Mt Rigi

Hi Carol! That’s so funny to hear, but we all have our favorites.

I am a big fan of Rigi, having gone 3 times and soon to be a 4th later this year. I have yet to visit Pilatus. It has just never appealed to me based on the photos and videos I have seen. Maybe I’ll get to it someday.

I prefer the lower elevation mountains with the rolling green slopes. I’m also a big fan of mannlichen from Wengen. Those are the mountains that I like.

In June, Rigi is covered in wildflowers. In Sept., there were cows up there.

I always walk around for few hours taking pictures. I eat at the little café across from the train platform.

Here are some of my photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/aSCeJzn3ZRAfBidJ7

Have you been to Mt. Stanserhorn yet? That one is also free with the Swiss Travel Pass.

https://www.stanserhorn.ch/en/

If you only have time for one and you love Pilatus, go for Pilatus again.

When are you going? I’m excited for you that you get to go back. I still remember the covid days when we were trying to figure out when we could go. And then trying to figure out the covid requirements and testing before coming back to the US.

Carrie, thank you for replying. I was hoping you would because I know you LOVE Mt. Rigi. Thanks also for including your photos. We will be there in June so seeing wildflowers is a huge incentive for me too. I have a lot of photos on my phone of wildflowers in my area since I go on weekly flower walks here.
Looking at your photos, it seems you mainly walked around near the top and didn't do any long hikes. But, knowing that you love "green, rolling slopes" helps me understand why Rigi is a standout for you. IF we go there, I'll be sure we have time for a meal at the cafe by the train platform.
Mt Pilatus is more weather-dependent. We'll be with our son and his wife and so I want to be objective about the excursion choices in the area.
Like you I love the Mannlichen-Kleine Schiedegg walk. We were there last July and the wildflowers were still in bloom. But, I love looking at snow-capped mountains. We are surrounded by mountains...some with snow where we live. I guess that is why I love Mt. Pilatus.
What is your opinion of Mt. Stanserhorn?
COVID days: Such a stressful time. We tested early in the morning so if it was negative, we could have a stress-free trip to Mt. Pilatus.

I like Stanserhorn, but I’d rank it below Rigi.

Have you ever been to Titlis? That one might be more in line with what you like. You get 50% of with the swiss travel pass.

Too many good choices. :-)

I think Stanserhorn is a shorter trip, great for watching the sunset. I love the open air Cabrio cable cars, from which you can hear the cow bells below. Enjoy!

Thanks Carrie & Pat for the additional information.
Stanserhorn: Is there an additional charge for riding on the top level of the cable car vs riding inside?
Titlus: we had a “sad” day at Titlis. Several years ago, we stayed 2 nights in Engelberg in September just to go to Mt Titlis. Weather was not in our favor.
Finally, on the day we checked out of our hotel, we decided to take a chance.
When we got to the top, we barely had 10 feet of visibility.
We have pictures of us on the suspension bridge…surrounded by fog/cloud. Couldn’t see the ground.

I have another sad story about our time in Engelberg. We headed out on a Sunday just to explore the area on foot; followed a road/trail about a couple of miles along the river with signs along the way announcing a great restaurant at the end in Horbis. We imagined a great Sunday meal….only to arrive to a packed restaurant with no seating for walk-ins like us. So 2 hungry travelers trudged back to Engelberg. It added to our “memorable” stay in Engelberg.

Thank you for this topic and subsequent posts. We’re headed to Luzern the first week in June and as the itinerary maker, I was trying to decide between the Rigi/Pilatus option. I do know day-of weather may skew the choice, but I think we’ll try for Mt Rigi. Anything with “green” in the description is a winner as we head into our driest Vegas season.

No extra charge for the top deck to Stanserhorn, at least when I was there last.
We are getting a puppy in June, and Rigi is at the top of my list of names. So- you know my leanings.
There are no wrong choices here!

No extra charge for the top deck to Stanserhorn, at least when I was
there last.

I was there a week ago—there was still no charge for the top deck.

This was my first time up Stanserhorn, so I don't know if this is new or not - but the website recommends reserving a departure time slot (we had Saver Day Passes, so we didn’t need tickets). Since I was bringing guests from abroad I decided to pay the extra CHF 2 per person to reserve a slot. As it’s still very early in the season, I wasn’t sure if it would be necessary—and it wasn’t. They didn’t even look at my reservation! :-) Of course this can change as the season progresses.

I've been to all three, Pilatus, Rigi (at least three times), and Stanserhorn. My favorite is Stanserhorn. I went there last year for the first time. The weather was sunny and the views spectacular. I couldn't believe I'd never been there before as we always travel with the 15 day Swiss Pass. I think we will return to both Rigi and Stanserhorn on the next trip.

I do like the Rigi. I take the train up one side, walk around awhile and then take the train down to Arth Goldau, then back up and down to Vitznau. The wildflowers in May and June along the way are so beautiful.

I went to Pilatus many years ago. For some reason it didn't seem that interesting to me. YMMV.

You really can't go wrong with any of these trips.

Pat, I love the name "Rigi" for a dog!

Happy travels!

Traveler Girl

@Pat: Another vote for naming puppy Rigi. …if not, Paprika!

SwissNomad: thanks for info on reserving time slot for Stanserhorn. Not sure of our plans. Waiting to see weather report for the time we are in Luzern.

TravelGirl: About Rigi. I saw the location of Arth Goldau on the map. Did you go there just for the view along the way? Did you spend any time in Arth Goldau?
Is the train to Arth Goldau the same as the one from Rigi to Vitznau?

Question aboutStanserhorn for those who have been there. Whatdo you like to do at the top? Any trails? Have a meal?

I want to ride that Stoos funicular. Thinking about heading there first thing, riding the funicular up and then back down after a bit of time at the village then back to Arth Goldau and up Rigi then down to Vitznau and boat back. No pain, no gain.

Hi Carol,

We took the cogwheel train from Rigi to Arth Goldau for the views. Both times we were there the wildflowers were blooming. The first time we decided we wanted to see what the other side looked like. The next trip we remembered how pretty the previous trip was. We did walk around the area of the train station in Arth Goldau for a very short time before the train left to go back up to Rigi. We are pretty relaxed travelers. Said to ourselves "Why not? Let's see what's on that side of the mountain?" I enjoy the views from Rigi but I enjoy the cogwheel train rides more, My understanding is the train to Arth Goldau is the same train company. It's easy to find the train going in the correct direction. I get antsy about that kind of thing and I recall it's really easy. We have enjoyed lunch at the top of Rigi once. It was nothing special. I enjoyed lunch at the Stanserhorn much more. Both restaurants were busy, but the one at Stanserhorn seemed classier. I think one time we stopped somewhere along the way back to Vitznau and walked a trail for children. That was fun. There are many trails to walk on the Rigi.

Last year we took our first trip to Stanserhorn. From our accommodation it was a trip that entailed a bus, a boat, another bus, a train and then we got to the base of Stanserhorn. I don't think it would be that complicated coming from Luzern. There were lots of trails in that area. The restaurant and gift shop at the top were very nice. It was a sunny day, The views were spectacular. It was busy, but everyone seemed happy. It was just an extra nice day for us. My husband had to wear a cap because he had sunburned his head on a mountaintop earlier in the trip. : )

When in the area we don't go back to Luzern. We stay at a place on the Vitznau side of Lake Luzern and either take the bus from Vitznau to the stop for our accommodation or take the boat to a stop south of our accommodation and then a bus to our bus stop.

Sometimes we get on the boat and take it all the way around the lake. One trip we got off the boat at Seelisberg, took the funicular up and walked around there.

Sometimes we get off the boat at Brunnen and have lunch at the Hotel Restaurant Weisses Rossli. In Vitznau we enjoy the restaurant Rutli.

We spend a lot of time riding the boats on Lake Luzern. We are typically in the area for three or four days a trip.

I also would like to go to Stoos. Maybe next trip.

Whatever you decide to do, have a great time!

Traveler Girl

Travelergirl, how kind of you to write such a detailed account of going to Arth Goldau & Stanserhorn. I especially appreciate the info on the mode of transportation used.
I’m also a “let’s see what is around the bend, at the top,” just like the bear who went over the mountain. At least I can usually convince my husband to come along with me as I wander.
Our trip is next month, so you have given me new options to consider. I’ll try to remember to report back.
We will be on the Best of Switzerland tour, but are arriving in Switzerland early to spend several nights in Bern and Luzern pre-tour.
You’ve made Stanserhorn sound like a very enticing day trip.
Thank you so much!

Carol,

In Bern we like to eat at the Altes Tram Depot. It is near on the other side of the river from the train station and near the area where the bears live. In good weather it's so nice to eat outside. The last two trips we've flown into Zurich, taken the train to Bern, stashed our luggage in lockers and found our way to the restaurant. After enjoying a leisurely lunch, unfortunately eating inside as it was chilly outside, we returned to the station, collected our luggage and headed on to our hotel in Nyon. I really enjoy walking around Bern. Years ago there was a flea market we visited on a Saturday. Not sure that particular flea market is still being held.

A good side trip from Bern is Thun castle and walking around the park-like area near the train station. Years ago I decided to make a point of going in each of the four turrets in the castle. That's a good memory. My knees would not be happy with that now. But maybe when I get one replaced.....

What we love about the Swiss Travel Pass is it allows us to be serendipitous. Get off a train in Brienz, see the lake boat at the dock, decide "Hey, let's get on that boat". Take the boat to Interlacken, have dinner take the train back to Brienz and our hotel. (Can you tell we like spending time on the lake boats in Switzerland?) It frees us from spending time purchasing tickets. That method is how we decided one day to take the cog train to Arth-Goldau from the top of Rigi. Be sure to put the SBB app on your phone. When the app first came out I was sure I didn't want it. Well, I sure use it a lot. Silly me!

Enjoy Bern. I'm a bit jealous. Guess we need to plan another trip.

Traveler Girl

Travelergirl, thanks for the recommendation for eating at the Altes Tram Depot. I looked up the location and reviews on it, and I hope we’ll be able to eat there.
Although we’ll be in Bern 3 nights, our purpose of going there is to spend time with our grandson. So, we are planning options like day trips, or just exploring Bern (our tour will end in Bern).
I agree with you about the STP. We’ve used it before…and oftentimes convenience outweighs the cost.
Thun castle? We’ve never spent time around Thun. Although on our first trip to Switzerland in 2015 we walked around Spiez, which I enjoyed.
I really appreciate the time you took for other suggestions using the STP.
Thank you so much!