Stoos is a small mountain resort near Lucerne, known for the steepest funicular train in world and spectacular views over Lake Lucerne.
The main viewpoint, Fronalpstock, is easy to reach by riding the funicular to the alpine village, then a series of chair lifts up the mountain. At the top, you can safely enjoy the views from a fenced platform at the edge of the cliffs.
If you feel like walking, you can do the short and easy panorama trail along the cliffs. Near the viewpoint, there’s a restaurant and a picnic area with a playground, a great option for families with small children.
Although Stoos is no secret, it’s much less crowded that other popular tourist destinations in Switzerland. When we are hosting visitors, it’s one of our first choices for a day trip from Zurich, easy by train and car. Keep reading for all the info you need to visit Stoos.
Are you looking instead for the popular Stoos ridge trail?
| Location: | Lake Lucerne region |
| Address: | funicular train at Grundstrasse 232, 6430 Schwyz |
| Car: | Parking GPS: 46°59’33.0″N 8°40’28.9″E 50 mins from Zürich or Luzern |
| Train: | Bus stop: Schwyz, Stoosbahn 1hr20 from Zurich or Luzern |
| Trail: | optional 1.5 km loop |
| Condition: | obstacle-free dirt and gravel, elevation 1920m |
| Skill: | easy |
| Open: | late May to end of October |
| Cost 2024: | Adult CHF 54, Child CHF 18 Discounts for Swiss travel cards, free with Tell Pass |
| More info: |
Where is Stoos located?
This trail is located in Stoos, an alpine village near Lucerne accessed by the steepest funicular train in the world (see on Google Maps). You can easily drive or take a bus to reach the funicular that takes you to the trail.
The car-free village is reached by the Stoosbahn funicular train or the Morschach cable car. This easy panorama trail (#84) is at the top of the Fronalpstock chair lift, on the right side of the resort.
Hiking map
The Stoos Panorama trail is a 1.5 km loop, starting at the top of the Fronalpstock chair lift. It walks along the cliffs overlooking Lake Lucerne on a wide dirt path, possible with all-terrain strollers.
See trail map on Komoot
If you want to hike longer, you can hike down to Stoos instead of looping back to the chair lift. The end of this trail connects with the Moor Theme Trail, just outside of the Stoos village. It has various stations with games, puzzles, and activities dispensing educational information about the Moor.
For a more challenging hike, we recommend the 4.4 km Ridge trail from Klingenstock to Fronalpstock, a narrow rocky alpine trail with lots of stairs and some steep drop-offs. Suitable for children 7+ with hiking experience. Details for this hike here.
How to get to Stoos
Stoos is a car-free village. So you drive or take a bus to the valley below Stoos and ride a funicular up the mountain to reach the village.
By car:
The Stoos funicular parking is located at Grundstrasse 232, 6430 Schwyz. There are signs indicating how many parking spaces are available in the parking garage and open-air parking across the street. Take a parking ticket as you enter. You can pay by card or cash at the end of your day.
If these parking areas are full, keep driving down the valley to the overflow parking (about 300m), where they provide a shuttle back to the funicular train.
By public transport:
Take a train to Schwyz, Bahnhof then bus #1 to Schwyz, Stoosbahn, which drops off directly at the funicular station.
Planning your day
Ticket prices
For this hike, you’ll need the “Stoos Peak Experience Ticket” which includes a return trip on the Stoos funicular and Fronalpstock chair lift to trail.
In summer 2023, this ticket costs CHF 52/adult, CHF 20/children aged 6-15.
Discount for Swiss Travel Pass, SBB GA and Half-fare cards. Children under 6 and those with a SBB Junior card ride free. See current prices.
Opening times
The Stoos funicular runs year round. The chair lifts to the Fronalpstock viewpoint run on weekends weekend winter and summer, opening for daily operation in early May through early November. Check the website for current opening times.
The funicular train runs about every 30 mins from 7:05 to 19:40, later on Fri & Sat. The chair lifts run continuously from 9:00 to 16:00, the Fronalpstock lift sometimes later until 17:30. The lifts may close in bad weather.
What to expect at Stoos
Riding the funicular up to Stoos
Here is the Stoos funicular station and ticket office. This picture was taken in winter, thus the snow. I’ve taking the picture from the parking on the hill above the funicular station.
In this pic, you can see the funicular track going straight up the mountain.
The funicular car has several round cars. It doesn’t matter which one you ride it, all of them have a great view. But best to stand facing downhill because the bubble car rotates as you ride up the mountain, blocking the uphill view.
Here’s the top of the funicular track where it drops you off in the Stoos village.
Once in Stoos, walk to your right, following the brown trail sign to Sesselbahn Fronalpstock Talstation, which is a chair lift. It’s about a 5 minute walk through the village.
Riding the chairlifts up to Fronalpstock
The chairlift seats four and has a wind bubble, which make me feel safer when riding with children. The lift operator can load your stroller or baby backpack on a separate chair. Ride up to Fronalpstock at the top using the two chair lifts. Here is a view from the second chair lifts as we went up.
Fronalpstock Viewpoint
The second chair lift drops you off at Fronalpstock, where you’ll find an observation deck, playground, and restaurant.
There is a safe observation deck, enclosed with a high fence, safe for kids of all sizes. You get a dramatic view of Vierwaldstättersee (aka Lake Luzern). I’ve been here several times and it still takes my breath away.
There’s a restaurant at the top. There is a self-serve cafe, with snacks, salads, soup, desserts, and a few hot buffet options. You can sit outside on the large patio or inside upstairs with large windows letting in the view. There is also a full-service restaurant with a larger menu and indoor seating.
Next to the restaurant there is playground with a swing, slide and lots to climb.
On the Panorama loop trail
The Panorama loop trail heads southwest along the cliffs, very easy walking.
It parallels the cliffs without getting too close. However, I’d keep a tight rein on little kids that like to run and not mind safety instructions. This section of the trail is a wide gravel path, very stroller-friendly.
Lots of great photo opps for visitors. We brought Grandpa here and he loved it!
Great views of the lake from the trail.
After about 15 mins, the trail forks at the little hut shown in the pic below. To continue the Panorama loop, turn left and head back up to the Fronalpstock chair lift.
The other trail continues down the mountain on switchbacks and stairs, leading to the ridge trail or all the way down to Stoos. Details for the Ridge hike here.
You can see the panorama trail working its way back through the fields, with views to the south instead of over the cliffs.
The trail loops back to the chair lift, which you can ride back down to Stoos. Make sure you don’t miss the last chair down, either at 16:00 or 17:30, check times online or at the lift station at the start.
See more hikes near Lucerne.
49 Responses
Hi Tanya,
We are a family of four from Mumbai, India with two daughters aged 13 and 7 Yrs. We are planning to visit Switzerland in May 2024. We plan to visit Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken and Geneve. We want to explore Lucerne and its surrounding peaks. We wish to explore Mt Stoos and Mt Rigi on Day 1, Mt Stanserhorn and Mt Pilatus on Day 2, and Mt Titlis on Day 3. We start with Mt Stoos and end with Mt Titlis so that we can acclimatize to the high altitudes and low temperatures which is rare for us. I would like to know whether two peaks can be planned together or will it be too hectic for the kids. Which pass will work for us, our Itinerary is as follows: Day 1 in Zurich with Rhine Falls and local sightseeing, Day 2, 3, and 4 in Lucerne to explore all the peaks, Day 5 in Interlaken to explore Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, we are skipping Jungfraujoch. Day 6 in Geneve and by the end of the day to catch a flight to London. Will the Swiss travel pass be better off or should I combine it with the Tell pass for the time we are in Lucerne?
Hi Keval, what a fun trip you have coming up! I think its usually too much to try and visit two mountains in the same day. Stoos and Titlis are quite far from each other, almost 3 hours by train. So I don’t think it would be possible to do both of those on the same day.
Regarding the travel pass, my guess would be that the Swiss Travel Pass would probably be best suited for your trip. But you’ll have to do the math to figure out which pass is the best value for your itinerary. If you’d like some help doing those calculations, you are welcome to book some time with me through my trip planning service. https://swissfamilyfun.com/custom-itineraries-switzerland/
Hi! I’ve been using your website to plan my trip to Switzerland and it’s been such a great help in figuring out which hikes to take my 73-year-old mother on! I had one question about this trail – is there an easy path from Fronalpstock back down to Stoos or would you recommend taking the chairlift for this section as well? It would help me decide whether to buy the two-way ticket or just the one-way going up. Thank you! 🙂
Sorry for the late reply. The hike down from Fronalpstock is quite steep with loose terrain. I took my dad on it when he was about 68 and it was quite difficult for him. I would suggest riding the chair lift down instead.
Hi Tanya, when i click on the link to check the website it appears that the “stoos experience tickets” are sold out through July. My trip is the beginning of July, does this mean I cant buy the experience ticket to ride the funicular or chairlifts? I just see return ticket. Does this sell out? or is it possible to buy in person at ticket office?
Hi Sarah. I just looked at the Stoos website and I don’t see that they are sold out. Every day is available. I don’t think it’s even possible for them to sell out. You can 100% buy them at the ticket office when you arrive. Are you using this link? https://www.stoos.ch/en/pages/gipfel-erlebnisticket-summer
Hi Tanya, we are deciding between doing this trail vs. Mt Rigi Panorama while we are in Lucerne. Mt Rigi is probably closer and more accessible, but do you have a recommendation on which is more worthwhile if we can only choose one? We will also be staying a few days in BO so we’ll be doing more hiking there of course!
It depends on what type of hike you want. The Stoos views are amazing, but the panorama loop is quite short. If you want a longer trail, I would pick Rigi.
N0v 2020. Dear SFF. Thanks so much for your heads up that they were extending their opening days this season! I hope it is ok to leave a few comments from our experience today, with kids 8, 5 and 3.
Parking – there is a drop off area right at the funicular entrance, and the driver could then go and find a parking spot. We followed the crowd and parked down the street (about 300m) only to realise that the main park still had space, d’oh! NB the street parking meters take coins only!
Buggies – there is a tarmac walk connecting the funicular and the chair lift. It took us a good 10 minutes to walk with the little ones. It didn’t help that we passed a playground half way ;). You could feasibly take your buggy for this section and leave it at the bottom or top of the chairlift in order to do the mini hike buggy-free (maybe lock it somewhere?).
Walk between funicular and chairlift – the directions are now a little different due to a new building. Unfortunately the signposts disappear and then return. Essentially, you follow the signposts, and turn right at the playground, and the path loops around to the left, towards the chapel.
Chairlift – As mentioned by SFF it has a windbreak, giving an extra sense of security. It is a very smooth ride. The kids are able to sit with their legs on either side of the vertical pole that connects to the horizontal security grabrail bar. This certainly helped ease my mind. We observed that the operators slowed the lift down for children to safely hop on and off without pressure.
Restaurant at the top – alpen macaroni for chf18.50, sausage and chips 17.50. Almost limitless picnic areas.
Fencing at the top – as mentioned by SFF, apart from the playground and viewpoints, this is purely decorative. When travelling downhill the temptation is to run, leading to a shrieking mother. With the wind gusting, it does feel a little precarious but it is do-able with kids that follow instructions.
We had a wonderful day – thank you so much SFF for all your detailed documentation and suggestions!
Thanks for the detailed trip report! It’s always great to hear personal experiences at these locations. Sounds like you had a great time! Wishing you many more happy adventures.
Hi There,
We are planning to visit Stoos with our 5 month old baby next week. Is it safe for them to go in stoos bahn and also especially on the chairlift to Fronalspstock?
Appreciate your reply.
Sorry for the late reply. Did you end up going? When I took my babies on chair lifts, I always put them in my ergo carrier on my front so they were strapped to my body. I would have felt uncomfortable just holding them although I see many people doing this. We took a break from chair lifts when they were about 2-3 until I felt like they could sit still without trying to climb off the chair.
Hello,
Thank you for the information. One thing I cannot understand. Can you use the funicular to also come down from the valley where you park the car? Basically this funicular is your way up and down from Stoos? and this ticket Stoos Peak Experience Ticket can be used?
Yes, the funicular is simply a way to access the car-free village of Stoos up in the mountains. The parking is in the valley. The fancy named “Stoos Peak Experience Ticket” is simply a day pass, which covers the funicular and chair lifts once you get to Stoos, round trip.
Hi Tanya,
Hope things are good at your end, your posts always inspires me to take my boys out and explore nature. Thanks for all the info you provide it’s always helpful.
Actually I m planning for Stoos trip but my only concern is, if I can take my 2.4 year old Boy is it safe for him and also is it too high for him. Last time I took him to Toggenburg and he was happy.
Waiting for your reply.
Mrunali
I’m so sorry for my late reply. I’m just catching up after all our summer adventures. I hope you went to Stoos. It could be dangerous with a small child because there are no barriers on the cliff edges. So best to keep them in a stroller or child carrier when near the cliffs. I’d love to hear your feedback after your visit.
Hi Tanya,
Your posts and videos are wonderful. One quick question. During May or June, can we do both Rigi and Stoos on the same day with an early start ( 7:30 AM from Lucerne)? (In Stoos we will be doing only the easy panorama trail and not the ridge trail).
Hi. I think that would be a little ambitious, but since the trains run later on Rigi than other places, you might be able to make it work. Good luck and I hope Switzerland opens up for you in spring.
Hello, Tanya.
We (my hubby, my 80 year old mum and myself) are planning to visit Stoos on 29 March.
I am a bit confused with the ticket price. Appreciate it if you could kindly enlighten me.
CHF 22 => this is the ticket fare for only the return ride on the Stoos furnicular, right? How much we have to pay with Swiss Half Price Card or Swiss Travel Pass?
CHF 52 day pass => this includes the return ride on the Stoos furnicular, return ride on the chairlift to and from Fronalpstock, right? How much we have to pay with Swiss Half Price Card or Swiss Travel Pass?
Thank you.
Yes, the ticket prices are confusing. In winter, they sell a Gipfel Erlebnis ticket which is a ride to the top Fronalpstock and back. This costs CHF 46 for an adult, CHF 36 with a SBB Half-fare card and CHF 25 with CA or Swiss Travel Pass. The CHF 52 ticket is for a ski pass for the day. You can see all the prices here: https://stoos-muotatal.ch/train/stoosbahnen/ Have fun!
Is it possible that the lifts actually operate until November 2nd?
Yes, I just checked the Stoos schedule today and they are running the lifts (in good weather) daily through Sun 3.Nov 2019. After that the chair lifts are closed from 4-15.Nov 2019. The funicular is closed from 18-29.Nov 2019. Hope this helps.
Excellent, many thanks. We have been using your website immensely throughout our family vacation here in Zurich.
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to leave this nice comment 🙂
At what month/day does the Funicular train and lifts stop operating? I will be in Switzerland in the first week of October. Is that too late to do this hike?
The lifts run through 20.Oct weather permitting. Check the website before heading out to see if any of the lifts are temporarily closed due to weather.
Hello Tanya,
Fantastic blog, very helpful.
We are staying in the Gipfelrestaurant at Fronalpstock for one night before going onto Lauterbrunnen.
Do you know if we can park over night in the Stoosbahn?
Thanks
Anna
Yes, you can park overnight in the parking garage at the bottom of Stoosbahn. We did this in March when we stayed there for a weekend. Have fun!
My girlfriend and I are planning a trip here in August. Do you think we should buy our tickets in advance or do you get the Gipfelerlebnis ticket when you are there? We also plan on taking the train there from Zurich, do you have any advice on what time we should plan on leaving Zurich and when we should plan on returning? Do the trains run all day and night?
Thanks,
Eli
Hi. There’s no need to buy these tickets in advance. You can easily buy them on-site either from the ticket booth or automated machines. They do not sell out. I would check the weather and webcams before you head out to make sure it’s worth it to go to the top. The Stoos funicular starts running early around 7:00 but the chair lifts don’t run until 9:00. Since Stoos has become quite popular recently, I would recommend getting to Stoos as early as possible to avoid crowds. I see there is a connection leaving Zürich HB at 7:35, getting you to the Stoos funicular at 8:54. You can check the train connections on SBB.ch. You can check the Stoos timetables here: https://stoos-muotatal.ch/en/train/stoos-railways/#content_train_schedule_heading Hope this helps.
Hi Tanya,
“The lift operator can load your stroller or baby backpack on a separate chair”
What about not-so collapsable running stroller / trailer? Do you think it is a problem to take it aboard?
Actually it is collapsable and detachable, but still looks big comparing to your https://swissfamilyfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/flumserberg-feature-800×500.jpg
We have “thule chariot cheetah 2 with jogging kit”
https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODAwWDU3Ng==/z/hNcAAOSwevtczBcS/$_72.JPG
Yes, my stroller collapsed and could be wedged between the seat and the safety bar. I don’t want to speak for any specific lift operators, but some lifts have hooks for bikes and they probably could figure this out. If you are brave enough to call ahead, I’m sure they could tell you if this type of “velo anhanger” could go on the lift. Sorry I can’t help you more.
I am confused do you need both the stoos day pass and the Gipfelerlebnis ticket for this hike?
Thanks for pointing this out! It looks like I left some old text from a previous edit. I checked the Stoos website and updated my post with the current prices and operating times. You need the Summit ticket, which is also called the Gipfelerbnis ticket, which covers return trip on the funicular to Stoos and the chair lifts to the ridge. A couple years ago, they used to call this a day pass. It opens on 18.May 2019 for summer season. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi!! Is it possible to sleep in a tent off this hike? Or are there campsites nearby this trail that allow that? Thanks!
Hi. I don’t think you could sleep in a tent on this trail as most of the land is used for cow grazing. Switzerland generally allow sleeping in a bivouac above the tree line (not in national parks, not in nature or animal preserves) but you should check out the guidelines in this brochure from SAC: https://www.ticino.ch/dam/jcr:65ec8a47-1717-4db5-ae56-6012f22fc663
Also, here is a list of regular campgrounds near Stoos: http://www.schwyz-tourismus.ch/en/accomodation/camping
Wonderful info and details! My boyfriend and I were really excited to do this hike during or visit to Zurich but I realized will be there mid May. Any suggestions of alternatives that might be open that time of the year?
Yes, May is probably too early for Stoos. Here’s my post for suggested May hikes: https://swissfamilyfun.com/2018/03/swiss-spring-hikes-locals.html/ Ebenalp Wildkirchli would be a good choice for May.
Hi there! Love your blog, it’s absolutely fantastic and so comprehensive!
Just wanted to see if you know more about when the trails are open. We will be in Switzerland in early May but would love to go here for a hike! Will the trails be closed off? I saw that I can still buy the furnicular tickets but don’t want to go up there if I can’t go for some walks.
Thanks very much
Jenny
Hi Jenny, I checked my old photos and the earliest I’ve been hiking at Stoos is June 13 and there were still a lot of snow packs on the trail, but we managed. I see that the Stoos chair lifts to the trails open 26 May this year 2018. You’ll just have to check the webcams and the website when you get here, which should show if the trails are open. There is no need to buy tickets ahead of time. You can always just show up and buy your tickets right there. If you are worried about crowds, just go early in the day, like 9 or 10am. I’m guessing that Stoos might be a little more crowded this summer because of the new funicular but not so crowded that you need to worry. Even if the longer trails aren’t open, the panorama loop at the top, will probably be ok, since you can walk on it in winter too. Good luck!
Thanks! That sounds great, we will keep an eye on the website and webcams. Can’t wait to see beautiful Switzerland 🙂
Cheers
Jenny
Very useful post (as always: congratulations for the blog! It is so useful!)… I just want to add that now (june 2017) the chairlifts have windguards!
Silvia
Thanks Silvia. I forgot to note the windscreens in my post. Thanks for reminding me. This is an important safety feature when riding with little kids.
Thanks for this tip. My brother's family is going to visit us in two weeks and I was wondering where to go with them instead of Rigi. I will consider Stoos. Thanks for all your posts, this blog is very very useful!!
Zsuzsanna Mozer
Hi Jirka. Glad you had a good time despite the spotty weather. I checked out your pics, reminded me how beautiful Stoos is! Looks like you had a lot of fun. Did you hike down from the top?
Thanks for wonderfull tip. The chairlift staff was friendly and helpful, they helpde to transport our child carrier on next seater. We walked down and enjoyed pool, in spite of the rainfall. Just it was not 22 Celsius as brochure promises, so we found our wetsuites more then usefull 😉 See https://picasaweb.google.com/jsulovsky/Stoos