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May to October is best for the Stanserhorn and the lake. Summer is warm. Winter is cool and foggy in the valley, and the mountain cable car runs in a shorter season.

• Stanserhorn is a mountain with a cable car, including a roofless upper deck.
• Winkelrieddenkmal is a monument for a hero of Swiss history.
• Winkelriedhaus is a museum in a historic house.
• St. Peter und Paul is the main parish church of the town.
• Salzmagazin is an old salt warehouse used for art shows.
• Burg Rotzberg is a castle ruin above the lake.
• Bourbaki-Denkmal Stans recalls the French soldiers who found refuge in Switzerland in 1871.
• Frey Näpfli Stiftung is a small museum of a foundation.

• Ride the cable car to the top of the Stanserhorn.
• Walk through the old square and see the monument.
• Take the train to Lucerne for a day.
• Take a boat on the lake from a nearby harbour.
• Hike on the paths above the town.

• Lucerne is about 15 minutes away by train.
• Lake Lucerne is nearby, with boats to many villages.
• Engelberg is a mountain resort with an abbey, about 40 minutes away.
• The Bürgenstock is a hill with a famous lift and views over the lake.

• Lake Lucerne is the main lake region next to Stans.

• By air: Zurich is the main airport, about 1 hour 30 minutes away.
• By train: Stans is on a regional line from Lucerne. Check times on SBB.
• The train from Lucerne takes about 15 minutes.

• The old centre is small and easy to walk.
• Local buses link Stans with the nearby villages.
• A cable car goes up the Stanserhorn from the nearby village of Kälti.

• A car is not needed for the town.
• The A2 motorway passes close by.
• Parking in the centre is easy.

Try cheese, dried meat and cream dishes from central Switzerland. Local apples are a specialty. Nidwalden also has a tradition of fine pastry.

People speak German with a local dialect. English is widely understood.

• Stans is very safe.
• Mountain weather changes fast.
• The cable car may close in wind.
• Stay on marked paths.

Stans is one of the oldest settlements of the Swiss Confederation. In 1481, a diet held here ended a conflict between the cantons. A local man who offered help is remembered as a saviour.

The town was damaged in 1798, when French troops attacked, and was later rebuilt.

Quick practical facts for Switzerland at a glance: