Nature & Hiking
Rigi: The Guide to the Queen of the Mountains
How to plan your trip up the Rigi: the railways, the round trip by boat and cog railway, tickets with the Swiss Travel Pass, viewpoints and local…
From the 2026 edition
Stories
Stories from the Canton of Schwyz about people, nature, craft and culture. Use the categories to browse by topic.
Nature & Hiking
Stoos Ridge Hike: Route, Lifts and Tips (Klingenstock–Fronalpstock)
A guide to the Stoos ridge hike with the route, difficulty, lift operations, tickets and the Swiss Travel Pass, plus tips you would otherwise only…
Culture
Stoosbahn: Riding the World's Steepest Funicular
The Stoosbahn climbs from Schwyz to Stoos at a gradient of up to 110% in rotating cabins. How the railway works, what the ride is like and what to…
Culture
Visiting Einsiedeln Abbey: What Awaits You at Switzerland's Foremost Place of Pilgrimage
What awaits you at Einsiedeln Abbey, from the Black Madonna and the abbey library to the Salve Regina, the dress code and how to get there.
Nature & Hiking
Grosser Mythen: The Hike up the Local Mountain of Schwyz
How to climb from the Holzegg up 47 bends to the Grosser Mythen (1,898 m), what the route demands and what the summit hut has to offer.
Practical guide
Day trips from Zurich by train: eight destinations about an hour away
Eight outings you can reach from Zurich without a car in about an hour, among them Einsiedeln abbey, the Rigi, the Stoos and the Wägitalersee.
Practical guide
10 day trips from Lucerne that locals make too
Ten day trips from Lucerne that locals enjoy too: from the Stoos and the Rigi from Arth-Goldau to the Hölloch and the Rütli, all reachable by public…
Practical guide
Swiss Travel Pass, GA and half-fare card in the Schwyz region: what is included?
Which railways and boats in the Schwyz region are included with the Swiss Travel Pass, GA or half-fare card, and where you still pay, from the Rigi…
Nature & Hiking
Goldau nature and wildlife park: tips for your visit
The Goldau nature and wildlife park: bears and wolves in a shared enclosure, over 100 species in the rockslide forest and practical tips for families.
History
The Rütli meadow: visiting the birthplace of Switzerland
How to visit the Rütli meadow, where according to tradition the alliance was sworn in 1291, by boat from Brunnen or on foot via Seelisberg.
Practical guide
Getting to the Rigi: boat, cogwheel railway and cable car compared
All the ways up the Rigi compared: cogwheel railways from Vitznau and Arth-Goldau, the Weggis cable car and the boat from Lucerne, plus a round trip…
Practical guide
Getting to Stoos from Lucerne and Zurich: train, bus, boat and funicular
How to reach Stoos from Lucerne and Zurich by train, bus, boat or car, and what applies to tickets and the Swiss Travel Pass.
Practical guide
Central Switzerland itinerary: three days around Lake Lucerne
This plan takes you in three days to the Rigi and the Stoos, to the Rütli and to Einsiedeln or the Muotatal, with tips on trains, boats and…
Nature & Hiking
Hikes on the Rigi: from the panorama trail to the Mark Twain Trail
Rigi hikes compared: flat panorama trails, the summit circuit, the quiet descent to Arth and the Mark Twain Trail, each with times and access.
Culture
Things to see in Schwyz: the town that gave Switzerland its name
The sights of Schwyz, from the federal charter of 1291 and the main square to the Mythen and the Stoos funicular just outside town.
Culture
Brunnen on Lake Lucerne: lakeside promenade, boats and excursions
In Brunnen on Lake Lucerne you stroll along the promenade with a view of the Urnersee, take the boat to the Rütli or ride up to Morschach and the…
Nature & Hiking
Hölloch: inside one of Europe's largest cave systems
The Hölloch in the Muotatal has over 210 km of explored passages. Every tour from the short round to the expedition, plus age limits, kit and access.
Practical guide
The best time to visit Central Switzerland: a month-by-month season guide
When a trip to Lake Lucerne and the Schwyz mountains is worthwhile, explained month by month: walking season, ridge season, sea of fog, snow, crowds…
Nature & Hiking
Ridge walks in Central Switzerland: seven routes from easy to airy
This article presents seven ridge paths around Lake Lucerne and Schwyz, from the Stoos ridge to the Druesberg, with walking time, difficulty and…
Practical guide
Hidden gems of Central Switzerland: 12 places the locals love
We present twelve quiet destinations around Schwyz, among them the Glattalp, the Bödmeren primeval forest, the Wägitalersee, Gersau and Rigi…
Nature & Hiking
Easy walks on Lake Lucerne for families and beginners
Eight easy walks on Lake Lucerne with a view and a lift or train connection, among them the Rigi panorama path, the Hohle Gasse, the Stoos plateau…
Practical guide
Car-free villages in Switzerland and how to reach them by public transport
We show which villages in Switzerland are car-free and how to get there, from the Stoos with the steepest funicular in the world to Rigi Kaltbad and…
Culture
Mineralbad & Spa Rigi Kaltbad: what to know before you go
Mario Botta's mineral baths at Rigi Kaltbad: bathing above Lake Lucerne, good combinations with the Rigi railways, tickets and practical tips.
Nature & Hiking
The Rigi in winter: sledging, winter walking and sun above the sea of fog
Winter on the Rigi: 35 km of prepared winter walking trails, sledge runs, railways on every day of the year, the mineral baths and sun above the sea…
Nature & Hiking
Stoos in winter: skiing, sledging and winter walking in the car-free village
Stoos in winter, with 35 km of pistes, sledging runs and winter walks high above Lake Lucerne, plus tips for families.
Practical guide
A day trip from Zurich to Einsiedeln: getting there, a plan for the day and tips
How to spend half a day or a full day in Einsiedeln from Zurich, with the train via Wädenswil, the Black Madonna, a library tour and a walk by the…
Nature & Hiking
Glattalp: the coldest place in Switzerland and how to visit it
On the Glattalp above the Bisistal the lowest temperature in Switzerland was measured. Read why it gets so cold there and how the cable car takes you…
Nature & Hiking
The Muotatal: Switzerland off the beaten track
In the Muotatal near Schwyz you will find the Hölloch, the weather prophets, the Bödmeren primeval forest, husky treks and the Suvorov trail. Here is…
History
The Hohle Gasse: on the trail of William Tell
This article describes the easy walk from Immensee through the Hohle Gasse to Küssnacht and tells the legend of Tell and Gessler.
History
Federal Charter Museum and Forum of Swiss History: where the founding documents are kept
What the Federal Charter Museum with the charter of 1291 and the Forum of Swiss History in Schwyz display, and how to plan your visit.
Culture
Victorinox in Brunnen: visiting the home of the Swiss Army knife
At the Victorinox brand store and visitor centre in Brunnen you assemble your own pocket knife and learn about its history in the free museum.
Culture
Experiencing Schwingen: how to visit a real Swiss wrestling festival
This article explains the rules of Schwingen, why the winner takes home a bull and how you can visit a wrestling festival in canton Schwyz as a guest.
Culture
Einsiedeln in winter: Christmas market, cross-country skiing and the Hoch-Ybrig ski area
Einsiedeln in winter: a Christmas market below the abbey facade, cross-country trails above the fog, an ice rink and the nearby Hoch-Ybrig ski area.
Nature & Hiking
Bisistal and Wägital: quiet alpine valleys between Lake Lucerne and Zurich
The wild Bisistal behind Muotathal and the gentle Wägital above Lake Zurich are little known. We present walks, lakes and how to get there by bus.
Practical guide
Season and lift times for the Stoos ridge hike
When the Stoos ridge hike is possible with the lifts, what you can do outside the season and how to check conditions before you travel.
Security
Amt für Militär, Feuer- und Zivilschutz
«For protection, for trust, for you!» – the centre of expertise for civil protection in the Canton of Schwyz: military, fire and civil defence under one roof.
Nature & hiking
Hiking with the family
From pushchair-friendly lakeside paths to easy mountain trails: where families can walk well in the Canton of Schwyz.
Nature & hiking
Winter sports in the Canton of Schwyz
From Stoos and Hoch-Ybrig to Sattel-Hochstuckli: skiing, cross-country, sledging and snowshoe tours.
Nature & hiking
Lake Lauerz nature reserve
Where nature has the last word: a mire landscape of national importance between Goldau and Lake Lauerz.
History
Schwyz in figures
167,000 residents, 22,000 companies, a record year for tourism: the Canton of Schwyz in figures, and what they reveal.
Culture
Sawdust and tradition
The smell of fresh sawdust, the murmur of the crowd, the moment of tension before two wrestlers…
Nature & hiking
The Glattalp
When people talk about the hiking areas of the Canton of Schwyz, the names that usually come up are Stoos…
Nature & hiking
Across the canton on foot
There are countries with higher mountains, wilder landscapes and more spectacular views. But hardly any country in the world…
Advice
Enough fraud!
By phone or online – fraudsters are getting ever more sophisticated. In 2024 alone, 575 fraud offences…
Culture
St. Peter Dominican convent
No stream can be seen in the picture. Today it runs underground and surfaces at Schützenstrasse…
Nature & hiking
The Hölloch
Drive along the road through the Muotatal and you pass an unremarkable opening in the rock. No sign hints at…
Nature & hiking
On the water
Lake Lucerne is one of the best-known lakes in Switzerland. It lies in the geographical heart of the…
Culture
Highlights of the Schwyz basin
The Erlebnisregion Mythen brings together calm and activity, tradition and the present, nature and…
Nature & hiking
The Grosser Mythen
Its outline shapes the landscape like hardly any other mountain in Schwyz. The Grosser Mythen, that…
Nature & hiking
The wolf is back
A camera trap at the edge of the forest, set up by the cantonal game wardens. The image shows an animal…
History
The history of the Canton of Schwyz
The Canton of Schwyz is more than just a patch of earth between Lake Lucerne and the Glarus Alps.…
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