Engelberg
Switzerland
Engelberg residents clanging over to meet tourists (Yes, they do wear bells, sheep too).
Engelberg valley, Central Switzerland.
Photo by Mussklprozz
Engelberg sits at an altitude of 1,020 m (3,346 ft). It's barely an hour's drive from Luzern and 90 minutes from Zurich, or 2 hours by train or 2 hours drive from Airport Kloten.
Engelberg cow pasture.
Engelberg and Mt Hahnen, 2602m (8537 ft), less than an hour's drive from Luzern/Lucerne.
Photo by Simon Koopmann
Engelberg is a summer tourist destination as well as a winter resort, surrounded as it is by Switzerland's Alps. The highest peak is Mt Titlis at 3,239m (10,627).
The town is small (with a regular population of less than 4,000) and restrained compared to Interlaken but more closely embraced by mountains.
Summer activites in Engelberg
Many glorious, well-marked hiking routes, some accessible by cable-car to save on the uphill walking. But also there are theme trails such as the Brunni Tickle Trail, a 220m route for bare feet over different materials to stimulate the circulation and boost the immune system; Alpine Flower Trails at the base of Titlis with information boards (look for the red flower graphics on the map); Marmot Trail from Trubsee to Jochpass in search of wildlife such as marmots, chamois and ibex.
Then there are many mountain biking trails that are fairly tough once off the valley floor. Alternatively, for less energetic thrill-seekers try 'devil' biking which is just a mad downhill rush from Jochpass to Trubsee, or 'trotti' biking - taking chunky, offroad scooters down from Gerschnialp station to Engelberg.
Climbing..there's no shortage of big, tricky rocks for experienced climbers but Engelberg has also organised various 'Via Ferrata', climbing routes of varied difficulty with fixed ropes, hanging bridges and rope ladders.
And then there's paragliding from Brunni, Furenalp and Titlis, a rope park, glacier walking, summer toboggan runs on the Ristis (near Brunni) and nordic walking. Engelberg Map.
The famous Engelberg (Mountain of Angels) monastery, founded in 1120.
Summer Season: The best summer month to visit Engelberg is - as usual in Europe - September with a daily average temperature of 11C (52F) and 11 rainy days. May offers brilliantly colourful alpine meadows but a daily average temperatures of 9 C (48F) and 15.6 rainy days, while the three summer months are kind-of warm (12-14C) but have 2:1 chance of rain. i.e. 15/16 days of rain per month. The driest months are September and October, the coldest are December to March (-3C to -6C).
One of Engelberg's many winter sports slopes.
Photo by Gurkan Sengun
Photos: Vevey | Luzern | Zurich | Montreux | Cycling | Berne | Lausanne
Winter Season: Most of Engelberg's pistes are more suitable for advanced skiers though the Brunni ski area works well for beginners but being on the other side of the valley and south-facing it doesn't get the same quality of snow or length of season.
Engelberg's best slopes have an unusually long season, from October to the end of May and the area has a reputation as an off-piste ski destination with challenging descents accessible from Mount Titlis on the mainly north-facing slopes served by lifts.
Engelberg-Titlis tourism
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