Stanserhorn was one of the most interesting discoveries during our trip to Switzerland in July. It has got everything the word quirky would constitute. In addition, it is an easy trip. If you have skipped this experience on your trip to Switzerland, you have a reason to go back.
Stanserhorn or Mt Stanserhorn is known for its old-time funicular. In fact, it was originally started in 1893 in 3 sections. As a matter of fact, the origin station and the first section of the old time funicular is still running in all its glory.
However, the CabriO cable car has replaced the second and third sections of the journey. It is an open top, one of a kind CabriO cable car. The end station or Mt Stanserhorn has panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and Lake Lucerne.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit Stanserhorn would be between May to November. It is open for evening rides every Friday and Saturday during that time. However, check the weather before visiting or you won’t be able to enjoy the views at the peak.
The rides are scheduled every 10 minutes during high season. However, there is usually a big queue during the high season so take some extra time.
Getting there
Stanserhorn is easily reachable from Lucerne. If you are coming from cities like Zurich or Interlaken, you can take a train until Lucerne and change. In fact, you can reach Mt. Stanserhorn from Lucerne in 3 easy steps.
Step 1: From Lucerne, there are two trains every hour that will take you to Stans station. The journey takes around 20 minutes.
Step 2: After that, you must walk a few steps from Stans to reach the Stanserhorn station from where you get the Stanserhornbahn or the funicular. The funicular takes around 10 minutes to reach Kälti.
Step 3:Lastly, from Kälti you will get the CabriO Cable car that takes you to the top of Stanserhorn in around 9 minutes.
Tip: The Swiss Pass covers the entire journey to Stanserhorn. For more details on the fare visit here.
Our Stanserhorn Experiene
We started the day early from Interlaken and took a train to Lucerne. After that, we took the train directed towards Engelberg and got down at Stans station. At one point we thought we had gotten down at the wrong place as nobody was around. Finally, we directed Google Maps towards the Stanserhornbahn and reached there in 4 minutes.
Tip: When you take the Stanserhornbahn, keep some buffer time. The funicular does not run in a schedule but on the tourists’ demand on that particular day. The timings of the cable car and the funicular are synced.
Stanserhornbahn (funicular)
CabriO cable car
We got down at Kälti for the next part of our journey. The CabriO cable car was waiting right next to the funicular stop. This was probably the most exciting part of our journey because we were going to ride in an open top cable car for the first time in our lives.
In fact, we ran to the upper deck to get the best possible views. It truly was a thrilling experience as the CabriO cable car took us through a wonderful landscape atop Mt Stanserhorn. To sum up, the journey was one of the most memorable in our Swiss itinerary.
Tip: In case you are a short person like me, I would suggest you hurry a bit and find a place to enjoy the views because there are only standing places on the upper deck. Therefore, you won’t be able to see if you get stuck behind a tall person.
Tip: The CabriO cable car is very safe on the open-air upper deck. In case you are scared of heights, you could also sit in the lower deck and enjoy the views from the panoramic windows.
Stanserhorn Summit
After reaching the top, we saw breath-taking views all around. Firstly, we hiked a little to see a birds eye view of Lake Lucerne on our right and numerous snow-clad mountains on the left. After that, we hiked a bit more to reach the summit from where we could see a panoramic view of Lake Lucerne and all the mountain ranges around. To our surprise, we could see Mt Pilatus in all its glory, the beautiful Mt Rigi and the majestic Mt Titlis.
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In the meantime, we sat for a long time at the summit to soak in the views. Next, we walked to the summit restaurant and grabbed some drinks. After a while, we returned to Kälti after a short queue at the cable car station.
Downhill to Stans
On our way back to Stans in the funicular I tried my luck and asked one of the grandpas if I could stand in the drivers area on our way back (usually they only allow children). Surprisingly, he agreed with a big smile. Of course, I had a hell lot of fun in that ride as I took last pictures and imagined what it would be like to do this for a living every day.
Tip: You can easily make a day trip to Stanserhorn in half a day. For instance, we clubbed it with a trip to Rigi mountains. However, if you are a relaxed person you could only do this or club it with a boat ride across Lucerne, a walking tour of Lucerne or even a trip to Mt Titlis.
Tip: The trip from Stans to Stanserhorn closes pretty early in the evening. Therefore, check the timings before visiting. In addition, keep enough buffer time because it might be crowded during summer along with a long queue.
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What to eat
There is a restaurant at the top of Stanserhorn but it is expensive like the rest of Switzerland. Instead, you could pack a picnic and enjoy it at the top. In addition, if you are feeling adventurous you can even grill your on food at the designated places at the summit.
Where to stay
Lucerne is the central place to stay in to make an easy day trip to Stanserhorn.
However, we visited Stanserhorn from Interlaken and it was fairly easy for us too.
Budget
You need approximately 100 Euros per person if you pack your own food.
If you have a Swiss Pass the entire experience to Stanserhorn is free.
