We did it all ourselves from the hotel near the old town and back by bus. The hotel provided a pass for public transport which was very handy as it is easy to use with some pre planning. Being winter the cogwheel is not operating but non the less going up through the fog/clouds to break out and see the peak was magnificent. Then on top we were above the clouds feeling like you are on top of the world. We were able to see the surrounding alps and got some great photos. It is certainly not hard to get there and back yourself on public transport which saves you money for eats, drinks or shopping on the mountain.

I have never experienced such a wonderful, beautiful panoramic view of all the mountain sites from Kriens at 516m to Krienseregg at 1026m to Frakmunteg at 1416m to PILATUS the highest peak of 2070m - honestly if it’s your first time visit go early in the morning to enjoy every single mountain sites plus enjoy the slay rides, restaurants and cafes. Unfortunately we arrived there at 12:50 but didn’t get in until 2:30pm to ride the Gondolas, technically a 2 hr wait and in freezing cold weather outside. But we ended up seeing the sunset so that’s something thar I would never forget. Make sure to dress warm, book in advance and just prepare your camera and yourself for amazing portrait pictures - an unforgettable experience! You will face a lot of crowds and apologies in advance but there were a group from Asia they did not respect the queue and just barged in, would’ve appreciated if the staff were there to put them in line and wait patiently. Also, ensure to wear comfy boots such as uggs to keep your toes somewhat warm. I definitely would visit Zurich again just for the Pilatus mountain but this time would go earlier to mesmerize the view. Ill upload several pictures that is worth seeing ♥️ Each mountain that we went we went up just gave me amazing thrills ♥️ i enjoyed nature at its finest

Expensive excursion. Arrived at Pilatus-Kulm today at 10 a.m. We didn't see anything from the gondola because it was completely icy and covered in snow. It could have been easily cleaned. The terrace upstairs was closed because they were still clearing snow at 10 a.m. Surely it could have been done hours earlier. Somehow not worth the big amount of money.

Spectacular trip! We did self guided and it was great. There was a Christmas market at the top and the wares were wonderful.

We enjoyed the trip to Mt Pilatus. We went up and back on the cogwheel from Alpnachstad since the route from Kriens was closed. The view from the top was great. There are multiple places /peaks where you can climb to the top. We didn’t find the dragon zone very exciting, but the rest of the attractions were great. You need to climb a lot of stairs for most of the attraction spots and it reminded us how out of form we were. But it was still enjoyable. Do note - reaching one of the panoramic points (can’t recall the name) is not difficult even for the elderly or those with reduced mobility but beyond that the hiking around the mountain will be challenging for the elderly or with reduced mobility. Strongly suggest you go as early as possible. We went up the cogwheel around 8:10am and were able to see most of the places on the top with limited crowds. Yes it’s a lot colder than it would be around noon time (we visited in the first week of November). On our way down, the long queues of tourists waiting to go up was daunting - Despite it being November (thankfully we didnt have to stand in such long queues). Can’t imagine what it would be like to visit during summers.

Ride the world’s steepest cograil train (45-48% incline)! The sunshine filled views are unforgettable! Some stop a bit from the top and tackle the switchback trails on foot.

First of all, for any questions you can contact the customer service by email. They are super super helpful and respond very quick. We bought the ticket originating in Luzern. Took a train from Luzern train station to Mt Pilatus and then took a cogwheel train up the mountain. Highly highly recommend you book a time slot for the cogwheel prior. You won’t be able to get on the cogwheel train without the time slot. Yes, you can purchase it on the spot but they sell out and you might end up waiting 1-2 hours to get on the train. The cogwheel ride has amazing views. You sit in a cabin of 8, max. After the cogwheel ride you get to the summit where you can do paragliding, do some shopping or eat at a restaurant or your own lunch. After that you take a gondola down. Half way the gondola stops at the area where there is a tree obstacle course for the kids and dragon flyer. You can get off or continue down (you’ll have to switch into a different small gondola). If you only want to do the obstacle course, I suggest you start your journey from the other side of the mountain, not the way we came up. It’ll save you time. If you do the obstacle course first, you get a discount for the dragon flyer. This is not advertised well, we didn’t find out until after the fact. The way down is nice too. After that you walk for about 10 minutes to a bus stop (very good signage, by the way), then you take a bus back to Lucerne train station (this is all included into your round trip ticket).

Just finished this fantastic tour with Marcel our guide. He was very funny and answered all our questions! I traveled with my 81 year old dad and the pace was just right. Beautiful views and enough time to enjoy Lucerne and Pilatus. The boat tour was a lovely way to end the tour.

Highly recommend the Golden round tour. Very easy to get the connections. Views were amazing, despite the rain! Cogwheel train was a great experience, but recommend booking a seat whatever time of year!

The whole round trip was excellent. Started at 9.30 am and returned back to the hotel in Old Town by about 2 pm. I read reviews before going, that said it was difficult to find the bus back at the end, but I had no issues with using google on my phone to guide. It was a bit disappointing that there was heavy fog at the top on the day, and therefore almost zero visibility (weather is beyond anyone's control) however, I found every step of the experience enjoyable - from the cruise on the lake, the cog train, and the gondola ride down. Beautiful views while ascending and descending, but not at the top.

This was an amazing trip . It’s really a ‘wow ‘spectacular trip . It was a great day spent . We started on the bus to Kriens where we had to walk for about 10 minutes where we found the Gondola , what a breathtaking views going up the mountain, it probably took about 15 minutes .The carriage holds 4 people but we went on our own . Once you got near the top you got out and had a bit of a look around and to take some more pictures. Then we hopped in a large gondola that held maybe 20 people that runs every 15 minutes that took us nearly to the top . Once out you climbed up quite a few stairs to the very top of Mount Pilatus for some breathtaking photos and incredible views . It a bit tough going up the stairs as you do get quite out of breath due to the altitude. Make sure you have a bit of a wander round as there are a few tracks and the dragon path you can go on .There is a cafe and souvenir shop if you want to eat and drink . Then you can go down the cogwheel train to the bottom , which again had spectacular view where we caught a boat back to Lucerne . This was a day well spent and would recommend anyone coming to Lucerne to do this tour. We did not have a guide . We arrived at 9.15 and got home about 2pm .

The experience was excellent. However Trip Advisor did a very poor job of advising the itinerary and times of the trip. We had to figure it all out and it was frustrating and confusing. I will not use Trip Advisor again as they took the fun out of the day. Shame on them. They took our money and dropped the ball on customer service.

Pilatus itself was beautiful. 5/5 Recommend. DO NOT book on trip advisor. TWICE AS EXPENSIVE AS BOOKING THROUGH SWISS PUBLIC TRANSPORT. It seems scary at first booking through public transit. It’s relatively simple in Switzerland and people are extremely helpful. Buy boat tickets, gondola ticket and Cog Wheel Train ticket ahead of time. Bus ticket can be paid for there, many hotels will give you free Swiss public transport pass. Due to weather, the Cog Wheel Train was closed when we were there. So we were unable to take the boat/train, but the Gondola was great.

The half day trip was very good. I enjoyed the whole journey from the morning gondola ride to the afternoon lake cruise on the boat. I would recommend spending some time wandering around the peak once you reach Pilatus Kulm. Lots of beautiful sights!

Great views, would of given 5 but the organisation at the top of pilatus is horrific. We got there and basically were told due to the number of people up there the wait was going to be very long, so we basically took some photos and queued to get on the cable car to get down which we stood in the queue for over 1 hour. You must book your time on the cogwheel train ahead of time or you may not get a slot or have to wait upto 3 hours. To book the cog wheel give yourself about 2 hours for boat trip until the time of the train.