Vitznau summer holidays

Holidays in Vitznau

Three things you can’t visit Vitznau without doing: 1) Get a boat out onto the lake to fully appreciate its location; facing Lake Lucerne with the Rigi Mountain towering behind, this place really is spectacular. 2) Take the cog railway (which happened to be the first of its kind in Europe) to the top of Rigi, for a 360° panorama of mountains and lakes stretching over to Germany and France. 3) Spend the evening by the lakeside – the sunset here is frankly spectacular. It’s not all about the sights though, the Rigi has some terrific walking routes and there are some lovely bike paths along and overlooking the lake. The region is officially labelled a ‘Wellness Destination’ by the Swiss Tourism Federation, so if you need to escape for some R&R, you’ve come to the right place.

Highlights: • Try tandem paragliding • Visit the Swiss Army Fortress • Boat trips to Lucerne

Vitznau Walking

There’s mile upon mile to explore in the surrounding area, but one of our favourite walks is around the town itself. Clearly signposted, the trail takes you various historical sites and lookout points. Visit the ‘Altdorfbach’, the oldest part of the village, and the waterfall, which is a lovely spot for a photo. After that, stretch your legs on the lakeside walk to Weggis. You’ll get beautiful views across Lake Lucerne; keep a look out for the ‘Elephantenstein’ (elephant stone) at the end of the village, which is especially striking at sunset.

The 17.5km ‘Lehnenweg’ trail is a popular hiking route on the lower slopes of the Rigi, stretching from Immensee to Gersau via Küssnacht, Vitznau and Weggis. The route is packed full of variety; animal enclosures, gorgeous gardens, shaded glens and colourful meadows line the path. Interspersed between the sylvan features are fantastic views of the Lake and mountains.

There’s a 6km Nordic walking trail which starts and finishes at the Rigi Railway Station in Vitznau. It’s a circular route around the foot of Mount Rigi and is nicely balanced, with rolling hills that keep the legs burning.

Vitznau Cycling

We sometimes wonder if Vitznau was designed for cycling, it’s got that perfect blend of flat and steep, overshadowed by the Rigi and right on the shore of Lake Lucerne. You can take advantage of the routes around Weggis because it’s so well connected but the best cycling is the other direction. The lakeside road to Gersnau is fantastic but you’re in a bit of a pickle when you get there! If you want to get a really good look at the Rigi then carry on to Brunnen and head through Lauerz and a few other villages, round the mountain to Lake Zug. The other option is to hop on a boat to Beckenried and follow the coastline on the other side to Buochs before cutting cross-country to Stansstad. After the break from the lake in lovely green fields you’ll be back on the bank – follow it to Kehrsiten where there are more ferries back to base. There’s a popular E-bike run between Willisau and Zag - the three hour guide-led ride rolls past the lakes of Zug, Lauerz and Lucerne, and stops at the historic "Hohle Gasse" pavilion for a recounting of the William Tell story.