucerne Cruise from Basel
4.5
80 Ratings
Basel
Embark on a thrilling Mt. Pilatus tour and experience a Lake Lucerne cruise. Explore the stunning peaks, lush valleys, and emerald lakes while enjoying breathtaking views from the Pilatus summit.
Embark on a thrilling Mt. Pilatus tour and experience a Lake Lucerne cruise. Explore the stunning peaks, lush valleys, and emerald lakes while enjoying breathtaking views from the Pilatus summit.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Basel - The guide will warmly welcome participants at the meeting point before escorting them to Lucerne by train.
- Pilatus Luzern - The ascent to Mount Pilatus includes a ride on the renowned “dragon ride” aerial cable car, where travelers will descend in a spacious glass cabin. The panoramic windows offer 360-degree views of the Lucerne…
- Basel - The guide will warmly welcome participants at the meeting point before escorting them to Lucerne by train.
- Pilatus Luzern - The ascent to Mount Pilatus includes a ride on the renowned “dragon ride” aerial cable car, where travelers will descend in a spacious glass cabin. The panoramic windows offer 360-degree views of the Lucerne region, often likened to the sensation of flying. Experience the dynamic scenery of the Alpine landscape, with historic Lucerne coming back into view as the journey concludes. This ride is a must-see on any visit to Mount Pilatus.
- Pilatus Luzern - At the summit, visitors can choose to continue enjoying the breathtaking valley views from the restaurant or embark on a gentle hike to the peak of Mt. Pilatus. The top of this iconic mountain provides a spectacular view of historic Lucerne and sweeping vistas of the surrounding countryside. Relish the fresh mountain air from the viewing platform while admiring the expanse of crystal-clear lakes, verdant meadows, and undulating peaks and valleys.
Discover the legends of dragons associated with Pilatus and the belief that Pontius Pilate’s body was interred within its foothills.
- Lake Lucerne - Descending from Mt. Pilatus, take the cogwheel train, where the engine will navigate the foothills of Pilatus, leading to the world’s steepest rack railway. Enjoy the Alpine views from 2,073 meters high, as the guide shares insights into the history, culture, and culinary specialties of each area.
From May to October, a boat ride from Alpnachstad to Lucerne is included. From November to April, a round cruise on Lake Lucerne is offered.
- Basel - After a day filled with adventure, the guide and driver will ensure a safe return to Basel.
What's Included
- Lake of Lucerne cruise ticket
- Roundtrip Rail Tickets from Basel
- Local expert guide
- Mt. Pilatus Steepest Cogwheel Experience (from Mid-May to Mid-October)
- Lake of Lucerne cruise ticket
- Roundtrip Rail Tickets from Basel
- Local expert guide
- Mt. Pilatus Steepest Cogwheel Experience (from Mid-May to Mid-October)
What's Not Included
- Lunch at the Mt. Pilatus
- Lunch at the Mt. Pilatus
Additional Information
Dominating the skyline of Lucerne, Mt. Pilatus remains an essential stop for those who appreciate nature’s splendor. This impressive mountain range is home to striking peaks, nestled within a vast expanse of towering cliffs, verdant sweeping valleys, and a collection of winding emerald lakes. The loftiest peak, Mt. Pilatus itself, soars 2,132 meters…
Dominating the skyline of Lucerne, Mt. Pilatus remains an essential stop for those who appreciate nature’s splendor. This impressive mountain range is home to striking peaks, nestled within a vast expanse of towering cliffs, verdant sweeping valleys, and a collection of winding emerald lakes. The loftiest peak, Mt. Pilatus itself, soars 2,132 meters above sea level, offering visitors breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding region. We provide a journey into the heart of the landscape, where you can visit the Lake of Lucerne, the Pilatus summit, and experience the renowned dragon cable car rides.
Location
Basel SBB
Centralbahnstrasse
The meeting point is at the main hall of the Basel SBB at 08:45 at the benches next to Migros Flower shop and close to the escalators.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(80 Ratings)
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F60ggdianer
Aug 5, 2025
Great trip, beautiful mountain - My granddaughter (12) and I had a delightful day with excellent guide Leighton. Every step of the way, the boat trip, the cog rail train, the mountain top, gondola and bus trip back was filled with interesting information about geography, history, and facts and stories about everyday Swiss culture and traditions. Thank you to Leighton for a wonderful day.
Wear layers, it does get cold up top.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lbi9999
Jul 24, 2025
Best tour ever - Leighton was just a book of knowledge . Even though the weather was not the best , Leighton made the guided tour extremely fun and interesting . From the boat ride to the top of Pilatus, I learned so many interesting facts . My perspective of Lucerne and Switzerland will forever be changed . Thank you Leighton for an amazing day to remember and sharing your passion with us .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisahs5355pv
Jul 24, 2025
Lake Lucerne and Mt Pilatus - We were so impressed with our guide Leighton! His depth of knowledge about Switzerland was amazing, and he delivered it all in a fun and interesting way. Even though the day was rainy, the journey to Mt Pilatus was breathtaking and enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Explore645027
Jul 23, 2025
Jaw dropping - We went by nearly every form of transportation but airplane (or canoe LOL). What an amazing trip. My jaw dropped several times. If you are reading this post, stop! Book! And dream!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debracb4197km
Jun 28, 2025
Terrific tour!! - We loved Leighton he was informative and knowledgeable plus did what we preferred. Very friendly and made our day for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R2207cxrogerm
Jun 28, 2025
Great tour! - Great tour, well worth it. Leighton was a great guide! The mountain was beautiful, the lake cruise was also great. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mary
Jun 21, 2025
Don’t book this trip - I would have given it a zero. The guide changed the meeting time the night before after a few phone calls and several emails late into the night. We agreed to the new time and then he didn’t show. Wasted half a day. Don’t book this trip. Do yourself a favor and go to the Basel train station and book the whole thing with them. They will book all the tickets and were very helpful. We did it on our own for half the price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cheryl_b
Jun 2, 2025
we arrived at the... - we arrived at the designated meeting place and the tour guide did not show up, we contacted Viator they called the tour guide and the tour guide did not respond to the call. I stated I expected a full refund
and Viator guy said he would submit the request. I have called Viator several times to follow up and Viator hangs up on me every time I call. I have sent an e mail as well.
Review provided by Viator
Robert_r
Jun 1, 2025
This Trip Advisor Company will ruin TA's fine reputation if it offers tours such as this. The tour was not what we expec - Where to start? The "Guide" was detached from the group looking at his electronic devices more than giving us pertinent local commentary and information. The listening devices supplied were of poor quality and even when we ask that he move the mic closer to his mouth, it was a short lived request. Although the "tour" was supposed to end at 8:30, it was ended at 5:30. All day was hurry up and wait; we were given minimum time to see the actual sights. Again, we received little or no commentary during the entire tour. The timeliness and schedule was chaotic. It appeared this was the guide's first rodeo or that he was not prepared. This was suppose to be a small group tour - whatever a small group is - but there were 20+ customers that were packed into public transportation. Additionally, our Lake Lucerne Cruise was 20 of us packed into a public transit boat, not a tour boat. There were hundreds of people on the boat. Then, the guide told us to move to the back of the boat when we were asked to leave the first class area by boat personnel. We received no commentary by the "guide" or boat operators. When we pay $420 each, for my wife and I we would expect more than a glorified baby sitter and from a Trip Advisor owed company. All buyers beware when booking anything with this unprofessional trip consoladater. This trip was so bad, we we NEVER use our credits for future trips. I recommend TA to either fix or sell this company before your brand is permanently ruined.
P.S. although this was billed as an all day tour, there was barely enough time to fill/buy water bottles or food as needed.
Review provided by Viator
Davetb4759ca
May 29, 2025
Bad tour operator - TERRIBLE TROUBLE WITH OPERATOR
under additional information on TripAdvisor says cannot go when raining.
Rain almost all day, heavy at times.
Refused to cancel !
We could not understand cable car hike and boat ride in these conditions
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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