Pilatus Toboggan Run: Switzerland's Longest Summer Coaster

In Switzerland, I finally did something I had only ever seen in other people's videos — a toboggan run down a green mountain, with the brake in my own hand.

It is called the Fräkigaudi, it sits at a spot called Fräkmüntegg on Mount Pilatus, and at 1,350 metres it is the longest summer toboggan run in Switzerland. Here is exactly how I got there from Lucerne, what everything cost, and what the ride actually feels like.

How to get there from Lucerne

Traveler Jyoti walking up the gravel path toward the Kriens cable car station for Mount Pilatus — The short walk up to the Kriens cable car station — about 300 metres.

From Lucerne it is one bus and one cable car.

Bus: From Lucerne, take bus number 1 toward Kriens and get off at the Zentrum Pilatus stop. It is about 11 stops — roughly 12 to 15 minutes. The bus is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.
Walk: From the bus stop, it is a 300-metre walk uphill to the Kriens cable car station.
Cable car: Take the panorama gondola up. It goes Kriens → Krienseregg → Fräkmüntegg. Get off at Fräkmüntegg — that is where the toboggan run is. The ride up takes about 30 minutes.

📍 Open the full route in Google Maps →

What the tickets cost

There are two separate tickets — the cable car, and the toboggan ride. People mix these up, so keep them clear in your head.

Traveler Jyoti holding a Fräkigaudi toboggan ticket in front of the self-service ticket machine at Fräkmüntegg — The toboggan tickets come from a self-service machine — no staff counter. Pick English, choose how many adults, tap your card.

1. The cable car (Kriens → Fräkmüntegg) The round trip is normally CHF 44. But I have a Swiss Travel Pass, which makes it 50% off — so I paid CHF 22 for the return journey. This is the same pass deal that gets you up most Swiss mountains at half price. If you are doing several mountains on your trip, the pass pays for itself fast — I broke down exactly what it covers in my Swiss Travel Pass guide.

2. The toboggan ride You buy this at a self-service machine right next to the run — there is nobody sitting at a counter. It is CHF 9 for one adult ride.

There are also free lockers near the start to leave your bag (use at your own risk). I left mine there so I had nothing on my lap during the ride.

What the ride is actually like

View down the Fräkigaudi toboggan track with cows grazing beside it and Lake Lucerne and mountains in the distance — This is the view as you sit on the track before pushing off. Cows on one side, Lake Lucerne in the distance.

Honestly, I did not expect it to be this long or this fun.

You sit in a little sled on a metal track, and the brake is a lever in your own hands — push forward to go fast, pull back to slow down. So you decide your own speed the whole way. I went fast in the open stretches and eased off on the bends.

The run is 1,350 metres long, which felt much longer than I expected — it just kept going, curving down through the green meadows. And then the part I had never seen before: you do not climb back up or take a trolley. You stay sitting in the same sled, and a tow line pulls you and the sled back up to the top. I had never seen that system anywhere else.

The best bit is the view. On the way down you are looking straight at the mountains, and there were cows with bells grazing right next to the track. For CHF 9, it is one of the most fun things I did in Switzerland.

Good to know before you go

Traveler Jyoti next to the Fräkigaudi summer toboggan run sign at Fräkmüntegg showing opening hours 10:00 to 17:00 — The sign at the top — opening hours and the official website (rodelbahn.ch). Note it runs only in dry weather.

A few things I wish someone had told me:

It closes the moment it rains. A wet track is unsafe, so they shut it instantly. The day before, it rained on us and we had to skip plans. Check the official site rodelbahn.ch on the morning of your visit.
Open daily, roughly 10:00 to late afternoon, April to mid-October. Exact times change by season — the official site has the live timings.
Dress for the top. It was much colder at Fräkmüntegg than down in Lucerne. Carry a light jacket even in summer.
The cable car keeps going higher. Beyond Fräkmüntegg, the same line continues up to the summit of Mount Pilatus if you want the full mountain.
Grab a free souvenir cap. When you ride the Pilatus cable car you can claim a free Pilatus cap through an app — there is a small catch with a timer, so I wrote a separate step-by-step guide to the free Pilatus cap.

If you have a dry day and you are anywhere near Lucerne, put this on your list. It is cheap, it is genuinely thrilling, and the views do the rest. After this we headed to the Rhine Falls — another easy half-day trip worth doing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get to the Pilatus toboggan run from Lucerne?

From Lucerne, take bus number 1 toward Kriens and get off at the Zentrum Pilatus stop (about 12–15 minutes). From there it is a short 300-metre walk uphill to the Kriens cable car station. Take the panorama gondola up and get off at Fräkmüntegg — the toboggan run is a 5-minute walk from that station. The whole trip from Lucerne takes around 1 to 1.5 hours.

How much does the Fräkigaudi toboggan run cost?

One ride is CHF 9 for adults, CHF 7 for kids aged 8–16, and CHF 5 for kids aged 6–7. Under 6 ride free with an adult. You buy the ride ticket from a self-service machine right next to the run — there is no staff counter. This is separate from the cable car ticket.

Is the toboggan run covered by the Swiss Travel Pass?

The toboggan ride itself (CHF 9) is not covered — you pay for it separately. But the cable car up to Fräkmüntegg is 50% off with the Swiss Travel Pass: the round trip drops from CHF 44 to CHF 22. So the pass saves you on getting there, not on the ride.

When is the Fräkigaudi toboggan run open?

It runs daily from roughly April to mid-October, from 10:00 in the morning until late afternoon. The most important thing: it closes immediately when it rains, because a wet track is unsafe. Always check the official site rodelbahn.ch on the morning of your visit, especially if the weather looks cloudy.

Can I hike up to the toboggan run instead of taking the cable car?

No. There is no walking path up to Fräkmüntegg — you have to take the cable car from Kriens both ways. I had read online that hiking was possible, but on the spot there was no hiking route at all. Budget for the cable car ticket.

Is the Pilatus toboggan run worth it?

Yes. At CHF 9 for a 1,350-metre run — the longest summer toboggan in Switzerland — it is genuinely good value, and you control your own speed with a hand brake. The views of Lake Lucerne on the way down make it special. If the weather is dry and you are already going up Mount Pilatus, do not skip it.

Have a question about this trip?

Got a question I haven't covered in the guide above? Drop it below — I personally read every one and often add the best questions into the FAQ section of this guide.