Mt. Pilatus and the Swiss Alps
We are excited to be spending 5 nights and 4 days in Luzern. The lake, old town and sights are spectacular. But everywhere we look, we are surrounded by the Swiss Alps. We know we must explore and get into the Alps to fully experience the region. We choose to visit Mt. Pilatus.
Research tells us that it is important to visit the Alps on a day when visibility is clear. This will be tricky as we are here during at the end of October and many days are overcast. Luckily, we find a break in the weather on our last full day promising to ‘possibly’ have some clearing before noon. We decide to visit Mt. Pilatus in the morning regardless of the weather.
There are two ways to get to Pilatus from Luzern. One involves a boat ride across Lake Luzern, a Cogwheel ride up the mountain, a Dragon Gondola flight down and bus back to Luzern. This was our first choice to maximize the experience. Unfortunately, these options are closed for two weeks each year for maintenance, and those two weeks are when we are here. So we choose the second alternative, taking the train to and from with a Cogwheel ride both up and down the mountain. This was still a great experience.
The Adventure Begins
We go to the train station in Luzern where we arrived a few days before. To our surprise, now that we are rested, the train station is a fun adventure in itself. We discover there is a very large underground shopping mall adjacent to the station. Of course, the first thing we see are pastries everywhere.
There is an information counter where we confirmed the details of our trip and where able to purchase our tickets for both the train and Mt. Pilatus. This started the journey off on an easy and confident note. We located our platform and train. (Hint: Train cars have numbers on them to designate either 1st or 2nd class seating. Your ticket must match the car you sit in.)
We arrived at Alpnachstad Station at the base of Mt. Pilatus after a 20 minute train ride along the shores and bedroom retreats of Lake Luzern.
Already having our tickets we skip the tickets line, we make our way directly to the Cogwheel train boarding queue.
We are excited to learn that the Cogwheel train ride up Mt. Pilatus is the steepest Cogwheel train in the world with a 48% grade – straight up. Wow!
We learned a Cogwheel railway is different from a regular train in how it propels along the track. A regular trains wheels turn on the track much like a car and this makes the train move forward. A Cogwheel trains wheels follow the track, but it uses a gear system to propel the train forward. This is important on steep up or down grades to prevent the train from losing traction.
Climbing to the Top
We load quickly and begin our climb up the mountain. As we leave the station the scenery quickly becomes meadows and we can see the marina down at Lake Luzern.
After leaving the station we pass through a lower meadow level. From here we are able to see the Alpnachstad Marina on Lake Luzern. This is where the ferry would arrive.
Once we pass 4300 feet, we catch a glimpse of the summit. It stills looks far away and insanely high.
We pass one of a few houses on the mountain. The resident is sitting on the deck contemplating the serenity. Check out all the stored wood under the house for the cold season.
The views at this altitude become incredible and impossible to describe with words. We have risen above the fog on the valley floor and now it is sunshine everywhere. This is the first real sunshine we’ve seen in the four days in Luzern.
This meadow with a barn looks like something out of Sound of Music. Queue Maria and the Von Trapp family. The hills are alive….
The Steepest Cogwheel Railway in the World
We have been climbing at a steady and steep rate. But now we begin our assent in earnest, straight up. This is a 48% grade. It is amazing how skilled the Swiss are at tunneling through solid granite. We learning about some of their amazing accomplishments touring the Swiss Transportation Museum in Luzern.
The Cogwheels not only climbs straight up the mountain, they also cling to the edge of the mountain. The sight from inside the train is straight down.
The views all the way up the mountain are awe inspiring. We feel the journey alone is the main event, but little do we know what is awaiting us at the summit. With the top in sight we continue into the final leg of the climb heading toward the summit station.
Top of the World
We arrive at the visitor center (1 floor below). The observation deck is large and offers incredible 360 degree views. There are a number of additional hiking trails, in, through, around, and up the mountain. These offer even more views.
To the west is the Oberhaupt summit with a military radar and weather station on top. These areas are restricted from visitors. There are also a couple of the hiking trails along the face of the Oberhaupt cliff and also on top of the summit.
Looking to the northwest you can see Switzerland extend past the town of Wolhusen toward France on the horizon.
From the top of Mt. Pilatus, the views of the Swiss Alps are breathtaking.
Here we are taking the obligatory selfie from the top of the world.
We found ourselves standing in awe of this scene. It was hard to pull away because of how magical it felt. Looking across Switzerland from above the clouds, it looked like islands in the clouds.
The Alps are Alive with the Sound of Music
On the observation deck there were two alpenhorn players blowing the deep bellowing sounds of traditional Alpen music. Alpenhorns are believed to date back to the 1400s and have been used for communication between mountain villages.
Barbara ventures up to one of the summit peaks to get a better view. I choose to stay behind and take pictures rather than tackle the stairs.
The newest aerial gondolas are the Dragon Ride. These gondolas are cockpit like with lots of glass. These are one of the ways on and off the mountain. Unfortunately, they were closed for their annual two week maintenance during our visit. However, this gives us a reason we must return.
The beautiful views continue in every direction. There is a peaceful calm and serenity being here.
There is a short break in the clouds that allows us to see Luzern more than 12 miles away.
We braved the cold weather on top of Pilatus with temperatures in the low 40s and a slight breeze. After a couple of hours, we visited the restaurant in the Bellvue Hotel. We had a snack of hot french fries and hot chocolate. The circular dining room offered more incredible views. The Bellvue Hotel is located on top of Pilatus and would be a very cool place to spend a couple of nights.
In addition to good food and good views, the Bellvue restaurant was warm and cozy with just the right amount of Hygge. There was also a trio performing traditional folk songs.
Heading Down the Mountain
We made our way back to the lower level visitor center and boarded the Cogwheel for the ride down the mountain.
With the fog temporarily gone, we were treated to another view of Lake Luzern as were approached the Alpnachstad station.
After disembarking, we explored the tourist attractions around the station. There is a gift shop, various restaurants and cute buildings.
One final picture for the road. Barbara poses in the mock-up Cogwheel before we board our real train back to Luzern.
Standing on the platform we wait for the train to arrive. The trains run frequently throughout the day. At peak times a train comes along about every 20 to 30 minutes. One tip – Everything we experienced was Swiss precision regarding the stated times. Trains and buses run on very exact schedules, so it is critical to be on time.
The Welcome Arch greets us outside the train station when we arrive back in Luzern. It feels good to be back home for our last night in Luzern before we catch another train to Basil Switzerland and board our Rhine River Cruise.
Next stop after Luzern – Read about our Rhine River Cruise.