[seru]

14 April 2022 at 2:13:54 #826871

Hello- first, thanks so much for all the help provided thus far. You guys have been super helpful with my previous questions, and I really appreciate it.

I am trying to finalize my list of places to go, and finding that there are too many mountains I want to visit, and I need to trim it down. We will be staying in Zurich for 1 day, Lucerne for 2 days, Interlaken for 2 days, and Wengen for 5 days. So far, I have planned to do Mt. Rigi OR Mt Pilatus while in Lucerne, Niederhorn or Brienzer Rothorn and Schynigge Platte while in Interlaken, and a bunch of trails in the BO region including going up to Jungfraujoch while in Wengen. My question is, since we are spending lots of time in the Bernese Oberland area, is it even necessary to go to Mt Rigi or Mt. Pilatus? I am wondering how the experience will be different (other than maybe more crowds?) Please forgive me if this is an insulting question. When I look at the pictures online, they are all beautiful but start to look similar to me, though I am sure the difference is obvious in person. I would love to visit all the mountains, but since we are limited in time, I am thinking about choosing between Niederhorn and Brienzer Rothorn, and possibly skipping Mt Rigi and Mt Pilatus unless people on here think it is really worthwhile and adds something beyond what we would get at BO. I am having enough trouble deciding between Mt Rigi and Pilatus…they seem so similar to me except Pilatus is higher with better views but also more crowded and less easy hiking. Based on what I have seen online, it looks like Niederhorn *might* be less crowded than Brienzer Rothorn, but I don’t know how true this is? It also seems Niederhorn would have more appropriate hiking for a family with kids (age 8) whereas the hiking at Brienzer Rothorn is very challenging and can be dangerous for kids. I am also hoping to see ibex at Niderhorn, but would probably need to wake up super early for this and don’t know if the kids will cooperate!

Anyway, I would welcome any further thoughts or suggestions! Thanks!

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[Removed user]

14 April 2022 at 5:13:34 #940557

Hi Seru,

I understand your concern. If you have enough time I would say that visit also Pilatus/Rigi, do not miss it, as every mountain are different. But if you are visiting everything in a week or so, then you might feel that they are similar.

Especially with an 8 years old (I have an 8 years old one too, so trust me, I know) – the point is not to rush but to enjoy, have the time to walk a bit.

In my opinion, Niederhorn won’t be that crowded. Look at this one: http://www.niederhorn.ch/summer-experience/families/?lang=en.

One more thing, I am sure, that your child would love the Transport Museum in Lucerne – allow a couple of hours to visit it, we could easily spend 3-4 hours there with my boys… 🙂

I hope this helps,

Ildiko

More about the Jungfrau region: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/activities

Hiking tips and routes: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking

[seru]

15 April 2022 at 13:15:08 #940558

Thanks Ildiko! It looks like we will have to choose between an extra day in Interlaken to do Niederhorn, vs. an extra day in Lucerne to do Mt Rigi or Mt Pilatus. Decisions, decisions. You are right, every mountain is different and I wish we could visit all of them. Looks like I will have to plan a second trip to Switzerland soon!

[Anna]

15 April 2022 at 14:14:59 #940559

Hi seru,

My personal opinion: if you’re travelling with kids, Pilatus and Niederhorn might offer more exciting activities for the young travellers.

At Pilatus, there’s a summer toboggan at Frakmuntegg and a big adventure playground on Kriesenregg. These are the middle stations between Kriens and Pilatus Kulm if you travel with the cable car. At Niederhorn, there is also a playground at the top with beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and lakes. And you can take the trottibikes (scooters) down to the base.

Hope you’re able to finalise your trip soon.

Regards,

Anna

[Lastlook]

17 April 2022 at 23:51:36 #940560

If you haven’t finalized your hotels, you might consider staying one night on Mt. Pilatus (there are two hotels at the summit) since the crowds would be gone by late afternoon and this might offer you the opportunity to see ibex at dusk as well. There are some easy walking/hiking paths at the summit that you and your family might enjoy too. You could still enjoy the fun spots for kids on the Kriens side either on your way up to the summit, or the next day on your way back down. You can take the train up one way and the cable car down or vice versa.

[seru]

18 April 2022 at 12:20:44 #940561

Thanks Anna and Lastlook! I think we will go to Mt. Pilatus. I heard the kids playground was great and it will be a nice treat at the end of the visit. Do you know how to plan the journey to make sure we can visit the playground when we are going down the mountain (instead of when we are going up)? Thanks!

[Anna]

18 April 2022 at 14:15:10 #940562

Hi Seru,

If you’re planning to do a round trip to Pilatus, I recommend starting the trip with a boat cruise or train ride from Lucerne to Alpnachstad. Then with cogwheel train up to Pilatus Kulm. Then on your way back, take the gondola down to Fräkmuntegg (for the summer toboggan run) or Kriensenregg for the adventure playground. If you have time for a quick hike, you follow the trail from Fräkmuntegg to Kriesenregg. When you’re ready to go home you can take the cable car down to Kriens, then it’s a quick bus ride back to Lucerne.

The route is explained in detail here: http://www.myswissalps.com/pilatus/gettingthere. Be sure to check the timetable to plan your journey.

Regards,

Anna

[Lastlook]

18 April 2022 at 20:34:23 #940563

I agree with Anna’s advice, including the boat from Lucerne to Alpnachstad. The connecting cogwheel train for Mt. PIlatus is just across from the boat landing, so no worries about finding it. Sit on the left side of the train going up for best view and photographs. The “Golden Round Trip” ticket (available early/mid-May until mid-November) covers the boat, the train up and the gondola down and if you’re traveling with the Swiss Travel Pass, there used to be a discount so be sure to present your pass for the best pricing. You might also want to ask the hotel for pricing including round trip transportation to compare it to buying hotel and transportation separately.

There is a bit of a downhill walk to where you would get the bus in Kriens, back to Lucerne. While not difficult, your little one might be tired after the playground, so you might want to factor that in to how long you stay at the playground.

It is so nice in the evening on Mt. Pilatus – very quiet with spectacular views of the lake and city of Lucerne below. I hope you have perfect weather for it!

[seru]

19 April 2022 at 1:57:54 #940564

Thanks! I have also heard that to avoid crowds, we should do the round trip backwards (gondola first, cog railway and boat last), but I guess we wouldn’t be able to do the playground last then, is that correct? Do you think that doing the round trip backwards is still a good method to avoid crowds, or at this point, do an equal number of crowds do it either way? Could we also just go up and back down the same way, or is it better to do the round trip?

[Anna]

19 April 2022 at 6:25:30 #940565

Hi seru,

In good weather, you can’t really avoid the crowd. But the cable car + gondola gets you down/up faster (25 mins). The cogwheel train takes about 40 mins one way. If you have time, a round trip is certainly recommended.

Regards,

Anna

[Lastlook]

19 April 2022 at 17:03:09 #940566

If you are staying one night on Mt. Pilatus, you will see any crowds disappear late afternoon since the last train down is about 5:45 p.m. I think for your purposes, the train going up and the cable car/gondola going down the next day with a stop at the playground would be best.