Mount Rigi has been called the Queen of the Mountains since the age of the first Alpine tourists, and the name has stuck for good reason. It is not the highest peak in Switzerland, far from it, but its position is unique: it stands almost alone between three lakes, so the view from the top sweeps unbroken across water, city and a long horizon of higher Alps. It has drawn travellers, painters and writers for two centuries, and reaching it remains a pleasure in itself.
Where the mountains meet the water
Central Switzerland is a landscape of interlocking lakes: Lucerne, Zug and Lauerz all lie at the foot of Rigi, their arms wrapping around its base. From the summit at 1,798 metres the whole arrangement is laid out below, with the city of Lucerne on one side, Mount Pilatus opposite, and the snow peaks of the Bernese and Uri Alps filling the far distance.
The gentle, rounded shape of Rigi means the summit is a place to linger rather than conquer: broad grassy slopes, easy walking paths between the stations, and terraces facing in every direction. It is one of the few great Alpine viewpoints that asks nothing strenuous of the visitor.
Europe's first mountain railway
Rigi holds a place in history as the site of the first mountain railway in Europe, opened in 1871 and still running today. There are two cogwheel lines up the mountain, from Vitznau on the shore of Lake Lucerne and from Arth-Goldau, and a cable car from Weggis, so a round trip can go up one side and down another.
The most scenic approach combines a paddle-steamer across Lake Lucerne with the historic railway, arriving at the summit by water and rail in the way the first tourists did. It is unhurried by design, and all the better for it.
A day built around the view
Rigi is around two and a half hours by road from the Lake Geneva region, and it pairs easily with Lucerne, sitting just across the lake from the city. Sunrise and sunset from the summit are the stuff of legend, and even a midday visit on a clear day delivers the panorama that made the mountain famous.
Arriving with a private chauffeur lets you time the ascent to the light and the boat schedule rather than the road, and combine the mountain with a lakeside lunch or a stop in Lucerne on the way. The whole of central Switzerland opens up from a single, gentle summit.
Experience it with a private chauffeur
We can take you there in comfort, on your own schedule.
Swiss Lakes & Mount Rigi Serenity
