Luzern and Central Switzerland Places

Mt. Pilatus

Unlike Queen Victoria, who rode to the summit of this 6,953-foot mountain by mule in 1868, you can travel to Mt. Pilatus via cable car. At the top, a grand 19th-century "mountaineer's" hotel is the centerpiece of the surprisingly stroller-friendly mountain peak.

The mountain was named either from the Latin pileatus (wearing a cap), to refer to its frequent cloud covering, or, more colorfully, for the ghost of Pontius Pilate, who supposedly haunts the summit. (His body, it was said, was brought here by the devil.) For centuries it was forbidden to climb the mountain and enrage the ghost, who allegedly unleashed deadly storms.