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Things to do in Engelberg and Mt. Titlis Switzerland

While some people may escape to tropical paradise to warm up during the holidays, we decided to brave the cold and go on top of central Switzerland’s highest glacier. The Switzerland we saw was incredible and especially the Alpine village of Engelberg and its surrounding mountains including Mt. Titlis.

It was surprising to find many activities beyond skiing and snowboarding here. Go on a virtual photo tour with us to see what the Swiss Alps had in store for our family. Here are the things to do in Engelberg and Mt. Titlis.

Swiss Alps

Getting to Engelberg and Mt. Titlis

We stayed in Lucerne and made the about 35-minute drive to Engelberg. A monk founded this town in 1120 calling it the “mountain of angels”. It’s a charming village that made for a great base to explore the surrounding Swiss Alps.

We were at Engelberg around 9 AM and there were already a few tourist buses in the parking lot. Mother Nature was smiling upon us with the sun shining brightly despite the very cold temperatures. My brother and his family, who live in Germany, met us in Switzerland so it was a great mini-reunion to start the year.

Ride the Gondola

The top of the summit is at 10,000 ft (3,020m) which was quite an adventure to get to. The first portion was boarding an 8-person gondola with outside compartments for skis/snowboards. It moved pretty quickly and there were many of them so no waiting involved despite the crowds.

I love that each gondola had a different nation’s flag underneath. The gondola ride was smooth and we were treated to beautiful views of the valley. They didn’t have that much snow so far so it was wonderful to still see the green valley along with the snow capped mountains.

Titlis gondolas Switzerland

Our first stop was at Trubsee station where there was a snow park, trails and an igloo village (more on that later). Since we were going all the way, we didn’t stop here.

As we kept ascending, the views became even more incredible. This was how I imagined the Swiss Alps region to look and it didn’t disappoint.

Titlis gondola view

Go on the Titlis Rotair

Our gondola stopped at The Stand ski hut where there was also a restaurant. The last part of our journey to the summit was on the Titlis Rotair.

This was the world’s first revolving gondola that rotates 360-degrees during the five-minute ride to the summit. The movements were very subtle. The floors are the ones that rotate. But, they did pack in people.

Titlis Rotair Switzerland

Tip: Keep an eye out for which side the last group entered. You will be entering on the alternate side.

Go to the front of the line quickly so one of you could be by the window. If you miss being by the window going up, make sure you go early for the ride down. Actually, I loved the views going down more.

Titlis Rotair Switzerland

Enjoy the Mountaintop Views

The Rotair stopped at the Mountain Station in a big building that housed the shops and restaurants. It took an overall 40 minutes to make it to the top of the mountain.  The panoramic vistas were some of the most incredible we’ve seen.

It was hovering in the low 20 °F which is freezing conditions for us from Southern California. Luckily, it wasn’t windy and the sun was out.

We were above the clouds and you know that saying where you feel like you’re on top of the world? Well, this was that feeling.

Titlis panorama Switzerland

My pictures can’t even do any part of this landscape any justice. Everywhere we turned was stunning and we heard a few “Wows” from our group and strangers nearby.

No wonder this was a popular tourist attraction year round. And if you’ve got any doubts on how high you are, there was a pretty big sign up here to remind you.

Mount Titlis Summit Switzerland

Dare to go on the Cliff Walk

The Cliff Walk was Europe’s highest hanging bridge suspended by steel cables. It swayed and it didn’t help that my husband was doing some jumping to rattle my nerves.

I was just glad it wasn’t windy. Though, this bridge didn’t sway as much or was as crowded as the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver. It was only a meter wide and 100 m long

Titlis Cliff Walk Switzerland

It was definitely worth crossing over and would be a very long walk if you have a fear of heights or suffer from vertigo. We didn’t suffer from either condition but it was still a bit nerve-wracking.

We couldn’t even see the bottom! They had areas along the bridge to stop and admire the views. There’s even a little spot to smile for the cameras.

Titlis Cliff Walk Switzerland

Ride the Ice Flyer Chair Lift

The Ice Flyer Chair Lift was located next to the Cliff Walk. While most of the attractions at Mt. Titlis were free and included with the gondola ticket to the summit, this lift charged an extra CHF 12 ($12 USD). T

his took visitors to soar above the glacier fields and to the ski slopes. It also offers an easy access to Glacier Park which includes snow play, snowtubing and sledding. We didn’t get around to doing this ride but it looked fun and exciting to be gliding over the mountains.

Titlis Ice Flyer Switzerland

Explore th Glacier Cave

The other popular attraction and my kids’ favorite area was the Glacier Cave. This natural cave lies underneath the glacier at 66 feet (20 m). The cave is a constant 29°F(-1.5°C) degrees in here. It was a bit of a surreal experience walking in knowing we couldn’t possibly imagine just how long this cave has existed here.

It was slippery and felt a lot like walking around an ice skating rink without skates. Luckily, there was a railing along one of the sides that was my crutch during our walk through the 492 feet (150 m) cave.

Titlis Glacier Cave

My brother was more than happy to do robot walks and using the floor as a slip and slide with my nephew. Go ahead and touch the walls too!

It was fantastic to see the ice crystal sparkle throughout the cave. There were some carved ice art along the way including ones that looked like ice bricks.

The kids also found carved out areas to explore and hide. They had a hard time leaving the cave.

Titlis Glacier Cave Switzerland

Enjoy the shops and restaurant

The summit area had enough amenities to satisfy visitors up here. The large building housed a few shops including a Chocolate shop filled with some of the finest Swiss chocolates (including Lindt and Toblerone).

They also offered samples much to my kids’ delight! There were also a couple of restaurants and yes, expect food to be pricey but with a pretty good selection including a mini Indian buffet and many self-serve options.

Though, the best part was looking out into this scene during lunch at the aptly named Panorama Restaurant.

Mt Titlis Panorama Restaurant

We spent over three hours at the summit including eating lunch. This was one of our views going down from the Rotair. There weren’t as many people going down so most of us were by the panoramic window.

Visit The Igloo Village

Trubsee was the gondola’s last stop before the bottom area. It’s worth a stop since there were many activities here that included skiing, snowshoeing and hiking trails, a snowtube area which unfortunately was closed that day and a snow park for electric snowmobiles.

But, the main reason we stopped here was to visit the authentic Igloo Village or Iglu-Dorf. How could we possibly have passed up this opportunity? It was a bit of a walk from the station to the bottom of the hill and the small igloo village area.

One couldn’t really tell from the outside we were entering an amazing world of ice. I was honestly expecting little round domes scattered around. This igloo village is built every winter and contains several rooms connected by corridors.

We entered the igloo through a small door and were greeted with these fantastic wall decors. They encased snow clothing, ads and even a flower inside these blocks of ice.

Engelberg igloo village wall ads

There was a bar inside, seating areas and a dining room area. We loved the ice art and creativity found on the walls.

Igloo Village Engelberg

We found several rooms were roped off. It was so interesting to see how they set up these bedrooms. Sleeping bags and fur blankets constituted the sleeping arrangements on a block of ice.

It was a hefty price at hundreds of dollars per person to spend the night inside these rooms so I was expecting at least some sort of mattress. Curtains served as doors.

I know it’s all for the experience but it really didn’t look very comfortable so I hope it’s at least warm. I would have gladly settled for a nap here though.

Engelberg iglo village bedroom

We loved that each room we saw had these amazing and creative works of art in ice as headboards. The frogs and butterflies brought a little bit of nature and whimsy inside these walls.

I wished there was someone to ask some questions but we didn’t see any staff or guests in here at all. It looked like they offered group activities for guests at night.

Engelberg igloo village decor

Enjoy the Scenery

These red chairs outside the igloo village to enjoy the views and watch the snowmobilers on the wide-open field were so inviting. There was an outdoor bar here too so one could enjoy the drinks and the scenery at the same time.

SwItzerland Engelberg igloo village

Explore Engelberg

The town of Engelberg, at the base of these majestic mountain, is small, charming and wonderful for strolling around. The Benedictine Monastery was an imposing structure in the town.

There are still about 30 monks who work and live in the monastery. It now runs schools plus the baroque church that includes Switzerland’s largest pipe organ. 

Guided tours are available.  Don’t miss the Cheese Factory in here for some delicious Swiss cheese and to watch the cheesemakers in action.

ENGELBERG Benedictine Monastery

Engelberg, its surrounding area and especially the Mt. Titlis region is worth a weekend or at the very least a day trip. One doesn’t need to be a skier or snowboarder to enjoy the many attractions here.

Mt. Titlis is a year-round destination but certainly worth braving the cold during winter too. It is magical covered in snow. If you find yourself in Central Switzerland, I hope you take some time to visit.

Mt Titlis with kids
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Tips for Visiting Engelberg and Mt. Titlis

  • Mt Titlis Ticket Costs: Engelberg-Titlis 89 CHF round-trip ($89 USD) for adults; Children ages 6-15 years old are half price. There is also a 50% discount for Swiss Pass holders. Ticket prices can be purchased at the base of the cable cars in Engelberg.
  • Ticket prices vary depending on where you stop along the cable car route too. Engelberg-Titlis is the longest ride and most expensive ticket. If you’re going to be skiing in the afternoon, they have discounted rates for the ski lift tickets.
  • Getting to Engelberg: It is about a 35-minute drive from Lucerne and a little over an hour from Zurich. The Luzern-Engelberg Express train runs a regular daily schedule for the 43-minute train ride and drops passengers in the middle of Engelberg. Free shuttle buses take visitors around the town. Trains can also be taken from Zurich with a connection in Lucerne.
  • Bundle up. It is a lot colder at the mountain top than at the bottom. We got lucky but it also gets a bit windy up there.
  • Visit the Engelberg-Titlis website to check on which trails or attractions are open.

We were graciously hosted by Engelberg-Titlis Tourism with complimentary tickets to Mt. Titlis for our family and a media rate stay at Hotel Bellevue Terminus the following day. All photos and opinions are our own.

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29 thoughts on “Things to do in Engelberg and Mt. Titlis Switzerland”

  1. The views looking down on the cloud (photo) is amazing. I like that you say it was even better in real life with views all around and the fact that you thought they were some of the best panoramic shots you’ve seen says it all, because after all you have seen so many amazing things. I wonder how warm those sleeping bags were? Seeing as how expensive it is to stay there I’m guessing they were! This is a pretty amazing post and what an experience it would have been. Wow.

  2. This seems to have been quite an adventure, Mary. I would have loved to visit an Igloo too when I was in Switzerland, but didn’t come across any. However, crossing the Cliff Walk bridge would have been a challenge for me. Although I had no problems crossing Vancouver’s Capilano Suspension Bridge, this one looks scarier.

  3. What a beautiful part of the world to spend New Year. Switzerland is so picturesque and they are always coming up with little touches to impress visitors – such as the flags n the gondolas – and the cliff walk looks incredible! I lived in Switzerland for a while and it so nice when people share experiences outside of the cities – the mountains have so much to offer!
    Thank you for sharing & Happy Travels :-)

    -Vicki
    http://www.maketimetoseetheworld.com

  4. I know you say your pictures can’t do it justice, but they are still fabulous! I absolutely love mountains so these views really do it for me! I fancy one of those cable car rides….#theweeklypostcard

  5. I do not like cold weather but I think I will give it a try just to take a look at the scenery and cool attractions. I went once to Mt. Pilatus. It was summer and it was still freezing cold at the top. But, the views were amazing.

  6. I’ve always wanted to visit the Swiss Alps in the winter, but I wasn’t sure what I’d do since I’m only a so-so skier and those look like double diamond slopes (based on James Bond movies). What you did sounds like a great way to spend the day. That rotating gondola is a great idea. In Teton Village, I would just walk around, probably annoying the other riders. While I’d love to walk through that igloo village, I’m not sure I’d want to spend the night on just furs and a sleeping bag. Maybe I’d bring my own inflatable air mattress.

  7. The Alps are absolutely beautiful from your photos, Mary. I can’t imagine how much more beautiful they can be. Glad you were able to meet up with your brother in such a gorgeous setting.
    You said there wasn’t that much snow. Doesn’t sound normal for that time of year, is it?

  8. Wow. I would not do well on that chair lift! Too high, too open! The rest looks very fun. I think it’s probably better to visit an ice hotel than to stay there. I imagine by the morning I would have had enough ice.

  9. Wow, this looks so spectacular!! My husband would never be able to handle the bridge and maybe not even the gondola but those views are amazing. The igloo village and ice cave remind me a lot of our visit to the Ice Hotel in Quebec last winter.

  10. We went a few years ago during summer, there was still some snow but not as much. The winter scenery is more beautiful, we didn’t see the igloo village either might have to go back! As always great post Mary!

  11. Such gorgeous views Mary! We went to Lucerne and Zermatt a couple of years ago in the summer and that was pretty enough but I can’t even imagine how breathtaking the scenery must have been at this time of year – what a magical part of the world to see in the new year! Rather like your kids, I remember filling up on lots of Swiss chocolate too :)

  12. What an incredible place to start off the New Year – The views from the top of that mountain are incredible! With my vertigo and fear of heights I wouldn’t go anywhere near that rope bridge though – it looks terrifying! The Igloo Village is similar to the Ice Hotel in Quebec City – fun to look at but I’m not sure that I could sleep there either.

  13. I just stumbled upon your website and this article by coincidence. We spent a week skiing in Engelberg in February and visited Mount Titlis as well. It’s a great place and it’s so easy to reach too. Easily doable as a day trip, but plenty to see and do so you can stay a week and not get bored. We loved it so much that we are considering going back to Engelberg in summer. Trübsee looks spectacular in summer…

  14. Great research material. Planned to be in Lucerne in late Mar and Engelberg Igloo is 1 of the stops as well as Mt Titlis for cliff walk and glacier cave. Do you think 2 days 2 nights will be sufficient? Also any cheaper accommodation alternatives to recommend (spending on igloo for 1 night so 2nd night hopefully something more affordable for 2). Thanks

  15. Great & complete, but especialy useful report. I’m going there with my wife the second week of January’19 and look forward to enjoying a lot. Thank you so much!

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