How Best to visit Mount Titlis in Switzerland

Are you planning to see Mount Titlis in Switzerland – and wondering how best to visit and how much time you need at the top?

Maybe you also want to find out how best to visit Mount Titlis on a day trip from Lucerne or Zürich?

Well, we have it all covered. In this article you will find,

• How best to visit Mount Titlis
• Recommendations and local insider tips to get the most for your money.
• How you may get some saver tickets to Mt Titlis and where to book the best Mount Titlis tour.

Good to know before you visit Mount Titlis

Mount Titlis is located in Engelberg within the Lake Lucerne Region in the Swiss Canton Obwalden.

It attracts many tourists from near and far especially those that seek the eternal ice and the amazing views from the top.

Due to its popularity it can get very busy. Just keep this in mind, and maybe try to avoid weekends and peak holiday seasons.

Mount Titlis is also a ski destination in Engelberg, and therefore during the ski season (start mid-October) there will be even more people on the mountain than during a summer visit.

If you visit from abroad and don’t have the proper winter gear for this visit, you can rent winter shoes and snow clothing at the top of Mt. Titlis.

What is the best time to visit Mount Titlis?

The good thing is that Mount Titlis is a year-round destination with fun activities during both the summer and winter months.

If you visit during the summer months a visit to the summit adds the special effect of heading up to the snow whilst down in the valley shorts and t-shirts are the norm. But no matter the time of year you are in Engelberg, Mount Titlis is worth a visit.

NOTE The Titlis glacier fun park where all the tobogganing and sit-skiing activities take place, only opens during the summer months. During the winter months this is the ski slope.

How to get to Engelberg and Mount Titlis?

Engelberg can be easily reached by car from any of the major cities like Lucerne, Interlaken and Zürich.

Arriving to Engelberg with public transport is super easy and comfortable with the SBB train system. However, there is only one direct train to Engelberg and this is from Lucerne. Therefore, wherever you are it is very likely that you will pass through Lucerne to reach Engelberg.

There are trains at least every hour with more frequent connections available during the mornings. It takes 45 min to reach Engelberg from Lucerne. Check your train connections on the local SBB train website.

If you are not from Switzerland and have a Swiss Travel Pass, the train fare to Engelberg is included.

A short 10-minute walk from the Engelberg train station will bring you to mount Titlis Cable Car station. Or if you are in time, hop on the free shuttle bus.

The easy access to the region makes visiting Mount Titlis a perfect day trip from Lucerne, Interlaken or even Zürich.

Engelberg – Titlis Area Map

The map below gives you an overall view of the Engelberg – Titlis area. This should help you to understand the location of Mount Titlis a bit better and maybe you want to plan some extra visits within Engelberg.

How Best to Visit Mount Titlis?

Try to plan a day when the sky is blue and the sun is shining to visit the top of mount Titlis. It is a place you will go for the views and it provides stunning vistas over the Swiss alps – which are mostly snowcapped.

First, take the 8-person gondola from the Titlis valley station up to Trüebsee (10 minutes ride). Stay seated at Trübsee which is a middle station where people can get on and off.

You can read below things to do at Trübesee and make the decision on whether you would like to visit this beautiful Swiss alpine lake as well. I would recommend if this is on your plan, to do Titlis first and visit Trübsee and its activities afterwards.

The cable car ride from Trübsee to Stand takes a further 10 minutes.

In Stand you will change to the famous and world’s first revolving cable car – the Titlis Rotair. Make sure you find a place by the window. The aerial cable car will make one full turn, 360 degrees during a 5 minutes ride, before reaching the top station at Mount Titlis at 3020m above sea level.

The ride will give you a good view over the glacier where some deep crevasses can be seen.

You can get your Mt Titlis tickets here which include all activities at the top – weather and season permitting.

It is not necessary to book online but should you get there during busy times pre-booking will allow you to head straight to the gondola. You may also find special offers on-line.

Mount Titlis Tours

Alternatively, if you prefer you can join an organised group tour and let the organisation to someone else.

At the top of Mt Titlis

It is very unlikely that you will be alone enjoying these most amazing views.

Mount Titlis has many visitors that are here only for the day with a private tour from Lucerne and / or Zürich.

If you happen to ride up amongst a group like this, head straight to the Titlis cliff walk when you exit the aerial cable car (on level 5).

Mostly of these groups wait until everyone is at the top before they leave the building.

This should give you a head start and you may be lucky and get some shots alone on the Titlis Cliff walk and the viewing platform for example.

Titlis Cliff Walk

The Titlis cliff walk is home to Europe’s highest suspension bridge. Not to be mixed up with the Glacier 3000 bridge nor with the Grindelwald Cliff walk.

Exit the cable car and take the lift to level 5.

This brings you to the outside area from where the skiing starts, a terrace with epic views awaits and the eternal snow invites for a snow ball fight.

Walk towards the chairlift and you will find the entry to the pedestrian bridge which is at 3041 metres above sea level and measures 91 metres.

At the beginning of the bridge you find some iron foot prints on the floor, position yourself and the family and take a photograph. Later on, this can be bought at the photoshop inside the building. If I am not mistaken it was only Chf 12.-

As you cross, breathtaking views with every step await.

If you are not Swiss and visit from any country where there is no snow, this is for sure a lifetime experience. So enjoy it and take your time.

Titlis Glacier Cave

Another great attraction and not to be missed is to walk along the 150 metres ice tunnel which brings you 10 metres below the surface of the glacier and into the heart of Titlis Mountain.

They reckon that the ice you will be walking on is up to 5000 years old. Make sure you have warm clothing and adequate shoes to walk the ice tunnel. The temperature remains at a cold -1.5°C.

Just to remind you, you can rent shoes and snow clothes at the photoshop at Titlis.

The ice cave is located at level 1 of the Titlis mountain station.

If you like glacier caves then don’t miss the Glacier Palast in Zermatt.

Summer activities at Titlis

If you are visiting during the summer months (until beginning of August) the Titlis Glacier Park is waiting to be explored.  Sledging, sit-skiing and snow tubing activities are on offer and all included in your Titlis ticket.

The summer glacier park at Titlis can be accessed via the Ice Flyer chair lift, next to the Cliff Walk.

Skiing at Titlis Mountain

As early as mid-October you can ski on the glacier snow of Mt Titlis.

Definitely an experience of a lifetime if you visit from abroad.

There are more winter activities around Trübsee. These activities are great for the whole family and include sledging and snow tubes.

The full ski resort will be most likely be open from December to April. You can rent ski equipment at the bottom of the lift station in Engelberg or at the Trübsee cable car station.

Souvenir and Shops at Titlis mountain station

As with all popular Swiss Mountains there are souvenir shops to be found. Titlis even has a great chocolate shop where all the finest Swiss brands can be found. To name a few – the selection contains chocolate from Lindt & Sprüngli (Switzerland) AG, Maestrani Schweizer Schokoladen AG and Heidi Chocolaterie Suisse.

A great gift to take home or as a souvenir.

The TITLIS Chocolate Shop is located on Level 3 of TITLIS mountain station.

How much is a ticket for Mount Titlis?

The Titlis ticket without any discount is Chf 96.- (2022) plus Chf 12.- if you like to use the Ice flyer chairlift. All activities are included in this price.

You will get a discount as follows. (Copied from the official Titlis website)

10%    Engelberg guest card*

20%    Groups (10 people or more)

25%    Eurail / Interrail Pass

50%    SBB half-fare travelcard / GA travelcard / Swiss Travel Pass / Bernese Oberland Regional Pass (excl. Daily Card and SBB travelpasses)*

50%    Children aged 6-15 years

100%  Tell Pass / Children aged 0 – 5 years / Children (6 – 15 years) with an SBB Junior/Grandchild travelcard and accompanied by a parent or grandparent

*this does not apply to the chairlift Ice Flyer (TITLIS) or the Älplerseil cable car (Untertrübsee-Obertrübsee)

If you are Swiss, the chance of you having a 1/2 tax and the kids a junior travel card is high making this a great affordable trip. Especially if you add on all the activities at Trübsee.

If you do not qualify for any reductions whether you are Swiss, living in Switzerland or visiting on holiday, check also the prices to Mt Titlis on the GetYourGuide website.

Often, they do have special offers which may help with planning your trip to Titlis in Engelberg.

Stop at Trübsee after visiting Mount Titlis

On the way down, after you have finished your visit to Titlis, disembark the gondola at Trübsee and head down to the lake.

If you travel with kids, they will find one of the coolest playgrounds in the alps and you can relax on the hammocks by the lake.

If you have some time walk around the lake. A small theme trail for the kids will keep them motivated.

Tip If you do the lake walk (1 hour), get the leaflet from the Berghotel Trübsee first. There are six posts around the lake where the kids need to collect a stamp. Each post comes with a great play area, therefore it may take a bit longer than one hour!

When you complete the trail, hand in the leaflet at the hotel and collect a gift before heading back down to Engelberg.

If you forgot to collect your prize, the leaflet can also be handed in at the bottom kiosk by line 8.

Kids fun park at Trübsee

In the summer there is a jumping tower, trampoline and the Trübsee Flyer Zipline. For the Zipline kids need to be 8 or over and minimum 30 kg, so that was a no for us. But with the playgrounds and the treasure hike there was plenty to do.

Another great hike starting from Trübsee would be the Four Lakes hike over to Melchsee Frutt  but you need a full day for that. We have it planned for when we stay longer in the area.

Our suggestions when visiting Mount Titlis

Timing, We stayed 5 days in Engelberg and observed the situation around the valley Titlis Cable car station. During our visit at the weekend there were 22 tour buses at the car park already at 11h. Whereas during the weekdays, at the same time we only counted 5-7.

As most tour buses arrive from Zürich or Lucerne on a day trip to Titlis, I would suggest to be early and try to beat the crowd.

What to bring, You are heading up to the snow, so make sure you do have a warm jacket and maybe even a wind stopper. Sunglasses are a must, and if you like to play in the snow good shoes, and gloves should be in your backpack.

Take your time and enjoy it.

Where to stay in Engelberg

Mt Titlis is a great day trip from Lucerne or Zurich region and most visitors just come for the day. However, Engelberg has a lot more to offer then just the beautiful Mount Titlis and because of this we suggest you stay a few days in Engelberg.

Engelberg town offer many nice hotels and accommodation. We stayed in four different places during our visit and apart from one, we could recommend them all.

The one we would not recommend is the Brunnihütte SAC mountain hut. Such a shame that we cannot recommend it, as it is super beautiful up there especially at sunset. But the people who manage the place made us feel so unwelcome and uncomfortable, and having read some reviews afterwards we are not the only ones who felt this way.

Not the typical SAC Hütte ambiance we know from other stays.

Our hotel suggestion in Engelberg

If you like to stay in town then we recommend the Hotel Terrace-Titlis. The hotel stands high on the hill overlooking Engelberg, yet it is very central due to a funicular that leads straight to the park and playground.

Should you prefer to stay up the mountain, Berghotel Trübsee would be a great choice especially when visiting Titlis. You could be the first on the mountain top and beat the crowds. At the same time the children would only have to share the playground with the hotel guests once the last lift has departed.

Another great place we stayed was on the sunny side of Engelberg at the Brunni Berglodge Ristis.

A buzzing place during the day, because its amazing playground and summer roller coaster. However, the calm and peace returns at 17h when all the day tourists leave the mountain.

Frequently asked questions – Titlis

How much time do I need to visit Mount Titlis?

Count at least 30 minutes each way for the journey up and down from/to Engelberg with the Titlis cable car.

At the top summit station, you may only need 2 hours to enjoy all activities, a bit more if the snow park is open.

But if you need to count the whole journey including the cable car rides, I would allow at least 4 hours for this trip.

And if you like to add Trübsee on your way back down from the mountain, make this excursion a full day adventure.

Is Mount Titlis worth visiting?

Yes, a visit up to Titlis is definitely recommended on a trip to Engelberg. The views are incredible and standing on one of the highest mountain peaks in Switzerland surely counts for a bucket list adventure.

Included in the admission ticket are quite a few activities, such as the Titlis cliff walk which is Europe’s highest suspension bridge, the Glacier Cave and the snow fun park when visiting during the summer.

If you visit on a clear day, this will be an amazing experience. On cloudy day, you are missing out on the views but all the other activities are still there and a lot of fun.

All great things that will add to the value and fun factor of this trip to Mount Titlis.

How much does it cost to go up Mount Titlis?

Prices for an adult ticket on 2022 was Chf 96.- plus Chf 12.- for the ice flyer (optional)

You will receive a discount if you have an SBB half-fare travelcard a Swiss Travel Pass or the Bernese Oberland pass.

Check the full pricing table above in the text.

Where can I buy Mount Titlis tickets?

Tickets to the summit of Mount Titlis are available online or from the ticket desk at the valley station in Engelberg. To get the online ticket maybe with a discount check the GetYour Guide website.

To ensure you will get all the discount you qualify for, make sure you do have all special passes with you, like the rail pass for example.

Should I visit Mount Titlis or Jungfraujoch?

This is probably a question on many tourists mind who are visiting Switzerland and wanting to see the best things in Switzerland.

Jungfraujoch takes a lot of time, it is quite expensive but it is for sure unique. After all it is the Top of Europe.

We have not been to the Jungfraujoch yet, but we have been to Grindelwald.  But from talking to people who have visited both Titlis and the Jungfrau, to my surprise Mt Titlis always wins.

Most say the whole trip is more scenic, less crowded and that they feel they got more out of their day.

I think you should make the choice on which one to visit, as to do both may just be too similar.

Check out these Mount Titlis day trips

Travel Guide for the Lucerne Region

• 15 Awesome things to do in Engelberg
• Visit Mount Rigi from Lucerne
• Klewenalp – Stockhütte – Family Safari tour
• Things to do at Melchsee Frutt
• Visit Mount Pilatus on the Golden Round Trip from Lucerne
• Lucerne – Self-Guided City Tour (ideal for families)
• Lucerne in Winter – 3 Day getaway Itinerary city to peak
• Glamping in Willisau -Lucerne ( and bike ride)
• Visit the Hammetschwand Lift from Lucerne

More tips and suggestion when Traveling Switzerland

• When Best to visit Switzerland 
• Epic Summer Road Trip Through Switzerland
• How to Travel Switzerland on a Budget
• Switzerland Itinerary , 7, 10 & 14 Days
• 33 of the Best Viewpoints in Switzerland – NO HIKING required

I hope these information will be helpful when you need help in How best to visit Mount Titlis in Switzerland.

If I have missed anything out, or if you have some more questions then leave a comment below.

Note: This visit was in collaboration with Lucerne Tourism and Engelberg – Titlis – Thank you again. As always, you can be sure that we will express OUR views and enthusiasm here.

The purpose of such collaborations is to introduce to you great new family destinations and activities and give you tips and suggestions 1st hand.

If you like it PIN it for future references and share it with a friend.

Thank you & Never forget to explore!

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