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