Mount Rigi and Lucerne Summer Day Trip from Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland

On this full-day alpine excursion, escape Zurich and spend a glorious day in the Lake Lucerne area, exploring Mount Rigi, known as the ‘Queen of the Mountains,' and the picturesque lakeside town of Lucerne. This tour is mostly made up of free time and self-guided activities - your guide will be with you from Zurich to Weggis, at the foot of the mountain, and then you're free to explore the mountain and Lucerne at your leisure. Ride an aerial cable car and a cog-wheel train; take in stunning views over the Swiss Alps; enjoy a boat ride on Lake Lucerne - it's a full day of gorgeous scenery and mountain delights.

Your full-day tour from Zurich to Mount Rigi and Lake Lucerne starts with a panoramic drive over Albis Pass and then takes you to Weggis, a charming summer resort town on the shore of Lake Lucerne. Your guide will turn you loose in Weggis, where the self-guided part of your day trip begins. Take the aerial cable car for an approximate 15-minute ride up the mountain, offering you stunning views over Lake Lucerne.

You'll reach a middle station at an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 meters), where you'll change to the cog-wheel train (the first in Europe) that will take you on another 10- to 15-minute ride almost to the summit of the mountain.

Your itinerary on Mount Rigi is flexible - you can spend one to 2.5 hours exploring at your own pace, using the itinerary sheets and timetables your guide will give you. There are beautiful walking and hiking trails, spectacular panoramic views over the Swiss Alps, restaurants where you can relax and have a bite to eat, and more.

You'll then take a cog-wheel train down the mountain to the lakeside village of Vitznau, where you'll board a paddle-steamer for the approximate 45-minute boat ride to Lucerne. In Lucerne, you'll have free time to explore; walk along the lake, visit the Old Town and admire the Chapel Bridge. Your guide will meet you at the end of the day in Lucerne and escort you by coach back to Zurich.

USD $126.51

Review by: Warren S	April 2012
Would definitely recommend! Great Trip! I wasnt sure whether to choose this or one of the others advertised on this website but my aunt who used to live in Switzerland suggested that this tour would be best because you get to ride a cogwheel train, take a boat trip and walk around Luzern all for a reasonable price. _br/_ Glad I took this advice! We didnt get bored all day because there was so much variation in things to do and the scenery. _br/_ The guide on the coach trip to and from the pick places (two 1 hour and a half coach trips) was kind, interesting and helpful! _br/_ If you are looking for a day trip to see the swiss countryside, a mountaintop view and a walk around a quaint city then this is it! _br/_ We were also blessed with good weather! _br/_ Enjoy!

Review by: Joe	October 2011
The day trip to Mt. Rigi was more than we expected. The views were amazing and the tour was very organized. After descending from the mountain, you are taken on a short boat trip to Lucerne which also rivals Zurich for its scenic views.

Review by: Riccardo R	October 2011
So fun and absolutely worth it! Our driver/tour guide was outstanding. All the pieces and parts worked seamlessly. The view at Mt Rigi is spectacular. The cable/train/boat rides were delightful. Lucerne is breath-taking.

Review by: Pani Misi	September 2011
Very uninteresting trip. Consisted of a ride by aerial cable cart, then by a cogwheel train short stay ot the top (nothing to do)return trip by cohwheel train to Vitznau, trip by a ship to Lucerne and seeing of the town. No maps or information about things to do or places to see was available. For example there was a very interesting hiking along a hiking patrh down the mountain, but there was no information at all about it from the tour organisers.

Review by: Elena S	September 2011
Negative: You did not pick us up from hotel, even it was in our voucher, no guide during most of the time including Luzerne.

Review by: Martin G	June 2011
We had a great day in mid June - the weather was kind, the spring flowers abundant, andwe enjoyed the variety of transports - bus, funicular, cog railiway and ferry.. No problems with instructions for his self guided tour.

Review by: Mohammed A	September 2010
Very very nice trip :)

Review by: Alyson B	August 2010
We had a wonderful day with a good overview of Switzerland, Zurich, and the local area through which we were touring.

Review by: Parthasarathy N, United States of America	July 2010
Though this was mostly self guided, it was amazing. The bus dropped us off and gave us all the necessary tickets for the cable car ride, the cog wheel train and for the boat ride on lake Lucerne. There were no issues and we had a great time.

Review by: Anonymous	July 2010
Though this was mostly self guided, it was amazing. The bus dropped us off and gave us all the necessary tickets for the cable car ride, the cog wheel train and for the boat ride on lake Lucerne. There were no issues and we had a great time.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	May 2010
The trip was good but at the top of Rigi mountain due to the fog nothing could be seen! Also, as a lot of the tour was self guided it can be a little confusing as there were not many people around whom we could ask for help. However, we felt the tour guide was a little rude even for part of the tour. However, the boat trip on Lake Lucerne was an amazing experience as was the cable car ride up to the top of mount Rigi!

Review by: VISHAK KUMAR G, Qatar	October 2009
Excellent planning and timing.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	September 2009
We had no guide or help. There was no one else signed up for our tour so the guide simply gave the various tickets and we had to find our own way around. We were able to do this but the tour was no help except for the appropriate tickets.

Review by: Barbara M, Australia	June 2009
The scenery was great, but the tour guide left us to our own devices to a large degree which could be difficult for first time travellers.

Review by: Gideon S, South Africa	October 2008
A must to see.

Review by: Gideon j S	October 2008
A must to see.

Review by: Jagdish R, United States of America	July 2008
Great view of the Alps mountains from Mount Rigi. The bus dropped us at Weggis. Took the cable car and cogged wheel train to Mount Rigi. We got to spend about 2 hours up there. Took the cogged wheel train back to Vitznau. Immediately upon reaching Vitznau, we had to board the boat to Lucerne. The one hour boat ride from Vitznau to Lucerne was awesome with some spectacular view of the mountains and the lakes and the small towns around the lake. Once we reached Lucerne we were on own again to explore the town from about 2 hours. The bus came in at around 545pm and took us back to Zurich. Overall it was a good trip but it would have been nice if we had a guided tour of the Lucerne city.

Review by: Jason L, Australia	November 2007
This was a self-exploration tour. The coach dropped us off at Wegis where we boarded the cable car and cogged wheel train to reach the top of Mt Rigi. Then we descended on the cogged wheel train down to Vitznau where we only had minutes to board the boat to take us to Lucerne. Once in Lucerne we had about 2 hours free time to wander around before we met up with the coach to take us back to Zurich. All in all, an enjoyable day trip provided you can self-manage your time and follow their schedule sheet.

Review by: Kean L	November 2007
This was a self-exploration tour. The coach dropped us off at Wegis where we boarded the cable car and cogged wheel train to reach the top of Mt Rigi. Then we descended on the cogged wheel train down to Vitznau where we only had minutes to board the boat to take us to Lucerne. Once in Lucerne we had about 2 hours free time to wander around before we met up with the coach to take us back to Zurich. All in all, an enjoyable day trip provided you can self-manage your time and follow their schedule sheet.

Review by: Cyriel D, Canada	October 2007
The beauty is breathtaking.

Review by: Muhammad Jasim Z, Germany	April 2007
Quite good.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	March 2007
Unfortunately, the weather didn't agree with us. It was too foggy so we got a glimpse of the magnificent beauty but we should have come back the next day since it was sunny. We were only there for one day though. So I recommend you check the weather and book the tour accordingly.

Review by: Belishia V, United Kingdom	January 2007
A very good, extremely enjoyable tour. Maybe better arrangements can be made at the pickup point, as we had to wait a long time for the bus to fetch us in Lucerne.