We have just touched down in Zurich and it’s seems a beautiful sunny summer day in Switzerland. Perfect! Today, we’re going to Mount Rigi. If you are looking for some repose and restfulness this is really the place to be at and after a tiring flight journey what else could we be looking for?🙂 We quickly looked up on the SBB app for the next train to Rigi as we made our way from the hotel to the Zurich main station.
Mount Rigi, also famously known as the "Queen of the mountains" is located in the heart of central Switzerland, perfectly accessible from all four points of the compass. It is a hiker's paradise in summers and a skier's paradise in winters. And no other mountain railway in the Alps has a longer history than this one, the Vitznau Rigi Kulm cogwheel railway opened in 1871, making it Europe's first mountain railway. There are a few ways to get to Mt Rigi -
Train to Lucerne followed by a boat to Vitznau and up via Rigi Bahn(rack railway).
Get to Weggis (train/bus/boat) and up via gondola lift to Rigi Kaltbad and further up via Rigi Bahn.
Train to Arth-Goldau and up via Rigi Bahn.
We opted for the third option as that is the fastest way out of Zurich and took a train to Arth-Goldau. In Arth-Goldau, you keep moving towards the end of track you arrived at and from there it's a quick 3-minute walk through an overpass to the Rigi Bahn station. The path is signposted but we did not need it that day!! We just followed the crowd!!
The cogwheel rail was already waiting on the station and nearly empty, so, we quickly grabbed two window seats opposite to each other. The train stops at a few stations where you can get off and choose to hike for the rest of the journey. We decided to sit back, relax and enjoy the stunning scenery along the way.
Finally, after 45 minutes of this beautiful journey we arrived at the last station of Rigi-Kulm. The Rigi-Kulm is an imposing Alpine mass, 6000 feet high, which stands by itself, and all we could see from there was breathtaking views of blue lakes, ever stretching green meadows, and snowy mountains.
There are various vantage points, a restaurant and plenty of places to wander around and admire the view. We took a short hike from the station to reach to the very peak of Mount Rigi to have better views. After arriving at the top, we were taken aback by a truly majestic 360° panoramic view. The magnificent views of the surrounding lakes and mountains left us hypnotized. The combination of a "sea of snow-capped Alps", the lowlands with 13 lakes, views of Germany and France and a bird's-eye view of the cities of Lucerne and Zug makes it truly unique. Far below us we could see Lake Lucerne, Lake Zug and Lake Lauerz. Everything was just so surreal to look around from the summit.
We even got to see a few paragliders flying up there. It is really a very relaxing and beautiful summit to be at!! In short, we enjoyed every minute of our day trip to Mount Rigi.
Do check the timings for the trains going back down to the base station as we missed our 4 p.m. train by only 5 min and had to wait for another hour to catch the next train.
How much did we pay to travel to Mount Rigi??
The trip to Mount Rigi is absolutely free if you are travelling with a Swiss Travel Pass. Even we had it so our first day in Switzerland involved no cost at all for travelling!! By this time you must be thinking if I am the brand ambassador/endorsing for their Swiss Travel Pass as I have talked a lot about it in all my posts but believe me this is the best travel pass to have if you are travelling in Switzerland. Not only does it save you a lot and by lot I mean a whole lot chunk of money but it's also amazing what you can do with a Swiss Travel Pass on the spur of the moment with no reservation! Consider buying it if you are travelling to Switzerland, you can thank me later!!😉
Are you looking for the best places to visit in Switzerland?? How about a visit to the folllowing places
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