Pilatus, Rigi, Bern or Brienz?

You could easily do Lake Brienz on a day trip from Wengen instead of back tracking from Luzern (that is what most do). In Luzern I would do Mt. Rigi one day and Pilatus or Mt Titlis on the other early in the day only, these trips don't take whole day . You never know on the day that you are planning months in advance if the mountain will by obscured by clouds. The best approach is to make decisions on mountain visits the day before. I recommend this trip off Lake Brienz to the top of the Rothorn
https://brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/?lang=en
I would do a day trip to Bern on a rainy day as there are lots of shops and places to eat covered by a pedestrian arcade and the Paul Klee museum is there for those interested in modern art.

Like jazz suggests, go to lake brienz from wengen. It is super easy, as is all transportation in Switzerland. You can take the train one way (to from brienz and Interlaken) and the boat the other way. And yes, that is truly the color of the water. It is really unbelievable and must be seen in person. I’m going back next June to see it again.

The boat/train up to Rigi is a favorite of mine. I have done it twice and will do it again next June. You can stay up there as long or as little as you like. It does not need to be an all day trip. Just check the train/boat schedules ahead of time so you know when to start heading back to the train. On the train up to Rigi, be sure to sit on the left for the best views.

I also really like Mt. Stanserhorn from Lucerne. Doesn't take long to get there. Just use the SBB app to get the travel times.

I would skip Titlis since I think you mentioned before you were going up schilthron and or jungfraujoch from wengen.

Watch these you tube videos from dennis callan to help you decide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3kTFvLbx2g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azPtMfQXmXg&t=10s

There’s no wrong choices in Switzerland. 😊 Have a great trip!! Be sure to come back and let us know all about it.

What did you decide on the Swiss passes? I ask, because with the STP, all modes to Rigi and Stanserhorn
are completely covered, but Pilatus is only discounted.
Rigi is a half day trip, Stanserhorn is only 45 minutes each way, and a great way to view the sunset. Stanserhorn has the open air cable car.
I agree with Carrie, the boat ride to Vitznau, (the stop for the Rigi cogwheel train), is beautiful !
Safe travels!

Yes, the water really is that color and definitely a day trip to Brienz from Wengen. It's part of that same region.

Helpful as always!
I love this group!
I have put the trip to Rigi in as an option during our stay in Wengen.
The site looks like there are two train options. The second one will not be available during our stay.

Operation up to Planalp middle station: 06 May – 02 June 2023
Operation to Rothorn Kulm: 03 June – 22 October 2023

Are we good to do what Carrie recommended...with the train one way and the boat back?

Do I need reservations in advance or are we good to decide the right day when we are there?
Thanks again!

Helpful as always!
I love this group!
I have put the trip to Brienz in as an option during our stay in Wengen and Rigi as an option from Lucerne.
Re: Rigi
The site looks like there are two train options. The second one will not be available during our stay.

Operation up to Planalp middle station: 06 May – 02 June 2023
Operation to Rothorn Kulm: 03 June – 22 October 2023

Are we good to do what Carrie recommended...with the train one way and the boat back ?

Do I need reservations in advance for either or are we good to decide the right day when we are there?

Is the water for Rigi as nice as Brienz? Or is that unique?
I ask because...

Finally, my wife can get a little seasick. Does anyone know if one is less choppy than another?

Thanks again!

Operation up to Planalp middle station: 06 May – 02 June 2023
Operation to Rothorn Kulm: 03 June – 22 October 2023
Are we good to do what Carrie recommended...with the train one way and the boat back ?

The above refers to Brienzer Rothorn, not Rigi. It means that the Brienzer Rothorn Railway is not operating to the summit ("Kulm") until 2 June, stopping short at the mid-station instead. So, not worth going up if you are going in May - but Lake Brienz is still worth a visit and I believe you can go to Giessbach falls as well.

Regarding Rigi and other options, well, what are your dates?

I thought you were wanting just a boat ride on lake brienz. you can take the train from wengen to brienz. In your SBB app put wengen to brienz. This will take you to the town brienz, changing trains in Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken. If you want to do the train option on the way back, put in the reverse in SBB app—Brienz to wengen.

The boat will go from Interlaken Ost to Brienz. You want Interlaken ost see to brienze see. The see indicates this is by boat. When you get your search results, the results with BAT indicate this option is by boat. (you first take the train from wengen to interlaken)

You don’t need to go all the way to brienz, but this is a nice little town to walk around the lake.

Click here and scroll down for the map of the lake, it shows all the stops the boat makes.

https://www.bls-schiff.ch/en

I’m not sure offhand if a train also goes to all stops. So, if you want to boat one way and train the other, make sure there is a train station at the boat stop you get off. There is both train and boat at brienz, which is why I suggested that.

Not choppy at all. You wont even know you are on a boat. Really. I don’t like boats or water, but I love these big swiss steamer boats.

If it’s the unique water color you want and a nice relaxing boat ride, brienz is your best option. Because rigi also involves a mountain, that is a different experience. If I had to pick just one, I guess it would be rigi. But I do love brienz too. But as stated above, brienz should be done from wengen and rigi from lucerne.

More info. to follow on rigi.

For rigi, the train one way I referred to is skipping the boat altogether and taking the train from lucerne all the way to the top of rigi. This will involve taking the train from lucerne to Arth-Goldau and getting the train there to Rigi Kulm. Like balso mentioned, the klum just means the top of the mountain.

The boat option involves taking the boat from lucerne to rigi klum. The boat goes from lucerne to Vitznau, where you will walk a few steps to catch the train to rigi klum. For this option, you want Luzern bahnhofquai (this is the name for the ferry terminal) to rigi klum. Look for the BAT options in the search results. Remember the BAT means this option involves a boat. You will see you take the boat from pier 1 at lucerne to vitznau where you then take the train to rigi klum.

No reservations needed for rigi or brienz. If you don’t have the swiss travel pass, you will need to buy tickets ahead of time. You can do it on the app, or if it’s easier the train employees at the ticket counter at the train station are super nice. Just tell them what you want to do and they will give you the appropriate ticket. If you know ahead of time what you want to do, you can stop in the day before to buy your tickets. This way in the morning you are all set top hop on the boat or train. You can stop at the Brezelkönig sandwich shop in the lucerne train station to pick up sandwiches. Or there are I believe 2 different options for getting a bite to eat on rigi. I always eat at the little place right across from the train station. You will not miss it.

If you want to keep things easy, just walk around at the top of rigi near the train station. Great views from there. No need to walk down to a different train stop unless you want to of course.

Both probably sound more complicated then they are. Switzerland has everything timed perfectly. So, you are pretty much getting off one thing, walking a few steps, and getting onto another thing. And remember, tickets are good all day. So, if you miss a train or a boat, you can just catch the next one.

P.S. I tend to use "Lucerne" when writing on the forum, but for the app you should use "Luzern" the german spelling.

What Balso said. Plan alp is on the Rothorn trip, not Rigi.

The usual way to do the Rigi rountrip is as follows: boat on Vierwaldstättersee from Luzern to Vitznau; cogwheel train from Vitznau up to Rigi Kulm the summit) and spend some time there ( maybe lunch in the restaurant.). Then same cogwheel down as far as Rigi Kaltbad. There are hiking trails and lunch opportunities there too, as well as a spa with a very scenic outdoor pool, open to the public by reservation, 38CHF.

https://en.hotelrigikaltbad.ch/wellness-spa

https://www.aqua-spa-resorts.ch/en/mineralbad-spa-rigi-kaltbad/vouchers/day-admission-mineralbad-spa

To return to Luzern, you take the very steep cable car ride (with an amazing view over the lake) down to Weggis, walk through town to the lake, and board a boat for the ride back to Luzern. All of this transport is fully covered with a Swiss Travel Pass is you have one.

For your daytrip to Brienz from Wengen, I suggest you take Balso’s suggestion to visit Grandhotel Giessbach. It is a short boat ride across the lake from Brienz. You can either take the funicular or hike up to the hotel. Either way, continue past the hotel to the waterfall. Lunch on the terrace would be a great on a nice day. See photos in this blog:

https://thirdeyetraveller.com/grand-hotel-giessbach/

Keep in mind that you are not there during peak season, so the boats will not be running as frequently as they do in the summer. That’s why I like the train option for one way—they run more frequently.

If you decide on a visit to Grandhotel Giessbach, be aware of the boat schedule ahead of time as there is no train option there. Also, when I was there in June, the funicular up to the hotel was cash only.

I have never taken the cable car from Rigi, so don’t feel you must, unless of course you want to. 😊

As you have seen, there are many options and everyone has their favorite way of doing things. There is no right or wrong. Take a look at all your options and decide which appeal to you more. Decide how much time you want to spend—all day or just a few hours.

Hi Brent,
Oh what a fun trip you are planning. Regarding Lake Brienz, the water is that color. We are traveling to Switzerland next week. Our plans include several nights in Brienz, our eighth trip with a stay in Brienz. I have traveled on the lake boats more times than I can count. The lake has has always been calm except one time on an October day. I, too, am prone to seasickness. The one time the lake was really rough I did not feel sick. I have also been on boats on Lake Thun, Lake Lucerne, and Lake Leman during various trips. I have never felt sick on any of them.

If the Rothornbahn is running to the top I can heartily recommend that trip for the views. My neck and spine give me trouble from time to time and the rocking of the train car aggravated the problem. But I was glad I took the trip.

We are planning our third trip up the Rigi this trip when we stay outside of Gersau on Lake Lucerne. I am not sure why I find this trip so pleasant but I do. The first time it was a little rainy/foggy at Vitznau. The ride up took us above the clouds and the sun was shining at the top. The next time we went up from Vitznau, walked around, went down to Arth-Goldau, up to the Kulm and back down to Vitznau and enjoyed every minute of the trip. These days we always buy the Swiss Travel Pass as we love the flexibility to make decisions on-the-fly such as the up and down the Rigi as I described.

The trip from Brienz to Lucerne via train is a very pretty one. My understanding is that it has become a very popular excursion. We like to go from Brienz to Brunig Pass, walk around the Brockenhaus (2nd hand store) which was the train station in the past. Then we have lunch at the restaurant across the street where I indulge in the Alpen Macaroni. We haven't been there since 2017 so I hope both establishments are still in business.

We are planning our first trip to the Stanserhorn because the folks on this forum made it sound so good. I think we can take the boat from Gersau to a boat dock nearby. Or we can take a train.

If you are in or near Lucerne and the weather is bad the transport museum is worth a look. We spent several hours there one time.

Whatever you decide to do enjoy your adventures. It is hard to have a bad time in Switzerland. Not sure I ever have.

Traveler Girl

Thank you so much everyone. I was confusing boats, trains and two locations.
Now I am sold on both!
I know we can’t do everything and I wish I could add a few more days to our adventure!
I have a feeling that is always the case, regardless of how many days anyone has in Switzerland.
I took great notes and am so thankful.
I think the boat ride in Brienz and the hotel Giessbach sound feat from Wengen.
Then, the Mt Rigi trip from Lucerne, depending on how we are feeling at the time.
My wife may be tired from all of our adventures and want to remain in old town Lucerne.
Either way, it will be amazing!Thanks again everyone.

What city is easiest to make Bern a day trip from if a rainy day? Would that be a viable option from Wengen if bad conditions? Or is that easier done from Lucerne?

Regarding a day trip to bern, this is a good opportunity to practice using the SBB app. Just plug in Wengen and bern to see the time and any train changes involved. Then plug in luzern and bern to see those options.

For my day trips I like to look for the option with the least amount of changes. So if there’s an option from luzern to bern with no train changes and one option involves a train change, I will pick the one with no train changes.

Bern is much easier from Luzern than from Wengen, but it does not mean that it is "hard" to go there from Wengen: it is just longer.

If you recommend just relaxing in Lucerne, I would welcome thoughts there too.

Yes. If you are already in Luzern (a city) you don’t need a rainy day option of going to Bern (another city). There is plenty to see and do in Luzern. Take a look at their website, see what museums and things there are to explore and have those in mind if you don’t want to do boats/ mountains…although the boats can be fun in poor weather as well. Plenty of indoor seating available.

I just want to add that I understand your desire to see everything, but I have lived here for five years now, I have a train pass and a museum pass that I use often, but I still have not seen everything on my list!

It’s much better to really enjoy the places you have chosen to go to, explore the area around you and just live with the fact that no matter how much you do there will always be more. 😁

I watched this video last night on harder kulm from Interlaken:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIbZqZ6Gi50&t=2s

I haven’t been yet, but am adding to my list for my June trip.

Looks like some great views of lake brienz and thun. So, if your wife is nervous about the boat ride, this would be a nice option to still see the magical color of the lake with some views of the mountains too. Also, it's a quicker trip, so might work well if you are short on time.

Thanks for the link Carrie. I've just added the Harder Kulm trip to our "possibilities" list for our time in Brienz area.

Traveler Girl

Thx Carrie! You make me want to go back for a fourth time!