A trip above the clouds - Lucerne - Things To Do Reviews

During my recent trip i managed to venture into a large town called Lucerne in Switzerland. But it was from here i made my way to the top of Mt Pilatus which all up took about 45-60 minutes from the hotel as a starting point.

It takes about 10 minutes to get to the base of the mountain in the town Kriens by bus which is where the whole experience begins. From there i took a 30 minute gondola ride in which i got to see some great views of the towns i left behind on the way up, which only scratches the surface of a breath taking day.

It's time to make a change about 3/4th's of the way up where i had to change over into a cable car which took me the rest of the way to the top. The views are starting to get better, and if you are scared of heights you only have to last 5 minutes this time around because it's only a short journey this time around.

Once i reached the top the adventure begun! There is plenty of walking trails that i got to experience in and around Mt Pilatus. You could literally spend 5 hours plus up the top just walking around and enjoying the views, it's not a trip where you enjoy a short period of time at the main spot of the mountain, take a few shots and head back down. There really is 3 or 4 paths that lead around the mountains to be explored which is what i really enjoyed about this part of the trip to Mt Pilatus. Some are short, but there is one path that will take at least an hour to walk. (I think. I walked for about 30 minutes, but headed back. :/)

I headed in early to beat the crowd and i was worried about the amount of fog on the way up, but if you spend time walking around and taking in the experience of being up there it's not a problem, it will eventually pass and there will be plenty of good photo opportunities. (It was like that on this particular day, i can't say on what it's like during different seasons or particular parts of the year.)

Enjoyed the top of the mountain enough and want to head back? There is the option of going back the way you came, down the cable car and on the gondola's, but i decided to head down the other side of the mountain on the train. It takes about 20-30 minutes before reaching the town of Alpnachstad, but during the trip down there is some great views overlooking the lake from the train. The great thing about this train is that all the seats are built on an angle to ensure you are sitting upright going down the mountain. :P

From Alpnachstad, and because the weather was great, i caught a ferry from here back to Lucerne. It takes about 60-90 minutes to get back, but it gives you a good opportunity to sit back and relax and enjoy the views once again. But this time of the mountain from a distance and plenty of other great landscapes surrounding the boat on it's journey.

How do you explain the water to someone who has never been to Switzerland? I can't believe the colour and how fresh and clean it looks. It's unbelievable. Maybe i'm excited too easily. :P

Overall, it's an enjoyable day out, if the weather is nice you can really stretch this adventure out to last a whole day or you can make it short and sweet, the choice is yours. But i prefer the former, it really is worth making the trip up there.