Things to do on Mount Pilatus

Pilatus rises to 2,132 metres above Lucerne, roughly 1 h 50 from Interlaken via the Brunig line, so it works better as a day trip bolted onto a Lucerne visit than as a quick add-on from base. The draw is the Pilatus Bahn, the world's steepest cogwheel railway at a 48% gradient, climbing from Alpnachstad in around 30 minutes.

Most visitors do the Golden Round Trip: boat across Lake Lucerne, cogwheel train up, cable car down to Kriens (or the reverse), which takes a full day and costs upward of CHF 100 depending on where you start.

The summit trades on the legend of a dragon said to nest in its cliffs, but on a cloudy day you are paying for cable cars through grey rather than the panorama over the Alps the brochures show, so check the webcam before committing.