This is a great option if you do not want to be tied to a guided tour. Most guided tours begin around 8a and return to Luzern around 1p. Mt. Pilatus is an all day adventure and you want to take your time to explore the mountain, which is the reason to do the self guided option. Some items to be aware of: first, the walk from Luzern to the gondola in Kriens is about two miles. I believe it’s faster to walk than dealing with the bus at the train station. Two, regardless if you have purchased your ticket online, you will still need to stand in line at the gondola to receive a paper ticket so go early to avoid the lines. Last, the ticket process for the ferry from Alpnachstad back to Luzern is super simple. Just jump onboard and buy your ticket on the ferry. The ferry schedule seemed to be timed very well with the arrival of the cog wheel trains. Overall, this was a great experience and a “must do” if you are visiting Luzern.

Beautiful Alps tour. When you arrive at mtg pt for Gondola rude, you need to go to ticket window for paper ticket voucher which you scan repeatedly at various entry points. Cogwheel train ride is cool but plan for about 1 1/2 hours to wait in line and get down the mountain. Our kids enjoyed the ropes tour at the halfway point. Great look out over all if Lucerne region and the alps range beyond.

This was definitely worth doing when visiting Lucerne. We only came for a day as part of a longer road trip. Parking was accessible and easy to find right by the cable car station. The views from the top were amazing, we had a cloudy day to start but when the cloud lifted you could see 360 degrees around from several points at the top. There are a few short walks you can do to 2/3 vantage points when you're up there. You can easily fill half a day doing this or maybe even a full day if you have lunch up there and have the time.