FAQ
The short version of everything in the guides — what people actually ask before they go.
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.
The lake's shipping company runs 20 ships, including the historic steamers used in summer on routes such as Lucerne–Vitznau.