PGH Nonstop Request a nonstop
A red Duquesne Incline car climbing Mount Washington above the Point, with downtown Pittsburgh and the yellow Fort Duquesne Bridge in morning light

Visit Pittsburgh · Mount Washington

Duquesne or Monongahela: which incline?

Two 19th-century cable cars climb Mount Washington to the best view of the city. They differ on price, payment, parking and hours. Tick what matters and see which one wins for you.

Compare themHours and fares

Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Short answer

Ride the Duquesne Incline for the observation deck, gift shop and a lot to park in at the bottom (cash or ConnectCard only: $2.50 each way). Ride the Monongahela Incline if you're near Station Square or want to pay by phone: one $2.75 PRT 3-Hour Pass covers the return. Both upper stations are on Grandview Avenue, so the best answer is often both: up one, walk the overlooks, down the other.

Mount Washington

Two inclines, by the numbers

1870Monongahela Incline opens, May 28. The oldest continuously operating funicular in the U.S., per PRT.
1877Duquesne Incline opens, May 20. Neighbors saved it in 1963.
794 ftLength of the Duquesne track, rising 400 feet.
15 minHow often each incline runs.

Interactive

Tick what matters. See who wins.

Which incline should you ride?

Tick what matters to you. Each row is a verified difference.

    What your group pays

    Trip
    $0Duquesne Incline
    $0Monongahela Incline (one 3-Hour Pass each)
    $0The loop: up one, walk Grandview, down the other

    Under 6 rides free on both. Duquesne fares are from duquesneincline.org; Monongahela fares are PRT's. Both checked October 19, 2026. Fares change, so check before you go.

    Catch the sunset from Grandview Avenue

    --Sunset on Mount Washington,
    --Be on the incline by

    Sunset is computed for Grandview Avenue with standard solar formulas, accurate to a minute or two.

    Side by side

    The verified details

    A red Duquesne Incline car climbing Mount Washington above the Point, with downtown Pittsburgh and the yellow Fort Duquesne Bridge in morning light

    Duquesne Incline

    Hours
    6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., every day of the year
    Fare
    Adults $2.50 each way, $5.00 round trip. Ages 6 to 11: $1.25 each way. 5 and under free. Seniors 65+ free with a PRT senior card. Free for Pitt, CMU and Chatham students with ID.
    Pay with
    Cash or ConnectCard. No credit or debit cards. Change machine on site.
    Bottom
    1197 West Carson Street, with a parking lot (many steps)
    Top
    1220 Grandview Avenue, with an observation deck and gift shop
    The ride
    794 feet of track, 400 feet up, a 30.5-degree grade, 18 riders per car
    Access
    Upper station and deck are accessible. Cars take wheelchairs up to 25" wide, boarding at the top.
    Good to know
    No restrooms. Weekend afternoons can mean about a 10-minute wait each way.
    Downtown Pittsburgh lit up at blue hour from Mount Washington, with Point State Park, the rivers and the Fort Pitt Bridge below

    Monongahela Incline

    Hours
    Weekdays and Saturdays 5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. Sundays and holidays 8:45 a.m. to midnight.
    Fare
    PRT 3-Hour Pass: $2.75 ($1.35 reduced), valid three hours after activation. 5 and under free. Seniors 65+ ride PRT free with ID or a senior card.
    Pay with
    A regular PRT fare. PRT's fare options include ConnectCard and the Ready2Ride app. Fares are collected at the upper station.
    Bottom
    West Carson Street across from the Smithfield Street Bridge, about 300 feet from Station Square T station
    Top
    Grandview Avenue near Shiloh Street. Metered parking on Grandview and Shiloh, free on Sundays.
    The ride
    A 71.5 percent grade (ASME). Electrified in 1935, on the National Register since 1970.
    Access
    The upper compartment of the west car is accessible and also carries bikes.
    If closed
    PRT runs shuttle vans every 10 to 15 minutes.

    Sources: duquesneincline.org and rideprt.org, checked October 19, 2026. PRT says ConnectCards are being replaced by the ReadyFare card, with fareboxes dropping ConnectCard by late 2026.

    Downtown Pittsburgh lit up at blue hour from Mount Washington, with Point State Park, the rivers and the Fort Pitt Bridge below

    The loop

    Up one, down the other.

    Both upper stations sit on Grandview Avenue, the overlook road along the top of Mount Washington. Ride the Monongahela up from Station Square, walk the overlooks, then ride the Duquesne down to West Carson Street.

    From the airport, the lower stations are 17.4 miles, about 29 min with no traffic (Duquesne) and 17.2 miles, about 30 min with no traffic (Monongahela).

    Fit it into 48 hours

    Photo: Michael Righi, CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

    From the top

    What you're looking at.

    The Point State Park fountain shooting a tall column of water at the tip of downtown Pittsburgh, with wooded Mount Washington across the river
    Below youThe PointWhere the Allegheny and Monongahela form the Ohio.
    One of Pittsburgh's yellow Three Sisters bridges crossing the Allegheny River toward downtown on a blue-sky day
    Across the riversThe bridgesPittsburgh's famous spans, all in one frame.
    PNC Park's ballfield and stands, with the yellow Roberto Clemente Bridge and downtown Pittsburgh beyond the outfield
    North ShorePNC ParkGame night lights across the water.
    Downtown Pittsburgh's skyline across the river on a clear day, with the UPMC sign atop the U.S. Steel Tower at center
    DowntownThe Golden TrianglePlan your days in the city.

    Questions

    Which Pittsburgh incline is better?
    It depends on what you want. The Duquesne Incline has an observation deck, a gift shop and a parking lot at the bottom, but takes only cash or a ConnectCard. The Monongahela Incline is the older ride (1870), starts next to Station Square, and costs $2.75 on a PRT 3-Hour Pass that covers the ride back. Both upper stations are on Grandview Avenue, so you can ride one up and the other down.
    How much is the Duquesne Incline?
    Adults (12 to 64) pay $2.50 each way or $5.00 round trip. Children 6 to 11 pay $1.25 each way, and age 5 and under ride free. Seniors 65+ ride free with a PRT senior card. Pay with cash or a ConnectCard; credit and debit cards are not accepted. (Fares as listed on duquesneincline.org, checked October 19, 2026.)
    How much is the Monongahela Incline?
    It's a regular Pittsburgh Regional Transit fare: a $2.75 3-Hour Pass ($1.35 reduced), valid for three hours after activation. Children 5 and under ride free, and fares are collected at the upper station. (PRT, checked October 19, 2026.)
    What are the incline hours?
    Duquesne: 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., every day of the year. Monongahela: 5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and 8:45 a.m. to midnight on Sundays and holidays. Both run about every 15 minutes.
    Where do you park for the Duquesne Incline?
    There's a lot at the lower station, 1197 West Carson Street. The incline warns there are many steps up from the lot.
    Is the Monongahela Incline open?
    PRT posts closures and maintenance on its site. When the incline is closed, PRT runs shuttle vans every 10 to 15 minutes.

    Keep planning

    Sources

    1. Duquesne Incline: home page (hours, payment, addresses, access), accessed October 19, 2026
    2. Duquesne Incline: hours and fares, accessed October 19, 2026
    3. Duquesne Incline: about the incline (history and specifications)
    4. Pittsburgh Regional Transit: Riding the Inclines, accessed October 19, 2026
    5. Pittsburgh Regional Transit: ReadyFare card transition
    6. ASME: Monongahela Incline landmark
    7. Pittsburgh Regional Transit: Fares and payment, accessed October 19, 2026
    8. OSRM road routing (OpenStreetMap data), drive distances computed October 19, 2026