The Historic Hiking Trail Giswil is divided into two sections; the Rudenz circular hike includes part of the historic trail of national importance. Other options have their own highlights, such as the Sbrinz Route stage, insights into traditional crafts and nature watching along the Bärgmandli Trail. When planning your excursions, it is worth distinguishing between starting points, route types and highlights.
Landscape and History
Giswil lies in the south of the canton of Obwalden, on Lake Sarnen and at the entrance to the BrĂĽnig Pass. The municipality stretches from the lakeshore to the surrounding mountains and alpine pastures. Forests, fields, streams and varying elevations shape the landscape. The climate is considered temperate, with warm summers and snowy winters.
Giswil’s documented history dates back to the 9th century. Agriculture and alpine farming have strongly shaped the village. For a historical perspective, explore both the named hiking trails and the buildings and ruins along various routes.
Hiking Trails and Route Choices
Route 1 of the Historic Hiking Trail runs through Rudenz and Kleinteil and starts at Giswil railway station. It is 7 kilometres long, with an indicated duration of about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Route 2 runs through Grossteil and starts at Grossteil Church. Both sections are well signposted and easy to walk. You can combine them or cycle them.
The Rudenz circular hike passes through the Aarried to the ascent to Rudenz Castle ruins. It includes a section of the historic trail of national importance. The Giswil–Lungern stage of the Sbrinz Route offers a different kind of route: it starts at Giswil railway station and follows the main road towards the Brünig Pass.
Route type is a useful way to compare the options: the Historic Hiking Trail consists of two sections in Giswil, the Rudenz circular hike passes through the Aarried to the ruins, and the Sbrinz Route continues towards Lungern as a route stage. The culinary hike, meanwhile, connects Sarnen, Sachseln and Giswil and includes a return journey to the starting point. This lets you choose between trail sections, a circular hike and a route stage.
Crafts and Historic Buildings
The Schlegelsäge sawmill is operational and can be demonstrated on request. During guided tours, you can visit the Kleinteil Schlegelsäge sawmill and the washboard press, learn how water power is used for sawing and try it yourself. The Schlegelsäge is considered the last functioning sawmill of its kind in Switzerland.
The Sbrinz Route also passes historic buildings. St. Lawrence Church is on the route and was built in 1636 on the site of a former castle hill. Rudenz ruins are part of the local landscape and stand on a prominent hill along the route through Giswil. Together with the circular hike, which leads to the ascent to the ruins, these places offer different starting points for exploring the area’s history.
Nature and Winter Activities
Large parts of the Bärgmandli Trail pass through a wildlife sanctuary and hunting reserve. Chamois, roe deer, red deer and golden eagles can be seen there. The trail circles a vast limestone massif and follows ancient paths connecting alpine pastures. The area around Giswil is well suited to hiking, cycling and nature experiences.
In winter, Mörlialp offers 14 kilometres of ski runs, as well as 6 kilometres each of winter hiking trails and snowshoe trails. There is also a well-maintained cross-country ski trail of around 2.2 kilometres. A range of winter activities with different route lengths is available.
Culinary Trails and Cheese
With mountain views, the culinary hike follows Lake Sarnen from Sarnen via Sachseln to Giswil and is about 10 kilometres long. Afterwards, the Zentralbahn takes participants back to the starting point. At Fluonalp, you can also make your own cheese weighing around 11 to 13 kilograms. You can take part in the entire process, from preparation to labelling.
Discover more destinations: Sarnen, Lungern, Kerns, Sachseln, Alpnach, Melchsee-Frutt, Engelberg
Go to the overview of destinations: Obwalden.
