Mt. Pilatus from Lucerne with Eurail Pass?

Easiest place to buy your ticket is right at the train station in Lucerne, at the tourist information office. I made my purchase there - just make sure to have your Eurail pass ready to show for the discount. When I made my purchase, I bought it about a half-hour before boarding the train (I took the silver ticket which went by train rather than boat).

The boat docks just outside the train station - you really can't miss it. By the way, you said that you will be "returning via the train to Kriens". I should point out that you will actually be taking the cable card and a gondola down to Kriens, not the train.

So, the step-by-step for this. Buy your pass at the train station info center. The pass is not limited to a specific time, so you can buy your tickets in advance and go when you want. You will be given separate tickets for each element of the route. First off, you will just walk the 200 yards to the dock and board the boat, handing over your first ticket. You will get off the boat in Alpnachstad; it is not the first stop, as you are actually on a regular lake ferry and not a boat specific to the Mt. Pilatus experience so check your departure locations carefully. The boat will take about 1 hour and 25 min.

Next, you will walk from the dock at Alpnachstad to the cogwheel train station. The path is straight, and you will not at all be confused as to the route as the town is tiny, and it is uphill from the lake to the mountain where the station is. The cogwheel is timed to depart only about 6 minutes after the boat arrives, as it is only about a 3-minute walk to get to the station. You will have to hand in another ticket here - exchange your ticket at the ticket booth to get a pass valid at the automated turnstiles for the cogwheel train (you will also get a downhill ticket for the cable car/gondola). Travel time uphill is 30 minutes.

Downhill is even faster. At the top of the mountain, there is the large station along with a couple of hotels and restaurants. In the large complex is the cable car station, which is facing the other side of the mountain. When you are ready to go down, get in line and use your ticket for the cable car. Cable cars descend about every 15 minutes.

At this point, you will then walk about 50 yards from the cable car station to the gondola station, and catch a gondola for the rest of the way down (you can get off halfway down if you'd like). Gondolas come a couple times a minute.

The most difficult part is getting back to the train station from Kriens. The Mt. Pilatus website says that you take a bus back, so I figured that it would be a line dedicated to shuttling tourists. It isn't. Instead, you have a ticket for public transit. You leave the gondola station in Kriens - which is a suburb in Lucerne - turn right, and walk downhill for about 700 yards, where you end up anti-climatically at a bus stop at the side of the road. Just hop on the next bus, and the line ends about 10 minutes later at the train station.

As for the time required to do a full trip on the mountain, it all depends on how much time you want to spend once you're at the top. The round-trip just by using the transportation methods is about 2 hours to get from Lucerne to the top of the mountain, and about an hour to get back to the train station via the other route... so about 3 hours in total. When I was there, I took the opportunity to hike atop the mountain, eat a packed lunch, and check out the gift shop as well as the interpretive path. I did not stop at any of the adventure sites on the way down, which include an abseil course, and a summer tobaggon run. In total, I was probably on the mountain for about 3 hours. I would suggest than an 8 hour trip is going to feel a bit long, but make sure you also plan time to see the Lion Monument back in Lucerne, if you have not already.

Have a great trip!

Lucerne To Mt Pilatus

You get a discount. The Swiss transport system is highly integrated and relaible so you can get the ticket from regular outlets - the ferry terminal at Luzern is probably most convenient. It is right outside the railway station (quai "steg" #2). The ferry takes 90 minutes to get to Alpnachstad. It is then 40 minutes by cogwheel train to Pilatus Kulm. By way of variation you might want to take the cable car down to Kriens and take a bus back to Luzern, which will take about an hour in total. Don't worry about getting lost - the area is very safe, the officials all speak English and you will not be the only one going. I would allow a lesiurely full day for the trip, maybe if it is nice doing a walk at the summit of Pilatus to Tomlishorn (35 minutes each way).