SPENDING THE NIGHT ON THE TOP OF MT. PILATUS

When visiting Switzerland, there are more epic mountain views than I can count. There are cable cars, ski lifts, gondolas, trains and funiculars taking you from valley to summit. And each and every time we have the chance to see one of these epic views, we try to make it happen! When we had the opportunity to get away without the kids for the night, we knew that spending the night on the top of Mt. Pilatus was the right choice!

Mt. Pilatus overlooks the city of Lucerne and Lake Lucerne in Central Switzerland. This beautiful mountain reaches 2,132 m above sea level, or 7,000 ft.

In order to reach the summit, we took a gondola from Kriens to Fräkmüntegg and then an aerial cablecar, called the Dragon Ride, from Fräkmüntegg to Pilatus Kulm. In warmer months, you can also take the steepest cogwheel railway in the world from Alpnachstad to Pilatus Kulm.

There are two options for lodging at the summit: Hotel Bellevue (20 standard double rooms) and Hotel Pilatus Kulm (27 superior double rooms). Hotel Pilatus Kulm was built in 1890 and completely renovated in 2010. We are huge fans of historic hotels so we chose a superior double room in the Hotel Pilatus Kulm, and the views from the room were incredible. When we made our reservation, we booked the Summit Dreams offer, which included the tickets for the ascent and descent, four-course dinner, overnight stay and a delicious breakfast.

So what did we do with our time on the top of the mountain? Well, we arrived at Pilatus Kulm around 4pm, checked into the hotel, grabbed a quick snack and walked up the short hike to the observation deck. The observation deck provides 360 degree views of the surrounding landscape, and it is absolutely gorgeous. I am terrified of heights so it took me quite some time to reach the top, but it would normally only take 5 minutes to reach the top.

After seeing a stunning sunset that I will never forget, we headed back to get ready for dinner and drinks. Dinner was absolutely delicious. We ate a lot of food but each course was manageable with appropriate portion sizes (think Europe, not USA).

The next morning we woke up and watched the sunrise from bed. We enjoyed breakfast, walked along the Dragon Trail and started the journey home. We truly had an amazing time spending the night on the top of Mt. Pilatus, and we definitely recommend this experience!

To see more of our time on the top of Mt. Pilatus, check out our YouTube video below!

Where is your favorite mountain view? Thank you so much for wandering along with us!