Mount Rigi, known as ‘Queen of the Mountains’, is one of the top places in Switzerland to visit and one of the best day trips from Lucerne. The incredible views at the top plus the ease of getting up Mount Rigi makes this a very popular day trip destination from pretty much all over Switzerland.
Not only can you visit Mount Rigi from Lucerne, but it can be visited by many different ways and the activities on the mountain are endless.
If you visit during the winter months – when the Queen of the Mountains, the Rigi, has snow covered peaks, a fun sledge run or snowshoe hike are the ideal winter activities. You can even go skiing at the Rigi.
Or plan a trip up the mountain to hike one of the many beautiful panorama trails at Mount Rigi.
In this travel blog I will talk mainly on how to get to Mount Rigi from Lucerne, but you will also find other options and suggestions when planning a trip up the Rigi in Switzerland. Whether it is during a winter or summer visit.
I will cover in this travel blog things like where it is, how to get there, ticket options, top things to do, the weather and where to stay if you’d like to spend the night at Mt Rigi.
NOTE: The photos in this article will show you two different seasons of Mount Rigi.
Also Read Where to find the BEST Hotels in Lucerne
List of Contents
- 1 Where is Mount Rigi?
- 2 Visiting Mount Rigi from Lucerne
- 3 Travelling with peace of mind – Travel Insurance with Heymond
- 4 Itinerary Lucerne to Mount Rigi
- 5 At Rigi Kulm – The Peak
- 6 Winter visit at Mt Rigi – Sledging fun
- 7 Summer visit at Rigi – hiking trails
- 8 The weather at Mount Rigi
- 9 Tickets to Mount Rigi
- 10 Hotel at Mount Rigi
- 11 Some other great trips from Lucerne
- 12 Lucerne Travel Guide
Where is Mount Rigi?
The Rigi is a mountainous area near Lucerne in Central Switzerland, with the highest peak at Rigi Kulm – 1779 metres.
Being nearly surrounded by the waters of three Swiss lakes – Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee), Lake Zug and Lake Lauerz makes this such a special and unique destination.
The Swiss Cantons of Lucerne and Schwyz are the home of Mount Rigi in the heart of Central Switzerland.
There are multiple ways to ride up the mountain, which I will cover further down the article. To get full access of the map CLICK on IT.
Visiting Mount Rigi from Lucerne
One popular day trip from Lucerne is to venture up Mount Rigi.
It involves a pretty and scenic boat trip to Vitznau followed by a traditional old steam train to Rigi Kulm.
Actually, the steam train is only operating on special occasions, most of the time it will be the red Rigi Bahn that transports visitors on Europe’s oldest mountain railway – an experience on it’s own!
Speaking of which – the Rigi Bahn celebrated its 150 year anniversary in 2021.
While the journey to Mt Rigi from Lucerne is incredibly scenic, the panoramic views from the summit are spectacular.
Alternative route to Rigi from Weggis
Another option would be to take the cable car from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad and change to the Mt Rigi cogwheel train up to Rigi Kulm. In this case you would need to exit the boat from Lucerne at Weggis and walk the 10min to the station.
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Itinerary Lucerne to Mount Rigi
This is just a suggested itinerary for you when visiting Mt Rigi. We did this day trip from Lucerne to the Rigi in January and stayed the night up the mountain at the Hotel Rigi Kaltbad. You can read our 3 day Lucerne in winter itinerary and maybe you are inspired to do the same.
Whenever you are planning a trip to Mount Rigi make sure you are checking these times again, as they may vary depending on the season you are travelling.
Here you can check the Rigi Bahn timetable And the Lake Lucerne Boats timetable. Check them carefully as the boat schedules can be infrequent.
- 10:12 Take the boat from Lucerne to Vitznau. The cruise will take just under one hour.
- 11:09 Arrive in Vitznau
- 11:15 Departure of the Rigi Bahn to Rigi Kulm (32 minutes journey)
- 11:47 Arrive at Rigi Kulm
Perfect time to arrive to hike up to the viewing platform on Rigi Kulm and have your picnic lunch at the top. Or take a seat at the Rigi Kulm Hotel for lunch. - 15:00 Train departs from Rigi Kulm (alternative 17:00)
- 15:15 Train departs from Rigi Kaltbad
- 15:49 Boat back to Lucerne (last boat is at 17:49 – travel time 57 minutes)
Travel Tip: If you are planning to stay the night at Hotel Rigi Kaltbad, I suggest you exit the train at Kaltbad and leave your luggage already at the hotel. Although the next train is one hour later it still gives you the freedom of not having your overnight bag with you when visiting Rigi Kulm.
Especially useful if you are sledging or walking down from Rigi Kulm to Kaltbad at the end of the day during a winter visit.
On Saturdays they have extra trains and sometimes it runs every 30 minutes but again better to check.
If you are staying the night you would need to get another one-way ticket back to Lucerne for the next day.
Tickets to Mount Rigi
Ticket to Rigi Kulm round trip can be purchased here online or direct at the Lucerne boat office by the pier.
Good to know: All children up to and including the age of 15 travel free of charge if accompanied by an adult on the Mount Rigi railways.
You can use your half-tax fare if you have one. Or get a discount with your Swiss travel card. Another great way when travelling the Lake Lucerne Region is to get the Tell Pass.
This covers many mountain cable cars, boat trips and public transportation within the region. I have written an article on How best to travel Switzerland on a budget and you will find all the different travel card options there.
Accessing Mount Rigi from elsewhere than Lucerne
Arth Goldau to Rigi Kulm
In Arth Goldau or Kräbel, (east side of Mt Rigi) you get on the blue cogwheel train that takes you to the top of Rigi Kulm in about 45 mins.
If you would like to hike the panorama trail at the Rigi then this is the best way to access the mountain. You can now hike this most scenic trail all the way over to Rigi Scheidegg. From there you would take the cable car down to Kräbel and then the train to Goldau.
There are also parking facilities at Kräbel, therfore you could start your day trip to Mt Rigi straight from there.
Kräbel (or Goldau) to Rigi Scheidegg
Make your way to Kräbel with the Blue cogwheel train from Arth Goldau or drive to Kräbel and park there.
The cable car that takes you up to Rigi Scheidegg in 6-minutes usually departs every 30 min.
Have your camera ready as the views are majestic, with the Mythen, big and small, stealing the show to the east. Visitors will find a Swiss alpine restaurant and a playground. The perfect place to spend some relaxing hours.
At Rigi Kulm – The Peak
No matter from which side you reach Rigi Kulm, the last bit to the very top is on foot.
Just follow the signs to the top. A short but steep path brings you to the very top where splendid views make up for the effort to get there.
The views over Lake Lucerne and the surrounding Swiss mountains are wonderful. To the north you have the plains and on days with good visibility you even can see as far as the Black Forest in Germany.
It’s not the most famous mountain in Switzerland – I believe we can honestly say that this title belongs to the mighty Mattherhorn in Zermatt – but Mount Rigi has so much going for it.
It is super easy to access from many areas within Switzerland, plus the 360 degrees view is second to none and without any compromises. If the Matterhorn is king, then the Rigi’s name «Queen of the Mountains” is well deserved.
Winter visit at Mt Rigi – Sledging fun
We visited in January and it was the perfect day to have some family fun on the sledge run.
Read about our 3-day Lucerne Winter Itinerary.
You can rent sledges either at the top at Rigi Kulm or in Rigi Kaltbad from the sports shop. If you do the latter you also need to bring it back after your sledging adventure at the Rigi.
From Kulm you will be taking the sledge run to Staffel where you have now two possibilities depending on what is open. On the Rigi winter sledging map below, I have indicated the 2 runs.
Both will end up at Rigi Klösterli from where you will be taking the blue cogwheel train back up to Kulm, and repeat the fun!
To get back down to Rigi Kaltbad (to collect your luggage if you stayed the night and are sledging the following morning) I suggest to walk/sledge down the path alongside the railway. It is a short 30min walk with some parts suitable for sledging.
If you time it right you may meet the beautiful red Rigi Bahn heading up.
An alternative to sledging is to do some snowshoe hiking instead. The trails are also marked on the map in pink.
We were lucky as it had snowed for the whole night and we had some great fresh snow. The visibility was not great so we did not get the amazing panoramic views Rigi Kulm is known for, but the atmospheric foggy experience was equally enjoyable.
Summer visit at Rigi – hiking trails
Should your visit to the Rigi be during the summer hiking season in Switzerland then for sure the choices are endless.
You could hike all the way down to Vitznau, or enjoy the panorama hike along the Rigi cliffs.
Just always keep in mind the time for the last boat back to Lucerne.
The weather at Mount Rigi
When is the best time to visit Mt Rigi? Visitors can enjoy the Rigi all year round and don’t be fooled if it is cloudy in the valley. A quick look at the Rigi Webcam and hopefully you can experience the most beautiful weather at the top whilst a massive sea of fog is covering the valley. Quite a spectacular scene.
As mentioned previously you could go skiing or sledging during the winter months. During the summer the Rigi panorama hike to Rigi Scheidegg is very popular.
Fact is, there is not really a best time to visit Mount Rigi, the views are incredible all year round. And every season has its own special attraction.
Tickets to Mount Rigi
Sledging (and skiing) are included in the Rigi day pass ticket, all you have to pay is for the sledge rental. If you stay overnight at Mt Rigi, you would have to buy the return ticket to Lucerne in the morning. The ticket is NOT valid for 24h.
Hotel at Mount Rigi
A great way to get the most out of your trip to Mt Rigi from Lucerne is to actually spend the night on the mountain.
You have two options, either sleep at Rigi Kulm-Hotel or select the slightly further down the mountain Hotel Rigi Kaltbad Wellness Spa & resort.
We had an amazing time in the latter. The pool is great and although the view from the outdoor swimming pool was interrupted by clouds, it was still incredible. Day visitors can also use the wellness area in this hotel for a fee.
The rooms were clean and spacious and the dinner was delicious.
Travel Tip for families: Children eat FREE in the Hotel restaurant with an overnight stay. Definitely a bonus point.
Alternatively if you wish to spend a longer time at Mt Rigi and would not make it back for the last boat to Lucerne, you will find many Hotels in Vitznau .
If these Hotels near Lucerne are fully booked check out the map below to find your best stay in the Lucerne region.
Some other great trips from Lucerne
Lucerne Travel Guide
- 7 Day trips from Lucerne
- Klewenalp Goldi Family Safari – Possible from Luceren
- Golden round trip – Lucerne to Mount Pilatus
- Lucerne to Mount Pilatus – How to get there the best way
- 3 Day Winter Itinerary in Lucerne
- Lucerne – Self-guided walking tour in Lucerne City
- Lucerne – LILU Light festival in Lucerne
- Glamping & Biking in Willisau – Lucerne
- Visit the Hammetschwand Lift by Boat from Lucerne- Europe’s highest outside lift
If I have missed anything out on this post, or if you have some more questions on How to reach Mount Rigi from Lucerne then leave a comment below. It is always nice for others to see some real people conversations.
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Thank you, Never forget to explore!
10 thoughts on “Visit Mount Rigi from Lucerne – How to get there”
Good morning (from the US). This is an excellent blog~I’ve been scouring the internet for just this type of information. Thank you. I am trying to determine how to get to Rigi Klosterli from Vitznau to begin a hike there. I see that I can take the train from Vitznau and do not mind a short walk from different points to my trailhead, but am having a difficult time picturing how this would work. Can you offer any insights? We are avid hikers (moderate hills) and our primary day trip from Lucerne is to hike and explore a little of the summit. We will have a full day to do so.
Thank you
Dear Rose Anne
Thank you for commenting and I am so glad you found us.
Rigi is a great destination. You can indeed get the train from Vitznau up to Rigi Staffel. From there you can either walk down to Klösterli or take the BLUE train down to it. It is only a short ride.
I am guessing you already have picked your hike for that day?
The Panorama Hike from Staffel to Rigi Scheidegg and back is also amazing just in case.
I hope this helps and if you have any more questions do not hesitate to contact us again.
have a great time in Switzerland.
Kindest Corina
Is it worth going if raining or cloudy ? If one has a Tell pass and only has one of the 3 days clear and sunny?
Dear Kathleen
There is no bad weather in Switzerland 🙂 We went up during a winter day when it was cloudy. We still walked to the very top and as we were up there the cloud lifted for 15 minutes and we could see the amazing view. You just never know 🙂
the train ride along is special enough should you not get the view.
Enjoy your trip!
Corina
If we reach Lucerne around 6PM, can we still take the boat to Mount Rigi and what options do we have?
Hi Kevin
On our blog there are links to the Boat time tabel and the Rigi train time tabel. Check these to get the accurate times. It also depends on when you are travelling. During the summer there are more frequent boats compared to winter or shoulder season.
I belive to get a connection at Vitznau to the Rigi train you would need to take the 16:00 isch boat. At 18H00 i am not sure there is a boat connecting with the train. Better to stay one night in the City, there is plenty to do. YOu could follow our Lucerne city guide https://packedagain.com/self-guided-walking-tour-lucerne-city/ and then make your way to Mt Rigi in the Morning.
hope this helps Corina
Thank you. Very helpful post. There appears to be secure fencing for the hike to the viewing platform. Since I suffer from acrophobia, this would make a huge difference. Does it go all the way?
Hi Betsy
You actually will be walking up to the viewing plateau in the middle of the mountain. And only when you get to the top you have the choice to walk to the fence, or stay right in the middle and enjoy Rigi from a safe area. But should you like to feel the nee to go a bit nearer to the edge, Yes there is a big fence all around. Noting to worry about.
I hope you will enjoy it.
Regards Corina
Hi Corina, thanks so much for such a detailed and helpful blog! It is making my planning for a trip to Lucerne a lot easier! I have a quick question – if I were to do the panoramic trail from Kulm to Scheidegg, how would I get from Scheidegg back to Vitznau? Thanks!
Hi Shannon
Hiking from Rigi Kulm to Rigi Scheidegg would mean you can take the gondola down to Kräble, then take the cogwheel train from Kräbel to Vitznau. Hope this helps
Have fun on the trail, Corina