Mount Pilatus vs Rigi: Which Mountain to Choose

Hours, prices and access verified by the Mount Pilatus Tours team — last checked 2026-09-26.

Fog lying over the lowland lakes, with sunlit ridges standing clear above it

Pilatus and Rigi face each other across Lake Lucerne, and most visitors have time for one. Pilatus is higher, and its railway steeper. Rigi is older as a railway mountain, and free with a Swiss Travel Pass. This guide compares them on the things that decide it, from the fares to the winter timetable, and ends with a pick for each kind of traveller.

Pilatus or Rigi: which one?

Pick Pilatus for the drama: a rock summit at 2,132 metres, the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, and a loop by boat, rail and cableway. Pick Rigi if you hold a Swiss Travel Pass or a GA, which make it free, or if you want the older railway and the trails from Rigi Kaltbad.

If you have children under 16, Rigi carries them free with an adult. If you travel in December or later, Rigi's cogwheel from Vitznau keeps running, while Pilatus is reached only from Kriens.

How do they compare side by side?

Here are the two mountains by what the railways publish for 2026. Pilatus figures are Pilatus-Bahnen's; Rigi's are Rigi Bahnen's, and the height of Rigi Kulm is from Wikipedia.

	Mount Pilatus	Rigi
Summit	Pilatus Kulm, 2,132 m	Rigi Kulm, 1,797 m
Return to the top, adult, 2026	CHF 84 from either valley station	CHF 84 day pass, every Rigi railway
With a Swiss Travel Pass	50% off the mountain	Free
With a Half Fare Card	50% off	50% off
Children	Half fare from 6 to 15; free with a Junior card	Free up to 15 with an adult
Railway	Steepest cogwheel, up to 48%, since 1889	Europe's first mountain railway, 1871
From Lucerne	Bus 12 min or train 16 min to the lifts	About an hour by boat to Vitznau or Weggis
Ride up	27 min by cogwheel, about 40 from Kriens	About 30 min from Vitznau, 40 from Goldau
Winter	Kriens side only, from 30 November	Cogwheel from Vitznau runs all winter

The fares look identical until you add a pass or a child. That is where the two part company.

Which is higher?

Pilatus, by about 335 metres. The summit station, Pilatus Kulm, stands at 2,132 metres, among limestone peaks you can climb in 10 to 30 minutes. Rigi Kulm stands at 1,797 metres, the top of a long massif almost surrounded by Lake Lucerne, Lake Zug and Lake Lauerz.

Height is not the whole story. On Pilatus the highest rock, the Tomlishorn, is a walk from the station along a flower trail. Rigi Kulm lies in the canton of Schwyz, with the massif split between Schwyz and Lucerne.

Which costs more?

Without a pass, neither. A return up Pilatus from Kriens or Alpnachstad costs CHF 84 in 2026, and so does a Rigi day pass, which covers every Rigi railway for the day. With a Half Fare Card each costs CHF 42.

The loops differ. On Pilatus the Golden Round Trip bundles the boat and bus with the lifts for CHF 119.80. On Rigi you pay the boat to Vitznau or Weggis on top of the day pass. Booked ahead, a Kriens return up Pilatus costs $72.

What does the Swiss Travel Pass change?

Everything, if you hold one. On Rigi the Swiss Travel Pass and the GA travel free, as do the Tell-Pass and the Swiss Transfer Ticket. On Pilatus the same pass gives 50% off the mountain and carries you free on the boat, train and bus of the loop, so you still pay CHF 42 for the lifts.

So a pass holder on a budget goes to Rigi for nothing, or pays CHF 42 for Pilatus. Every Pilatus fare and pass rule is on the Mount Pilatus tickets page.

Which is open in winter?

Rigi, more fully. Its cogwheel from Vitznau runs through the autumn, winter and spring timetables without a break into 2027. Its toboggan runs and ski lifts are free with a valid ticket, and it has 300 sledges for hire at Rigi Kulm. The line from Goldau closes for works from 5 to 23 April 2027.

On Pilatus the cogwheel runs from 11 May to 29 November 2026, and the lifts from Kriens close for their overhaul from 19 October to 27 November. From 30 November you go up from Kriens only, and the sledging runs from Fräkmüntegg down to Krienseregg once the snow is deep enough.

How do you get there from Lucerne?

Pilatus is closer. Bus 1 reaches Kriens in about 12 minutes, the train reaches Alpnachstad in 16, and the boat from pier 2 takes from 47 minutes, until 18 October. The cogwheel then climbs for 27 minutes; from Kriens the gondola and cableway take about 40.

For Rigi, the boat from Lucerne reaches Vitznau or Weggis in about an hour. At Vitznau the cogwheel station is right next to the pier, and the ride takes about 30 minutes. At Weggis you walk about 15 minutes to the cable car, then ride via Rigi Kaltbad in about 40. By train, you change at Arth-Goldau for a 40-minute cogwheel.

What is at the top?

On Pilatus: two hotels, Hotel Pilatus-Kulm from 1890 and the Bellevue, a restaurant with a terrace, and three short climbs. The Dragon Path runs through the rock for about 20 minutes, and Dragon World inside is free. The things to do are on what to do on Mount Pilatus.

On Rigi: the Rigi Kulm Hotel, established in 1816, and trails along the ridge. Since June 2024 the Rigi Chänzeli Trail and the Rigi Panorama Trail, both with an audio guide, start from Rigi Kaltbad.

Which railway is the one to ride?

Both are firsts. The Pilatus cogwheel, opened in 1889, climbs at up to 48 per cent, the steepest in the world, in 27 minutes. The story of how it grips the rock is in the Pilatus cogwheel railway.

Rigi's line from Vitznau made its first run on 21 May 1871, Europe's first mountain railway. The line from Arth-Goldau followed in 1875. Rigi Bahnen still run steam rides on set dates in summer.

Which suits families?

Rigi is cheaper for families: children up to 15 travel free with an adult. It has playgrounds at Rigi Burggeist, Rigi Kaltbad and Rigi Scheidegg, and an ice rink at Kaltbad in winter.

Pilatus has more to do on the way up. At Fräkmüntegg you find the Fräkigaudi toboggan run and a rope park, and at Krienseregg the PILU-Land playground. The details are in Mount Pilatus with kids.

Which is easier with a wheelchair?

Both railways take wheelchairs. Rigi Bahnen say their train staff help travellers with wheelchairs, pushchairs and walking aids on and off the trains, and an electric wheelchair can be hired on the mountain. On Pilatus the cogwheel, the gondolas and the cableway all take wheelchairs; register by phone at least a day ahead, unless you use a manual wheelchair and go up from Kriens.

Can you do both in a day?

Yes, with a plan. The private day with both mountains gives you about four hours on Pilatus, a boat to Vitznau and the cogwheel up Rigi, for up to 6 people at $974 a person. It takes 10 hours from Lucerne station.

Doing both on your own? You need two sets of lifts and a boat between them, and the Pilatus loop alone takes about four and a half hours. Start early, and book the Pilatus cogwheel seat to fit.

So which should you pick?

First time in Switzerland, one mountain: Pilatus, for the rock and the loop.
Swiss Travel Pass or GA: Rigi is free; Pilatus costs CHF 42 for the lifts.
Children under 16: Rigi is free for them; Pilatus has the toboggan run.
December to April: Rigi, or the Kriens side of Pilatus.
Both, in one day: the private day that does both.

Choosing a way up Pilatus is its own question, answered in the best Mount Pilatus tour for your trip.

Frequently asked questions

Which is higher, Pilatus or Rigi?

Pilatus. Its summit station, Pilatus Kulm, stands at 2,132 metres, and Rigi Kulm at 1,797 metres, about 335 metres lower.

Does the Swiss Travel Pass cover Rigi and Pilatus?

Rigi, yes: the Swiss Travel Pass and the GA travel free on the Rigi railways. On Pilatus the pass gives 50% off the mountain and covers the boat, train and bus of the loop.

Is Rigi cheaper than Pilatus?

Without a pass they cost the same to go up and down: CHF 84 for a Rigi day pass, and CHF 84 for a Pilatus return from either valley station in 2026. The difference is the passes and the children's fares.

Which mountain is better in winter?

Rigi: the cogwheel from Vitznau runs through the winter timetable, and the toboggan runs are free with a valid ticket. On Pilatus the cogwheel stops after 29 November, so you go up from Kriens by gondola and cableway.

Do I need a seat reservation on Rigi?

No. Rigi Bahnen say reservations are not obligatory and are free, and recommend one for groups of 10 or more. On the Pilatus cogwheel the railway recommends one on busy days.

Can I do Pilatus and Rigi in one day?

Yes, on a 10-hour private day from Lucerne that crosses the lake by boat to Vitznau for Rigi. It is a long day, so start early.

Is it the steepest cogwheel railway in the world?

Yes. The line from Alpnachstad climbs at up to 48 per cent, and it has run since 1889. The ride takes 27 minutes up and 33 minutes down.

Where these facts come from

Tours for choosing between the two

Mount Pilatus & Mount Rigi in just 1 Day!

Two mountains in one day with your own guide: about four hours on Pilatus, then a boat to Vitznau and up Rigi. Meets under the arch at Lucerne station.

From $974 per person

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Mt. Pilatus Peak and Lake Lucerne Cruise Small Group from Lucerne

Up to 15 people with a local guide, from Platform 7 at Lucerne station. You get about an hour at Fräkmüntegg and two on the summit, then the cogwheel and the boat.

From $271 per person

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Kriens: Mt. Pilatus by Panoramic Gondola and Aerial Cableway

The cheapest way up: the panorama gondola and the cableway from Kriens to the summit and back, on the side that runs all year outside its overhaul.

From $72 per person

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Next: Settled on Pilatus? Compare every way up on Mount Pilatus Tours.