Stanserhorn with kids - the CabriO cable car with an open roof and an evening in Lucerne

The Stanserhorn is a 1,898 m mountain above the small town of Stans in central Switzerland. You go up in two stages: first in a historic funicular from 1893, then in the CabriO cable car from 2012, which has an open upper deck. From the top you can see Lake Lucerne and Mount Pilatus. We were here on 12 August 2024, during our campervan holiday through the Alps.

From Interlaken to Stans

After three nights in Interlaken we packed up and drove Beza 60 km to Stans. We left the van in the town car park.

By funicular and the CabriO

The first part goes up in a historic funicular with wooden carriages. Then you change to the CabriO. On its open upper deck you ride in the open air, with a view of Stans, the meadows and the lake below.

At the top

At the top station there are big cogwheels from the old drive of the railway. On the summit we walked along a path with views of the Alps, and on the way there were cardboard marmots for photos and wooden loungers.

On the way down in the CabriO you can see Mount Pilatus above Lake Lucerne. We went up that mountain the next day.

The campsite in Horw and a downpour in Lucerne

By 14:00 we were at the TCS Luzern-Horw campsite on Lake Lucerne. Then we took the bus to Lucerne for a walk, which took us over a wooden covered bridge.

Dark clouds came over from Pilatus and it started to pour. We got back to the campsite soaking wet at about 20:00. It turned out that the campsite staff had rolled up the awning on Beza, so the rain did not damage it.

The next day we took the steepest rack railway up Mount Pilatus.

Practical info

We checked this in November 2026.

Stanserhorn: tickets and season

• Return ticket: adults 82 CHF, half price with the Swiss Half Fare Card, children aged 6-15 20.50 CHF.
• Children under 6 travel for free. The Swiss Family Card is not on the price list, so check before your trip if your kids can ride for free with it.
• In 2024 we paid 82 CHF for our tickets.
• The railway runs from April to November.
• The car parks near the bottom station in Stans are paid.

TCS Luzern-Horw campsite

• It is on Lake Lucerne, next to a public lido.
• You can get to Lucerne by city bus. Ask at the reception about the Lucerne Guest Card, which gives free local public transport.

Lucerne

• The Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), the most famous wooden bridge in Lucerne, is about 205 m long. In 1993 a fire destroyed two thirds of the bridge and 86 of the 111 paintings under its roof.
• The Lion Monument from 1821 remembers the Swiss Guards who died in Paris in 1792 defending the Tuileries Palace.