Switzerland is known as an excellent winter sport destination, with the country having over 200 ski resorts! Resorts such as Zermatt, Verbier and Gstaad are famous around the world and also notoriously pricy. There are however alternatives that are just as impressive and significantly less expensive to get to. A good example is the Engelberg-Titlis resort, located just 45 minutes from Luzern and 1.5 hours from Zürich!
Conveniently located near Luzern
Engelberg is a town in the canton of Obwalden mostly known for its stunning nature. The town is surrounded by mountain peaks, with mount Titlis (3238 metres) being the highest one. Engelberg is a great destination all throughout the year, but it is immensely popular during the winter for its wintersport resort ‘Engelberg-Titlis’.
Reaching Engelberg-Titlis is easy, with a direct train ride from Luzern only taking about 45 minutes. This makes this to one of the most popular winter sport resorts in central Switzerland. Also with a car, Engelberg is easily reachable and there is a big car park by the valley station of the cable cars.
From the Engelberg train station, you can walk to the valley station of the ski resort in about five minutes.
Visiting Titlis without doing winter sports
While much of this article will talk about Engelberg-Titlis being a great winter sport destination, it is not exclusively for skiing and snowboarding. The summit of Titlis is also very popular with visiting tourists! You can take the cable cars up to the top (the last part in the Rotair rotating cable car!) just to experience the views from up there at 3200+ metres altitude.
There is a suspended cable bridge you can walk on if you dare, but this is not for the faint of hearts! Additionally, the top station features a glacier tunnel entirely made of ice that you can explore free of charge.
It is worth checking the webcams on the Titlis website on the day of your visit though. It is not cheap to travel up to the summit of Mount Titlis, and the views aren’t always that great. Save yourself the disappointment and make sure you visit the summit on a sunny day.
The rest of the resort has a range of other activities such as sledding tracks, snowshoeing excursions and hiking tracks. Check out the Titlis website for a full overview of these activities and rates.
The winter sports
As we live in Luzern, Engelberg-Titlis is our primary choice for ski trips. It is very convenient to simply walk to the station in Luzern from home and stand on the slopes less than an hour later.
The Engelberg-Titlis resort has numerous slopes, personally I have primarily been skiing on the slopes on the Titlis glacier and at lower altitudes at Stand and Trübsee. These areas have amazing views and nice slopes for intermediary and advanced skiers and snowboarders. Beginners can best explore the slopes between Trübsee and Engelberg (lower altitudes), as well as the Gerschnialp area.
In total, the Titlis resort has over 80 kilometres of winter sport slopes. As most of the resort is located on altitudes over 2000 metres, it is fairly snow-secure throughout the winter. Slopes at lower altitudes will however only be open if the snow conditions allow.
The resort has over 17 lifts to take visitors up the mountains, from funiculars to cable cars and from chairlifts to T-bar lifts. This variety makes that exploring the resort never feels boring.
If you are planning on skiing or snowboarding at Titlis but don’t have your own equipment, there are several rental stores at the resort. More information about these and their prices can be found on the Titlis website. The Engelberg-Titlis resort uses dynamic prices and normally cost between CHF 60 and CHF 70 for a day of skiing for adults. However, check the section below to find out how you can get your tickets with a discount!
Plenty of places to eat at Engelberg-Titlis
One thing that is noteworthy about the winter sports resorts, is their great offering of places to grab a bite. Many of the ski lift hubs have their own restaurant with many choices that will fit everyone. Personally, I really like the restaurant at the Titlis Xpress Trübsee station. The restaurant has a large sunny terrace where you can enjoy your lunch in between the trips up and down the mountain. The terrace also has a bar called Engel & Bengel with nice drinks to enjoy.
All of the restaurants in the area have their menu with prices available on the website, allowing you explore the different options prior to your visit.
Book your winter sports trip with SBB Snow’n Rail
The Swiss train company SBB has a great partnership with many Swiss ski resorts, including Engelberg-Titlis. With the campaign ‘Snow’n Rail’, you can buy discounted ski passes and get better rates on your travel to and from the ski resorts. Depending on the resort, this can save you up to 20% on regular prices! For Titlis, the Snow’n rail campaign gives you 10% discount on the ski pass and 20% on your transport. This makes a trip to the resort much more affordable!
It is important to note that Snow’n rail only applies for trips outside of the absolute high season for winter-sports. This means you normally can buy Snow’n rail passes for trips before Christmas, and after the 1st of March. Have a look at the Snow’n rail website for prices for your itinerary.
Engelberg-Titlis – great destination for experiencing winter
All in all, the Engelberg-Titlis area is a great winter destination. Even for those not willing to get on the slopes, the area has plenty to see and do. The resort is easily reachable from Luzern, and even day trips from Zürich are worth considering. Do bring your warm clothes, the temperatures on the top of Mount Titlis can drop below minus 20 celsius!
All information you need for a visit to Engelberg-Titlis can be found on their website! See you on the slopes!
