Hiking Mount Rigi: The Queen of the Mountains
Mount Rigi, nicknamed the “Queen of the mountains”, is a mecca for pleasure hikers. Mount Rigi is a very accessible mountain with many different hiking trails. Mount Rigi also offers everything a gourmet heart desires: from alpine-cheese bytes to a 9-course fine dining restaurant. We often hike on Mount Rigi to kick off or end the hiking season.
Mount Rigi Day Pass – buy your Rigi ticket here
Buy your Rigi Day Pass for your hike on the Rigi Panoramaweg right here. With the Mount Rigi day pass, you can enjoy a day of unlimited travel on two rack railroads and two cable cars.
Our experience hiking Rigi Panormaweg
In this article, we share our experience hiking Rigi Panoramaweg (Rigi Panorama trail in English). The Rigi Panoramaweg is an easy hike and great for beginners as well as advanced hikers who want to get back in shape before the summer season. Hiking Rigi Felsenweg is included on this hike, as the Rigi Felsenweg is a specially beautiful leg of the Rigi Panoramaweg. The original Rigi Panoramaweg starts in Rigi Kaltbad and ends at Rigi Scheidegg (2h). We add a little tweak to it and start on Rigi Kulm instead of Rigi Kaltbad / First so you will get all the views from Mount Rigi (2:35h). For advanced hikers, we will add an extra challenge down the road: the climb of Dosse (+1h). Let’s do it!
Take the Mount Rigi railways to Rigi Kulm from Vitznau or Arth-Goldau
We boarded the “first cable car in Europe” – the Mount Rigi railways- in Arth-Goldau. If you are traveling by boat from Lucerne, take the cable car from Vitznau instead. Either way, you will reach Rigi Kulm (1797m). Walk to the very top to enjoy the incredible views of the Swiss Alps and Lake Lucerne. It almost seems like Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau brought their friends along to greet Mount Rigi, the Queen of the mountains. Check out an interactive virtual view from Rigi Kulm here and have a look at this webcam here. Many tourists heard about the views on Mount Rigi, too. Come early or stay late to watch an incredible sunset over the Swiss Alps from Mount Rigi.
Hiking Rigi Panoramaweg from Rigi Kulm to Rigi First instead of Rigi Kaltbad
From Rigi Kulm, we took the small paved road to Rigi Staffel. On the way, a first alpine hut offers delicious Mount Rigi alp cheese. As we had just started the hike we closed our eyes to avoid any temptation – and walked by. At Rigi Staffel, we crossed the train tracks and followed the path in the left direction to Rigi First. The trail took us over a beautiful green alp to Rigi First. On the greens, cows were lingering and enjoying the stunning views of Lake Lucerne.
Hiking Rigi Felsenweg: Benches invite you to linger, breathe in, and enjoy the scenery
At Rigi First, we hit the Rigi Panoramaweg that officially starts at Rigi Kaltbad. It starts with a highlight, the Rigi Felsenweg (English: cliff trail). Closed in winter, the Rigi Felsenweg offers incredible views of Mount Bürgenstock, Mount Pilatus, and Mount Stanserhorn. Benches invite you to linger, breathe in, and enjoy the scenery. We took some time to relax, gazed over Lake Lucerne, and filled our smartphones with tons of pictures. After the break, we rejoined the broad path of the former Rigi-Kaltbad-Scheidegg railway that once connected Rigi Kaltbad to Rigi Scheidegg (1874 – 1931). We passed an old train wagon and 15 minutes later we reached the old railway bridge in Unterstetten.
Decision-making at the old railway bridge in Rigi Unterstetten on Rigi Panoramaweg
Hikers of the world, make up your mind! It’s decision-making time at the old railway bridge in Unterstetten. Gourmet hikers, families with small children, and beginners should definitely turn left and continue the hike on the Mount Rigi Panorama trail. Advanced hikers who are looking for a challenge, climb uphill to Dosse instead to burn some extra calories. As we spoiled ourselves in Kräuterhotel Edelweiss the night before, we went for the climb.
Mount Dosse on Mount Rigi: 360° panorama of the Swiss Alps
The summit of Dosse is the second-highest point of this hike. From here you have an incredible 360° panoramic view of the Swiss Alps without the crowds. We sat on a bench, soaked in the view, and took a nap. If you want to get an impression of the views, check out our video at the top of this article. After the break, we followed the less steep path downhill and found ourselves back on the hiking trail of the former railroad track.
Arrival on Rigi Scheidegg and cable car down to Kräbel
From there Mount Rigi Panoramaweg will take you about 30 minutes to reach Rigi Scheidegg. Once there we sat down in the Berggasthaus Rigi Scheidegg for a good Röschti. To refill the calorie deficit from climbing Mount Dosse we ordered a meringue with whipped cream for dessert. Yummy! At the end of a great day, we took the cable car down to Kräbel. At Kräbel we waited for the Mount Rigi railways once again and arrived tired but happy in Arth-Goldau from where we took the train back to Zurich.
Hike&Dine: Dine at Kräuterhotel Edelweiss on Mount Rigi
“Mount Rigi does not only offer splendid views but also delicious fine dining options. Stay a night on Mount Rigi and dine at Hotel Edelweiss to enjoy a 9-course fine dining menu with herbs from Mount Rigi.”
Other activities on Rigi
There are tons of activities on Mount Rigi besides hiking and dining. You can buy tickets for the Rigi cable car, the mineral baths on Rigi Kaltbad, and many other activities here. Just click on the Book Now button below, select the activity you wish to buy, and follow the checkout process on our partner’s website. Have a wonderful day on Mount Rigi!
More hikes on Mount Rigi
Are you in the mood for more hikes on Mount Rigi? If so, you came to the right place! At the end of the Rigi Panorama Trail, there is another hike you can do. It’s called the Rigi Zwärgliweg on Rigi Burggeist. You can find everything about it here. It’s only a 10 minutes walk from where the Rigi Panorama trail ends (Rigi Scheidegg).
