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August 26, 2014

Hiking Rigi Mountain near Lucerne, Switzerland

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From Geneva, I was back on the train for the final leg of my European adventure: meeting up with my German friend Melli for some hiking near Lucerne! Melli and I first met when we were randomly flatmates while both living in Prague back in 2009. We’ve been good friends ever since – she even came to our wedding all the way from Germany! She lives back home in Stuttgart now with her husband, and even started a blog (in English!) all about living in Stuttgart and sightseeing nearby/around Germany. Check it out! 🙂

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It was SO good to see her again! But first – the train ride from Geneva to Lucerne was insane. If you have the chance to take this trip, do it! Check out these views from the train window:

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Melli and I were reunited at the train station (thankfully – we almost missed each other, and without working phones, that could have been a problem!) and hopped in her car to head out to our hostel, which was about 45 minutes outside Lucerne. The hotels in Lucerne are insanely expensive so to save money (and to be closer to beautiful hiking) we decided to venture out into the wilderness a bit, and to do a hostel vs a hotel! The drive took us along some gorgeous roads that hugged the cliffs above the lake.

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We were also treated to this amazing sunset along the way:

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It was take your breath away beautiful.

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We had a little bit of trouble finding the hostel – Melli’s GPS took us to an abandoned shack on the side of the cliff (we were like ummmmm??!?! lol), but once we found it (about another mile down the road) we were pleasantly surprised!

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We stayed at Hostel Rotschuo, which ended up being a cute little place nestled in the hillside right on the lake.

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Even though it was a hostel, it was actually almost all European families on hiking vacations vs. young rowdy people, so that was nice. I was the only American staying there, which was also fun. 🙂 If you’re looking to go hiking near Lucerne and don’t want to pay a million dollars to stay in the city, check out this hostel! You have to share a hall bathroom, but it was no big deal. Staff were also super friendly and breakfast was included! Another win was that they had kayaks and canoes for rental – and paddleboards, too. We went kayaking one of the mornings. 🙂

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Hostel view from the water:

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Anyway! On our first morning at the hostel, Melli and I set off to get in some hiking. We hopped on a bus to the nearby town, Vitznau (which was adorable and would also be a fun place to stay), where we were going to start our adventure of the day: hiking up Rigi, known as the "Queen of the Mountains." We had heard that at the top of the mountain (Rigi Kulm, at 1,797 meters) there was a nice pool where you could swim, as well as an incline/railway car that would take us back down the mountain, so we decided to head up another area of the mountain and hike our way across, ending at Rigi Kulm to take a dip and then hop on the train down.

A nice lady in the tourist office told us our best bet was to take a little gondola up, which would drop us off in an area that would give us a nice 4 hour hike up and over to Rigi Kulm, with gorgeous views along the way. (Apparently actually hiking up the whole way would have been insane/taken forever.) After walking up a small road, we found the gondola – it was tiny and deserted, with a sign that said: “If no one is here, get in lift, pick up phone, and ask to come up.” Ummm, hilarious. Okay?

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We picked up the phone and Melli (in German) was like “Umm… hi? Can we come up?” Lol! It worked – the lift starting moving!

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We went up, and up, and up…

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And up… omg this is actually REALLY high and mildly terrifying/awesome at the same time…

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Until we eventually reached the top!

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When we arrived, there was a little old weather-beaten Swiss woman waiting for us. In this part of Switzerland, the locals speak a variation of German, so Melli was able to talk to her and learn that this gondola/lift is actually owned by a cooperative of the farmers that live at the top. They all run it together and share the profits. Isn’t that cool? We were happy to support them! And also happy to be back on solid ground. 😉

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Off we went towards Rigi Kulm! We made friends with this friendly black cat on the way. 🙂

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From the very start, this hike was one of the most amazing I’ve ever done. The views were absolutely insane! Even better was that we basically had it all to ourselves – the only sound was cowbells. 🙂

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After an hour or so, we stopped for snacks – first up, apples with a view:

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Followed by this fun snack that Melli brought with her from Germany! The tomato paste was actually surprisingly good – it was a mix of spices, pureed sundried tomato, and sunflower seeds, I think!

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For my snack contribution, I introduced Melli to the amazingness that is Trader Joe’s Just Mango Slices. So good!

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The views continued to get more and more epic as the morning went on.

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Around 2p.m. we stumbled upon an adorable farm home in the middle of nowhere that doubled as a café, and decided to stop for a more proper lunch/second snack.

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Espressos to go around!

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Plus a yummy potato/veggie/ham soup for me.

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Back on the trail! The higher we got, the more beautiful. It seriously almost looked fake.

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By mid afternoon, we made it to Rigi Kulm!

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The small touristy area at the top of the mountain wasn’t much to write home about, but the pool we’d heard about? It actually turned out to be a full Mineral Bath and Spa, complete with all sorts of amazing heated pools, both indoor and outdoor.

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Spending a couple hours lying around in hot tubs/salt baths after hiking up a super steep mountain all day? Hell to the yes. Best idea ever!

And when we were done, we simply hopped on the tram back down the mountain to Vitznau. Easy!

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We had dinner that night outside at an adorable restaurant right on the water in Vitznau, which was part of Hotel Terasse am See.

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Dinner views:

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Cheers to an awesome day!

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We shared the arugula tomato mozzarella basil salad to start, which was delish:

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And I enjoyed some pan seared fish basically straight out of the lake with some rice and sautéed spinach. Highly recommend this place if you’re in the area! So good, and super friendly waiter, too.

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Rosé to go with our meals.

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The sun began to set as we finished our dinner:

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And moved on to dessert – we shared an apple crisp. Yummm! All that hiking made us hungry!

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Vitznau was about a mile and a half from our hostel and the road has a lovely walking path along the cliffs, so we decided to stroll home. Beautiful evening, and wonderful end to a great day with a good friend. 🙂

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I’ll be back tomorrow with my final Europe recap post – sharing details from checking out the city of Lucerne, our second (rainy but awesome) hike of the trip, and a brief solo overnight in Zurich before flying home! Stay tuned. 🙂

- anne
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21 comments
  • Annie August 26, 2014 · 11:47AM:
    woa!! I'm French and have never been to Switzerland but those photos are just breathtaking!
    Reply
  • Shel@PeachyPalate
    August 26, 2014 · 12:25PM:
    What gorgeous pics! I'm seriously jealous of your holiday! It's like my perfect holiday ever..lots of activity, good food and wine! And lots of friends to catch up with along the way of course being a super duper bonus!
    Reply
  • Lauren @ Sassy Molassy
    August 26, 2014 · 12:49PM:
    Okay, that settles it. My next European trip will be to hike in Switzerland. The manfriend and I did a whirlwind trip, but didn't get a chance to do any hiking. I love that area and your hostel sounded awesome. I hate how expensive everything is in Lucerne! Geez louise, who can afford that?! The cheapest hotels were about $225 per night and cheapest dinner out about $25 per person.
    Reply
    • Anne
      August 26, 2014 · 12:58PM:
      I know, it was outrageous! But their food was worth it. :)
      Reply
  • Cynthia August 26, 2014 · 1:12PM:
    That looks amazing!! My husband works for the Navy and we recently moved to Naples, Italy and will be here for three-five years. Switzerland is on my bucket list and I think I know which city to visit after seeing this post! I will also check out your friend's blog. There are a lot of Christmas markets I want to see around German, so maybe she would have some tips. :) Which was your favorite city in Switzerland, Geneva or Lucerne? Or did you like Zurich?
    Reply
    • Anne
      August 26, 2014 · 1:19PM:
      Probably Geneva or Zurich, since they were really lively and you could swim in the lakes. Lucerne was cool but all tourists basically. I'd recommend not spending much time in the cities though - the smaller towns and hikes were definitely the biggest highlight!
      Reply
  • Nicole August 26, 2014 · 1:32PM:
    Wow!! What an incredible experience! The views, the sounds.....that gorgeous sunset! Loved the pictures!
    Reply
  • Hillary | Nutrition Nut on the Run
    August 26, 2014 · 1:35PM:
    I wanna go there!!
    Reply
  • Roadrunner August 26, 2014 · 1:38PM:
    Wow! Truly awesome. What a great day!
    Reply
  • Libby August 26, 2014 · 1:42PM:
    Wow - incredible pictures! This has been my favorite recap post yet! What an amazing way to spend a day.
    Reply
  • Lauren
    August 26, 2014 · 2:14PM:
    Expensive yes but it looks like you found a bit of affordable heaven there.
    Reply
  • Sokphal @ Life as a Classroom
    August 26, 2014 · 4:25PM:
    Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! I loved Switzerland and your pictures makes me want to go back! Glad you had so much fun!
    Reply
  • Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment
    August 26, 2014 · 5:00PM:
    Beautiful! These pictures are just amazing. Love the sunset!
    Reply
  • Nessa
    August 26, 2014 · 8:29PM:
    Wow! Lucerne looks absolutely idyllic, another one to add to the bucket-list!
    Reply
  • LeAnne @ Thisismyfaster!
    August 26, 2014 · 8:33PM:
    Love the pics! The ones of the sunset are breathtaking!!!!!!!
    Reply
  • Ashley
    September 1, 2014 · 2:59PM:
    So sad that these European posts are coming to an end! These pictures are all out of this world.
    Reply
  • Blog Your Lifestyle
    February 11, 2015 · 10:29AM:
    Wow, the pictures are breathtaking. If u want to see Rigi in Winter, visit my trip to this cool mountain. Maybe you will like and come in winter :)
    Reply
  • Jim September 8, 2015 · 2:07PM:
    Thanks for the blog post. I hiked almost the exact route today. You took the private Vintznau-Hinterbergen lift, which wasn't included in the Tell-Pass (all-inclusive rail/boat/train/alpine train) so I took another lift and looped around.
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 8, 2015 · 2:33PM:
      I'm jealous! Hope the weather was lovely for you!
      Reply
  • liAse May 5, 2017 · 5:55PM:
    Hi! My husband and I are heading to Lucerne in June and wanted to know which hike you took on Rigi? Where was the beginning and end point and how long did it take? Also the restaurant looks amazing! What was the name of it? Thanks for all your help!
    Reply
    • Anne
      May 6, 2017 · 11:44AM:
      I'm sorry, but everything I know I already shared in this blog post! Have an amazing time!
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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