Weg der Schweiz – I can’t think of a better place to visit on the upcoming long weekend. The legend has it, that in Rütli, three men (from Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden) swore an oath to the Swiss Confederation so the place became an official birthplace of the country.

The whole route is 35 km long and is divided in three stages, making it  a perfect hiking route for those who have a whole weekend to wander around (doing the Stage 1+2 on the first day and stage 3 on the second) but also for those who want to spend just one day exploring , just like we did.

We started our journey on a sunny Sunday morning by taking a boat from Flüelen (and this is where we left the car) to Rütli . I must say that the boat trip on the Lake Lucerne was definitely a highlight. I’ve taken one to Vitznau before, but on the south shore of the lake it felt like a completely different experience.

 

The Swiss Path starts in Rüetli and leads you up to Seelisberg (Stage 1).  It’s a quite steep 3km long climb, but the views along the way are worth the effort.

After a short break, we continued  walking from Seelisberg to Bauen. There were so many picturesque spots, Swiss-style houses, cows mooing on the pastures and plenty of flowers growing wildly everywhere. It felt (and looked) so idyllic, I couldn’t help but stop to take pictures every few meters. Proof on the photos below :).

Walking to Bauen was definitely my favourite part of the hike and I just can’t wait to come back to this magical village again, to enjoy the Swiss riviera vibes. The high church tower and the colorful houses, turquise waters, people soaking up the sun, people on stand-up paddles and others relaxing at the restaurants, enjoying the lake view. I knew from the moment I saw it that it’s going to be one of the pretties villages I’ve been to.

 

We ate lunch in Bauen and from there walked back to Flüelen, where we left the car. The walk to Flüelen was the easiest part of the hike, as we walked just along the lake and cherished the sun sparkling on the lake.

We arrived to Flüelen happy, but tired. The route we did was around 20 km long and if we had more time that weekend, we would probably stay overnight in Flüelen and continue next morning with the Stage 3 to Brunnen (another 15 km) to complete the Swiss Path. I think we’ll have to come back one day and do it as this hike was one of the most pleasant ones we’ve done so far.

More info on the entire route here.