Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Travel Pass

Is the Lake Lucerne cruise included in the Swiss Travel Pass?

Yes, on every regularly scheduled SGV boat, steamers included. SGV lists the Swiss Travel Pass and the Swiss Travel Pass Flex as 100% free travel on its scheduled cruises.

SGV lists the Swiss Travel Pass, the Swiss Travel Pass Flex (on a travel day) and the Tell-Pass, now sold as the Lucerne Travel Pass, as free travel on every regularly scheduled boat. The Half Fare card gives 50% off. In practice that means the boats from Piers 1, 2 and 3 at Lucerne station: Weggis, Vitznau, Brunnen and Flüelen from Pier 1, Alpnachstad from Pier 2, Küssnacht and Bürgenstock from Pier 3. The named round trips that run on these courses, the 55-minute catamaran, the Short Lake Cruise and the Grand Lake Cruise, are covered too, because they are ordinary timetable boats with a name on them.

You do not need a reservation. Seats on the open decks cannot be reserved anyway, per SGV; only seats in the dining areas can. Ride in the class your pass is for.

★★★★★

Loved having the Swiss Travel Pass. Made it so easy to hop on and hop off boats, buses, and trains.

Which Lake Lucerne cruises are not covered by the Swiss Travel Pass?

Dining cruises (lunch, dinner, fondue), event and themed cruises, and the 1-hour Discovery Cruise from Pier 7, which is discounted rather than free.

SGV puts it plainly: on its themed cruises, only special tickets are valid. The Discovery Cruise is a special round trip too, and the 2026 SGV manual lists a discount for Swiss Travel Pass and Half Fare holders. The Saphir panorama yacht, also from Pier 7, is out of service in 2026 for its hydrogen conversion.

Does the Swiss Travel Pass Flex cover the Lake Lucerne boats?

Yes, on the days you use as travel days. SGV lists the Flex next to the standard pass as free travel on the scheduled boats.

The Flex is for non-consecutive days within a month, per the Swiss Travel System. On a travel day it works exactly like the standard pass: trains, buses and the scheduled boats are free. On a day you have not activated, you need a normal ticket for the boat.

That makes the lake a good Flex day. Spend the travel day on the boat to Vitznau, the Rigi railway, the cable car down to Weggis and the boat back, and the whole loop costs nothing extra. Save the train-only days, a short hop from Zurich for example, for a cheap point-to-point ticket.

What about the Tell-Pass and the Lucerne Travel Pass?

They are the same regional pass under a new name: the Tell-Pass has been sold as the Lucerne Travel Pass since 1 April 2026. It covers the scheduled boats and, unlike the Swiss Travel Pass, Pilatus as well as Rigi.

The Tell-Pass was Central Switzerland's regional pass. MySwitzerland says it was replaced on 1 April 2026 by the Lucerne Travel Pass, for 3, 4, 5 or 10 consecutive days, with trains, buses, boats and numerous mountain railways. Switzerland Travel Centre names Pilatus, Rigi and Titlis among them, which makes it the regional pass to look at if Pilatus is on your list. It does not cover the rest of Switzerland.

How much does the Half Fare card save on a Lake Lucerne cruise?

50% on the scheduled boats, per SGV. On Pilatus, the Golden Round Trip drops from CHF 115 to CHF 57.50 with the Half Fare card (2026).

The Half Fare card is the cheaper route if you will only take one or two trips. It halves the scheduled boat fares and most mountain tickets, and SGV adds that a Half Fare day pass gives free travel on the boats for that day. Interrail and Eurail holders also get 50% on the boats, per SGV.

For children, SGV lets under-6s ride free and charges half price from 6 to 16. With a Junior Card, children 6 to 16 travel free with a parent. Swiss Travel Pass families get the same effect with the free Swiss Family Card.

Is the gondola free with the Swiss pass?

On Rigi, yes: the Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad cable car is free with the Swiss Travel Pass. On Pilatus, no: the gondolas, the cableway and the cogwheel railway need a discounted ticket.

Pilatus Railways says Swiss Travel Pass holders ride the boat and the bus on the Golden Round Trip for free but need a discounted ticket for the ascent and descent. The discount is applied when you buy the mountain part. Seat reservations on the cogwheel railway are extra on any ticket.

The cable car from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad, about 10 minutes, lists the Swiss Travel Pass, the Flex and the Lucerne Travel Pass as free travel, per Lucerne Tourism. The Swiss Travel System also lists Stanserhorn and Stoos as free mountains. Titlis and most other big cable cars are discounted, not free.

For pass holders, what the Golden Round Trip adds is the mountain itself, already combined with the boat and bus legs in one ticket.

The Pilatus loop in one booking: boat to Alpnachstad, cogwheel up, cableway and gondolas down, bus 1 back to Lucerne. Runs May to October.

★ 4.7 · About 4.5 hours · from $145

Explore the Pilatus Golden Round Trip → Tour details

Is Rigi included in the Swiss Travel Pass?

Yes. The Rigi cogwheel railways from Vitznau and Arth-Goldau and the cable car from Weggis are free with the Swiss Travel Pass, and with the Flex on a travel day.

This is why Rigi is the easiest mountain for pass holders. Take the Pier 1 boat to Vitznau, ride Europe's first mountain railway (1871) to Rigi Kulm at 1,798 m, come down to Rigi Kaltbad and take the cable car to Weggis for the boat home. With the pass, none of it costs extra.

What a pass does not include is a spa visit. The Rigi boat, train and baths ticket adds the Rigi Kaltbad mineral baths, and the classic Rigi round trip is the ticket for travellers without a pass. Note that from 16 to 27 November 2026 the Weggis cable car is closed for maintenance, and the listing routes the trip via Vitznau both ways. The full loop is in the Rigi by boat guide.

Is the Swiss Travel Pass worth it for Lake Lucerne?

It is worth it if Lucerne is one stop on a longer Swiss trip. For two or three days around the lake only, compare it with the Lucerne Travel Pass or the Half Fare card.

The pass pays off on movement. Zurich to Lucerne by train, a day on the boats and Rigi, then on to the next region, and the boat days come free on top of the trains. It also opens more than 500 museums, including the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne, per the listing. It runs for 3, 4, 6, 8 or 15 days.

The Swiss Travel Pass is from $306 on GetYourGuide, 4.8 from 2,188 reviews. The confirmation is not the pass itself: the provider sends the digital ticket within 24 hours, per the listing. Planning your days? See Lucerne in a day and the best time to visit.

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