Stoos Funicular

The Stoosbahn, the funicular from Schwyz up to the car-free village of Stoos, opened in December 2017 as the steepest funicular railway in the world, and it has become one of the most talked-about mountain rides in Switzerland. The engineering is the attraction: the track climbs a maximum gradient of 110 percent, and the cabins are four cylindrical barrels that rotate as the slope changes, so the floors stay level and passengers stand upright while the hillside drops away beneath them. The ride from the valley station at Schwyz-Schlattli takes only a few minutes and passes through tunnels and over bridges, with views back across the Schwyz valley to the Mythen peaks and Lake Lucerne. At the top, Stoos is a small, car-free mountain village on a sunny terrace at about 1,300 metres, with hotels, restaurants and a small church, and in summer it is the starting point for one of the finest ridge hikes in Central Switzerland. From the village, a chairlift climbs to the Fronalpstock, whose summit terrace looks over a remarkable number of lakes, including Lake Lucerne far below, and across to the Rigi, Pilatus and the high Alps. In summer, the panoramic ridge walk from the Klingenstock to the Fronalpstock is a classic, exposed in places but well marked. In winter, Stoos becomes a family ski area, with pistes on the Fronalpstock and Klingenstock, cross-country trails, a snowpark, sledging runs and winter hiking paths. Stoos can also be reached by a small cable car from Morschach on the Brunnen side, which makes a neat loop: up one way, down the other. Important for November 2026: both the funicular and the Morschach cable car are closed for maintenance from 23 November to 4 December 2026, except on weekends, so plan your visit before or after that window, and note that the chairlifts to the summits follow the ski season and the summer season rather than running continuously.

How to get there: from Lucerne, take the train towards Arth-Goldau and Schwyz, then the bus to the Schlattli valley station; from Zurich, the route is similar via Arth-Goldau, and the journey takes around one and a half hours. The funicular itself is a matter of minutes, but leave time to ride it twice, once looking up and once looking down. A popular full day combines the Stoos with the Rigi, both reached via Arth-Goldau, or with a boat on Lake Lucerne from Brunnen, linked to the Morschach cable car by bus.

When to go: early December onwards for snow, and from late spring to autumn for hiking. Late November is the awkward time: the funicular is closed for maintenance on weekdays from 23 November to 4 December 2026, the chairlifts are usually waiting for the ski season, and the village is quiet. If you go in that window, choose a weekend and check the stoos.ch website the day before. For the Fronalpstock view, a clear, dry day makes all the difference.

Who it suits: rail fans and engineering lovers, families who want a short, safe thrill, and hikers looking for one of the best ridge walks near Lucerne. It is less dramatic in scale than Pilatus or Titlis, but the ride is unique, and the views from the Fronalpstock rival those of the bigger mountains. The Schwyz funicular is suitable for wheelchairs and strollers; the small Morschach cable car is less so.