Oh yes! I don’t even know how, but for this year, I’ve already checked the third item from my Swiss Bucket List. In the spring, just before the outbreak of the pandemic, we took a trip to Stoos, where we took the steepest cable car in the world, in October we went to visit James Bond on Schilthorn, and last weekend we went quite spontaneously to Engelberg to discover what the local mountain – Mt. Titlis – has to offer. And that there is definitely lots to experience!
Getting there
Mount Titlis rises above the village of Engelberg in central Switzerland.
By car: From Bern, take the A1 motorway, then at exit 47, take the A2 motorway in the direction of Gotthard/Luzern/Reiden. After driving past Lucerne, take exit 33-Stans-Süd in the direction of Stans-Süd/Engelberg/Dallenwil/Ennetbürgen. You will drive through the valley and the last 10 minutes await you a serpentine climb to Engelberg. In Engelberg, follow the signs for the Titlisbahn. Large-capacity paid parking lot (5 francs/day) is right next to the cable car station. Parking address: Gerschnistrasse 12, 6390 Engelberg
By public transport: Take the train to Lucerne, then the train to Engelberg, and finally the bus to the Englelberg, Titlisbahn – as the name suggests, the bus stop is located directly at the cable car station.
Operating hours and fees
The Titlis cable car is open all year round, operating from 08:30 to 17:00. A return ticket to Titlis costs 96 francs for an adult. There is a 50% discount for children and those with an SBB GA card, Halb-fare card, or SBB Day Pass. Children (6 – 15 years) with SBB Junior Card accompanied by a paying parent have a free ride.
Due to the fact that it is a glacier, snow stays here even in summer (and I believe that it is a great place to escape in the summer heatwave). So if you come here with children in the summer, don’t forget to take their waterproof shoes and clothes (or at least spare clothes).
Rotair Cable Car
From the valley station in Engelberg, take the cable car in the direction of Titlis. Get off at the Stand station, where you will board the Rotair – the world’s first revolving cable car, which will turn 360 degrees during the five-minute ride to the top of Klein Titlis. The ride from Engleberg to Titlis takes 30 minutes.
Glacier Cave
From the 1st floor (next to the souvenir shop to the left) you can enter a 150-meter long ice cave, which is carved directly into the glacier (the cave descends 20 meters below the surface of the glacier) and where the temperature inside remains -1.5 ° C. So when you go here in the summer, do not forget a warm jacket! There is no entrance fee to the cave. The floor in the cave is icy and very slippery. It’s fun for kids, of course, but I advise you to go slowly and carefully and stick to the railing.
Titlis Cliff Walk
After exiting the cave, turn left towards Titlis Cliff Walk. Stairs take you to a 150-meter-long suspension bridge, located at 3,041 meters above sea level and 500 meters above ground. It seems that I have already overcome my phobia of a metal perforated surface under my feet (tips for other Cliff Walks and suspension bridges can be found at the end of this post).
You do not pay any additional entrance fees here either. You only pay if you want to take a picture on the bridge – you stand where the footsteps show, press the green button and wait five seconds for the camera to flash. Then you take a ticket, which you then scan at the booth at the ski lift, choose the size of your photo and then pay for it (12 francs for a small photo, 19 francs for a large one).
After crossing the suspension bridge, you can either take the same way back or head towards the transmitter to the panoramic terrace and from there into the station building. From the terrace you will see the suspension bridge in all its beauty. In winter it’s quite cold up here, so I recommend wearing a hat, gloves and good winter boots.
In the cable car station you will find a self-service restaurant and a restaurant with service, as well as a photo studio, where you can immortalize yourself in traditional Swiss costumes with appropriate accessories (including, for example, an Alpine horn).
Skiing on Mt. Titlis
Thanks to its altitude, Titlis is an ideal destination for skiers and snowboarders. The longest piste in the ski area is more than 12 kilometers long and covers an altitude of 2,000 meters. You can ski on the glacier from October to May.
The lower areas, where the slopes are less demanding (Trübsee, Gerschnialp, and Untertrübsee), are covered with snow from December to April. Two years ago, my husband and our younger son tried out the Gerschnialp area, which is also suitable for smaller children.
Skiing with kids: Gerschnialp (Engelberg)
Winter hiking
If you want to go hiking, you have to go back to the middle station at Trübsee (a ticket to Titlis allows you to get off and get on here), where there is an easy and beautiful walk around the lake. We tested it two years ago:
Winter walk around Trübsee (Engelberg)
This time, however, we missed a walk around the lake, because the sun was already setting over the horizon, but we could not at least resist sliding on the frozen lake. When there is more snow, there is a toboggan run at the Berghotel Trübsee. There is even a magic carpet that will take you and the sledge up.
Would you like more cliff walks and suspension bridges?
Skyline Walk at an altitude of 2677 m above sea level at the Birg station on the way to the above-mentioned Schilthorn.
First Cliff Walk in Grindelwald
Panorama suspension bridge in Sigriswil
