on the trail // rigi panorama trail

In early June we had another opportunity to share one of our favorite nearby mountains (and views) with friends visiting from Alaska. It was a beautiful early summer Saturday and we decided on the easy and scenic Rigi panorama trail followed by lunch and a stop at the Mineralbad. It was the perfect opportunity for them to see a bit more of Switzerland, enjoy lake and mountain views, and enjoy the day outside.

In our case, following a rejuvenating swim through the mineral pools, we rode the cogwheel train up to the summit at Rigi Kulm before taking the main train back down to Arth-Goldau and back to Zurich.

hiking details
The hike is an easy, mostly flat 7.1km and takes about 2 hours following the former Rigi-Scheidegg railway line ((1874 – 1931) to Unterstetten. We took a slight detour off the main path, which is stroller-friendly, onto a side trail that descended a bit down the mountainside before climbing back up and rejoining the main trail which we followed to Rigi Kaltbad-First. The panoramic path is excellent for leisurely family-friendly walks, but side trails can also be taken for a slightly more challenging hike. 

Click here or on the map below to view Rigi’s summer hiking trails and several panoramic photo views.

travel information
You can hike in either direction from Rigi Scheidegg or Rigi Kaltbad-First. In our case we drove from Zurich directly to the aerial cable car from Kräbel, about a 50 minute drive, and on to Rigi Scheidegg. The train trip from Zurich HB to Kräbel via Goldau is about 7o minutes. A one way trip from Kräbel to Rigi Scheidegg is CHF 23 as of the date of this post, not including the SBB halbtax discount. Parking is CHF 8/day. Other Rigi pricing information can be found here.

Important note: As of June 6, 2017, the Kräbel aerial cable car route is closed until mid-December for construction.