Why the official free mountains list says three and everyone else says five
The Swiss Travel Pass's own list of mountain excursions covered in full names exactly three: Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos. Then you go and read a dozen resellers and blogs and they all say five, throwing in Klewenalp and Brunni too. Nobody's lying to you.
Here's what's going on. The Klewenalp and Brunni lifts appear to sit inside general network validity rather than being singled out as headline mountain excursions. So they're free when you turn up, they just aren't named on the marketing list. Three is the official answer, five is the practical one, and you can ride all five without paying a franc.
Worth knowing too: travel to the car-free villages of Mürren and Wengen is also covered in full. That's not a mountain summit, but it's the reason the Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch trips come out cheaper than they otherwise would.
What each free mountain would cost you without the Swiss Travel Pass
What the ticket window would have charged you at each one.
| Mountain | Full price | With the Swiss Travel Pass | On the official list? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigi | CHF 76 | Free | Yes |
| Stanserhorn | CHF 82 | Free | Yes |
| Stoos | CHF 23.30 funicular, or CHF 70.80 full excursion from Lucerne | Free | Yes |
| Klewenalp | CHF 42 | Free in practice | No |
| Brunni | — | Free in practice | No |
Do Rigi and Stanserhorn on consecutive days and you've already clawed back CHF 158 of what the pass cost you, before you've caught a single train.
How to reach the free mountains from Lucerne and Zurich
All five sit in Central Switzerland, and Lucerne is the natural base for every one of them. From Zurich you're looking at roughly 1h to 1h 45mins depending on which mountain you pick.
Rigi: boat, cogwheel and the classic up-one-side-down-the-other loop
You've got three ways up: the cogwheel railway from Vitznau, the cogwheel from Arth-Goldau, or the cableway from Weggis. The boat from Lucerne to Vitznau takes about 55 minutes and it's the nicest approach by a mile. From Rigi Kulm station it's ten minutes on foot to the summit. Go up one side and down the other, that's the loop everyone raves about, and the pass covers all of it.
Stanserhorn: train, funicular, then the open-topped CabriO
- Take the train from Lucerne to Stans, they run every 15 minutes and take about 20 minutes each way.
- Board the historic funicular for 10 minutes, changing at Kälti.
- Ride the CabriO cable car for another 10 minutes to the top.
Stoos: the steepest funicular in the world
Allow about 1h 30mins from Lucerne by train, bus and funicular. The Stoosbahn itself leaves from Schwyz, takes just 4 to 7 minutes and climbs 744 metres in cabins that tilt to keep you level the whole way up. It's the shortest ride here and easily the most memorable.
What you still pay for on the free mountains
The Fronalpstock and Klingenstock chairlifts above Stoos are not covered. You get to the village of Stoos for nothing, and then the two lifts that take you onto the ridge are full price. If the ridge walk is the whole reason you're going, budget for it.
When each free mountain is open
- Rigi, year round.
- Stoos, year round, at its best early January to mid March and again May to October.
- Stanserhorn, seasonal only, running roughly 11 April to 22 November 2026 and shut outside those dates. Turn up in February and you'll find nothing running.
The two most unusual rides in Switzerland cost you nothing extra
This is the quiet win of the free three. The Stoosbahn is the steepest funicular in the world. The Stanserhorn CabriO has an open-topped upper deck, so you ride to the summit standing in the open air. Both are covered in full. Two of the strangest lifts in the country, and your pass already paid for them.
Best walks on the free mountains
Rigi is the easy one. The summit plateau has extensive gentle trails, and a nice trick is to walk down to a lower station and ride back up from there, all still covered. Above Stoos, the Klingenstock to Fronalpstock ridge is the walk people actually come for, and it's genuinely spectacular, but remember both of those chairlifts are full price. Rigi gives you free walking; Stoos gives you a great walk with a lift ticket attached.
Swiss Travel Pass or Lucerne Travel Pass for these five mountains?
Where the two passes agree, and where they don't.
| Swiss Travel Pass | Lucerne Travel Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Rigi, Stanserhorn, Stoos | Free | Free |
| Klewenalp, Brunni | Free in practice | Free |
| Pilatus | Discounted only | Free |
| Titlis | Discounted only | Free |
| Rest of Switzerland | Covered | Not covered |
If you're staying put in Central Switzerland, the Lucerne Travel Pass is the stronger buy, because it turns Pilatus and Titlis from expensive extras into free ones. If you're moving around the country, the Swiss Travel Pass wins on everything else. More on how the coverage tiers work over on the mountain coverage hub.
