Take the world's steepest cogwheel railway and disappear into the clouds.
At 2,132 metres, Pilatus dominates the Lucerne skyline. On clear days it's the first thing you see when you step off the train. On cloudy days, which are frequent, it disappears entirely, leaving only a dark shape in the mist above the city.
The world's steepest cogwheel railway ascends from Alpnachstad on the lake's southern shore, at a gradient that reaches 48 per cent. At the top, the views open in all directions: the lake far below, the full arc of the Alps, clouds at eye level on most days. A cable car descends the other side to Kriens, making it possible to loop the mountain entirely.
The name may derive from Pontius Pilate, whose ghost was once said to haunt the summit. More likely it comes from the Latin for cloud-capped. Both feel accurate.