Golzernsee is a small, pretty alpine lake, in the mountains near the north entrance to the Gotthard tunnel, where you can swim, hike, or just take in the view. After a short cable car, the path to the lake is smooth, wide and stroller-friendly.
There are a couple restaurants before you reach the lake, with excellent views of the valley, lake, and surrounding mountains. If you prefer to picnic, there are several grill pits next to the lake. The lake has several shallow areas where children can wade in and splash around.
It’s a lovely, easy day out with the kids. We had a great day here and hope to go back soon.
| Location: | Central Switzerland, Canton Uri |
| Address: | Bristen-Golzern cable car: Talweg 37 6475 Silenen |
| Car: | 1hr20 from Zurich Parking: 46°45’59.2″N 8°42’41.7″E |
| Train: | 1hr45 from Zurich HB to Golzern, Talstation Seilbahn Adult return with Half-fare CHF 35.60 |
| Trail: | 1.4 km each way to lake |
| Condition: | wide smooth dirt path, suitable for strollers |
| Skill: | easy |
| Services: | restaurants, swimming, changing rooms & WC at lake |
| Cost 2023: | Cable car return Adult CHF 16, Child CHF 6 SBB Half-fare and Junior cards not accepted |
| Open: | May thru mid October, every 15-20 mins about 9:00 to 17:00 |
| More info: | www.lsb-golzern.ch |
Location
Golzern is located southeast of Lucerne, just before the Gotthard tunnel. To reach the hiking area, you ride a cable car from Bristen.
Overview
At the top, its an easy 1.5 km on a smooth dirt path to the lake. It took us about 25 minutes with little kids walking on their own. You’ll pass through a little village with restaurants.
The lake itself has a swimming area with changing rooms and WC. There are lots of other more challenging hikes in this area described on their website.
For a longer hike, you can hike past the lake. Then down to the river and along the water back to the bottom of the cable car. See trail map.
Getting There
By car:
Drive toward the Gotthard tunnel, get off the freeway at Amsteg and drive up a steep, winding (mercifully short) one-lane road to Bristen. Drive through town until you reach a large parking lot next to the roaring river (shown below). The cable car base station is here.
By train:
Take a train to Erstfeld, then a bus to Amsteg, Post, then a bus to Golzern, Talstation Seihbahn. The bus drops at the cable car station.
Tickets & Opening Times
Cable car tickets are quite affordable, round trip CHF 16 Adult, CHF 6 Child. SBB Half-fare cards and Junior cards are not accepted.
The cable car runs every half-hour from about 6:00 to 20:00. It will run more frequently if there are more than 6 people waiting. Closed for lunch.
Photo story
Here we are on the trail to the lake.
We went on Swiss National Day (Aug 1), so it was a little crowded:
Along the trail, there were a couple stands selling crystals. Our kids bought some to add to their treasure chests at home.
Here’s another view of the beautiful valley before reaching the lake.
We ate at Restaurant Golzernsee, which was exactly what you might expect from a Swiss mountain restaurant, no more, no less. The view, of course, was fantastic. They did have child plates with hot dogs or schnitzel.
And finally, the lake. Here the small “beach” which starts out very shallow, so your tots can wade around before it gets too deep. Before you walk down to the water, there is a public bathroom where you can change into your swimsuit.
We walked to the far side of the lake, where it was a little less crowded.
Here’s the “beach” on the other side of the lake.
I have an irrational fear of swimming in lakes (it’s dark and scary!) but the water was so wonderfully clear and refreshing that I was quickly won over. All the kids in our party had a great time splashing around in the shallow part and venturing out a little farther with floaties. I and my friend’s 9 year old swam out into the lake, where there was a big rock we could stand on. We both thought this was pretty cool.
My husband found a big rock that we could jump off. The tots stayed by the shore and caught tadpoles.
Here are the kiddies searching the reeds for tadpoles and other treasures.
This is another view of the path, leading us back to the cable car.
Back at the bottom of the cable, we spent a few minutes throwing rocks in the river before heading home.
I hope you like it.
4 Responses
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to post your trip to Golzern. It’s amazing how some things change in this world and things stay the same. My heart filled scrolled through the pictures. As a family through the late 1980’s and 90’s we always used to vacation for 1 month at a time. We stayed in the chalets with the farmers Family just below the church. I remember grabbing that rope and being lifted into the air as it slid through hands. Then playing in Golzern See and hiking the trails around. Watching the farmer cut and dry his summer hay……so many memories.
The one which got me was the simple play at the lake on the sandy beach. Every time I look at water and sand I am transported back to this place. I am now almost 40 and long for the days when I was 4-15. I don’t see my family much these days, sometimes those memories comes back. Today it was one of those days. Thank you for that small bright spot in my soul today.
A silly question perhaps: would the air/water temperature around the lake be much cooler than the typical lake Zurich temps??? Trying to guess if tomorrow would be pleasant there (26°C in Wadenswil where I live..)?
Sorry I got to this comment too late for your trip. I would check the local forecast for Golzern on Search.ch to see the air temps, but I noticed they report for Bristen (bottom of cable car) not at the lake above. So it might be a bit colder. I couldn’t find any water temp info, not even on http://www.golzernsee.ch/ website. I read that the max temp is 20C. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
What a gem! We did this hike today (with a 10 month old and small dog) and really enjoyed it. We were nearly fooled by the smaller (unstaffed, coin operated (!)) cable car about 2 km before the intended one, but saved that particular adventure for another day. A really nice hike that's an easy drive from Zurich. Quick warning – don't ignore the sign as you enter the windy road up the mountain telling you not to enter between certain times (e.g., 10 – 10:10, 11 – 11:10) on certain days. A car behind us “jumped the queue” of waiting cars and then had to reverse quite a way when the Post Bus came barreling down (as the sign warned). Thanks for the great tip!
– Kelly