Hiking and Swimming – how to spend time in Vitznau, Switzerland

After leaving Vaduz in Liechtenstein, I travelled to Vitznau in Switzerland. Viztnau is situated close to the centre of Switzerland in the district of Lucerne. It is right on the banks of Lake Lucerne and has Mount Rigi as its backdrop. I had decided to visit Vitznau to hike Mount Rigi.

It took almost four hours to get to Vitznau. The bus from Vaduz took me back into Switzerland to Sargans. A two hour train journey from Sargans to Arth-Goldau included a four minute connection at Biberbrugg. Usually I’d be nervous about such a short connection time. I knew I had to change platforms but the Swiss rail network is so organised I wasn’t worried about it.

Just before the train reached Biberbrugg, I checked the monitor in my carriage. It showed what platform the train was arriving into and where trains leaving within the next twenty minutes or so were departing from. So I knew where I needed to run to, to get my train.

Arth-Goldau is an important railway junction where several lines intersect. I would return to Arth-Goldau in two days, to start my journey back to Italy.  

A forty two minute train journey took me to Kussnacht am Rigi and I then got a bus to Vitznau. I had booked the journey on the Trainline app. I only realised at the last minute that I was getting a bus and not a train in Kussnacht. The train arrived at platform B and my four minute connection (yes another one !) would leave from platform A. Thankfully I noticed the icon on the ticket for the second leg looked different and had checked the reference number. If I hadn’t done this, I would have missed the bus. I literally got on the 502 as the doors were closing. While I use Trainline a lot, this is the first time I have booked a journey where the mode of transport changed. 

I really enjoyed the journey, despite the multiple connections. The scenery all along the way was just breathtaking. My second and third trains were regional ones which didn’t appear to have coaches for different classes. They were spotlessly clean with room for luggage and every train arrived and left on time.

I arrived in Vitznau just before 2pm. It was extremely quiet and after checking into my hotel I walked along the main street. The town itself has lots of hotels and one long main street. The buildings are an interesting mix of old Swiss architecture and modern styles.

There was only one cafe open serving food and it had an amazing view of Lake Lucerne. 

There is a large ferry port in the center of the town and I assume that people visit here for day trips. The passenger ferries appeared to arrive and depart fairly regularly and a small number of tourists disembarked while I was having lunch.

Right beside the port is the Mountain Railway Station. As this is the start of the line you can see them move tracks in a circle at the end. It reminded me of tram Lines I had seen in San Francisco.

Swimming in Lake Lucerne

After lunch I walked around the town and along the waterfront. It was a cool afternoon but I noticed immediately that several people were swimming in the lake. Locals appeared to leave their belongings by the lakeside, when they swam. There were several places which had steps to enter the water. As I hadn’t swam anywhere else in Switzerland, I went back to my hotel, changed and headed for the lake.

I am so glad I did this. The clean aquamarine water was just wonderful. It wasn’t that cold and the water had that velvety feel that some freshwater has. I really enjoyed my swim and it was a lovely introduction to the town.

There are no museums or galleries to visit but the local churches are both beautiful.

Hike to Mount Rigi

The following morning I went down to the tourist office, which is where you purchase tickets. I had looked at timetables the evening before and knew that the first train going up the mountain left at 9.15am. 

When I was looking at a map to decide how far to take a train versus walking an assistant asked if I needed help. I explained I wanted to hike up the mountain and asked him for options. In a very stoic way, he asked how fit I was and how far I really wanted to walk ! I explained I wanted to spend the day in the countryside and walk as far uphill and downhill as I could. He suggested I get the train to Kaltbad and from there it would take about two hours to hike to the top. He said it was quite strenuous but the views were amazing. While I was a little reluctant to trust another assistant after my experience in Bellinzona, I decided to risk it.

A return ticket cost 58 CHF (€61.85) for my short journey which I think is quite expensive. The sales assistant asked if I had a tourist card. I didn’t have one and he asked if I was staying in a local hotel. When I said I was, he told me they should have supplied me with a card for the duration of my stay. I showed him my online reservation and he accepted that. The cost of the ticket was then 46.40 CHF (€49.48). This was a 20% discount which certainly made a difference to the cost.

The train left on time and headed up the hill. There was a postman on board with lots of post (mail). At every stop, he passed post out to a station guard. I was intrigued by this as it must then be distributed by them or maybe collected by locals. 

The scenery was just beautiful and as it was such a gorgeous morning, I decided to disembark before my stop and start my hike earlier. I am so glad I did this as the walk from Freibergen to Kaltbad was one of my favourite parts of the hike. 

When I previously thought about the Swiss countryside, I visualised lush green mountains, picturesque wooded huts flying the Swiss flag and the sounds of cow bells in the distance. At times, it was exactly as I had envisaged. I crossed farmland, via turnstiles, and walked by jersey cows who just looked at me in a bored way and then went back to eating grass.

The view both in front and behind me was extremely picturesque. It was a clear day so you could see the hills, lakes and scattered towns for miles. Sometimes the route was a forest trail, at other times it was a concrete path and on occasions I was walking through fields. It predominately had a gentle incline but it was steep at times. The route is extremely well signposted.

Kaltbad is a small village with shops, cafes and restaurants. Once I left that I was back in the lush countryside. There are some very interesting sculptures along the way. The “Stations of the Cross” were displayed in small concrete miniature houses. An interesting bust and a pair of snow boots were other examples I passed. I only met a few people during my hike and it was extremely peaceful. Occasionally I could hear the trains or I passed tracks or overhead cables. 

Eventually I saw Mount Rigi in the distance. It has a large telecommunication tower at the top and is 1,748m above sea level. At the bottom there were four platforms and tracks where several trains were arriving and leaving. Lots of people were getting off the train and taking the short walk to the top. I was really surprised at how few people hiked the trail, when I saw how busy it was at Rigi station. 

I wandered around the top for a while, admiring the view, but it was very cold and extremely windy. Even though there were lots of people around it’s a large enough area not to feel crowded. There is a wooden cross at the top which overlooks the valley. 

I walked down the same way I came and stopped at a restaurant for lunch in Kaltbad. It seemed very traditional and my meal was excellent. I had worked up a great appetite and treated myself to a glass of the local Rose wine. 

I then took the train back from Freibergen. I thoroughly enjoyed my day and was delighted to see another piece of Swiss countryside. My walk from Freibergen to the top and back to Kaltbad took 3 hrs and 11 mins (per my Fitbit and was 23% vigorous, 13% moderate and 64% light). 

I highly recommend this hike. The trains are great and a unique way to go up the mountain but if you have the time, hike part of or all the way. I do think the cost of the train for such a short journey (less than thirty mins each way) is expensive though. You can hike all the way up and not take the train. There are two routes – one is a forest trail and the other is a pathway.

Food, Beverages, Transport etc

The main street in Vitznau has several hotels – some luxurious and some more moderate. There are a few restaurants and cafes but several were not open when I visited. A large supermarket has a great choice of pre-made salads, sandwiches and beverages which you could use for a picnic.

I had lunch on my first day at Nostalgia Cafe, which overlooks the lake. I had the local cheese and spinach pie with a side salad. It was delicious and looked like a slice of pizza. It cost 26 CHF (€27.73)

I had dinner in my hotel on the first night. I had the tomato frittata which was quite tasty and had a huge portion of cherry tomatoes.

My favourite meal was the lunch I had in the Hotel Alpina restaurant on the day I hiked. The interior felt very Swiss with wooden benches and tables with red and white gingham tablecloths. I had a vegan platter which included vegetable balls, croquettes and steamed vegetables. It cost 25.90 CHF (€26.62).

I bought a salad at the local supermarket on my last night. I sat on my balcony, it was raining heavily and I watched the sunset over Lake Lucerne. It was just bliss !

I tried a few local wines over the two days. As I discovered earlier in the trip – the Rose’s are my favourite Swiss wines. Some are a little darker in colour than others. On average I paid 7 CHF (€7.46) for a glass of wine.

Just like the other cities in Switzerland, coffee and bottled water is expensive. I paid on average 4.50 CHF (€4.80) for an espresso and 5 CHF (€5.33) for a small bottle of water.

But the most enjoyable thing I ate was Toblerone Ice Cream which I had after lunch before hiking down from Mount Rigi. I love Toblerone chocolate and always associate it with Switzerland but I hadn’t seen an Ice Cream version before. It cost 3.60 CHF (€3.84).

Final Thoughts 

I really enjoyed my short stay in Vitznau. But, I am not sure this is a place I would visit again. I regretted not arriving or leaving by ferry as I would have loved to have seen more of Lake Lucerne. You can travel from Lucerne in the center of Switzerland to Vitznau or nearby Weggis. There are seasonal timetables so do check the times. During the Spring, they leave hourly from 9.00-5.00pm. It takes about an hour and a one way ticket costs about 15 CHF (€16).

In my opinion this town is the ideal place to base yourself when hiking Mount Rigi or for a relaxing lakeside trip with a group of friends. 

The highlights of this trip were the hike, the swim in the lake and the Toblerone Ice Cream – in that order. If you visit Vitznau and stay in a hotel, do ask for the tourist card as this is an expensive place to visit. 

This was my fifth and last stop on my ten day trip around Switzerland, with a stop in neighbouring Liechtenstein. I was delighted to see so much of the countryside and also to visit very culturally diverse cities. Travelling by train is the ideal way to travel in Switzerland. I have posts on each of the other four places I visited which I’d love you to read also !

Como – Bellinzona – Lucerne – Basel – Vaduz (Liechtenstein) – Vitznau – Como