The Pilatus-Bahnen is the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, with a maximum gradient up to 48%. It travels a distance of 4.6km from Alpnachstad to Mt Pilatus at 2073m. It opened in 1889. Learn more about the history.

Many tourists ride this mountain train as part of a day trip to Mt Pilatus, particularly as part of the "Golden Round Trip."

Opening times

The train runs from mid May to mid October. During winter, you can instead visit Pilatus with the Kriens cable car.

The train journey is 27 mins. It departs about every 35 mins. Some departure times are coordinated with the boat from Lucerne. See current timetable.

Tickets

There are many ticket options, which you can see on Pilatus.ch. You can get a return ticket from Alpnachstad and back. You can also buy a ticket up the train and down the cable car on the other side.

If you are doing the Golden Round Trip from Lucerne, it includes this train as well as the boat from Lucerne and cable car on the other side of the mountain.

Free with Lucerne Tell Pass. Discount with Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Half Fare Card.

Reservations

Because it's so popular, it's best to make a seat reservation at least 24h in advance. You book a time slot (not a specific seat), allowing you to skip the regular line. The reservation is optional and purchased separately from the train tickets.

➡️ Book seat reservations here

It's most important to book a seat going up the mountain. But you can also book a down time, which could be important if you are transferring to the boat and need to be down at a specific time.

Train timetables

Pilatus.ch - shows mountain train timetable and which ones coordinate with boat and regular trains

How to get there

The mountain train leaves from the small village Alpnachstad near Lucerne.

By train: You can take a train to Alpnachstad, 16 min from Lucerne.

By boat: You can ride a boat from Lucerne to Alpnachstad, about 1 hour. This is part of the Pilatus Golden Round Trip itinerary.

By car: If you drive, there is large metered parking lot next to the Alpnachstad train station - see on Google maps. However, this can fill up quickly, especially on weekends. We suggest getting an early start.