Stoos and Fronalpstock from Lucerne: on the world's steepest funicular

Type

Half-day trip in a small group with pick-up, guide in German or English

Duration

around 4.5 hours

Start

Pick-up at your hotel in Lucerne

Season

May to early November and in winter, when the chairlifts run; Stoosbahn maintenance closure from 26 October to 4 December 2026

Operator

Sunshine SZ AG, Risch

Language

German, English

What to expect

The drive leads from Lucerne into the Schwyz valley to the Schlattli valley station behind Schwyz. Since December 2017 this has been the home of the Stoosbahn, the world's steepest funicular. Its barrel-shaped cabins rotate during the ride so the floor always stays level, even where the track climbs through the rock at a gradient of 110 per cent. A few minutes later you are standing in the car-free mountain village of Stoos at around 1,300 metres.

From the village two chairlifts climb to the Fronalpstock, 1,922 metres high. From the viewing platform the view stretches over Lake Lucerne with Lake Uri and the Rütli to the Mythen and out to the Mittelland. At the top there is around an hour for the panorama trail, a flat 1.6-kilometre circuit, and for a coffee break in the highest restaurant in the Canton of Schwyz. Then it is back to Lucerne the same way.

The operator offers two variants: a village walk on Stoos instead of the trip up the Fronalpstock, and the same excursion with pick-up in Zurich. Both are linked below.

Getting there and meeting point

You are collected from your hotel in Lucerne, provided it can be reached by car. The drive to the valley station takes around an hour. If you travel independently, the valley station is reached by bus 501 from Schwyz station, stop Schwyz, Stoosbahn.

Good to know

The operator is a small travel company from the Zug region; the offer is new and has no reviews yet. Food and drink are not included. It is noticeably cooler on the Fronalpstock than by the lake, so bring a jacket and comfortable shoes. The funicular is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, the open chairlift to the Fronalpstock is not. For children the summit, with its playground and, in summer, a petting zoo, is a rewarding destination.

The chairlifts to the Fronalpstock run daily from May to early November and in winter from mid-December to the end of March. In autumn 2026 the Stoosbahn is closed for maintenance from 26 October to 4 December.

Tip: If you have a whole day, the trip combines well with the ridge hike: instead of taking the chairlift back down, walk the ridge to the Klingenstock on your own.