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Lake LucerneThe easy way into the high mountains
Nights: 7
Starting point: Romantik Hotel Wilden Mann (4*), Lucerne. Situated close to the city’s famous bridge, the Kapellbrücke, this romantic hotel been beautifully converted from several 16th-century townhouses. The interior is handsome and atmospheric, and you can choose to dine in the hotel’s own superb restaurants (pay locally) or in one of the city’s many eateries. Day 1: spend a couple of hours strolling through Lucerne's narrow, pretty streets, admiring the fine Renaissance architecture, before catching the regular train for the 30-minute journey along the shore of the lake to Sarnen. From here a pleasant path leads gently uphill through forest and meadows to Fluëli-Ranft, an important centre of pilgrimage as it was here that the hermit Brother Klaus lived. If you get an early start from Lucerne, you can enjoy an additional 12-kilometre circuit from the village, passing the three chapels in the Ranft Valley associated with Brother Klaus. (5km, 1.5hrs) Day 2: this gentle walk follows the old pilgrimage paths of the Jakobsweg (one of the network of routes leading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain) and the Brüderklausenweg ('Brother Klaus Path') across undulating meadows dotted with hamlets and criss-crossed by streams. At Stans, you take the train to Engelberg. (16km, 4.5hrs) Day 3: on your day in Engelberg we suggest that you take the cable car to the lake half-way up the slopes of Mount Titlis (3,329 metres), the towering mountain which dominates the village. Admire the fantastic views as you walk round the lake on a botanical trail and then descend back to Engelberg. If you prefer not to walk, it is well worth taking the revolving cable car (pay locally) to the very summit – a classic excursion. (10.5km, 3hrs) Accommodation: Hotel Edelweiss, as above. Day 4: catch the train back down the valley to Niederrickenbach, from where you take the cable car up into the high mountains for a rewarding walk in wonderful mountain scenery. You ascend past a monastery and cross meadows to Brisenhaus, the epitome of a Swiss mountain hut, where we recommend you have lunch (pay locally). You then continue across more high mountain pastures, passing some fine viewpoints offering splendid panoramas of Lake Lucerne and Mount Rigi. You descend by cable car to Beckenried, on the shores of the lake, or can walk if you want longer to appreciate the lake views. (10km, 3.5hrs or 15km, 5hrs) Day 5: today's thrilling route, a combination of scenic journeys and walking, takes you up Mount Rigi. It starts with a boat trip across the lake, giving you a marvellously different perspective of the mountains. You then continue by cog railway to the summit (1,797 metres), from where you can admire the breathtaking 360-degree panorama before descending across meadows to Rigi Kaltbad. (8km, 3hrs) Day 6: you could simply take the cable car down to Weggis, though we recommend that first you walk along the spine of the Rigi for more superb vistas. (12km, 4hrs) Walking chart: the chart gives the distance and an approximation of the ascents and descents involved each day. If comparing holidays, please note the scale of each chart as this can differ.
Recommendations for extra nights: Paxmontana Hotel (Fluëli-Ranft) for extra walking, or Romantik Hotel Wilden Mann (Lucerne) for more time to explore the city. Extensions: If you are flying via zurich, Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland boasts an equally idyllic lake, stay for 3 nights at the 3* Hotel Victoria. Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system. You can also read our website travel diary for a personal account of the holiday. Similar holidays: Lake Geneva to Lake Neuchâtel (grade 2), The Leutasch Valley (grade 2), Towards the Matterhorn (grades 2 & 3), Villages of the Engadine (grades 2 & 3), The High Dolomites (grades 2 & 3), The Bernese Oberland (grades 2 & 3), Lakes & Mountains (grade 1-2) Prices & travel 2008:
Recommended destination airport: Zurich Extra night prices
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Lake Lucerne is Switzerland's most idyllic lake, its numerous fingers twisting and turning through the landscape, with tremendous mountains all around. Historic steamers ply the vivid blue waters, linking the handsome city of Lucerne with the picturesque villages along the shore. High above the lake, great peaks draw the walker's gaze, and rack railways give easy access to panoramic high paths, allowing you to appreciate this beautiful area to the full. This is a unique walk in that it combines superb walking with thrilling boat, rail and cable car journeys (all included) that take you right up into the heart of the mountains, avoiding too many steep sections on foot. As such, this walk is suitable for all of average fitness, despite the high altitude of many of the walks, featuring a mix of short uphill routes and longer routes on the flat. The landscapes through which you walk are surprisingly varied, and the shape of the lake, together with the effects of the light, make for a constantly changing panorama of which it is impossible to tire. In late June and throughout July, the flowers are spectacular, while September is a favourite time for walkers.
Kapellbrücke, Lucerne 
