Rigi day pass: by cogwheel railway and cable car up the Queen of the Mountains

Type

Day pass for the mountain railways, unlimited rides

Duration

1 day

Start

Valley stations at Arth-Goldau, Vitznau or Weggis, independently

Season

all year, with maintenance weeks in November and in March or April

Operator

Rigi Bahnen AG

What to expect

The day pass covers four railways: the cogwheel railway from Arth-Goldau to Rigi Kulm, the cogwheel railway from Vitznau to Rigi Kulm, the cable car from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad and the small cable car from Kräbel to Rigi Scheidegg. You can ride as often as you like and go up the mountain on one side and down on the other. The line from Vitznau was Europe's first mountain railway in 1871; the Arth-Rigi railway followed in 1875 and from 1907 ran electrically as the world's first standard-gauge cogwheel railway.

At the top there are 120 kilometres of hiking trails, from the barrier-free panorama trail to the ridge hike. The summit, Rigi Kulm, belongs to the municipality of Arth and thus to the Canton of Schwyz. In clear weather the view stretches over 13 lakes to the Alps. On Rigi Kulm an exhibition shows steam locomotive number 7 of 1873; admission is free. In winter 35 kilometres of winter walking trails are groomed, and sledging is included in the day pass. Sledges can be hired on Rigi Kulm and in Rigi Kaltbad.

Getting there and meeting point

Arth-Goldau is a railway junction: the journey takes around 40 minutes from Zurich and around 30 from Lucerne. The cogwheel railway leaves from the raised platform at the end of platform 5 and takes just under 40 minutes to Rigi Kulm. You reach Vitznau from Lucerne by scheduled boat in around an hour; the boat station is next to the valley station. In Weggis a ten-minute walk leads from the boat station to the cable car, which glides up to Rigi Kaltbad in ten minutes. With a GA travelcard or Swiss Travel Pass you travel free on the Rigi railways, with a Half Fare Card at half price.

Good to know

Children up to 15 travel free when accompanied by an adult. Dogs travel on the Rigi railways without a ticket. The day pass is not valid on steam trains or special services. From Vitznau mostly low-floor trains run, and the stations up to Rigi Kulm are wheelchair-accessible. From Arth-Goldau, boarding with a wheelchair is possible only from May to October and after registering the day before.

The Weggis cable car is being overhauled on weekdays from 16 to 27 November 2026 and from 1 March to 2 April 2027, when extra trains run to Vitznau. From 5 to 23 April 2027 the line from Arth-Goldau is closed for engineering work. At 1,800 metres it is cool even in summer; a jacket and sturdy shoes belong in your rucksack.

Tip: In autumn the Rigi often rises above the sea of fog. If you go up early, you will see the sun rise over the ring of Alps and have the summit almost to yourself.