Trips & tickets
An hour on a modern hybrid catamaran from central Lucerne, with Rigi and the Bürgenstock in view.
Boat from Lucerne to Vitznau — historic steamers in summer — then the rack railway up Rigi.
Bus and panorama gondola up Pilatus, down the world's steepest cogwheel railway to Alpnachstad, and back to Lucerne across the lake.
The full GetYourGuide listing for Lake Lucerne — boat tickets, cruises and lake-and-mountain round trips, with live prices.
Lake Lucerne is crossed by a network of scheduled boats, including historic paddle steamers, that link Lucerne with the villages around the shore. Many visitors use them as part of a round trip — boat one way, then a cogwheel railway or cable car up Rigi, Pilatus or the Bürgenstock.
On top of that sit dinner and themed cruises, private charters and small-boat hire. These pages compare the options and what each one costs you in time.
Plan it properly
How the boats on Lake Lucerne work: the fleet of five paddle steamers and 15 motor ships, sailing times from Lucerne to Weggis, Vitznau, Brunnen and Flüelen, where to buy tickets, which passes are valid, and the short cruises from Lucerne.
The classic Lake Lucerne day out compared: Pilatus with the world's steepest cogwheel railway (up to 48%, May–November) and Rigi with Europe's first mountain railway from Vitznau, plus the Bürgenstock and Stanserhorn — how each round trip works and which to choose.
How to plan a day on Lake Lucerne: short cruises, the full lake to Flüelen (2 h 45 min), lake-and-mountain days, the Gotthard Panorama Express to Ticino, the lake through the seasons, dinner cruises, and tips for families and first-timers.
The lake
Photographs licensed from Shutterstock.
On scheduled boats, yes: the GA, Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Travel Pass Flex are all accepted, as is the Lake Lucerne Pass.
Pilatus has the world's steepest cogwheel railway — up to 48%, opened in 1889, 27 minutes up — and it runs May to November. The Vitznau–Rigi Kulm railway, described as Europe's first mountain railway, takes about 30 minutes. Both pair with a boat from Lucerne.
May to November. Check the timetable for your date before planning a round trip.
From about an hour on the catamaran or the discovery cruise to a two-hour first-class lunch sailing; boat-and-mountain round trips take half a day or more.