Bürgenstock
1,128 m
Switzerland
Also known as Bürgenberg, ΜπούγκενστοκAlso known as
Bürgenberg · Μπούγκενστοκ
- Elevation
- 1,128 m
- Prominence
- 670 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- May–Oct
- Routes
- 1
WorksReported 3 Apr 2026
After repair works, the Felsenweg reopened along its full length on Good Friday, 3 April 2026, together with the Hammetschwand Lift and the Bärgbeizli. In October 2026 the Felsenweg Foundation reported the path open and the lift running.
felsenweg.ch
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 2 check notes
- danger scan: Ennetbürgen, Dorf → Felsenweg: sustained 37° > 35° on a gap line
- Ennetbürgen, Dorf → Felsenweg: corridor (detour; 180 m of gaps, 4.2 km)
A short mountain walk from Ennetbürgen on Lake Lucerne up through forest to the Felsenweg, a path cut into the cliffs more than 500 m above the lake, then up to the Hammetschwand, the highest point of the Bürgenstock (1,128 m), by the 153 m outdoor Hammetschwand Lift or on foot. About 700 m of ascent.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 5.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +749 m
- −62 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,128 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 3h 17m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 2h 22m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the village square in Ennetbürgen (bus stop Ennetbürgen, Dorf, about 440 m) follow the signed mountain path up through the forest to the Felsenweg. The Felsenweg, cut into the cliffs of the steep north flank between 1897 and 1902 by the hotelier Franz Josef Bucher-Durrer, runs along the face with tunnels and railings and a near-vertical drop of more than 500 m to the lake; a 1.5 km educational trail has been laid out along it since 2015. At the Känzeli the Hammetschwand Lift (built 1903–1905, 153 m high, the highest free-standing outdoor lift in Europe) rises to the Hammetschwand viewpoint (about 1,114 m) and the Bärgbeizli Hammetschwand; the highest point (1,128 m) is a short walk further. Continue along the Felsenweg to the Bürgenstock Resort and descend by the Bürgenstock funicular to Kehrsiten (boat to Lucerne), or walk down to Stansstad; the full traverse Ennetbürgen–Bürgenstock–Stansstad is about 12 km, 789 m up and down and 4 h 15 min of walking. The Felsenweg opens only in suitable weather and is usually walkable from spring to autumn; the lift does not run in winter or in rain, wind or ice.
Start
Ennetbürgen, Dorf436 m
- Hammetschwand Lift (Felsenweg – Hammetschwand), seasonal; Bürgenstock funicular (Kehrsiten – Bürgenstock Resort)
- Bus to Ennetbürgen, Dorf (from Stans or Buochs); return by Bürgenstock funicular and boat from Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock to Lucerne, or by train from Stansstad.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ennetbürgen, Dorf → Hammetschwand | 5.4 | 749 | 62 | 3h 17m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Ennetbürgen, Dorf436 m
- Feature: Felsenweg1,053 m
Eastern section of the cliff path
- Lift: Hammetschwand Lift1,018 m
153 m outdoor lift from the Känzeli on the Felsenweg to the Hammetschwand viewpoint
- Summit: Hammetschwand1,128 m
Key Passages
- Forest ascent from Ennetbürgen
- Felsenweg cliff path with tunnels above Lake Lucerne
- Hammetschwand Lift (153 m, highest free-standing outdoor lift in Europe)
Equipment
0/3 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
A 10 km wooded limestone ridge on a peninsula in Lake Lucerne, topped by the Hammetschwand (1,128 m). Known for its 19th-century resort, the Felsenweg cliff path and Europe's highest free-standing outdoor lift.
The Bürgenstock, historically the Bürgenberg, is an elongated ridge about 10 km long between Stansstad and the Untere Nase, enclosed by Lake Lucerne on the north, east and south-east. Its north side drops almost vertically to the lake; the gentler south slope falls to Ennetbürgen and the Stans plain. Geologically it is an outlier of the Pilatus chain, built of Cretaceous and Tertiary limestones and polished by the Reuss glacier in the Ice Age, which left granite erratics scattered over it.
The highest point, the Hammetschwand, is less a climb than a destination: from the Bürgenstock Resort (about 874 m) the Felsenweg leads along the cliffs to the Hammetschwand Lift, which carries visitors 153 m up the face to the summit viewpoint. Walkers can come up on T2 mountain paths from Ennetbürgen or Stansstad and combine the ridge with the funicular and a boat on the lake.
The view takes in the arms of Lake Lucerne, the Rigi, Pilatus and the Central Swiss Alps. The lift and its top viewpoint stand on a small exclave of the canton of Lucerne; the highest point and the resort plateau belong to Nidwalden.
Climbing Notes
An easy half-day for anyone used to mountain paths: about 700 m of ascent from Ennetbürgen, with good shoes and some care on the Felsenweg's exposed (but railed) sections. Families can ride the funicular from Kehrsiten and walk the level Felsenweg to the lift. Check felsenweg.ch for the current status of the path and lift before going: both close in winter and in bad weather, and the path is periodically closed for repairs.
History
The name Bürgenberg is recorded from 1378, in a settlement of a long boundary dispute between Lucerne and Nidwalden; the highest crest was called Hammetschwand, and the name Bürgenstock is first documented in 1836. Franz Josef Bucher and Josef Durrer bought the Alp Tritt in 1871 and opened the first hotel in 1873. Bucher-Durrer had the Felsenweg cut into the cliffs between 1897 and 1902, and the Hammetschwand Lift was built between 1903 and 1905, later rebuilt by Schindler in 1936 and again in 1959–1960. Audrey Hepburn married Mel Ferrer in the Bürgenstock chapel in 1954. The rebuilt Bürgenstock Resort opened on 28 August 2017.
Season
Best May–Oct- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Best (best window)
- November: Possible
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Felsenweg and lift closed in winter
- Feb
- Felsenweg and lift closed
- Mar
- Closed in recent years until early April; south-side paths walkable
- Apr
- Felsenweg and lift reopened on 3 April in 2026
- Jul
- Busy; avoid thunderstorms on the cliff path
- Oct
- South-side paths recommended late in the year
- Nov
- Lift and path may close for the winter; weather dependent
- Dec
- Winter closure (from 1 December in 2025)
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Hammetschwand Lift and Bürgenstock funicular are paid rides
- Paid parking at the Bürgenstock Resort
- Rules
- The Felsenweg is open only in suitable weather and closes for the winter; the Hammetschwand Lift does not run in winter or in rain, wind or ice
- Getting There
Stansstad and Ennetbürgen (Nidwalden); Lucerne
Zurich Airport (ZRH)
- Boat from Lucerne to Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock, then the Bürgenstock funicular to the resort
- Bus to Ennetbürgen, Dorf for the walk up from the south
- By car or bus up the Bürgenstockstrasse to the resort (paid parking)
Hazards
- Exposure
- Rockfall