Stanserhorn

The journey is the attraction here. From Stans a wooden funicular of 1893 climbs to Kalti, where passengers change to the CabriO, opened in 2012: a double-decker cable car whose upper deck has no roof and no windows, so about thirty people ride the last stage standing in the open air with a rail at waist height. It is the only cable car of this design anywhere, and it works because the cabin hangs from side arms rather than a central hanger, leaving the top clear. The summit at 1,898 metres looks over Lake Lucerne and a long stretch of the Alps, and there is a rotating restaurant. Marmots live on the slopes and are habituated enough to be seen on the summit paths.

What you actually see

• An open-roof cable car - the CabriO's upper deck with no roof at all.
• An 1893 wooden funicular - the first stage from Stans.
• Lake Lucerne from 1,898 metres - the lake and the Alps beyond.
• Marmots on the summit paths - habituated and often visible.

When to go

Mid-April to mid-November. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The whole system shuts for winter and for maintenance in spring. The open deck is genuinely cold and windy - a jacket matters even in summer. Bad weather closes the upper deck. Queues form at midday.

Nearby

Stans is at the base; Lucerne and Pilatus are north.