Discover Walchwil

Walchwil combines Lake Zug, outdoor trails and historic religious buildings. For planning your trip, you can easily distinguish between these highlights: swimming and relaxing by the lake, hiking or cross-country skiing, and churches and chapels with histories of their own.

Lakeside swimming, activities and trails

Walchwil’s lakeside swimming area is at the southern end of the village. You can swim there or relax on the lawn. This gives you a choice at the same place between getting active in the water and taking a break on the grass. The Vita Parcours fitness trail is located near Ausseregg, offering a way to exercise according to your own needs. In winter, you can go cross-country skiing on the trails of Zuger-Walchwilerberg.

Usseregg playground has an extra-wide slide, space for ball games and climbing, as well as a creative area with a water pump and dams. The facilities may change during renovations.

Allow about 2 hours and 45 minutes for the hike from Zug to Walchwil. The route passes through deciduous and fir forests, offers views of Rigi and Pilatus, and is lined with blossoming cherry trees. You can cool off in the lake along the way. Another trail runs for up to 20 kilometres parallel to the eastern shore of Lake Zug, through Walchwil to Arth-Goldau in the canton of Schwyz. The route over Walchwiler Berg leads through the forest to Lienisberg-Höhe; from the higher trail, you can enjoy views of Zug’s cherry-growing region.

Churches, chapels and local history

Walchwil’s Catholic parish church is in the village centre. The present church replaced a place of worship built between 1663 and 1666 in 1838. The Chapel of St Anthony of Padua was built from 1684 and consecrated in 1693. It replaced an older wayside shrine dedicated to Anthony the Hermit. The chapel’s altarpiece was painted by Einsiedeln Father Rudolf Blättler in 1884. It shows Mary appearing to Saint Anthony of Padua and handing him the infant Jesus to embrace.

The Reformed church is located at one of the municipality’s finest viewpoints. The Buschenchappeli is also part of local history: it is a listed monument and is thought to have been built in the second half of the 17th century. A pilgrimage route ran from the Chapel of St Adrian on Lake Zug, between Walchwil and Arth, past the Buschenchappeli. The route’s stated destinations are Gubel Monastery, with its image of grace, “Mary Help of Christians,” or Maria Einsiedeln.

The area’s history also includes traditional livelihoods: fishing, fruit growing and viticulture were part of Walchwil’s traditional economy. The village’s development was boosted from 1852 by steamship services on Lake Zug and by the opening of the Gotthard Railway on 30 May 1897.

Events and getting around

Freie Bühne is an annual arts and cultural event held in Walchwil’s village square. Its programme ranges from traditional and classical to original and daring; the mix may vary from one edition to another. If you would like to plan your trip around the event, check the dates for the relevant edition.

The Walchwil village bus follows a circular route from the railway station via Hinterbergstrasse to Aesch, then along Forchwaldstrasse to Oberdorf. You can take this route into account when finding your way around the village.

Discover more destinations: Steinhausen, Unterägeri, Cham, Neuheim, Risch, Oberägeri, Zug, Menzingen.

Back to the main travel overview: Zug.