Lake Lucerne · Pilatus · Rigi
Lake Lucerne winds in long arms between Pilatus and Rigi, and the boats leave from the quay right outside the station. Ride a paddle steamer to the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, or take lunch on deck past Weggis.
Cruises
In the centre, the most-booked trip on the lake: the Pilatus Golden Round Trip with its boat leg. On the left, a one-hour catamaran cruise that sails all year; on the right, a first-class lunch cruise. Every card opens a full tour page.
Best price
★ 4.41 hourFree cancellationAn hour out and back on the SGV's modern catamaran, with Pilatus, Rigi and Bürgenstock around you. It leaves right outside the station and runs all year.
Most booked
★ 4.7About 4.5 hoursFree cancellationBus and panorama gondola up from Kriens, the world's steepest cogwheel railway down to Alpnachstad, then the boat back across Lake Lucerne. Self-guided, in either direction.
Lunch on board
★ 4.3About 2 hoursFree cancellationA first-class seat and a freshly cooked three-course lunch, meat or vegetarian, on a round trip toward Vitznau or Küssnacht. Water and a coffee or tea are included.
Queen of the mountains
★ 4.61 day, own pace
With a guide
★ 4.75.5 hours
Spa day
★ 4.71 day, own pace
City and lake
★ 4.82 to 3.5 hours
Boats included
★ 4.83 to 15 days
From Zurich
★ 4.810 hours
For two
★ 5.01.5 hoursCompare
One question sorts most of it: is the boat the scheduled SGV service, which Swiss passes already cover, or a dining cruise or boat of its own? After that it is lake only or lake and mountain, guided or at your own pace.
| Tour | Starts from | Boat | Best for | Length | From | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilatus Golden Round Trip with Boat | Lucerne station: bus 1 or Pier 2 | Scheduled SGV boat leg | Lake, cogwheel railway and gondola in one loop, May to October | About 4.5 hours | $145 | Book |
| 1-Hour Catamaran Cruise on Lake Lucerne | Lucerne, Pier 3 by the station | Scheduled SGV round trip | The lake in one hour, in any month | 1 hour | $33 | Book |
| 1st-Class Lunch Cruise, 3 Courses | Lucerne, Bahnhofquai | Dining cruise (SGV) | A seated three-course lunch on the water | About 2 hours | $142 | Book |
| Classic Rigi Round Trip by Boat | Lucerne, Bahnhofquai | Scheduled SGV boat legs | Boat to Vitznau, cog railway up, cable car down to Weggis | 1 day, own pace | $165 | Book |
| Mount Pilatus Guided Half Day | Lucerne, Alpenquai coach park | 1-hour cruise until 18 Oct | A guide and a coach; the boat runs in the main season | 5.5 hours | $198 | Book |
| Rigi by Boat, Train & Mineral Baths | Lucerne, Pier 1 | Scheduled SGV boat, round trip | The Rigi Kaltbad mineral baths after the summit | 1 day, own pace | $192 | Book |
| Old Town Walk + 1-Hour Lake Cruise | Lucerne station arch | 1-hour cruise as an option | Chapel Bridge with a guide, then the lake | 2 to 3.5 hours | $86 | Book |
| Swiss Travel Pass, 3 to 15 Days | Valid across Switzerland | Covers every scheduled SGV boat | Boats, trains and buses; Rigi free | 3 to 15 days | $306 | Book |
| From Zurich: Lucerne & Mount Pilatus Day | Zurich, Sihlquai bus station | 1-hour cruise until 18 Oct | A guided Golden Round Trip without changing trains | 10 hours | $222 | Book |
| Pedalo Breakfast Picnic on the Lake | Küssnacht, Seemattweg | Your own pedal boat | Breakfast on a pedal boat, at your own speed | 1.5 hours | $193 | Book |
Every trip here cancels free up to 24 hours before, the Swiss Travel Pass up to 48 hours before its start date. A Swiss Travel Pass or Lucerne Travel Pass already covers the scheduled SGV boats; the tours add the mountain, a guide or a meal on board.
Before you book
Lake Lucerne is not one simple oval. Its arms reach between the mountains of five cantons: east to Weggis and Vitznau below Rigi, south to Alpnachstad below Pilatus, and round the corner into Lake Uri, past the Rütli meadow to Flüelen. Every arm starts from the same quay, the row of piers in front of Lucerne station.
The scheduled boats belong to SGV, the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company. A Swiss Travel Pass, the Flex on a travel day or the Lucerne Travel Pass (the former Tell-Pass) covers them in full, and a Half Fare card halves the fare. Lunch and dinner cruises, the mountain railways and guided days are priced on their own.
Paddle steamers in the SGV fleet, built between 1901 and 1928, sailing alongside 14 motor ships.
Pier 1 for Weggis, Vitznau and Flüelen, Pier 2 for Alpnachstad and Pilatus, Pier 3 for the catamaran.
Both cover the scheduled boats and Rigi. The Lucerne Travel Pass also covers Pilatus; dining cruises are extra.
From 19 October 2026 to 16 April 2027 the boats keep running, with fewer sailings.
Gondolas closed 19 October to 27 November 2026; the cogwheel from Alpnachstad runs until 29 November.
Your day
The classic lake-and-mountain loop from Lucerne, May to October. It runs the other way round as well.
Board the boat to Alpnachstad at the foot of Pilatus, about an hour across the lake.
MorningThe steepest in the world, up to 48%, opened in 1889. About 27 minutes to Pilatus Kulm.
Late morningTerraces, short summit paths and the lake spread out below. Lunch at the top if you like.
MiddayAerial cableway, then panorama gondolas over the forest, then bus 1 back to Lucerne.
Afternoon
Paddle steamer below Pilatus
The Chapel Bridge, a short walk from the piers
The catamaran toward Bürgenstock
Vitznau, where the Rigi railway starts
Panorama gondolas down to Kriens
On deck of a paddle steamer
The Rigi railway, open since 1871
Lake Uri, the southern arm
The lake from the mountain railwayPlan your trip
A short cruise, Pilatus, Rigi, or coming in from Zurich: one tab each.
Where it is
Bahnhofquai, Lucerne: Pier 1 Weggis, Vitznau, Brunnen and Flüelen; Pier 2 Alpnachstad; Pier 3 Küssnacht and Bürgenstock.
Walk out of the main station exit and the landing stages are straight ahead across the square. Most tours on this site start here; the guided Pilatus day meets at the Alpenquai coach park and the pedalo picnic at Küssnacht.
Around your trip
When to go, what guests wish they had known, where to step off and the fine print.
Central Switzerland
Pilatus on one side, Rigi on the other, the boat in between.
Check availabilityGuest reviews
★★★★★We took the boat from Lucerne to Alpnachstad, then the cogwheel railway to Pilatus Kulm and down by cable car to Kriens and Lucerne. A wonderful trip in good weather.
★★★★★Beautiful crossing, with great weather and clear air, absolutely recommended
★★★★★We had a delightful experience on this Lake Lucerne boat cruise! Lunch was delicious, the service was great and it was the perfect amount of time for an excursion. I would highly recommend!
★★★★★Nothing really could be improved, the views were spectacular. I enjoyed all the means of transportation it took to get there and back down the mountain. The boat ride back was the perfect way to relax to end the day.
★★★★★An excellent trip to Mt Rigi, very well connected by ferry and then train up to the summit for fabulous views.
★★★★★Everything from the boat ride to the train ride up the mountain was just amazingly picturesque! The spa was so relaxing I didn't want to leave.
★★★★★The tour was a great way to better understand the history and culture of Lucerne in a small group format with a knowledgeable local guide.
★★★★★Fantastic day out! It wasn't busy so everything went really smoothly. Spectacular views from the top! Highly recommend for a great day!
★★★★★This is a great day trip from Zurich. Our tour guide Sonia was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions and was able to keep the group on track.
One more stop
The plan for a grey afternoon: a transport museum on the lakeshore with its own boat stop, Verkehrshaus.
The rainy-day half of a lake day: rail, road, air, space and water transport in hands-on halls with simulators and over 3,000 objects, on the lakeshore in Lucerne. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Trains and shipsSimulatorsOn the lakeshore
The guide
One boat company, a row of piers by the station and two mountains with railways from the shore. Here is how to read the trips.
Lake Lucerne, the Vierwaldstättersee, covers about 114 km2 and reaches up to 214 m deep. It does not sit in one basin: it bends round headlands into separate arms, among them Lake Uri, the Küssnachtersee and the Alpnachersee, and five cantons share its shore. That shape is why a cruise here feels like a run of different lakes, each with its own villages and mountains.
Boats have worked the lake since 1837. SGV, the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company, runs five paddle steamers built between 1901 and 1928 and 14 motor ships. Not every sailing is a steamer; the timetable marks which ones are.
The scheduled SGV boats are public transport. A Swiss Travel Pass, the Flex on a travel day and the Lucerne Travel Pass cover them in full, and a Half Fare card halves the fare. The 1-hour catamaran and the boat legs of the Golden Round Trip and the Rigi round trip are all scheduled boats.
The tours add something the pass does not. The lunch cruise is a dining cruise, priced on its own. Pilatus needs a mountain ticket even with a Swiss Travel Pass. The guided days add a coach and a guide, and the pedalo picnic gives two people a boat of their own.
Both famous summits start from a pier. For Pilatus, the boat from Pier 2 reaches Alpnachstad in about an hour, and the cogwheel railway climbs gradients up to 48% to Pilatus Kulm. For Rigi, the boat from Pier 1 reaches Vitznau in about 50 minutes, and the railway that opened in 1871 takes about 32 minutes to Rigi Kulm. Either loop fits into a day with time left for the old town.
The summer timetable, from 23 May to 6 September 2026, brings the most sailings. The Golden Round Trip runs from May to October, and early September is calmer on deck than the summer weekends. The boats run all year, so a winter visit still gets a cruise, on the winter timetable from 19 October 2026 to 16 April 2027.
Guides
In-depth guides to the questions people ask most before booking. See all guides.
Best Lake Lucerne cruiseOne hour, half a day or the whole lake: which boat to takeSwiss Travel Pass and the boatsWhich boats, mountains and cruises your pass covers, and which cost extra
Pilatus Golden Round TripBoat, cogwheel, cableway, gondola, bus: direction, timing and cost
Rigi by boat from LucerneVitznau or Weggis, the 1871 cogwheel, Rigi Kaltbad's baths and the November cable car closure.
Lucerne in a dayA morning in the old town, an afternoon on the lake, and what to cut if you only have two hours.Best time to visitBoat seasons for 2026 and 2027, when Pilatus and Rigi run, and what changes in autumn and winter.From the blog
The winter timetable, the Pilatus closure and the paddle steamers. All posts.
Winter timetable 2026/27What still sails from 19 October, what stopped, and the Rütli shooting day.
Pilatus closure autumn 2026Gondolas closed until 27 November: the cogwheel way up and how the tours change.
The five paddle steamersUri, Unterwalden, Schiller, Gallia and Stadt Luzern: when they sail and how to ride one.FAQ
Straight answers to what people ask most about cruises on Lake Lucerne.
For a first visit, the Pilatus Golden Round Trip: the boat from Lucerne to Alpnachstad, the world's steepest cogwheel railway up, then the cable car and panorama gondolas down to Kriens. It runs May to October. With an hour to spare, take the catamaran round trip from Pier 3, which sails all year. The full comparison is in the best Lake Lucerne cruise.
From 55 minutes for the catamaran round trip to Bürgenstock and back, to about 5 h 30 for the Grand Lake Cruise to Flüelen and back. One way from Lucerne it takes about 40 minutes to Weggis, 50 to Vitznau, about an hour to Alpnachstad and 1 h 40 to Brunnen.
The 1-hour catamaran cruise starts from $33 on GetYourGuide and the first-class lunch cruise from $142. Bought directly from Pilatus Railways, the Golden Round Trip with the boat costs CHF 115 for an adult in 2026 (to Kriens) or CHF 119.80 with the bus back to Lucerne. With a Swiss Travel Pass the scheduled boats are free.
Boats run all year. In 2026 the spring timetable runs from 18 April to 22 May, summer from 23 May to 6 September and autumn from 7 September to 18 October. The winter timetable, with fewer sailings, runs from 19 October 2026 to 16 April 2027. Check the SGV timetable for your day.
Yes, on the scheduled SGV boats. The Swiss Travel Pass, the Flex on a travel day and the Lucerne Travel Pass (the former Tell-Pass) cover them in full, and the Half Fare card gives 50% off. Lunch, dinner, fondue and event cruises are priced separately. See passes and the boats.
Yes. The lake winds in long arms between steep mountains, five paddle steamers built between 1901 and 1928 still sail it, and two famous summits, Pilatus and Rigi, start from its piers. The Rütli meadow on Lake Uri is where the Swiss Confederation traditionally began.
June and September for the boats: the summer timetable runs from 23 May to 6 September 2026, the Golden Round Trip from May to October, and early September is calmer than the summer weekends. Month by month in the best time to visit.
Take the 1-hour catamaran from Pier 3, right outside the station, then walk across the Chapel Bridge into the old town. Both start within a few minutes of the platforms. More in Lucerne in a day.
Spend the morning on the Golden Round Trip, boat to Alpnachstad and cogwheel up Pilatus, and be back by bus 1 for an afternoon in the old town. On a cloudy day, swap the mountain for a lunch cruise and the Swiss Museum of Transport. Timings in Lucerne in a day.
They suit different trips. Lucerne is compact: the boats leave from the station, two cogwheel railways climb from the shore and Zurich is under an hour away by train. Lake Como is a longer trip south into Italy. For a lake and a mountain in one day, Lucerne is the simpler plan.
Under an hour by direct train. You can also book a guided day trip from Zurich: about 10 hours with Lucerne, Pilatus and, until 18 October, a boat ride.
Yes. The boats run all year, on the winter timetable from 19 October 2026 to 16 April 2027, and the 55-minute catamaran round trip sails in every season. Pilatus changes over in late autumn: the boat to Alpnachstad stopped on 18 October 2026, the gondolas are closed for maintenance from 19 October to 27 November, and the cogwheel railway runs until 29 November. In winter the gondolas from Kriens are the way up.
Ready to book
Free cancellation on every trip on this site.
More: the lunch cruise · the Rigi round trip · the Swiss Museum of Transport
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