If you want to get a really amazing view to the white peaks of Switzerland, you must visit Mount Rigi. You will be surprised how much beauty you can see from not that high mountain in Switzerland.
I have done a hike up there couple of years ago and wrote about it: Mount Rigi hike, but now I would like to write more guidelines on how to reach it by train, how much does it cost, what you can see there and so on. So this is the guide on how to get to Mount Rigi and have a good time.
Mount Rigi – how to get there
Mount Rigi is situated very comfortably in the middle of Switzerland and is very easy reachable by car or train. It is just 22 kilometers from Lucerne and just 50 kilometers from Zürich and a bit further if you land in Basel – 120 kilometers.
I always recommend to check out all train connections from the city you go so you don’t get lost or miss a train by a minute: Swiss trains schedules.
Mount Rigi trip from Lucerne
The easiest way to reach Mount Rigi, if you don’t have a car, is by train. You have to simply go to the Lucerne train station which is situated at this address: Zentralstrasse 1, Lucerne.
There, you should get tickets to RIGI KULM.
On the way to Mount Rigi top you will have to change the train once in Goldau. It’s a small town which is the closes to Mount Rigi, this is where I started my before mentioned hike to Rigi Kulm. If you want to hike up Mount Rigi, this is a very good starting point as it has parking lots and a train station.
Ok, so from Goldau you are going to switch to these amazing cogwheel trains which are pretty useful in Switzerland as those cogwheel trains can go in a very steep places. For example: to Mount Pilatus. So Mount Rigi train can go in a very steep places as well, which is very cool, and believe me, the views from this train are going to be amazing: the more you go up, the more white peaks open up.
The whole trip from Lucerne to Rigi Kulm should take you around 1h20min – 1h40min. Price to Rigi Kulm and back to Lucerne should cost around 100 CHF. Always check information before the trip as it may vary or change depending on the situation. So the whole Mount Rigi itinerary can be easily done in one day, or even in one afternoon.
Lucerne to Mount Rigi by boat
Now you can take even a more spectacular option: go there by boat! Ok ok, not all of this will be done by boat, but part of it will be, and that is simply gorgeous.
First of all, Lake Lucerne is huge, very huge. It is huge and crystal clear, sitting right to the white peak mountains, it’s a magnificent place. So Swiss people take advantage of it and you can cross it with quite many boats.
Ok, so first, you should always check out this website: Lake Lucerne boats. The timetables can vary depending on when you come, prices as well. So always check out the existing timetables and prices for exact time you come to Lucerne.
Second thing: check out this map of Lucerne boat ports and information places. This is where you can buy tickets and depart: Lucerne boats situation map. One information center is actually just next to the train station, so it’s easy to find it and look for all the information.
So, once you find the boat depart place, you should go to Vitznau.
The ticket price to Vitznau one way should cost you 19 CHF. So back and forth it should be 38 CHF, but ask for all the deals in that boats information center as it may vary. As well, I am pretty sure that even in Lucerne boats place you can get a ticket right to Rigi Kulm, but if you don’t do it or get it, once you jump off the beat in Vitznau – you must once again get a ticket to Rigi Kulm and take that amazing cogwheel train from this direction.
The price from Vitznau to Rigi Kulm and back should be 72 CHF. So the whole boat trip from Lucerne to Rigi Kulm, including the cogwheel train tickets should get to around 110 CHF. So it’s a bit more pricey option that going just with a train, but just think about the views from the boat, that is much more of an exceptional experience. I think this is the best way to get to Mount Rigi from Lucerne.
Mount Rigi from Zürich
Now, if you land in Zürich and want to get to Mount Rigi as fast as possible, your best option is to skip Lucerne and go straight to Goldau. Once you get to Goldau, the same procedure applies as if you would travel from Lucerne. Get a cogwheel train ticket to Rigi Kulm and go up this beautiful mountain. The trip from Zürich to Rigi Kulm and back should cost you around 114 CHF.
Cheapest option to get to Mount Rigi
If you have more time and love hiking in the mountains – hike to Mount Rigi. That’s going to cost you just the tickets to Goldau and then you go up. It’s going to be your one day adventure.
The hike to Mount Rigi is pretty steep, but not technical at all. Any hiker in a good condition can do it. It would take you around 3 hours to go up and 2 hours to go down. That is a good chance for you to have a very picturesque hike in Switzerland if you wished to have one. 5 hours hike is not a short hike, so remember to have water, some food, some additional clothes (just in case). Attention – in winter this hike is not really possible as it will be full of snow – unless with snowshoes. The best time to do such hike would be from May to October. In other months it can be pretty snowed in and very cold as well.
On the Mount Rigi
Once you get out of the train in the Mount Rigi train station, you will need to climb up maybe a hundred meters to the top where you can see the Lucerne Lake on one side and majestic white peaks on the other side.
There is a huge radio tower on Mount Rigi which is worth taking pictures as well, but nature all around is much better.
On Mount Rigi you will find some nice places to have lunch or dinner, it is really cosy up there.
As well, I highly recommend to hike around a bit and discover more beautiful places up there. Depending on how much time you have, one hour hike will be very pleasant. Just don’t go too much down as, remember, you will have to hit those slopes again when going up.
Conclusion
I really recommend to check out all the schedules and prices before you decide to go up the Mount Rigi. Prices can vary from time to time, especially when the year is changing.
Mount Rigi is really worth visiting and is a great day trip if you want to get hundreds of Swiss Alps pictures, experience the mountains and have a nice dinner on the top of the mountain.
If you have more time and power, I really really recommend hiking up to Mount Rigi as the paths are very well prepared and taken care off, you are going to have great time, especially enjoying the more and more uncovered white peak views.
If you have any questions about Mount Rigi, please let me know, I will try to get more details for you.
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