Varenna to Hotel Rigi Kaltbad

The train to Arth-Goldau stops at Fluelen where you can get a boat to Vitznau, then the Rigibahn to Kaltbad.

Or you can take the train up the back side of Rigi, from Arth-Goldau to Rigi Kulm, and then down to Rigi Kaltbad. The train change is simply a transfer from one to the other as they sit side by side. At least it was when we did this some years back.

Changing trains is a normal and expected feature of train travel. We cannot run trains between every pair of places in Europe, and in some cases it is not even possible. Do not worry about those transfers. They are trivial. Get the fast train to Arth Goldau and then locals from there. Book this on www.sbb.ch where you can book Varenna to Rigi Kaltbad on one ticket.

Thanks for all the tips!

A couple of comments about the route choices:

If you want the route via Flüelen, changing there to a boat to Vitznau and then train up to Rigi Kaltbad, you will need to change trains on the way, as the EC trains departing Milano to Arth-Goldau do not stop at Flûelen. We used Bellinzona as the transfer station when we did this. Or if you depart Milan on the RE80 train to Locarno, you will need to transfer off of that one to the Treno Gottardo, probably at Cadenazzo.

If you want to take the route up and over Rigi from Arth-Goldau, the ticket you buy on SBB. Will have you change from the train heading up to Rigi Kulm to the one heading down the other side to Rigi Kaltbad at Rigi Staffel, the station below Rigi Kulm. When we did this, it was a cold and rainy day, and we did not want to get off the train and stand on the platform in the cold and wet for 20 minutes waiting for the train coming down from Rigi Kulm. (I think it was the same actual train). So I asked the conductor if we could just ride up to Rigi and back down. She said yes, but we had to pay the difference in fare (around 10 CHF per person). And now there is a supplemental fee of 5 CHF for tickets bought on the train, which would probably app[ly here. So be prepared to get off at Rigi Staffel and wait, or buy your tickets all the way to Rigi Kulm and then back down. The difference in price I see on SBB is 9 CHF.

We have a eurorail pass since we will be travelling through multiple countries. I know there is a 50percent discount on the rigi trains. Can i book this portion on sbb or can i just do it at the train station? I’ve been using the euro rail app to plan most of our trains but it doesn’t include the rigi trains.

You can buy at ticket with 50% off on www.sbb.ch. Just select the half fare card reduction when buying this on line.

Note: In Switzerland you do not need reservations, and the Rigi ticket does not need to be booked in advance, and neither do boat tickets. So you can safely wait with sorting out all the details till you are here.
Also with the Eurail Pass you do not need reservations for regional trains in Italy.

So the easiest route is probably taking the R to Monza, and change to the RE80 dicrection Locarno there. Then change in Lugano for the IC. This way none of the trains you take must be booked in advance, allowing you to get maximum value out of your Eurail Pass.

Thanks again for all the info. This is totally not related but we will also be staying in Merligen for a time and will be going to First and Harder Kulm. Do i need to pre buy cable car tickets and zip lines? I’d rather wait because of weather but I’m also not a fan of lines. I’ve never been to this part of the world and i really have worked hard to plan everything out as well as i can from my couch. It’s going to be an epic family vacation and I’m so excited!