Magnificent hotels were built in Brunnen during the Belle Époque era, which now serve as a reminder of the beginning of tourism. Because the eastern shore of Lake Uri was once too steep for a road, travellers had to take a boat to reach Flüelen. Much has changed since then. Whether for the better, is another matter entirely. In any event, despite regular traffic jams, it is faster to take the road (Axenstrasse) to Flüelen than a boat. This section of the tour leads away from Lake Lucerne right from the start. You cross the Muota River on the way to Lake Lauerz with Grosser and Kleiner Mythen towering over you. Some say that the noise from the motorway couldn’t possibly spoil the amazing views of lake and mountains, but – unfortunately – this is not quite true.

Still, some things never change. With Mt. Rigi and Rossberg mountain in the background, you now continue riding through one of Switzerland’s most spectacular and interesting moorlands. The way the lake area with its extensive reed meadows interrelates with the traces remaining from the Goldau landslide of 1806 is an impressive sight, according to the information panel in the Sägel-Schutt nature reserve on Lake Lauerz. If you listen carefully as you make your way through the reeds you may hear the squawk of a tree frog or possibly the twittering of a siskin. Perhaps you might even see a large red damselfly zip by. But none of that at the Arth-Goldau train station. There is too much activity going on at this lively traffic hub. Train travellers look forward to their trip to the south or to a ride on the Arth-Rigi cog railway, which will take them to the “Queen of the Mountains”. On the other side of the station are the Nature and Animal Park Goldau and the landslide museum. Beside the Italian museum in Plurs, it is the only one of its kind in Europe. The building was constructed in 1956 and documents the natural disaster where over 450 people and countless animals died. The showpieces of the small museum, if that’s what you want to call them in the face of such a tragic event, are three topographic models showing the valley before and after the accident (note the opening hours).

There is nothing like that on Lake Zug. It is also a bit warmer here and with a more Mediterranean feeling. Screeching gulls, black gleaming cormorants, graceful swans, and wealthy people. All of them appear to be at home between the lake and “Shadow Mountain”, as Mt. Rigi is sometimes called. A little further on you come to Immensee with its charming old town centre. The last section, now with slight ups and downs again, leads up to Meierskappel. You can catch some lovely views of Lake Zug on the way. And when you finally zoom down to Rotkreuz, look at all the Swiss flags flapping in the wind.