Thinking about hiking Mount Rigi? Here are two great ways to reach the summit

Mount Rigi is a great place to stretch your legs or simply grab a seat and admire the views over Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps.

Mount Rigi, located on Lake Lucerne, is one of the most accessible mountains for hiking in the Swiss Alps. With a well-developed hiking trail system, an abundance of on-mountain restaurants and easy-to-use public transport ferrying visitors up and down the slopes, Rigi makes a wonderful place to walk for hikers of all ages and abilities.

There are a bunch of ways to access the lower slopes of Mount Rigi, but if you want to hike from the very top then you’ll need to get there under your own power (hiking, walking, biking, etc.) or use public transport.

There’s an easy way and a harder way to walk to the summit of Mount Rigi. Can you guess which is which?

From nearby Luzern, there are two convenient options for reaching the summit of Mount Rigi using public transport. The first option is the Vitznau-Rigi Kulm cog railway (Europe’s oldest mountain rack railway) which departs from the lakeside village of Vitznau on the west side of the mountain. The second option is the Goldau-Rigi Kulm cog railway which departs from Arth-Goldau on the east side of Mount Rigi. Both options are great and each journey has its own charm.

The Vitznau option offers big views of Lake Lucerne (try to snag a seat on the left side of the train as it climbs Mount Rigi). The Vitznau option is also the most romantic choice because it includes a boat ride across Lake Lucerne before changing to the cog railway. Because of the fun and excitement of the boat ride paired with the Lake Lucerne views, the Vitznau option can be very busy during high season. Pro tip: Boats departing Luzern from 9:12 am to 12:12 pm during high season are usually steamships.

A historic steam ship at the Vitznau dock. Guests staying in Luzern usually take a boat to Vitznau where they change for a cog wheel train to the summit of Mount Rigi.

Historical side note: The railway line from Vitznau to a mid-mountain station called Staffelhöhe is Europe’s oldest mountain rack railway. The line opened on May 21, 1871, making Mount Rigi the first mountain in Europe, and only the second mountain in the world, to feature a cog railway. Today the Vitznau line operates state-of-the art equipment in addition to its historic rolling stock. The Jewel of the fleet is Locomotive No. 7 (LOK 7), a steam locomotive built in 1873 that features a unique vertical boiler. A team of steam enthusiasts restored LOK 7 to running condition and today she carries passengers up Mount Rigi during special events.

One of the nostalgic trains of the Goldau-Rigi Kulm cog railway at the summit station of Mount Rigi.

If you don’t like crowds then we recommend the Goldau-Rigi Kulm option (the second option) because it tends to be less busy. The Goldau-Rigi Kulm line also runs historic train cars every day which is a bonus for guests who enjoy the nostalgia of “Old Switzerland.” Most of the rail cars are least 50 years old. We love them! If you choose the Goldau-Rigi Kulm option then sit on the right side of the train for the best views. You’ll enjoy peek-a-boo views of nearby Lake Zug as your cute little cog train chug, chug, chugs its way uphill through the meadows and trees.

Please contact us if you have questions about the Swiss Alps. Would you like to hike on Mount Rigi? Check out our Swiss Alps Rail + Hike | Luzern, Wengen & Zermatt. 

Switzerland in Photos: The Traditional Ticinese Village of Lavertezzo

The idyllic stone village of Lavertezzo in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.

This is the idyllic Swiss village of Lavertezzo in the canton of Ticino. Like so many Swiss villages, Lavertezzo has a long history. The village was first documented as Laverteze back in 1327, and for centuries the inhabitants lived a remote, migratory lifestyle. Nestled roughly 12 miles up the rugged Valle Verzasca from Locarno, we can imagine that travel to the village by mule and/or foot in bad weather was both peaceful and tough. Today, a comfortable Swiss bus makes the journey in about 30 minutes. Lavertezzo can be busy in the summer. The nearby double arch stone bridge, (built over 400 years ago), attracts visitors from all over the world. Typically, the visitors snap photos of the bridge, dip their toes in the refreshing Verzasca river, have lunch at a local osteria or ristorante in the village, and then return by bus or car to the south. That said, there are some really wonderful hikes in the area, and it’s easy to escape the crowds. One of our favorite hikes connects some really idyllic hillside villages in the valley. Plus, the bridge and the village of Lavertezzo are worth the trip. The visually stimulating buildings huddled around the 18th century church are made of stone. The hillside paths are romantically narrow and winding, and the language of the region is Italian.

Would you like to hike in Ticino, Switzerland? We can set up a village-to-village hike in Ticino. We also have a Swiss Alps Rail + Hike that samples Ticino and two other delightful regions in Switzerland. Check it out.