Pilatus with cogwheel train both going up&down?
A traveler is planning a trip to Mt. Pilatus in early September and has a Swiss Travel Pass. They want to know if they can return to Alpnachstad by cogwheel train instead of taking the gondola back for a boat ride to Lucerne, and they appreciate the help from the forum community.
- You can return by cogwheel train to Alpnachstad; just inform the ticket office of your plans.
- Check the boat schedule as reduced autumn sailings start on September 9th, with limited trips to Bürgenstock.
- Consider the price when planning your visit to Bürgenstock resort; it's known for being quite expensive.
- If the boat schedule doesn't work out, you can also take a bus from Bürgenstock to Stansstad, connecting to the train to Lucerne.
AI-generated summary-
Hi, so Mt Pilatus seems very interesting to me. I will have a Swiss Travel Pass. My plan is to take the train from Lucerne to Alpnachstad free with STP. Buy round trip Mt Pilatus tickets in Alpnachstad.
We’ll take cogwheel train to Mt Pilatus. But what if instead of taking the cable/gondola route to Kriens then Lucerne, I want to go back the same way by cogwheel train back to Alpnachstad; because I want to take the boat back from Alpnachstad to Lucerne?
is this scenario possible? Thanks to the very helpful people in this forum.
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Hello Zass,
Yes you can do that if you want. Just tell them what you want to do at the ticket office.
I would strongly recommend the full experience of the Golden Round Trip though.
Get a bus to Kriens, go up by cableway and down to Alpnachstad and boat back to Luzern.
Unless perhaps you are allergic to cable cars? 😉
I agree, partially, with Rockoyster. The round trip including cableway offers good variety. If you like trains, use the cogwheel both ways. It is unique.
Since you did not provide travel dates, as requested in the forum rules,
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/rules
we can not assure that both will be running, or offer other season dependent comments.
http://www.myswissalps.com/pi latus
Slowpoke
Thanks slowpoke and rockoyster. My travel is in September from beginning of the month to a few days into 3rd week of September.
Reason why I’m asking if I can go back thru Alpnachstad is due to my travel bud’s idea to have drinks at Bürgenstock resort.
So Train to Alpnachstad then Cogwheel to Pilatus.
Return to Lucerne will be Cogwheel from Pilatus to Alpnachstad; then boat to Bürgenstock and another boat back to Lucerne.
We will be in cable cars in the Oberland area the days prior to Lucerne so boating will be a welcome change.
Hi Zass-
Your good…. Pilatus cogwheel shuts down as winter starts. Maybe November.
Be prepared for major sticker shock at Bürgenstock.
If you’d like a nice walk, consider Hammetschwand:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-hammetschwand-lift
The food and beer and wine is rationally priced there, and the views can’t be beat, because you are higher thna Bürgenstock and have a 360 degree view.
Some photos, in addition to the four in the thread that I linked, are attached.
Slowpoke
Attachments:
Make sure you check the boat timetables. A reduced sailings Autumn timetable comes into operation 9 September with only two trips per day covering Alpnachstad to Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock.
See http://www.lakelucerne.ch/en/ timetable-fares/timetable/.
Hi again slowpoke and rockoyster. Yes, I will have to check the boat schedule from Alpnachstad to Bürgenstock to Lucern. I do know the sticker shock of Bürgenstock after a bit of reading. The elevator looks cool, too.
I can’t wait to get to Switzerland. Thanks.
Hi Zass,
You might find these links helpful too:
- Pilatus: http://www.myswissalps.com/pi latus
- the region Lake Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/la kelucerne
- and boat trips on Lake Lucerne http://www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakelucerne here you’ll also find a timetable: http://www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakelucerne/gettingt here
@Slowpoke, great pictures, thanks for sharing them! 🙂
Hi Zass –
<<” The elevator looks cool, too. “>>
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Hammetschwand_Elevator
It is about a 1 1/4 km walk from the funicular terminal. About a 30 minute walk because you’ll probably want to pause for a look or two along the way. Less if you are athletic and move fast. The climb is about 100 meters altitude change from the funicular station.
<<“Yes, I will have to check the boat schedule from Alpnachstad to Bürgenstock to Lucern.”>>
It seems that we may not have linked you to the timetable:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Useful tips on the page.
In case the boat schedule does not work for you, you can return to Luzern by bus + train. The timetable will show you options.
There is bus service from Bürgenstock to Stanstad at xx50 until late in the evening, in case the lake boat schedule does not work for you. It connects with the train to Luzern. Takes 47 minutes. Funicular plus lake boat takes 45 minutes.
For that matter, after you come down from Pilatus, you can take a train from Alpnachstad to Stanstad through Hergiswil , with frequent service in the early afternoon and less frequent in the evening, in case the boat schedule from Alpnachstad doesn’t work for you, or the funicular is too expensive. I6 minute connection from Alpnachstad train station to Stansatd, via Hergiswil. Then, bus from Stanstad to Bürgenstock Resort
I’m sure that the much cheaper bus is the way that the staff get to and from, unless they have some special arrangement with the lake boats.
Slowpoke
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