10 things to do in Engelberg

A trip to Engel­berg is def­i­nite­ly worth it. The vil­lage is sit­u­at­ed on a high plateau in the midst of a fan­tas­tic moun­tain land­scape. It takes an hour from Zurich and anoth­er 30 min­utes to reach the Titlis Glac­i­er in sum­mer and win­ter. It’s no won­der that out­door enthu­si­asts and nature lovers are drawn to the region all year round.

So that you don’t lose track of the end­less moun­tain adven­tures, here are our favourite things to do for your stay in Engel­berg.

10 Things to do in Engelberg

1. Buiräbähnli Safari

The high­light par excel­lence: Buiräbähn­li Safari. This cable car hike is an authen­tic jour­ney of dis­cov­ery through the Engel­berg moun­tains. Rus­tic cable­ways – or Buiräbähn­li in the local Swiss dialect – take you from alp to alp. As you float through forests and over pas­tures in small gon­do­las, you get a look into the lives of moun­tain farm­ers. And some­times it’s a rick­ety ride along rock faces – not for the faint of heart! In between, there are hik­ing trails, the sound of cow­bells and mag­nif­i­cent views. The route is divid­ed into three stages and is the per­fect mul­ti-day tour for a long week­end with friends.

2. Lake Härzli (family)

Lake Här­zli on the Brun­ni is the per­fect excur­sion des­ti­na­tion for fam­i­lies. The small moun­tain lake is locat­ed at around 1,860 metres above sea lev­el – and as the name sug­gests, it is shaped like a heart. Chil­dren love the bare­foot path, the water fea­ture on the shore and, of course, Glo­bi, who has his own themed world here. While the lit­tle ones play, the grown-ups can enjoy the panoram­ic view of the sur­round­ing peaks from the moun­tain restau­rant (and enjoy a local Kloster­bräu beer to quench their thirst 😉).

3. Thrills at 3,041 metres above sea level

The Titlis Cliff Walk should def­i­nite­ly be on your buck­et list. Locat­ed at 3,041 metres above sea lev­el, the sus­pen­sion bridge is the high­est in Europe. 150 steps of pure adren­a­line and views of a pic­turesque land­scape of snow and ice await you. The Titlis Cliff Walk is open dai­ly all year round. You can also ride the Ice Fly­er or take a detour to the Glac­i­er Grot­to. So off you go!

4. High-altitude hike Walen Path

The Walen Path is one of the most beau­ti­ful high-alti­tude hikes in Switzer­land, and right­ly so. The one-day tour con­nects the Brun­ni and Ban­nalp regions over 11 kilo­me­tres of panoram­ic views. You can see the Titlis with its glac­i­ers, the strik­ing Walen­stöcke and Lake Lucerne in the dis­tance. You’ll be mar­vel­ling the whole way. The route is easy to fol­low and com­fort­ably dis­trib­utes the 600-metre dif­fer­ence in alti­tude between the out­ward and return routes. Cosy moun­tain huts invite you to take a break with alpine snacks, rösti and every­thing else that goes with them.

5. Climbing fun for all ages

Get to know the fas­ci­nat­ing moun­tains of the Engel­berg region in a dif­fer­ent way. The fam­i­ly climb­ing cours­es offered by Engel­berg Moun­tain Guide take you up high. The whole fam­i­ly will learn the basics of the adren­a­line-charged out­door sport here. The intro­duc­tion can be com­plet­ed on one or two con­sec­u­tive days. No pre­vi­ous knowl­edge is required to com­plete the cours­es. It’s guar­an­teed fun for the whole fam­i­ly.

6. Overnight stay at the youth hostel

What could be bet­ter than falling into bed feel­ing tired and hap­py after a day of adven­ture? Engel­berg Youth Hos­tel is your base camp for all activ­i­ties around the Titlis. Tucked away in a qui­et, yet cen­tral loca­tion, the chalet-style build­ing is just a few min­utes’ walk from the vil­lage cen­tre. Whether hik­ing, bik­ing or sim­ply enjoy­ing nature: From here, you’ll be right in the mid­dle of it all in no time. And with the Engel­berg guest card, you ben­e­fit from attrac­tive dis­counts on expe­ri­ences, admis­sion tick­ets and more.

7. Wildly romantic hike

Fan­cy a hike between rock faces and along crys­tal-clear water? Then the almost 9 kilo­me­tre-long Aa Gorge Adven­ture Trail is per­fect for you. It’s a great option for sum­mer, as many stretch­es are in the shade and the Aa also helps keep you cool. The path takes you past numer­ous stone bridges and is also ide­al for fam­i­lies thanks to its metic­u­lous care. Pro tip: Pack some­thing for a bar­be­cue, because halfway along the way there’s a won­der­ful spot to take a break.

8. A refreshing dip in Lake Lucerne

Just a stone’s throw from Engel­berg, deep-blue Lake Lucerne invites you to take a refresh­ing dip. There are numer­ous bathing spots around the lake – both offi­cial pools and seclud­ed spots. The «Ufschöt­ti» in Lucerne is high­ly rec­om­mend­ed. The leg­endary Stanser­horn with the Cabrio aer­i­al cable­way fea­tur­ing an open roof deck, the Pila­tus and the city of Lucerne are all well con­nect­ed for excur­sions.

9. Hunting for food

Back to the roots: At the entrance of Lake Eugeni in Engel­berg, you can catch your­self some­thing to eat. Nice brown and rain­bow trout are reg­u­lar­ly dropped in the water, which you can then hook on your line with a bit of patience. Noth­ing else tastes this good! All you need is a day license. This allows you to catch five fish a day. “En Guete” (bon appétit), as the locals say!

10. Time to saddle up

The Engel­berg region is a dream come true for cycling and moun­tain bik­ing fans. There are fan­tas­tic trails for all lev­els. What do they have in com­mon? The fan­tas­tic view of the moun­tains! Look­ing for tips for your next cycling adven­ture? Our part­ner Bikegenoss has plen­ty of inspi­ra­tion and rec­om­men­da­tions for you. And at the bike-cer­ti­fied Engel­berg Youth Hos­tel, you’ll find every­thing you need to keep your bicy­cle in good shape. On your bike, get set, go!