The Rigi (1797 m above sea level) is a mountain range in Switzerland. She will too Regina Montium called, Queen of the Mountains. It lies on the canton border between the canton Lucerne and Schwyz as well as between the Lake Lucerne, the Lake Zug and the small Lauerzer See.
The villages are located around the Rigi Küssnacht am Rigi, Greppen, Weggis, Rigi Kaltbad, Vitznau, Gersau, Fountain, Schwyz, Lauerz, Goldau, Arth and Immensee.
getting there
Since a round trip is an obvious option, the journey cannot be precisely described. For the sake of simplicity, here is a round trip from Lucerne. By ship from Lucerne to Viznau. There with the Rigi railways to the summit. For the return journey you take the Rigi railways and drive to Arth-Goldau, where you change to a train to Lucerne.
In the street
There is no access to the summit. The Arth-Goldau train station is the most conveniently located.
Public transport
Except for the places on Lake Lucerne all places can be reached by train. At the 1 Arth-Goldau train station even hold Intercitys or Eurocitys. Interregios stop in Schwyz, Küssnacht am Rigi and Brunnen.
By bus
The places on Lake Lucerne can only be reached by bus. The following two lines come into question:
- 2: Schwyz - Brunnen - Gersau - Vitznau - Weggis - Greppen - Küssnacht am Rigi
- 28: Vitznau - Weggis - Greppen - Küssnacht am Rigi - Rotkreuz
By boat
All places on Lake Lucerne are also approached by the ships.
mobility
Rack railways
- Goldau - Kräbel - Rigi Kulm cog railway
- Rack railway Vitznau - Rigi Kaltbad - Rigi Kulm
Mountain railways
Rigi Kulm (1798 meters above sea level). is accessible from Arth-Goldau as from Viznau, from the Rigi railways with a rack railway.
A cable car leads from Weggis to the Rigi Kaltbad station. There you can change to the cogwheel train. In addition to the cogwheel train, two more cable cars start from Vitznau:
- Vitznau cable car - 2 Hinterbergen cable car station
- Vitznau cable car - 3 Wissifluh cable car station
From Küssnacht a cable car leads to the 4 Lake bottom
The Rigi-Scheidegg cable car leads from the Kräbel station near Goldau, to dei Rigi Scheidegg (1662 m above sea level). The cable car also runs near Rigi Scheidegg 5 Obergschwend cable car station (Municipality of Gersau) - 6 Rigi Burggeist cable car station
From Brunnen there is still a cable car to 7 Urmiberg cable car station.
- Weggis - Rigi Kaltbad cable car
- Cable car Kräbel - Rigi Scheidegg
Drag lifts
In winter there are a few drag lifts in operation in addition to these, but they are only accessible to winter sports enthusiasts.
background
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Since it is one of the better known mountains in Switzerland, it is not surprising that the first mountain railway in Europe was built on it (Bergbahn Vitznau - Rigi Kulm). Only later did the Arth-Goldau - Rigi Kulm line follow, which is probably better known today due to its good transport connections (located directly at Arth-Goldau train station and has a stop next to a motorway exit).
Tourist Attractions
The view from the mountains and other vantage points is tremendous: you can see it Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps to the south and the Lake Zug, train himself and looks far into the Mittelland in the North.
Mountain tops
- 1 Rigi Kulm or Rigi
- 2 Rotstock
- 3 Rigi Scheidegg
- 4 Vitznauerstock / Gersauerstock
- 5 Rigi Hochfluh
Other viewpoints
- 1 Känzeli
- 2 Rigi Staffel
- 3 Dossen
Summer activities
hikes
Numerous hiking trails run through the Rigi massif and lead to beautiful viewpoints. Most of them are easy and can be walked by everyone; for a few mountain hiking trails, good shoes and some sure-footedness are required. There are many public campfire sites on the hiking trails, alternatively you can take a break in various restaurants. Destinations for hikes can be various mountains and viewpoints (see Other goals). There are also themed hiking trails, a popular one is the mountain flower nature trail.
Mountaineering / via ferratas
The ruggedest mountain in the Rigi massif is the Rigi Hochfluh. There are climbing routes there from several sides.
There are via ferratas to Vitznauerstock / Gersauerstock, Känzeli and Rigi Kaltbad.
Mountain bike
From 1 Urmiberg Several bike trails lead into the valley in different directions.
Swimming
Lidos
At Lake Lucerne:
- 2 Küssnacht lido on the Rigi
- 3 Weggis public bathing area
- 4 Kindli lido near Gersau
- 5 Lido fountain
At Lake Zug:
- 6 Immensee lido
- 7 Lido Arth
At the Lauerzer See:
- 8 Seewen lido in a district of Schwyz
Swimming pools
- 9 Spa Rigi Kaltbad
- 10 Swimming pool fountain
Others
- 11 High ropes course in Küssnacht am Rigi
- 6 Animal park in Goldau
Winter sports
Ski areas
The ski areas in the Rigi massif are all quite small; In total, you only have 14 kilometers of slopes.
Rigi Scheidegg
The small 12 Rigi Scheidegg ski area consists of a drag lift and the Obergschwend - Rigi Burggeist aerial cableway. There is an easy slope on both sides.
Rigi Staffel
The largest ski area in the Rigi massif extends below the Rigi Kulm. There are three tow lifts, one of them on the Rotstock. There are a total of four easy and four intermediate slopes here.
Seebodenalp
The is located above Küssnacht am Rigi 13 Ski lift on the Seebodenalp, which serves two easy and one intermediate slopes.
Winter hiking trails
Hiking is more popular in summer, but even in winter you can reach a lot of vantage points on foot or in combination with the mountain railways. There are 35 km of winter hiking trails in total. Most of the trails are concentrated between Rigi Kaltbad and Rigi Kulm, but you can also hike on Rigi Scheidegg and Seebodenalp.
Sledging
There are five toboggan runs in the Rigi massif: three on Rigi Kulm, one in Rigi Kaltbad and one on Rigi Scheidegg. Among them is one of the steepest toboggan runs in Europe.
Cross-country skiing
For cross-country skiers there are two trails on the Seebodenalp, another one connects the Rigi Scheidegg and Rigi Kaltbad.
kitchen
accommodation
On the mountain
Many places to stay. The list below is not complete, but rather geared towards individual travelers; there are many more options available for groups.
Rigi Kaltbad
- Hotel Bergsonne. Tel.: 41 (0)41 399 80 10.
- Rigi Hostellerie, Center 4. Tel.: (0)41 399 81 81, Fax: (0)41 399 81 80.
- Hotel Alpina. Tel.: (0)41 397 11 52, Fax: (0)41 397 14 50.
Rigi First
- Hotel Rigi First. Tel.: (0)41 859 03 10, Fax: (0)41 859 03 11.
Rigi Klösterli
- Heiri Hüttä alpine farm. Tel.: (0)41 855 01 32, Fax: (0)41 855 01 32.
Rigi Kulm
- Hotel Rigi Kulm. Tel.: (0)41 855 03 03, Fax: (0)41 855 00 55.
Rigi Scheidegg
- Mountain inn Rigi Burggeist. Tel.: (0)41 828 16 86, Fax: (0)41 828 20 86.
- Mountain inn Rigi Scheidegg. Tel.: (0)41 828 14 75, Fax: (0)41 828 14 17.
Rigi Staffelhöhe
- Hotel Edelweiss. Tel.: (0)41 399 88 00, Fax: (0)41 397 11 36.
Rigi Staffel
- Berggasthaus Staffel-Stubli. Tel.: (0)41 855 02 05, Fax: (0)41 855 02 04.
In the valley
Gersau, Viznau and Weggis have a wide range of accommodation options.
health
There are hospitals in Küssnacht am Rigi and Fountain, smaller medical practices or medical centers in other places as well.
climate
There is an alpine climate.
trips
literature
- Certainly one of the most famous stories ever written about the sunrise on the Rigi is the story of Mark Twain from 1880 in Stroll through Europe. In which he describes how he manages to miss the sunrise three times in a row.
