I will be traveling from Lugano to Lucerne for 3 days in Early September. Will have a 6 year old in tow. Sounds like Mt. Pilatus is a good trip for the 6 year old. We will have a car. Is it best to take the trip from Lucerne or stop off and take it while driving from Lugano? I have read that you can take a train and a boat back to Lucerne that could be interesting but it may take more time than necessary. Any suggestions would be great. Any suggestions on Lucerne as well would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for you help.

The Pilatus is right within Luzern. There are two ways to go up the mountain: a cable car and a railway. If you take the cable car it is a short drive from the city center (about 1 mile) to the station in Kriens where you can park your car. Then board the cable car and enjoy spectacular views!

http://www.pilatus.ch/

the ideal trip up Pilatus IMO is to take the dramatic mountain railway up their from Alpnachstad and then take the dramatic aerial cableway down to Kriens, on the edge of Lucerne - if you park at one or the other end you'll have to go up and down the same way and lose part of the experience of both the mountain railway and cable car. I would suggest yes that the short about one hour boat ride to Alpnachstad, from where the mountain railway starts and cable car down to Kriens, from where city buses take you the few miles back to the city center.

If you are coming from Lugano, to do Pilatus, you will have to go past Lucerne. Rigi is before Lucerne. In any case, do it as a day trip from Lucerne. This way you can arrive by boat at Alpnachstad, take the steep cogwheel train to the top and return by ropeway to Kriens, take a bus or train back to Lucerne. It may take more time than necessary? If you enjoy the scenery, taking time is a good thing. If you are in a hurry, maybe not.

As Palanque said above me, without car would be ideal.

I think a 6 year old would also love the old-fashioned paddlewheel steamer that goes to Alpnachstad from opposite the Lucerne train station, right in the heart of town.

another thing in Lucerne a tyke may love and adults too would be the family-fun Swiss Transports Museum - which is two miles down the lakeside promenade east of downtown Lucerne - or you can take again a short steamer boat ride there. Lots of interactive things, etc for kids. And there is a planetarium and IMAX cinema as well. And the Lido is here too - a sandy beach and a huge open-air swimming pool.

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