Hello Friends, Welcome my next blog-post as the day Two saw me plan my Travel to Rigi in Switzerland.
If you have missed my earlier blog post to Jungfraujoch, please read it here
[cmtoc_table_of_contents]
The Swiss Transport System is by far one of the best when it comes to connectivity and comfort for tourists like me. They offer Swiss Travel Pass which offers unlimited travel and discounts on Mountain rail and cable-ways.
You can read on my Travel and Stay options in Switzerland for a detailed review of the same.
Day Two of the Switzerland Travel
Also, as I have stated that my base for this trip is Basel, I arrived at the SBB Basel Station and with a plan to cover Zermatt on that day, I got delayed by a few minutes at the station and the train leading me to Zermatt has already left, with the Swiss Travel System Map on hand and the ever-helpful information kiosks, quickly changing my plans and Luzerne was on the cards. Along with Luzerne, added Mount Rigi to the itinerary.
Why Mount Rigi?
Mount Rigi is a fascinating part of Alps in Switzerland and offers a whole massif surrounded by water on all three sides from Lake Lucerne, Lake Zug and Lake Lauerz. Rigi region is also connected by the oldest cog railways of Europe which makes the journey all the more fascinating.
Rigi-Klum is the Summit of Mount Rigi and stands at 5, 897ft (ASL).
A few lovely clicks on way to Lucerne and Arth-Goldau:
How to reach Mt. Rigi
Train: You have two routes to reach #ArthGoldau from #Basel and #Zurich, either routes available takes anywhere between 107 minutes to 120 minutes to reach.
Route One: Basel – Olten – Luzerne – Arth Goldau
Route Two: Basel – Zurich Main Station – Arth Goldau (Frequency is every two hours)
From Arth-Goldau, you then reach the Rigi Bahnen (couple of minutes walk) to continue your journey to Mount Rigi. The train to Rigi Klum runs with a frequency of 60 minutes and offers some breathtaking views.
The train arrived onto the platform and in no time, we started on the journey to Rigi-Klum, the train typically has two compartments and is a Cog wheel train and if you possess a Swiss Travel Pass, travel to Rigi-Klum comes free of cost with no additional ticket costs.
The journey to Rigi-Klum is very scenic and if you get lucky, you would be travelling in the clouds to this wonderful destination.
The train started at around 1300 Hours and we started uphill towards Rigi-Klum.
Below is the video of the train going up-hill towards Rigi-Klum.
The total duration from Rigi Bahn to Rigi-Klum is around 37 minutes and the frequency is with an interval of 60 minutes.
Recommendation: Sit on the right side of the coach for scenic beauty on the way to Rigi-Klum
You could also try the Rigi-Bahnen train from Vitznau to Rigi-Klum.
Alternatively, you can take:
Boat: You can also take the boat from Lucerne to Vitznau and a Cog-wheel train from there to Mount Rigi. The ride on the boat is one of the scenic and should not be missed for the scenic beauty this region has on offer.
Aerial Cable Car: You can try the cable cars / Ropeways from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad or Obergschwend to Rigi-Burggeist or Krabel to Rigi-Scheidegg.
Status of the Rail / Aerial cable cars can be found here
Recommendation: You can do a round trip to Rigi-Klum starting from the boat trip from Lucerne – Vitznau and the cog-wheel to Rigi-Klum followed by the cog-wheel back to Arth-Goldau
Stay Options at Mt. Rigi / Rigi-Klum
Most of the hotels in the Rigi region are based in Rigi-Kaltbad, Vitznau with just one hotel very close to the summit – Rigi-Klum Hotel which offers all amenities that you would be requiring up the mountains.
The varied range of hotels in this regions offers something to everyone with rates ranging anywhere between CHF. 80 to CHF. 1000 for a nights stay / package.
My pick if having an opportunity would be the Rigi-Klum hotel at the summit that one should definitely try to stay in during their trip.
Must Visit Places at Mt. Rigi
The below is the list of places that are a must visit during your tip to this wonderful destination.
Each of the below places has great views and would delight everyone visiting Rigi.
- Känzeli
- Mt. Rigi – a 360° view
- Seebodenalp
- Rigi Scheidegg
- Rigi Hochflue
- Gottertli
- Rigi Staffel
- Rotstock
The overall duration could range between 1 – 3 hours and no upper limit on the duration that one could spend. If time permits and you are willing, i would recommend you to book your stay at Rigi-Klum to view the night beauty the region has on offer.
Amenities at Mt. Rigi for Tourists
Rigi – Klum (Summit) has almost all amenities to make your travel enjoyable. You would find coffee shop / Restaurant / Public Toilets to cater to your needs but also have a provision for hot drinking water in the ticket booking office near the train station.
You get complimentary Wi-Fi at almost all tourists spots in Switzerland and Rigi-Klum is no different, you can browse the internet, check social media / post on social media.
Mesmerizing Clicks from Mt. Rigi
A wonderful trip and after thoroughly enjoying Mt. Rigi.
Do follow me on Social Media for my travel journeys: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest
Until my next blog-post, this is Srikanth signing off.
