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Mt Pilatus logistics with seat reservations

Posted by on

is there a way to only make a seat reservation for the cogwheel section of Mt Pilatus or do I have to buy the golden ticket now?

We are going in July. Do I need to make the entire reservation now or is it ok to just reserve the cogwheel? Does the golden roundtrip ticket ever sell out? I know July can be busy and that we should make a seat reservation now. We are a family of 5.

I am concerned trying to catch the first boat from Luzern in the morning will be extremely busy. Does the boat sell out? how early to be at the boat to ensure we get on the first boat if we make a seat reservation for the cogwheel directly after the boat?

Do people recommend doing the other direction and gondola up to avoid the crowds?

How long to spend at the top? Can we do any hike down, but then go back up to the top to catch the gondola or cogwheel back down? Does that make sense to hike partially down?

I am find this all a bit confusing.

Posted by
5966 posts

Weather is the primary consideration. You don't want to book now, as your date could be completely fogged in and/ or rainy.
Which Swiss Pass will you have? I mention this, because the STP covers everything for Mt Rigi, but only offers a discount to Pilatus. I prefer Rigi, it's all personal, as I enjoy the one hour boat ride to the Rigi cogwheel train. How long are you in Lucerne?
I don't remember any seat reservation seating when I went a few years back- has the system changed?
It all depends on your enjoyment of the view at the summit, regarding how long you stay at the top.
On a clear day, it's a spectacular experience.
Have a wonderful trip!

Posted by
2 posts

We have 3 days in Lucerne. We may also do Rigi. Everything online suggests booking seats for the cogwheel of my Pilatus for summer as it’s busy. Thanks for the help.

Posted by
2678 posts

First of all, those "Seat Reservations" aren't seat reservations. They are more like "skip the line" tickets. They just mean that you can board the train first if you turn up at the right time.

You can book reservations separately here: https://resy-individual.azurewebsites.net/
And as always, tickets and reservations live in separate universes and do not even acknowledge each others' existence :-)

Tickets never sell out. You will always be able to go to a ticket office and buy the golden round trip ticket. That is so with all public transit in Switzerland. Theoretically it is possible however that a boat stops taking passengers, as they do have a limit, for safety reasons. Best is to be at the dock say 20 minutes before departure. It is rare that people are left at the dock though.

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