This summer we tried the new Weggis-Vitznau Foxtrail, which explores the charming lakeside villages below Mt. Rigi while solving elaborate clues to find your way along on the trail. There are dozens of Foxtrails all over Switzerland and this is one of the newest, added in 2020.
On this new Weggis-Vitznau Foxtrail we proved our climbing skills to reach clues, visited an old fortress, received coded messages over a vintage military phone, tested some rocket launch codes, followed chicken eggs around farm fields, pulled an emergency brake in a gondola, and much more.
I don’t want to spoil the fun by giving away too much. So here are just some teasers to peak your interest. I hope you enjoy it!
Note: This outing was hosted by Lucerne Tourism.
| Location: | Central Switzerland |
| Address: | Check in: Service Center Vitznau Bahnhofstrasse 7, 6354 Vitznau |
| Car: | About 45 mins from Luzern or Zürich to Vitznau |
| Train: | 50 mins from Luzern or 1hr40 from Zürich HB to Vitznau, Station |
| Trail: | about 4.5 km, about 3 hours |
| Condition: | paved and dirt paths, some stairs, not suitable for strollers |
| Skill: | easy, best for children 8+ who can read |
| Open: | year round |
| Cost 2021: | CHF 79 for family of 2 adults, 2 children |
| Services: | cafes and playgrounds along path |
| More info: | www.foxtrail.ch |
Overview
This Foxtrail is located in Vitznau and Weggis, two villages on the shores of Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland.
The Weggis-Vitznau Helios trail (new in 2020) is about 4.5 km, easy walking on country roads and dirt paths through quiet neighborhoods and forests. It took us about 3 hours to solve the 21 clues and complete the trail. The clues on this Foxtrail were clever and sometimes tricky, but not too difficult to solve.
Tickets
You must book your FoxTrail in advance online here. You book a specific day and time slot from about 8:00 to 16:00. For weekends and holidays, it could fill up, so best to book a few days in advance.
This Weggis-Vitznau FoxTrail costs CHF 32/adult and CHF 17/child aged 4-16. There is a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children for CHF 79. This includes your bus transport between Vitznau and Weggis. Check website for current prices.
Starting Documents
When you book your FoxTrail, you receive your starting documents via PDF that tell you what to bring with you and where to meet. These documents includes hints for some stations on the trail and a helpline number in case you have trouble solving the clues. These documents and all clues on the trail are available in English.
IMPORTANT: Make sure to print these documents and bring them with you (and a pen/pencil). You’ll also need the booking code on your confirmation receipt for two stations along the trail.
Getting There
The trail starts in Vitznau near the ferry dock and ends in Weggis. Your Foxtrail ticket includes the bus between the two locations (return fare).
By car: Drive to Vitznau and park near the ferry dock and Rigi mountain train station. There is a parking garage adjacent to the station, but it’s usually full when we go. So we park at the metered parking at Altdorfbachweg 4-10, 6354 Vitznau. After you complete the Foxtrail, you return by bus to Vitznau to get your car.
By public transport: Take a bus to Vitznau, Station or you can take a ferry to Vitznau. The ferry from Luzern runs hourly on the xx:09. The trail ends in Weggis, where you can catch a bus back home.
Checking in
To start the FoxTrail, you first check in at the Vitznau Service Center, which is the ticket office/gift shop next to the Rigi mountain train. They will give you a FoxTrail starter package, including your bus ticket and your FoxTrail badges. Your starting documents will help you find the first clue so you can start the trail.
You will take the bus at some point in the middle of the trail. Remember to validate your bus ticket by time-stamping it in the orange machine in the bus.
On the Foxtrail
I won’t show you exactly where the trail starts. You’ll need to figure that out. Sometimes you’ll be in the forest like this. There was some uphill climbing but not too long or too difficult.
Sometimes you’ll have nice views across the lake. Remember to look at the view even if you are focused on the clues.
On the left, we had to climb to reach the clue. On the right, we had to calculate some angles.
Sometimes on quiet streets, sometimes on quiet footpaths.
Interacting with old military paraphernalia.
One of the playgrounds we saw along the way.
Passing through pirate tunnels and trying to unlock the secret location.
Passing through apple orchards.
Wondering if this chicken has a clue and if pulling the emergency brake will get us into trouble.
Such lovely views along the way.
Looking for clues and pretty things inside and out.
Passing another playground.
Heading back to the water.
Lunch in Vitznau
We took a break near the end of the FoxTrail to lunch at Bar Lüücht Türmli (Seestrasse 25, 6353 Weggis), which specializes in burgers.
We sat on the floating platform shown here. They also rent boats if you want to go out on the water later.
Ending in Weggis
You finish the Foxtrail in Weggis, which has a lovely promenade along the water. Lots of cafes and shops in this area and plenty of room to spread out to enjoy the view.
Our boys challenged each other to a game of Mühle.
Successfully completed another Foxtrail. Hooray!
If you came by car, you can catch the bus from Weggis, Schiffstation back to Vitznau. If you came by public transportation, you can catch the bus home or catch a boat to Luzern, which leaves on the xx:05.
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4 responses
Thank you for recommendations. We really enjoyed this Foxtrail. A couple of practical tips:
1) sometimes the English version of the riddle is not 100% right , I highly recommend to check the German version too. One of them said to walk 500m away from the river but the German one said “along the river” – this is exactly where you should walk. In one of the places the English version is not seen and it is only after reading the German one we knew where to go.
2)be careful at the barrack. If you have gone for more than 2 minutes away from them and did not find the next station, you are on the wrong path. We went up and up and up and ended up very high up the mountains with a magnificent view but totally in the wrong place:) It was all worth it though.
3)because of the de-route and it took us much longer than 3 hours. Also the youngest was 6. I would easily plan 5h and lunch in the middle. There were not many places open to eat on the way and we were glad we brought a picnic. Maybe because we booked it for 10 am and most places were closed.
4) The family ticket costs 79 CHF and we we ended up paying 17 CHF extra for our 6 year old. And it was 96CHF in total but honestly this quest is for much older kids and she was just walking along without any interest. I do not know why they charge so much for a small child.
In short it is a brilliant walk! Highly recommend! And the scenery is breathtaking!!!
Thanks for all the helpful feedback! I will update my post to include some of your tips. Glad you enjoyed the walk. I agree that it’s expensive for younger children that don’t really participate.
Great trail, thank you for the recommendation – super helpful as always!
For other participants – be careful not to walk up the mountain road after the barrack. We made this mistake and spent an hour climbing up on the steep road before meeting a local, who told us we were on a wrong path. The views back at the lake were absolutely worth it, but we came back very tired.
Oh no! We were quite confused at the barrack as well. Thanks for the feedback. I’ll add a tip in my text. Glad you enjoyed the walk even though you were tired.