Hello, I am an 81 year old senior traveling with my 2 adult daughters and 3 grandchildren - ages 11, 12, & 13. We will be in Lucerne for 2 days, traveling from Paris by way of Basel. While in Lucerne, we plan to go to Mt. Pilatus and take the hour long cruise on Lake Lucerne. My question involves the purchase of special passes for us. I did hear that, for the children, there is a pass that I can purchase that will include free tickets to the cable ride up Mt Pilatus, as well as the hour long cruise and a discounted price for the train ride from Basel to Lucerne. Does anyone know about this pass, the price, and how I can purchase it? Also, are there any passes that would be worthwhile for me (a senior) and my 2 adult daughters? Thank you ahead of time for any help you can give me. Happy New Year!
Posted by
Florida
1443 posts
The Swiss Pass sounds like it would be a good fit. You can get a family version of the pass which will cover the kids, provided you are a parent (not sure if grandparent counts). The pass would give you a 50% discount on those high mountain rides to Rigi and other peaks (but not Pilatus). It would also cover intra-city transportation such as buses and trams.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16221 posts
I believe you are referring to the Family Card that you can request (for free) with any type of Swiss Pass when that pass is purchased by a parent. The 3 children, all under 16 years, will then travel for free on the train from Basel to Luzern, on the Pilates trip up and back however you go, and whatever boat trip you wish to take, plus city buses or trams around Luzern.
The adult with the Swiss Pass will travel for free on the Basel-Luzern train (and any other standard trains they ride, but not the cogwheel train up Pilates), the boat trip, and city buses and trams. They will pay 36 CHF for the roundtrip up to Pilates, whether by lifts from Kriens or by cogwheel train from Alpnachstad ( not running in winter).
Here is the table of prices for Pilatus:
https://www.pilatus.ch/en/booking/prices
The Swiss Pass comes in two types (consecutive day or flex-day) and various lengths, starting at 3 days. The one you buy depends on how long you will be in Switzerland, and where you will go after Luzern.
If your time in Switzerland is just what you described—-Day 1 on the train from Paris to Luzern, Day 2 for the Pilatus and boat trips, Day 3 departing Luzern and Switzerland—- then you least expensive Swiss Pass option for that one adult is the 3 consecutive-day pass for 232 CHF. ( Remember to request the free Family Card when purchasing the Swiss Pass).
Here is the pricing page and a link to the map of coverage for the Swiss Pass:
https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/inspiration/international-guests/swiss-travel-pass.html
More information on the Family Card ( note that the adult pass holder must be a parent, not a grandparent):
You can buy it there or ahead of time ( a good idea if you plan to use it starting in Basel) on various websites, including this one (you will be transferred to Rail Europe for the purchase).
When is this trip and how much time in Switzerland do you have overall? It may or may not be cost-effective for the two other adults to purchase a pass, depending on the length of your stay.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC
367 posts
Are you sure the Swiss Pass covers Mnt Pilatus? I was just there two weeks ago and my SwissPass didn't, otherwise I'd have gone up there. Ours covered Rigi, Stanserhorn (closed until April) and Stoos
Posted by
Florida
1443 posts
You are correct, it does not cover Pilatus.
Posted by
San Diego, California
4683 posts
Transportation to Mt. Rigi [boat, and cogwheel] is completely covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16221 posts
It depends what you mean by “covers”. I explained that the adult using a Swiss Pass would pay 36 CHF each way going up and down Pilatus—-the pass gives a 50% discount on the cogwheel train up Pilatus from Alpnachstad, or the lifts up from Kriens, but does not “fully” cover the cost.
It does fully cover the boat or train from Luzern to Alpnachstad if you are doing the Silver or Golden Round Trip.
But the kids are free the whole way with the Family Card and one parent with a Swiss Pass.