The Lake Uri arm
Cliffs falling into the water, like a Norwegian fjord.
Thomas Woodtli from Zürich, Switzerland — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Thomas Woodtli from Zürich, Switzerland — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bybbisch94 — CC BY 4.0
**Lucerne to Vitznau, then up the Rigi**: an hour on the loveliest nearby stretch of water, a mountain that earns its place, and a train home via Arth-Goldau. If you want the water alone, take a **short circular cruise** from Lucerne (one to two hours) around the near basin and back — far cheaper than the long route and visually almost the same. Save the full Flüelen line (three hours) for a whole day, and come back by train rather than sailing it twice.
Yes, and the water is very clean. Lucerne itself has municipal lake baths with a token fee, and along the shore at Weggis, Vitznau and Brunnen there are free public beaches as well as paid ones. Be warned, though: the water is **cold** even in August (usually 18–22°C at the surface) and drops away quickly with depth, so the realistic swimming season is July and August only. The facilities are Swiss, meaning orderly, and there are quiet family spots away from the crowds.
Sign in to write your review of this place.
No reviews yet — be the first.
The lake's German name, **Vierwaldstättersee**, means "lake of the four forest cantons" — Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Lucerne, the cantons from which the Swiss Confederation grew. It covers around 114 km², reaches 214 m at its deepest, and lies 434 m above sea level. Its shape is unusual: not an oval but a chain of crooked arms between mountains, the narrowest and finest of them the **Lake Uri** arm to the south, where cliffs drop straight into the water and the effect is closer to a Norwegian fjord than a lake. The right way to see it is from the water. The navigation company runs a large fleet including **five historic paddle steamers** — Uri, Unterwalden, Schiller, Gallia and Stadt Luzern — built between 1901 and 1928, and described as the largest such fleet on any inland lake in the world. Wooden saloons, and open steam engines you can watch working: not decoration, but the actual machinery. The longest route, **Lucerne to Flüelen**, takes about three hours and passes Vitznau, Brunnen, the Rütli meadow and the Axenstrasse hung on the cliff face. The quays in Lucerne are directly in front of the station, and the boats are also the transport to Rigi, Pilatus and the Rütli — so this is not a separate outing but the spine of a whole day.
Cliffs falling into the water, like a Norwegian fjord.
An open steam engine you can watch working from inside.
The route to Rigi, Pilatus and the Rütli starts at the quay.
Vierwaldstättersee, Central Switzerland