ECHO Trails

Looking for a rewarding, refreshing and actively relaxing outdoor experience in the Lucerne area in Switzerland? You are at the right place! We invite you to our soft adventure tours that include English speaking guided hiking and e-biking tours out of Lucerne. ECHO Trails walking, hiking and biking tours take you out of the city into breathtaking scenery and fresh Alpine air. Come along for a tour of incredibly beautiful alpine vistas, quaint villages and working farms, hear the story at historic places and enjoy the picturesque countryside. Our passion is to share the majestic beauty around Lucerne and in the central Switzerland area. ECHO Trails works in tandem with Switzerland's efficient public transportation system and depending on the tour, we use a combination of local buses, trains and/or boats for transfers to and from our end destination. ECHO Trails English-speaking, guided half- or full-day walking, hiking and biking tours are tailor-made for you. Under the Guided Day Tours you find the details for each day’s tour. Select the one that fits your schedule and reserve your space today. Kids five and younger go free and ages 6-16 receive a 50% discount on all tours. We look forward to hearing from you. All tours meet under the arch in front of the Lucerne train station. We look forward to meeting you soon! ECHO Trails Tours Monday-Tour: Swiss Army Knife Valley Bike Tour with Lake Lucerne Boat Cruise Tuesday-Tour: Lake Lucerne Panorama and Country Walk Wednesday-Tour: Mt. Rigi Panorama Hike & Spa Thursday-Tour: Mt. Pilatus Hike & Summit Excursion Friday-Tour: In the Heart of the Alps Hike Saturday-Tour: William Tell Swiss Path Hike with Lake Lucerne Boat Cruise Sunday-Tour: Lake Lucerne Villas & Castles Walk New - The Mt. Rigi Panorama Hike & Spa tour will be offered daily from November through March. You can walk on daily machine snow packed wide, level, safe trails to enjoy the breathtaking views of the Swiss alps with your hiking shoes in the Winter too! During his career the founder of Echo Trails, René Welti has held executive positions with Trans World Airlines, Florida Division of Tourism and America Live, Inc. /Echo Encounters. For over 25 years René is a member of SKAL , the top International tourism organization with 22,000 members worldwide in 550 clubs who foster and understands the needs of the tourism industry. As the Assistant Director for the Florida Division of Tourism René was the first person in Florida to become a Certified Tour Planner, when the National Tour Association launched its certification program in 1987. René is a past Associate Member of the United States Tour Operator Association and a 100% believer in "Integrity in Tourism". In the USA he represented a number of Swiss destinations and organizations such as the Graubuenden, Ticino and Zurich Tourist Offices, the Swiss Travel System and Crossair. One of René’s career highlights is winning the International Travel Marketing Odyssey Award, the highest award by the Travel Industry Association of America, for his client, State of Oklahoma Travel Office, for conceiving and implementing a 10-day consumer promotion with the KaDeWe department store during the ITB travel trade show in Berlin, Germany. After retiring from his USA tourism career in 2010, René relocated to Lucerne, Switzerland to continue his active outdoor tourism interests by completing various assignments such as Swiss National Tourism Office / Adventure Travel Trade Association project and working for Switzerland’s best outdoor hiking and biking company. René completed his Swiss Guided Hiking Certification with the Bernese Hiking Association and also has a Life Guard certification from the Swiss Lifesaving Association (SLRG). In his spare time René volunteers as a Lucerne Tourist Office "Friendly Host".