Mt Rigi from Lucerne

1) Lake boat ( preferably , one of the restored steamers ) from the quay by the Bahnhof . Leave the boat at Vitznau and take the rack railway right there to Rigi - Kulm

2) figure most of a day , this isn't a thing to rush through .

3) I did this twice , but always had a Swiss Travel Pass , so totally covered

4) Pilatus is also a winner , and/or Jungfrau in the Oberland, weather permitting

Leave on the boat #7 @ 9:12 am, Get off at Vitznau and take the cog train to Rigi Kulm (summit) arriving at 10:47 am. Cost is 37.50 CH with the Half Fare Card.
Return hike downhill about a mile to Rigi Kaltbad. Take the cable car down to Weggis and hike another half mile downhill to the Weggis dock and take the boat #20 at 3:05 pm back to Luzern arriving at 3:47 pm. Cost is 27.50 with the Half Fare Card.

If you take the 2:10 pm departure on the cable car, that will give you about 3 1/2 hours to explore the Rigi summit, have a relaxing lunch, and hike down to Rigi Kaltbad. The cable car ride is only 10 minutes, so plenty of time to walk down the Weggis dock and look around.

Thank you both so much.

From Luzern, Mt Pilatus is a similar destination, I think somewhat closer and easier to reach. But either case, you have to be cognizant of the weather up top (your hotel can help) and you might need to go first thing in the morning before the clouds roll in.

From Wengen or Lauterbrunnen, of course you know about the Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch.

This part of planning is so much easier with a good guidebook with details.

Most of the hotels in Lucerne have video shots of the summits, to check the weather at the peaks. The views from the boat heading to Rigi are incredible, and very peaceful . You definitely want to be out on the water.
The Rigi trip for us was half a day.
We also watched the sunset from Mt Stanserhorn, a much shorter trip, 45 min each way. The cable car is open air, with an inside section.
The food available at Rigi wasn't so great, so bring a picnic from the Coop store.
Safe travels!

Word of Warning. Do not take the gondola right down from Karlsbad to Weggis. This is such an awful trip that I wonder whether there was criminal collusion (kickbacks) to RS staff for recommending it. Absolutely awful in every sense of the word. I would guestimate that the car can hold twenty, maybe 30, safely. We had at least twice that many crammed into that tiny car. The hiker in front of me clearly had not bathed in quite some time; he reeked. I could not move away from him. The family on the other side of me had a screaming child and her father was hacking up a lung. Sure enough, three days later, I tested positive for COVID. It was a nightmarish journey that is threatening to ruin a trip we have been planning for years. Stay far, far away from this scam. . .

I had an answer all ready to post, thinking this was a new question. 😊 Hi Brent.

wes, sorry about your unpleasant experience on the cable car.

Hi Carrie. Sorry Wes.
Our Rigi experience was delightful

Wes, why is that a scam? It was a crowded cable car. Sorry that you caught COVID, but it has happened to many of us in different countries. We caught COVID in a crowded regional train in Pompeii. We were standing shoulder to shoulder. I masked, my husband didn't mask, and he brought COVID home. Perhaps your anger is misdirected? Sorry again.

Sorry it was not a good experience, Wes, but this was no scam. And you could have caught covid elsewhere.

Every cable car we rode in the Dolomites last September was packed to the gills. Most of those cablecars have a listed passenger capacity of 80-100 and they do fill them up. Yes, it can be an uncomfortable experience, but it is not unsafe.

We wore masks when we rode them.

We plan to ride the Weggis cablecar up to Rigi Kaltbad when we are there with our grandchildren next September. We have been on it before, on a rainy morning in June when we and our hotel host were the only passengers. He was heading down to Weggis to make his bank deposit. I expect it will be more crowded this time, but not packed.

Brent, if you are concerned about Wes’ comments, one solution is to take the boat to Weggis ( the first stop) instead of Vitznau. Then you will be taking the cablecar UP, and riding the cogwheel,train down. Everyone seems to go the other way ( anticlockwise, with Vitznau first), as you can see from the recommendations here.

Lola, Brent has already returned. This is an old post.

Not only has Brent returned, he posted trip reports. Sounds like he had a great time.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/part-5-germany-austria-and-switzerland-for-3-weeks-trip-of-a-lifetime

Speaking of crowded trams(cable cars), I have gone skiing several times in Switzerland, and ridden crowded trams many times. If the official stated capacity of a tram is say, 60 persons, that is exactly how many people load. The turnstile counts out 60 bodies, and that is the limit. It does get crowded, and consider everybody is carrying skis or snowboards. So my saying is "When you think the tram is full, it's only half full."

Brent’s back—-got it!

I opened and read this thread in the morning when I was on my elliptical trainer working out. Wes’ post was the last one. I couldn’t respond then, but I left the post up, and neglected to refresh it before I reacted.

My suggestion to do the Rigi loop the other direction still stands, for anyone who sees the “scam” complain and is concerned.

"trams(cable cars)"

"Tram" is not an other word for aerial cable car. Trams you find in the cities. In the mountains we have gondolas, funiculars, rack railways, cable cars etc... But rarely trams.

“Tram” or “aerial tram” is the term used by at least one U.S. ski resort for their Swiss-made Luftseilbahn:

https://www.snowbird.com/blog/an-engineering-marvel/

The 50-year-old Snowbird “tram” was upgraded last year with new cabins, including a rooftop ride feature like the Männlichen Royal Ride:

https://www.snowbird.com/summer-activities/tram/

https://www.maennlichen.ch/en/summer/experiences/royal-ride.html

We are family of 4 traveling with Swiss Travel Pass. For a daytrip from Lucerne to Mt Rigi, I know the travel pass covers the boat and the cog train-- but do we need to make advance reservations for an August weekend daytrip?

Also, does the Swiss Travel Pass cover the refurbished steamers you all are discussing, or just a more ferry-like boat to get over to Rigi?

There are no reservations required on Swiss transport with a few exceptions and this route is not one of them. There is no supplement needed for the classic steamers.