Pizol in eastern Switzerland has created a new “Quartet of Summits” trail, visiting four tall peaks in the area. It’s a long hike, so most families and casual hikers will prefer to break this up into two shorter day hikes like we did. Both hikes are a bit challenging with steep climbs and descents, best for experienced hikers and older children. But the amazing views make all the work well worth it.
We stayed overnight at Berghotel Gaffia so we could do complete the tour in one weekend and enjoy the charms of sunrise and sunset in the mountains. In addition to hiking, we also tried the new mountain carts, a super fun ride 2.2 km down the mountain on a bumpy dirt track. My teens loved bouncing over the rough terrain and drifting like on Mario Cart. We all laughed the whole way down, then rode back up to do it again. I love when mountains have fun attractions for kids to make the hiking experience more fun and memorable for the whole family. Read on for details for our weekend at Pizol.
This trip was hosted by Pizol
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Location of Pizol
Pizol is a mountain resort in eastern Switzerland, about an hour south of Zürich (see on Google Maps). This area is easy to reach by car or train, arriving in the valley and using gondolas and chair lifts to reach the trails.
Here is the summer map for Pizol, where I’ve marked activities from our weekend.
Getting to the Pizol-Wangs gondola
For the hikes and activities described here, it’s best to ride the Wangs Pizol gondola. (There is another Pizol gondola in Bad Ragaz that accesses a different part of the resort.)
By transport: Take a train to Sargans, Bahnhof, then bus 429/430 to Wangs, Pizolbahn, which drops you at the Pizol parking lot. Walk across the lot to the elevator, which takes you up to the gondola. From Zürich HB, this is about a 1hr10 journey.
By car: Drive to Schiggstrasse 14, 7323 Vilters-Wangs and park in the large parking lot next to the elevator. Parking costs CHF 5/day. You can pay with coins or the EasyPark app. Take the elevator up to the ticket office and gondola entrance. From Zürich, this is about a 1hr10 drive.
Trail Maps
The full “Quartet of Summits” trail is 18.6 km, visiting all 4 peaks in about 7.5 hrs. See trail map and details for the full “Gipfel Quartet” trail (in English).
For casual hikers and families with older children, it makes more sense to break this trail into two day hikes as shown below. You could do these on separate occasions or stay overnight as we did at the Pizol Berghotel Gaffia, so we could complete both hikes in a weekend (details about our hotel stay below).
Hike 1: Garmil & Gamidauerspitz Summit Hike
This loop hike starts at the top of Furt-Gaffia chair lift. I recommend hiking counterclockwise, because part of the trail between Garmil and Gamidauerspitz is a steep, slippery scramble and a bit exposed. It’s easier and safer to climb up this section than to hike down it. It’s a lot of elevation gain/descent packed into the 6.5 km.
See trail on SchweizMobil • Komoot • AllTrails • OutdoorActive
Shorter option: If you don’t think the kids can make the whole distance or you want to skip the steep scramble to Gamidauerspitz, I would still recommend hiking from Gaffia to Garmil and back. It’s a really nice, well defined trail, not dangerous and fantastic views. Loved this peak! It’s about 4.4 km round trip from Gaffia to Garmil, with 316m up/down.
My husband and I did this hike in the late afternoon before dinner while the the kids rested at the hotel. We were on the trail about 3hrs, with 2hr actual walking time. We started at 16:00 and it was so wonderful to see the fading light over the mountains. Plus the trail was completely empty and quiet. A nice benefit of staying overnight in the mountains.
Hike 2: Hochwart & Pizol Summit Hike
This trail starts at the top of the Gaffia-Pizolhütte chair lift and hikes up to two peaks and back. The trail starts on the same path as the popular 5 Lake Trail as far as the first lake. Then it heads off over a very rocky terrain to the south side of the lake. Then the trail splits, one finger going to each of the two peaks.
See trail on SchweizMobil • Komoot • AllTrails • OutdoorActive
The path to Hochwart peak is a red/white mountain trail (rated T3 from the lake to the peak), a little exposed in parts. So you need steady footing, good hiking shoes, and no fear of heights. But I felt comfortable with my teens and we saw another family with kids around 8-10 years old on this trail. We loved this peak hike and definitely recommend it to experienced hikers.
The path to the Pizol peak (shown left below) is a blue/white alpine trail (the last section rated T4), meaning it has exposed sections with steep drop-offs with cables to help you manage it more safely. We asked the Pizol staff about this section and they said that it doesn’t require mountaineering equipment or safety harnesses. We saw all sorts of people heading up this trail, from serious climbers to trail runners to casual hikers in flat soled sneakers.
We planned to follow this blue/white section as far as we felt comfortable. But a few minutes into it, my son was feeling very nervous. So we decided to turn around and focus on enjoying the Hochwart peak, rather than taking a risk. On a risky trail, I think it’s very important that everyone feels confident and happy so you can perform your best. If you do this blue/white section, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought.
Shorter option: If you’re not up to hiking both peaks, I highly recommend hiking just to Hochwart and back, a great hike with amazing views. This variation is about 7.8km with 645m up/down (see trail map on SchweizMobil and Komoot). You could also hike to the lake (from the chair lift, one way about 2.4 km and 300m up) and wander around without summitting either peak.
Tickets for gondola
Depending on which hike you are doing, you’ll need a different ticket. So show the ticket desk your hike on the map and they will sell you the correct ticket. For example, for the Hochwart hike, you need a round trip ticket from Wangs to Pizolhütte, CHF 46/adult in 2021. For the Garmil peak hike, you need a round trip ticket from Wangs to Gaffia, CHF 42/adult in 2021.
Pizol gives a discount for GA and SBB Half-fare cards. Children with a SBB Junior card and those under 6 ride free. They also offer family discounts that include all children under 17.
Since we were staying overnight, we had a 2-day pass (in 2021, CHF 66/adult), which gave us unlimited rides on the mountain transport both days. This gave us the flexibility to travel around the mountain as we liked.
Mountain carts
In 2021, Pizol added mountain carts to their long list of family-friendly attractions. You ride this go-cart with hand-brakes 2.2 km down a bumpy dirt road, starting at the top of the Furt-Gaffia chair lift. We all loved riding these and laughed the whole way down. They are surprisingly stable considering the roughness of the road. But you do need to watch your speed and steer carefully to avoid crashing. Children must be 12 years old and at least 130cm tall to ride alone. Younger children may ride double with an adult.
One ride on the cart costs CHF 13/adult and CHF 10/child under 17 yrs old. This does not include your mountain transport tickets, which are sold separately. It makes sense to do the ride after a hike, skipping the chair lift down the mountain. However the wait time can be longer in the afternoon on busy weekends.
You can buy multi-packs for the carts. They also offer a family ticket, which costs CHF 150 for 2 adults and all children under 17 and includes mountain transport up and down the mountain (so you can do a hike first) and 1 ride on the carts for each member of the family.
The carts come in multiple sizes to accommodate different heights. The staff will help you pick the correct sizing, making sure you can comfortably reach the pedals. But also make sure that your knees are not too close to your chest, as your knees tends to bump the center poles, which can be uncomfortable.
Helmets are provided. You can send your backpacks down the chair lift so they will be waiting for you at the end of the ride.
Overnight stay at Berghotel Gaffia
If you want to do both hikes in one weekend (a fun goal!), we recommend staying overnight on the mountain. Not only does it enhance the mountain experience, you can get an early start the next day. We stayed at Berghotel Gaffia, a mountain hotel, almost 100 years old, in a beautiful stone building in a beautiful setting, with dramatic mountain peaks on all sides.
Berghotel Gaffia is on the mountain near the Furt-Gaffia chair lift, as shown on the map at the top of this post. To reach the hotel, you ride up the gondola, then a chair lift to Gaffia. Then a 10 min walk down the mountain to the hotel. So best to pack light. They also offer a luggage service in conjunction with SBB.
The hotel has double rooms, family rooms (4 & 6 person) and dormitories like a mountain hut. We had a family room, which had a double bed for us and bunk beds for the kids. We had shared toilets and showers across the hall from our room and a sink in our room. It’s simple lodgings, as is the case with most mountain hotels, but comfortable and a fun atmosphere as the hotel is filled with other hikers and mountain lovers. We particularly loved the view from our room, where we could enjoy the sunset and sunrise.
We ate dinner at the hotel. They offer both an a la carte menu and a set meal (CHF 30 in 2021) that includes a soup or salad, main dish, and dessert. I had the set meal, starting with a ginger carrot soup, then spätzle, steak with mushroom sauce and veg for my main, and plum strudel with vanilla sauce for dessert. Everything was delicious and it was clear the kitchen took more care with these traditional dishes than we’ve seen at other mountain restaurants. My boys ordered schnitzel and we were delighted to hear the cook pounding out the meat in the kitchen, instead of pulling a pre-crumbed frozen schnitzel from the fridge as is the case at many other restaurants.
During summer season, Berghotel Gaffia is open Fri-Sun when the cable car is running, so typically late Jun through mid October. Sample prices in 2021, one night in a double room for two people incl. breakfast CHF 138. A family room for 2 adults, 2 children costs CHF 248.40. Check Pizol website for current prices and availability.
Berghotel Gaffia • +41 81 300 48 26 • gaffia@pizol.com • www.gaffia.com
Pizol is one of our favorite mountain areas near Zürich, with so many hikes and other attractions for the whole family. For even more ideas, see my other Pizol posts.
