Views from Mount Pilatus

It had been snowing almost the whole time we were in Lucerne and we saw absolutely nothing the day before when we had gone to Rigi. There was a blizzard up on Rigi Klum and I could barely see 10 feet in front of me. So when I woke up to clear skies the next day, I made a beeline for Mount Pilatus. I was determined to see these incredible views I had read so much about.

When I asked the girl at the information stand for her honest opinion about Mount Pilatus vs. Rigi, she said that there wasn’t much to do on Mount Pilatus if weren’t going to ski. She said with a slight British accent, “You just go up, it’s a nice view… there’s a bar up there… and that’s it.”

Perfect.

We got there by taking a bus to the ski lift and then transferred to the gondola for the last few minutes of the journey up the mountain. There’s also a boat/train option that runs during the summer. I don’t ski or snowboard, so the lift itself was a treat. Especially with views like this…

When we got to the top, we enjoyed the Swiss Alps with some bubbly we had chilled in the snow. As darling as the city streets are down below, Switzerland is meant to be seen from up in the clouds. I feel like you can see all four countries Switzerland boarders from the top of Mount Pilatus. When the champagne was gone, we warmed up with some gluhwein from the bar inside the observatory. My feet were frozen by then too!

Transportation Tip:

All the modes of transportation were free for us because we got two Tell-Passes included in our hotel stay. I can’t rave enough about the Tell-Pass (it’s an unlimited transportation pass for central Switzerland). Many hotels in Lucerne offer the pass as a promotion in the winter. Since we booked directly with our hotel, they included the passes FO FREE! Prices vary by season and length of pass, but it’s totally worth it even if it’s not included with your hotel. Between the boat ride and gondola to Rigi and the lifts up to Mount Pilatus, all the modes of transportation over two days would have cost over $350 in the off season.

I was so glad we got to experience at least one clear day in Lucerne and see the views Mount Pilatus is know for. Just as the girl at the information booth said, we went to the top, enjoyed some drinks with the most breathtaking view and went back down. I couldn’t have asked for more.

PIN IT FOR LATER