- Free cancellationFor a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Duration7 hr – 9 hr
- Guide languagesGerman, English
- Instant confirmationMobile ticket
Free cancellation
You book and pay on Viator, our booking partner, at the same price as booking with them directly.
Overview
Embark on an exclusive small-group journey, "The Golden Roundtrip," starting in Basel and seamlessly connecting to Luzern by train. From Luzern, cruise across Lake Lucerne to Alpnachstad, setting the stage for an unforgettable ascent on the cogwheel train to Mount Pilatus. Enjoy leisurely free time atop Pilatus, surrounded by alpine splendor. The return journey unfolds with a cableway descent via Kriens, offering scenic vistas and a thrilling conclusion. Limited to a select few, this personalized tour ensures an intimate exploration of Switzerland's natural wonders and historic landmarks.
What's included
- typical "golden round trip" by boat, cogwheel train, gondola
- Intercity train Basel-Luzern and vv.
- English speaking Swiss tourguide
- all necessary tickets (no aditional costs)
- seat reservation for guaranteed departure on cogwheel train
- Food or drinks (lunch break at one of various restaurants)
- Gratuities
Itinerary
- 1
Basel SBB Station
1 hrAdmission included
Your tour starts with the one hour train ride from Basel to Luzern.
- 2
Lake Lucerne
1 hrAdmission included
Continue your tour with the one hour lake boat transfer from Luzern to Alpnachstad. After leaving the bay of Luzern, the boat glides along the shore of Hergiswil and Stansstad to the bay of Alpnach. On the entire boat tour you have the surrounding mountains in sight.
- 3
Alpnachstad
Passing by
Alpnachstad is the connection point between the lake boat and the steepest cogwheel train in the world. Within 35 minutes the cogwheel train climbs along the ridge and passing alpine meadows to Pilatus Kulm.
- 4
Pilatus Luzern
3 hr
Arrive at the mountain station Pilatus Kulm of the Pilatusbahn, where a viewing terrace, a panorama gallery and two mountain hotels are located on the scenic local mountain. Visit several attractions at Mt. Pilatus like the dragon gallery, the viewpoint, the scenic terraces and the multimedia presentation.
- 5
Stop 5
30 min
The largest rope park in Central Switzerland, tree tents, the toboggan run, hiking trails and fantastic barbecue areas invite you to relax.
- 6
Stop 6
Passing by
The Krienseregg is perfect for families. In the versatile local recreation area you will find marked, varied circular hikes and large picnic areas
- 7
Kriens
Passing by
In terms of population, Kriens is the third largest municipality and the second largest city in the Swiss canton of Lucerne. It lies at the foot of Mount Pilatus and borders Lucerne to the east. At Kriens you leave the aerial cableway and after a 10 minutes walk to the bus stop, you board the local bus to Luzern.
- 8
Stop 8
Passing by
Return travel from Kriens to Luzern within 10 minutes by local bus.
- 9
Basel SBB Station
1 hrAdmission included
Return travel from Luzern to Basel, where the tour ends.
Meeting point and pickup
Meeting point
Basel SBB train station, your tourguide awaits you in the departure hall: in front of the ticket office and the official meeting point.
End point
Ends back at the meeting point.
Good to know
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Traveller reviews
4.8
25 reviews
- 522
- 42
- 31
- 20
- 10
- David_B · May 2026
A perfectly amazing day!
It was an amazing day. We saw so much and experienced a train ride, a boat ride around Lake Lucerne with the most beautiful views, a cog wheel ride up the mountain and a gondola ride down after time at the summit and a lovely walking tour of Lucerne. Our guide, Feyssal Gharbi, was informative, funny and made sure we were comfortable and the very best views of everything there was to see. It was one of the best tours we have ever taken.
Review via Viator
- Melanie_K · Sep 2025
Pilatus
Joelle was a fantastic tour guide! She gave us the time we needed at each location. If she didn’t know the answers to any questions, she quickly looked it up and got the information for us.
Review via Viator
- Charlie T · Jul 2025
Fun and stress free, Switzerland in one day
My husband and I, from New Zealand thought this was the best way to capture the beauty and uniqueness of Switzerland in one day and our personal guide, Michael made it fun and stress free.
Review via Tripadvisor
- Christine_F · Jul 2025
Highly recommend
A great day with a great guide. Very organized and informative. Beautiful country seen by bus, train, boat, cogwheel, aerial tram, and gondola. Highly recommended.
Review via Viator
- Ronald_T · May 2025
Great Guide made up for rain and snow on Pilatus!
In spite of no visibility, rain and snow atop Pilatus, the trip to Pilatus was great because of our Guide, Faisel...
Review via Viator
- Phillip_P · Aug 2024
Awesome day at Lake Lucerne and atop Mt Pilatus
Our guide Emil was fabulous, he did a wonderful job of guiding us on our memory making day. He was very insightful and helpful us to explore this beautiful country
Review via Viator
Operated by SwissTravelGuide.ch · Tours, prices and availability from Viator.
