Note: This article has been produced in collaboration with the Rigi Burggeist
Rigi Burggeist (1551 m) – Obermatt (1264 m) – Breitebnet (1197 m) – Bergli (1137 m) – Obergschwend (1011 m)
Rigi Burggeist & Zwärgliweg – Hike&Dine Video
Arrival for the hike on the Zwärgliweg Rigi Burggeist
| Location | Rigi Burggeist, Gersau, Canton Schwyz, Switzerland |
| Starting point (variant 1) | Valley station Gersau Obergschwend, Gersau, Canton Schwyz |
| Starting point (variant 2) | Kräbel Station, Arth, Canton Schwyz |
| Starting point of the hike | Rigi Burggeist |
| Highest point of the hike | Rigi Burggeist (1550m) |
| End point of the hike | Valley station Gersau Obergschwend |
| Arrival by public transport (Variant 1) | By boat to “Gersau, boat station“. Either from “Brunnen, See” (approx. 30 min) or from “Luzern, Bahnhofquai” (approx. 1h 30). Then take the mountain bus 525 to “Gersau, Ober Gschwend” and continue with the Rigi Burggeist Bahn (cable car) to “Burggeist (Rigi Scheidegg)”. |
| Arrival by public transport (variant 2) | From Arth Goldau with the rack railroad to Kräbel and further with the cable car (from Kräbel) to Rigi Scheidegg. From there it is a 10-minute walk to Rigi Burggeist. |
| How to get there by car | Station Kräbel: Travel time from Zurich: approx. 45 min | Travel time from Bern: approx. 2 h Gersau Obergschwend: Travel time from Zurich: approx. 1 h 10 | Travel time from Bern: approx. 2 h 20 |
| Parking | Paid parking at the valley station of the Rigi Burggeistbahn Gersau, Obergschwend (variant 1) or at the valley station Kräbel (variant 2) |
Dine-Tip: Gersau cheesecake on Rigi Burggeist
“At the top station of the Rigi Burggeist is the mountain restaurant of the same name. Order the Gersau cheesecake with a glass of champagne and enjoy the mountain panorama from the restaurant’s own terrace”.
Facts and figures about the Zwärgliweg hike from Rigi Burggeist to Obergschwend
| Walking time | 1 h 30 min [single stages: 25 min to Obermatt, 10 min to Breitebnet, 40 min to Bergli, 15 min to Obergschwend] |
| Recommended hiking months | June till October |
| Difficulty | Medium (Note: In parts it goes quite steeply downhill. Children should have already done some hiking. On the way there is a ladder with steps and railing). |
| Type of hike | Adventure hike, theme trail, A to B hike |
| Waypoints | Rigi Burggeist – Obermatt – Breitebnet – Bergli – Obergschwend |
| Terrain | Natural ground, few asphalted sections, ladder | Well marked hiking trail |
| Altitude meters | 35 meters of altitude uphill | 539 meters of altitude downhill |
| Restaurants | Mountain Inn Rigi Burggeist |
| Highlights | ✅ Theme trail with many different dwarfs ✅ Panoramic view at Rigi Burggeist ✅ Ride on the Rigi Burggeistbahn cable car |
| Good to know | Additional experience: arrival by ship (arrival by public transport, variant 1) from Lucerne or Brunnen |
| Webcam & Weather | The current weather situation near the station Rigi Burggeist can be seen on this webcam |
Free interactive map for the hike on the Zwärgliweg Rigi Burggeist
Here you can see a free map of the hike on the Zwärgliweg from Rigi Burggeist. In addition, you can download a GPX file of the hike here, which you can use on your smartphone or smartwatch. Below you will find an interactive map of the hike on the Zwärgliweg from Rigi Burggeist to Obergschwend .
Our experience on the Zwärgliweg from Rigi Burggeist to Obergschwend
We spent a weekend at the Rigi Burggeist mountain inn and during our stay we hiked the Zwärgliweg from Rigi Burggeist to Obergschwend. Read all about our stay at Rigi Burggeist and our hike on the Zwärgliweg here.
Our journey to Rigi Burggeist via Gersau – Obergschwend
Rigi Burggeist can be reached from Arth-Goldau – Kräbel – Rigi Scheidegg. But there is an insider tip to avoid the crowds: The journey with the Rigi Burggeist Bahn via Gersau – Obergschwend. No sooner said than done! After a scenic boat ride from Lucerne with a view of the Rigi, we left the steamboat in Gersau. By the way, the Gersau tourist office is located in the boat station, where you can get a brochure and an excellent Kafi. However, we did not have much time. The bus was already waiting for us!
From Gersau by bus to Obergschwend
We packed our backpacks and boarded the small bus number 535 that took us from Gersau to Obergschwend. The roughly 20-minute drive is an adventure in itself. The road winds up the mountain and offers impressive views of Lake Lucerne and Gersau again and again.
Solène concentrated on looking straight ahead, while I couldn’t get enough of the adventurous ride. Something like that awakens the child in me!
Rigi Burggeist Bahn: With the gondola from Obergschwend to Rigi Burggeist
I was pleased to find that the adventuring continued. We entered the blue Rigi Burggeist cable car – a cable car that can accommodate 6 people. Since we were the only guests that day, we pressed the bell and boarded the gondola. The 7-minute ride went by in a flash. And already we were standing at 1551 meters above sea level. M – on the Rigi Burggeist!
The panoramic terrace of the Rigi Burggeist Inn
The top station of the Rigi Burggeist gondola is built in such a way that it offers direct access to the terrace of the inn of the same name. The view from Rigi Burggeist is impressive: Rigi Hochflue, the Niederbauen – and on clear days you can even see the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. I wanted to sit down and order a Kafi.
Solène reminded me at that moment that we hadn’t come here just to look at the view. We dropped off our luggage at the inn and set off on today’s hike: the Zwärgliweg from Rigi Burggeist to Obergschwend.
Rigi Burggeist hiking: The Zwärgliweg from Rigi Burggeist to Obergschwend
The start of the Zwärgli Trail is just behind the Rigi Burggeist mountain inn. A yellow trail sign pointed us in the direction of the first dwarf. Excitedly we hiked along the wide gravel path and enjoyed the view of the Niederbauen and the other mountains on the opposite side of the lake. After about 20 minutes of walking we found the first dwarf and took an obligatory dwarf selfie:
Epic views on the hike from Rigi Burgeist – Obergschwend
From here we went downhill. We walked gently downhill on the wide trail leading across a pasture. We enjoyed the epic views of Rigi Hochflue and Niederbauen. From time to time we met families who were looking for dwarves.
After about 20 minutes we heard tinkling of cowbells. Solène rejoiced: cows!
Cows on the hiking trail from Rigi Burggeist to Obergschwend
And there were many! Chilled, they lay on the green and seemed to enjoy the view of the Small and Great Mythen.
Solène immediately took a cow to her heart and gave her some petting. The cow seemed so enchanted by this that she licked my hand in gratitude. We both had to laugh. After the intermezzo with the Rigi cows we continue our hike on the Zwärgliweg.
A forest full of dwarves: on the Zwärgliweg from Rigi Burggeist to Obergschwend
After a short passage on an asphalt road and a piece of cross-country greeted us two mini garden gnomes. We entered a forest. And there they were: Dwarves, behind roots and branches. Drinking, working, making music, laughing, petting animals. We knew about the dwarves, but were surprised at how many there were! Find here some impressions of the dwarfs in the Zwärgli forest
The Zwärgliweg is suitable for small and big kin…dwarfs!
Completely unexpectedly, we had a lot of fun at the sight of the dwarfs. We all agreed: The Zwärgliweg from Rigi Burggeist to Obergschwend is not only suitable for little dwarfs, but also for big ones.
A few steps further on, Solène paused: a stepladder stood in front of us. Carefully we entered the steps of the ladder, holding on tightly to the railing. As long as you concentrate well, you can do this without any problems. Once we reached the bottom, we crossed a small stream.
Rigi Burggeist hiking: Farmers haying, sheep grazing, pure idyll!
We left the fairytale Zwärgliwald where a fantastic view of Lake Lucerne and Niederbauen opened up to us. Take a look at this panorama:
On this June day we were lucky: farmers’ wives were making hay. Large bales of straw were rolled downhill. We watched them for a while before following the hiking trail, which is asphalted from here on, towards Obergschwend.
Shortly before Obergschwend we discovered some sheep. However, they were very shy. Despite Solène’s charm, they refused to be stroked. Wow!
At the finish in Obergschwend: off to the Rigi Burggeist cable car!
And then the aerial tramway floated by above our heads. We hurried because we didn’t want to miss the gondola. At the bottom station of the Rigi Burggeist cable car we rang the bell and entered the cabin. We were ready to go.
We enjoyed the peaceful mountain ride back to Rigi Burggeist. During the ride we reviewed the hike on the Zwärgliweg and looked again from above to where we had hiked through before.
Gersau cheesecake and a glass of champagne on the terrace of the Rigi Burggeist
Back on the spacious terrace of the Rigi Burggeist Restaurant we settled down. What a view! The menu offered classic Swiss cuisine. We had heard about the legendary Gersau cheesecake that is served here.
Solène had the great idea to order a glass of champagne to go with it. So we gleefully consumed our cheesecakes with a view of the Urschweizer mountains. It is always cozy on the Rigi Burggeist. Cheers and good luck!
Conclusion of our visit to the Rigi Burggeist and the hike on the Zwärgliweg
We liked it very much on the Rigi Burggeist. We especially remembered the view from the terrace to the Rigi Hochflue, the Niederbauen, the small and big Mythen as well as the far view to the peaks of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. It is so cozy here. The access to the Rigi via Gersau – Obergschwend (bus) – Rigi Burggeist (cable car) is still an insider tip. Here you are away from the crowds of visitors and still experience the Rigi in peace. Definitely try it out!
The hike on the Zwärgliweg is especially suitable for families. However, the children should already have some hiking behind them, because it goes relatively steep downhill, albeit on a wide path. However, children’s eyes begin to sparkle at the many dwarfs in the forest. Tip: After the hike go up again to Rigi Burggeist. While the parents enjoy the Gersau cheesecake, the children can play on the in-house playground or have fun with a round of hurry up or mill game in XXL format.
Activities in Obergschwend near valley station Rigi Burggeist cable car
For those who spend more than one day on the Rigi, there is also a lot to do besides hiking. Whether it’s painting old clothes or fabric bags or even a concrete pouring workshop – check it out:
More impressions of our stay at Rigi Burggeist
Find here more impressions of our stay on Rigi Burggeist:
