Stanserhorn & Lucerne day trip from Zurich

On this tour you can ride the world's first open-air aerial cableway. Breathe the fresh air of the Alps during the ride with the cabriolet aerial cable car to Mt. Stanserhorn, and enjoy a stunning view of Lake Lucerne. Once we reach the peak station, you will have plenty of time to take in the stunning panorama. On the way back, we visit the city of Lucerne. Enjoy a walking tour to the major landmarks such as the chapel bridge, the old town, and the lion monument.

Highlights

  • Visit the Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument and the old town of Lucerne

  • A ride on the world's first open-air aerial cableway

  • Scenic train journey

  • Season 2024 & Availability

    Season 2024:

    April 13 - November 24

    As a sole proprietor with a capacity of one tour per day, I can be fully booked far in advance.

    Click here to see my availability calendar

  • Detailed tour description

    Mount Stanserhorn and Lucerne tour from Zurich

    Ride the world's first open-air aerial cableway on this day trip from Zurich to Mount Stanserhorn.

    The cabin has two platforms; one inside and the outside open deck where you can breathe the fresh air of the Alps during the ride and enjoy a stunning panorama view of the Lake Lucerne.

    We leave Zurich around 9 AM by train and travel to Stans, where the base station is located. The first leg of the uphill journey is on an oldtimer funicular. For the second leg, as a stark contrast, we change to modern and unique open-air Cabrio gondola. Enjoy the 360° unobstructed view on the 10 minutes ride and take amazing pictures, as there are no windows in your way. Are you feeling not so adventurous? Not a problem, the lower deck of the Cabrio cable car provides a standard aerial cable car experience. It's not mandatory to travel on the open upper deck.

    At noon we reach the summit station of Mount Stanserhorn at 1900 meters above sea level. We can spend up to three hours on the peak. As this is a private tour, it's your choice how long you want to stay. Enjoy the views without rush, and you can have a nice lunch at the Restaurant (not included in the tour price).

    In the afternoon, we return on the same route. In Lucerne, we can do a stop, visit the Landmark Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) and walk through the city before returning to Zurich.

  • Inclusions & Exclusions

    Inclusions

    - All required train tickets in first class for you and the guide

    - Mt. Stanserhorn aerial cableway tickets for you and the guide

    - Mt. Stanserhorn boarding pass (time slot reservation)

    - Meeting at any centrally located Hotels, Apartment, or Airbnb

    - Return to any centrally located Hotel, Apartment, or Airbnb after the tour

    - Fee for the private guide, who will stay at your disposal throughout the tour

    - Car-free tour by train, mountain railway, and aerial cable car as per the tour description

    - Photography by the guide (with your own camera or smartphone)

    - A booklet with comprehensive information about Switzerland (one per party, for groups of four persons or larger are two printed copies included)

    - Use of a mobile hotspot with unlimited data (Speed: 4G)

    What is not included in the tour price?

    - Your meals and drinks

    - Any personal expenses

    - Optional activities

    - Travel insurance (participation at your own risk)

  • Example itinerary

    This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

    The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

    Pick-up 

    8:20 a.m. - 8:40 a.m. at any centrally located Hotel or Apartment

    InterRegio  

    9:10 a.m. - 9:51 a.m. Zurich - Lucerne

    Regional train 

    9:57 a.m. - 10:18 a.m. Lucerne - Stans

    Stanserhorn Funicular 

    11:00 a.m. - 11:09 a.m. Stans - Kälti

    Stanserhorn Aerial cable car 

    11:15 a.m. - 11:24 a.m. Kälti - Stanserhorn

    Sightseeing 

    11:24 a.m - 2:15 p.m. Enjoy the Stanserhorn

    Stanserhorn Aerial cable car  

    2:15 p.m. - 2:24 p.m. Stanserhorn - Kälti

    Stanserhorn Funicular  

    2:30 p.m. - 2:39 p.m. Kälti - Stans

    Regional train  

    3:10 p.m. - 3:32 p.m Stans - Lucerne

    Sightseeing 

    3:32 p.m. - 6:09 p.m. Visit Lucerne

    InterRegio  

    6:09 p.m. - 6:50 p.m. Lucerne - Zurich

    Drop-off  

    7:10 p.m. - 7:20 p.m. at any centrally located Hotel or Apartment

    Customization possibilities:

    We can depart one hour later (must be booked in advance)

    You can spontaneously shorten, or extend the visit to Mt. Stanserhorn by one hour.

    You can spontaneously shorten, or extend the visit to Lucerne. The latest possible departure time from Lucerne is at 10 p.m.

  • Lunch options

    Please regard that your lunch is not included in the tour price

    Lunch at the peak

    self-service restaurant

    This restaurant serves various hot and cold dishes. They have some local specialities and classics.

    Click here to read the restaurants' reviews on TripAdvisor

    An online menu is not available.

    Lunch in Lucerne

    We can also have a late lunch in Lucerne, where there is a wide selection of restaurants.

    Quick lunch:

    There are convenience shops and sandwich outlets along our travel route, where you can grab a bite.

  • Activity level

    The activity level is low to medium: few changes of trains, ride with the Mt. Stanserhorn aerial cableway (only standing places), 8-minute walk between the train station and the base station of the cableway, walking at the peak at your discretion

  • Pick-up area

    I can meet you at any centrally located hotel in Zurich.

    Click here to see a map of the pick-up area

    If you're staying outside of the pick-up area, I can meet you at the central train station of Zurich.

  • Weather

    Weather forecast

    Once a reliable weather forecast is available (usually one to three days before departure), I will send you a link to the forecast.

    If there is bad weather forecasted, I will include my recommendations for our tour day.

    I use the weather forecasts provided by the Federal Office of Meteorology and SRF (Swiss Radio and Television).

    With the links below, you can check the weather forecast at any time by yourself. The forecasts are available for the next five days.

    Click here to see the current weather forecast for Mount Stanserhorn

    Click here to see the current weather forecast for Lucerne

    Operability

    This tour can run in any weather condition except during a storm. During a storm, aerial cableways have to halt operations for safety reasons. If there is a storm with gale-force winds in the forecast, I need to cancel the tour. On rare occasions, there may be a cancellation due to landslides, avalanches, and other natural forces or the risk thereof. I will fully refund the deposit in this case.

    Your options in case of bad weather

    - You can choose a different tour/mountain peak in an area with better weather (if available, the price of the newly selected tour will apply).

    - We can do the tour as planned despite the weather.

    - I also have a few full-day train tours. For example, the Glacier Express route on local trains tour. These tours are ideal on rainy days as we are for most of the day inside and not exposed to the weather, and as on rainy days the views are usually better at lower altitudes.

    - If not having perfect weather is a dealbreaker, you can cancel by forfeiting the deposit.

Travel route from Zurich to Stans and Stanserhorn

From Stans to Stanserhorn by funicular and Cabrio aerial cable car

From Zurich to Stans by train

Source (map): Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo