On Lake Lauerz, Seewen’s public lakeside swimming area offers a tangible starting point for your stay: a sandy beach, sunbathing lawn and water sports are complemented by circular trails and cultural sites. Two main differences can help you choose what to do: the shorter, easy Gschichtliweg, with changing stories, and the longer, moderately difficult hike “Auf den Urmiberg”. There is also the Old Chapel, which remains a place of pilgrimage to this day, and the history of the parish church.
Swimming at Lake Lauerz
The Municipality of Schwyz operates a public lakeside swimming area on Lake Lauerz in Seewen. The facility includes a spacious sunbathing lawn and a sandy beach; pedalos and surf bikes can also be rented there. The facilities are suitable for children and adults. This makes it possible to focus your stay on the water, while the circular trails and historic sites offer other options for planning your day.
Two circular trails with different levels of difficulty
The 3.54-kilometre Gschichtliweg Schwyz is described as an easy circular and themed trail. Its ten stops feature stories that change throughout the year. They can be accessed by scanning QR codes with a mobile phone; no app is required. The trail starts at the Wintersried sports facility. As digital access details may change, check the information before setting off; you should also take local trail conditions into account.
At 7.70 kilometres and of moderate difficulty, the LEK-Rundweg 2022 “Auf den Urmiberg” is the longer and more challenging of the two circular hikes described here. The route passes over the Urmiberg by a high-stem fruit orchard, descends to the Muota and returns to Seewen via Wintersried. It runs through a traditional cultural landscape shaped by high-stem fruit trees in fields and dry-stone walls. This gives you a concrete choice: a shorter, easy loop with stories, or a longer hike through the cultural landscape described here.
Plan your journey to the excursion destination
For the LEK circular trail, Schwyz railway station can be reached by direct trains from Lucerne and Zurich; check connections before travelling. From there, Wintersried sports facility is about a ten-minute walk away. It is also the starting point of the Gschichtliweg. The lakeside swimming area is near the Seewen-Schwyz motorway exit and is a few minutes’ walk from Schwyz railway station. These different details help with orientation without assuming that all destinations share the same access route. For hikes, it is also advisable to check local conditions before setting off.
Chapels, church and ice rink
The Old Chapel in Seewen was built in the 16th century and remains a place of pilgrimage to this day. Various concerts are held there from time to time; dates vary. The parish church in Seewen offers a different historical connection: it was built as the New Marian Church in 1961 and became a parish church in 1966. The two buildings date from different periods and thus tell of different chapters in the local history.
The Zingel ice rink also has a clearly documented history: it was officially opened on 10 September 1977. The restaurant at the ice rink serves snacks and drinks and offers a good view of the ice. Before visiting, check whether food and drink service is currently available.
Landscape and regional cuisine
Renaturation projects have been carried out in the Hebleren area above Urmibergstrasse in Seewen. These included restoring dry-stone walls, creating a natural lake and establishing a butterfly corridor.
Seewen Beach Restaurant serves dishes inspired by international cuisine and made with regional produce. These include homemade crispy fish bites from a local fisherman. When choosing a holiday apartment in Seewen, you can plan your stay around what you enjoy: time by the lake, one of the two circular hikes of different lengths, or the town’s cultural history.
Discover more destinations: Illgau, Oberiberg, Rothenthurm, Stoos, Sattel, Alpthal, Arth, Steinen.
Back to the main travel overview: Schwyz.
