Guide · Private boats

Private Lake Lucerne cruise for couples and small groups

A private Lake Lucerne cruise gives you the lake on your own terms: your pace, your stops, your people. Two boats are bookable on GetYourGuide, both with very few reviews so far. Here is what each offers and how to choose.

Check availabilityfrom $38 · cancellation is free

Editorial team, lucerneboattrip.comUpdated October 19, 20266 minutes to read5 sources

Bookable here: the tour Private boat tour on Lake Lucerne 5.0 (2 reviews) 2 hours from$543 Check availabilityCancel for free up to 24 hrs ahead

Quick answer

01Wooden boat: QUATAGIS, 2 hours, the operator takes up to 8 people, from $543.
02Motor yacht: Sagapo, up to 4 people, a long private day with fondue possible, from $1,111.
03Reviews: Only 2 and 1 reviews so far, both rated 5.0.
04Cancellation: Both may be dropped free of charge up to 24 hours before, with payment later.
05Budget option: A shared 1-hour catamaran from pier 3 starts from $38.

Why go private on the lake

Most visitors see Lake Lucerne from a public boat, and those boats are excellent. A private boat is a different idea: no timetable, no crowd at the rail, and a skipper who goes where your group wants to go. It suits a proposal, a family reunion, a birthday or simply people who would rather talk to each other than to strangers. It also suits travelers with limited mobility who prefer a calm deck to a busy gangway, though that is a question to put to the operator first.

The lake rewards that freedom. It is named after the forest cantons of Unterwalden, Schwyz, Uri and Lucerne, and its arms reach deep between the mountains, with Lake Uri between Brunnen and Flüelen so steep-sided that it feels like a fjord.¹ ² A private boat can linger in a quiet bay that a line boat simply passes.

Choice is limited, however. On GetYourGuide, two private boats are bookable for Lake Lucerne, and both have only a handful of reviews between them. That does not mean they are poor, but it does mean you are relying on the listing more than on other travelers' experience.

Planning a private trip

From first message to stepping aboard

Weeks ahead

Choose the boat

Up to 8 on the QUATAGIS, up to 4 on the Sagapo.
Before paying

Ask the operator

Boarding point, inclusions and the exact length.
On booking

Reserve, pay later

Both listings let you reserve now and pay later.
The day before

Check the wind

Free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before.
On the day

Board and relax

Swim, eat and sightsee at your own pace.

The wooden boat QUATAGIS

The first option is a private boat tour on the passenger ship QUATAGIS, a classic boat fitted out in wood. It is equipped for up to 12 guests, but the operator takes a maximum of 8 people, which leaves room to move around on board. You get 2 hours on the water with a guide who speaks German and English.

The listing names the views you can expect: Lucerne's grand hotels and the KKL from the water, and Pilatus and Rigi in the distance, with Weggis, Vitznau and the Bürgenstock Resort among the places around the lake. Two hours is long enough to leave the city bay and see the shore change from villas to wooded slopes. On a private boat you can also ask for a slower pace past the villas of the lakefront, something a scheduled ship never offers.

It starts from $543 and is rated 5.0, but from only 2 reviews. The listing states no meeting point, so ask the operator where you will board before the day. Free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before, and you can reserve now and pay later.

Room on board

Guests per trip, by boat

guests

Maximum guests as each listing states them; the Gallia evening is a shared trip, shown for scale.

Side by side

Wooden boat or motor yacht

	QUATAGIS	Sagapo
Guests	Up to 8	Up to 4
Length	2 hours	A long day
Languages	German, English	English, German, French, Italian
Food	Not stated	Fondue possible
Reviews	2	1

From the two GetYourGuide listings as scraped; every price is a from price.

Three ways onto the water

Two private boats and a shared alternative

This page

QUATAGIS

Wooden passenger boat

Guests: Up to 8
Time: 2 hours
Price: from $543

See the boat

Lake Lucerne: Privat Boat Tour, incl. Fondue and Sightseeing

Fondue on board

Sagapo

Motor yacht with skipper

Guests: Up to 4
Swimming: Included
Price: from $1,111

See the boat

Lucerne: Round-Trip Catamaran Cruise on Lake Lucerne

Budget option

Catamaran loop

Shared, pier 3

Time: 1 hour
Children: Free up to 5
Price: from $38

See the boat

Decision helper

Which boat fits your group?

Choose the line that sounds like your group

We are a group of up to 8 We are a couple or 4 friends We want a guide's stories We want a whole day out We mainly want the views

QUATAGIS

The operator takes up to 8 people on board.

Sagapo

Up to 4 people, with fondue and swimming possible.

QUATAGIS

Live guide in German and English.

Sagapo

A long private day on the yacht.

A shared boat

The 1-hour catamaran starts from $38.

The most important rule to remember: Scheduled passenger boats always have priority. Due to their size, they have limited manoeuvrability and require a long distance to stop.

Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (SGV)Source 3

A Lake Lucerne yacht cruise with fondue

The second option is a Lake Lucerne yacht cruise on the motor yacht Sagapo, a Bavaria 29 DC Sport, for up to 4 people. The description speaks of a private cruise of 6 hours, while the listing gives the duration as 1 day, so confirm the length when you book. The skipper speaks English, German, French and Italian.

This is the boat for a slow, sociable day. The listing mentions cruising, sightseeing and swimming, and a traditional cheese fondue is possible on board. You can start at the SGV landing stage in Lucerne, in Hergiswil, or at a place you choose. Pets, smoking and your own food and drinks are not allowed. Pack swimwear and a towel if the weather is warm, and ask whether the fondue is part of the price or an extra.

It is the most expensive way onto the lake, from $1,111, and it has a single review so far, rated 5.0. For a small group splitting the cost, a full day with fondue and a swim can still feel like good value next to several separate tickets and meals.

Checklist

Questions for the operator

Ask

Where exactly do we board?
Are drinks and the fondue included?
How long are we on the water?

Bring

Swimwear and a towel in summer
A warm layer for the wind
Your booking confirmation

Video

Boat Day on Lake Lucerne - Vierwaldstättersee - where to rent/charter a boat 🚤

YouTube is only contacted once you press play.

Is a Lake Lucerne luxury cruise worth it?

A Lake Lucerne luxury cruise is worth it when privacy is the point. If you want to propose, celebrate or simply talk without an audience, nothing on the public boats replaces your own deck. If you mainly want the views, a shared boat gives you almost the same scenery for a small part of the price.

Compare honestly. This site's catamaran round trip lasts 1 hour from pier 3 and starts from $38, with children up to 5 riding free. The first-class lunch cruise adds three courses for 110 minutes, from $145. Both have hundreds of reviews behind them.

There is also a middle path between shared and private: the five-course evening on the steamer Gallia takes a maximum of 65 guests, far fewer than an ordinary steamer, though it too has only 3 reviews and runs in a set season.⁴ Decide what you are paying for, privacy, food or simply the lake, before you book.

Swimming and safety from a small boat

Swimming from a private boat is one of the joys of a summer day, and the Sagapo listing names swimming as part of the trip. The water is warmest late in summer: at the federal station on the Reuss in Lucerne the monthly mean is 19.2 °C in July and 20.1 °C in August.⁵ That station measures the Reuss where it leaves the lake, not the open lake itself, but it shows how the season warms the water.

Follow the rules of the lake. SGV's first rule for swimmers and small craft is that scheduled passenger boats always have priority, because they are large, slow to turn and need a long distance to stop.³ Your skipper will know where the shipping lanes run; stay close to the boat and listen to the crew.

Weather matters more on a small boat than on a steamer. Wind can rise quickly between the mountains, and a skipper may change the route or end a swim early. Bring a warm layer and a towel even on a sunny day, and treat any change of plan as the crew looking after you. A short trip in calm morning air can be lovelier than a long one in a stiff afternoon breeze.

Before you book a private boat

Write to the operator before you pay. Ask where you will board, since one listing names no meeting point and the other offers a choice of places. Ask what is included in the price: drinks, the fondue, towels, and whether the guide or skipper stays with you for the whole time.

Check the group size against the boat. The QUATAGIS takes up to 8 people and the Sagapo up to 4, so a larger party needs a bigger vessel or two bookings. Both listings are sold as private groups, which means the price covers your party, not a single seat.

Finally, protect the date. Either boat can be cancelled at no cost until a day ahead and paid for later, a comfort when the forecast wavers. Watch the weather the day before, and if the wind is strong, ask the operator whether to move the trip rather than risk a cold, short outing. A private boat is a big purchase, and a little preparation keeps it a pleasure from start to finish.

Your hour afloat