Mount Pilatus and/or Mount Titlis?

Posted by turophilic on 03/07/16 09:24 AM

Hello!
I am travelling to Lucerne late April and am having a hard time deciding whether to go for both Mount Pilatus and Titlis in my short 2 nights there, and how to go about planning it. Appreciate any advice or input based on the following details:

Earliest arrival at Lucerne by train is 12:45pm (Although I would much prefer to have a bit more sleep and take the next train which arrives in Lucerne at 2:45pm)
Hotel is located close to train station
Would it be too rushed on day 1 upon arrival to head up to Mount Pilatus on the Golden round trip? Or would it be more advisable to do it reverse starting from Kriens with the gondola?
Next morning Titlis? Or is Titlis trip more manageable (time-wise) upon arrival on my first day, and Pilatus on the second day in the morning?
Not going to do any skiing or hiking, just purely sightseeing

Thanks in advance!

Posted by FastEddie

Florida

03/07/16 12:02 PM

1450 posts

Titlis is more mountainous and has better views to the west. Pilatus has a great view of Lucerne and a beautiful and easy walk down.

I would do one, not both, and spend the other day exploring Lucerne. And I would only go up if the weather were clear.

Posted by turophilic OP

03/09/16 07:51 AM

4 posts

Hi fasteddie, thanks for the suggestion! I might choose Pilatus over Titlies then. Would it be possible to do Pilatus in 4hours in your opinion? Since the latest descend (regardless of mode of transport) from the top of Pilatus is 5.30pm - unless I am mistaken?

Posted by mike_maple

Leicestershire, UK

03/09/16 01:01 PM

95 posts

Titlis is great - a snow park with tubes and sledges, a cliff walk/suspension bridge, chair lift plus the usual mountaintop restaurants and shops. When I went it was cloudy but still fun. Not been up Pilatus, but don't think there's as much to do.

Posted by mike_maple

Leicestershire, UK

03/09/16 01:36 PM

95 posts

Stanserhorn also a possibility - with the first ever Cabrio double decker/open top cablecar...

Posted by Nancy

Corvallis OR

03/09/16 05:15 PM

7158 posts

I have not gone up Mt Titlis but I really enjoyed going up Mt Pilatus. The other poster is correct that there isn't much to do there, a restaurant with a patio that has an astounding view and a short hike. What I loved best was the trip up and down - up on a series of gondolas and down on the incline railway. I think with 2 days you should only do one of them and spend some time in Luzern with maybe a boat ride on the lake, it's such a beautiful setting.

Posted by Laurie

Michigan

03/15/16 02:00 AM

481 posts

We began by taking the train through Luzern right to Engelberg. I think it was less than an hour away. We stayed there for two nights, and the first morning, were blessed with good weather to head up to Mt. Titlis. It was truly spectacular...everything we had hoped for in a snowy mountaintop experience in July. We spent several hours up at the summit, exploring, sliding on the snow, picnicking in the Panorama room, walking the suspension bridge, experiencing the glacier cave, people watching (especially fun to see people experiencing snow for the first time), and just enjoying the magnificent views. On the way back down to Engelberg, we got off at Trubsee, which was a tiny little stop on the three cable car journey to Titlis. There was a lovely lake, rowboats, hammocks, a waterfall...and we were surrounded by cows with beautiful cowbells as we headed down the path to the lake. It was blissfully serene. My teenaged son took me out on a rowboat ride - that was great, too!

Engelberg itself was a peaceful place to visit - a great calm oasis after our two hot weeks in Paris and the surrounding areas. It was just what our family needed. We ended the trip with three nights in Luzern, exploring the old town, and riding a paddlewheel steamer to Weggis for a lovely lunch and stroll around.

Since we had the Titlis experience, we did not even think about exploring Pilatus or Rigi - we had the experience of a lifetime with our own mountaintop adventure, and our Engelberg part of the trip ranks near the top of everyone's favorite parts of our family vacation. I would recommend if you have a great forecast from Engelberg in the morning that you consider making the day trip to Titlis.

Have a great trip!
Laurie