I stayed in Weggis during my visit to the Lucerne area, and I knew that I wanted to spend a day hiking one of the mountains surrounding the lake.  This would be my first hike in the Alps, and my first time using a cable car to ascend the majority of the elevation, so I was excited to see what it was all about. 

Standing at 1,797 meters, The Queen of the Mountain, Mt. Rigi dominates the western side of Lake Lucerne.  There are cable cars and cog railroads that ascend it from all different points – including one in Weggis.  Because I knew I was going to make a loop with multiple cable cars and cog railways, I bought the day pass, and it was so nice to not worry about getting tickets for each leg. 

I used this cable car to climb to Rigi Kaltbad. From here, I followed the trail through rolling alpine hills with grazing cows and the atmospheric sound of their bells, under the cliff face along the ridge, through old railroad tunnels, and by cute mountain top kiosks and cafes offering snacks and drinks – be sure to bring cash to enjoy these trail pleasures. Sadly, I did not, but the trail did provide some ripe raspberries and alpine strawberries as trail snacks for me.   

The first half of the trail was relatively flat, and the second half gradually ascended until the very end where it became pretty steep.  7.1 km (about 4.5 miles) later, I arrived at the Rigi Scheidegg. Here I took the Rigi Scheidegg cable car down the backside of the mountain to Krabel. 

At Krabel, I used the cog railroad to ascend all the way up to the summit – Rigi Klum. Until this point, the trails and cable cars hadn’t been all that crowded. The summit was a different story.  But with 360 views of the towns, lakes and mountains beyond – including the snow covered peaks of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains (in August) – it makes sense that this is a tourist destination. At the summit is a hotel and a few restaurants as well as informational plaques about the culture and geology of the mountain.

The cog railroad from here takes you back down to Rigi Kaltbad, where I started my hike, or you can take it all the way to the lake at Vitznau and take the 508 bus back to Weggis. 

I went on a warm day in August, so after a nice sweaty hike, I was ready to cool off with a swim in the crystal clear glacier waters of Lake Lucerne.  It seems that every town has its own lido (beach), and there are also green spaces along the lake people use as makeshift beaches.  For 7 CHF, I spent my afternoon at Lido-Hallenbad Weggis (historically the first mixed gendered lido in Switzerland), which offers sand and grass to lay out, floating docks to play on, a small restaurant, and equipment and beach chairs for rent.  In the late afternoon, there were lots of shady spots to choose from and I enjoyed a refreshing swim in the water before relaxing with a book.  The turquoise waters of the lake against the backdrop of the grand mountains refreshed the soul as the water refreshed my tired muscles. 

After summering in Weggis 1897, Mark Twain wrote  “This is the charmingest place we have ever lived in for repose and restfulness, superb scenery whose beauty undergoes a perpetual change from one miracle to another, yet never runs short of fresh surprises and new inventions. We shall always come here for the summers if we can”. As such, there is a monument honoring him in a small park that was said to be one of his favorite places along the banks of Lake Luzern.  This quote is from his travel novel, A Tramp Abroad, where he hikes through this area.  Now that I’ve visited the area, I will have to read it and pay attention to his commentary about the place. 

After many days of exploring beautiful historic towns, the mountains were calling me, and I am happy I answered.