Rigi Kulm
Few Swiss viewpoints are as famous as the Rigi. From Rigi Kulm, at 1,797 metres, the panorama sweeps from Lake Lucerne across the Central Plateau to the Alps. On a clear day you can count 13 lakes.
A mountain between three lakes
The Rigi is not a single peak but an entire massif, rising between Lake Lucerne, Lake Zug and Lake Lauerz and shared by the cantons of Schwyz and Lucerne. Surrounded by water and lowland, with no higher neighbour to block the view, it looks larger from below than its 1,797 metres would suggest. That isolation is exactly what makes the panorama: on clear days the view stretches from the Säntis across the Central Plateau and the Jura to the Bernese and Uri Alps, and you can count 13 lakes.
The Rigi owes its nickname «Queen of the Mountains» to the early days of tourism. As far back as the nineteenth century, travellers came from all over Europe to spend the night on top and watch the sunrise. J. M. W. Turner painted the mountain rising out of the haze over the lake, and in «A Tramp Abroad» (1880) Mark Twain described, with plenty of self-mockery, how he managed to miss the sunrise despite his best efforts. If you want to experience it yourself, stay overnight on the Kulm: the first train of the day usually arrives too late.
Up by train
From the Schwyz side, the Arth-Rigi railway climbs from Arth-Goldau station to the summit in a little over half an hour. It has been running since 1875. The Vitznau-Rigi railway on the Lucerne side is older still: opened in 1871, it was the first mountain railway in Europe. From Weggis, a cable car also runs up to Rigi Kaltbad. All three approaches meet at Rigi Staffel, from where the final stretch to the Kulm is shared.
A tip for railway enthusiasts: go up by cog railway, come down the other side and return across Lake Lucerne by boat. The circuit works in either direction and combines three modes of transport into a day out that needs no car.
Hiking on the Rigi
Around 120 kilometres of hiking and mountain trails criss-cross the Rigi massif. Favourites include the panorama path from Rigi Kaltbad to Rigi Scheidegg and the climb from Goldau via Rigi Klösterli to the Kulm. If you prefer to take it easy, walk from one station to the next and let the train bring you back.
Because the cog railways on both sides stop at several intermediate stations, almost any walk can be tailored to your fitness. Get off a station early, walk a stretch and rejoin the train when your legs have had enough. Families will like the largely level paths around Rigi Kaltbad; for a longer day, take the path down the north slope to Goldau or Küssnacht.
Up on the ridge between Staffel and Kulm the pastures are open and treeless, so there is nowhere to shelter when the weather turns. A windproof jacket belongs in your rucksack even at the height of summer, and so does sun protection.
Rigi Kaltbad and the baths
The name Kaltbad, «cold bath», goes back to a cold spring that drew pilgrims and spa guests centuries ago. Out of that tradition the village grew into a spa resort. Today it is home to the mineral baths designed by Mario Botta, opened in 2012, with an outdoor pool overlooking Lake Lucerne.
Rigi Kaltbad can be reached by cable car from Weggis and by cog railway from Vitznau, which makes it worth a visit even on days when the summit is lost in cloud.
Winter on the Rigi
In winter the draw is the sledging runs, winter walking trails and the mineral baths at Rigi Kaltbad with their view over the lake. The Rigi is not a major ski resort; in winter it is above all a place for quiet days in the snow, with cleared high-level paths, snowshoe routes and plenty of sunshine above the fog.
That is precisely the appeal of the cold months. While the Schwyz basin and the lakes are often wrapped in high fog for days on end, up here you stand in the sunlight looking out over an unbroken sea of cloud, with only the highest peaks showing through.
Tip: Visibility is at its best on foehn days. The Rigi is one of the most visited destinations in central Switzerland, so at weekends it pays to set off early.
Getting there
Public transport: Train to Arth-Goldau, then the Arth-Rigi railway to Rigi Kulm. Alternatively, take the cog railway from Vitznau or the cable car from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad.
