The Engelberg/Luzern area has a large number of great traits, but putting them together alongside its ease of access makes this area a very attractive opportunity for a visit.

Luzern is a very easy train ride from most any major airport in Switzerland (Bern and Zurich are very close), and once you arrive you combine the feeling of a “real city” with very easy access to lakes and mountains. Situated on Lake Luzern, the city is easy to navigate, and small enough to get around in by foot. The old town has cute cobbled streets, a famous wooden covered bridge (see photo below), and a very international feel to it. If you need to get your shopping fix on your trip to Switzerland, Luzern has plenty of it, from major international brands to cute, local boutiques. Like most all of Switzerland, this city is very easy to get around for non-German speakers. It is almost difficult to find someone who does not speak English!

Now I like cities, but the cities I like most tend to be ones that are easy to get out of (and obviously, are close to the mountains). If you get sick of the energetic streets of Luzern, it is a very quick and easy train ride up to the town of Engelberg. Not as big or touristy as Interlaken, Engelberg still offers a ton of summer activities, with some incredible hiking and views (well, so I hear, it was raining pretty hard…). I must say though, that this is a place I really look forward to skiing. Touted as a “mini Alaska”, Engelberg has a lot of “big mountain” opportunities for those looking for adventure, but it also does not lack beginner and intermediate terrain for those looking to stay in bounds.

I really like this whole area and want to come back for a longer time (and when it is not raining…). It has such an awesome mix of city diversity and the ability to be skiing at an amazing resort in an hour.

Up next, we leave Switzerland and head for Austria, see you in Sankt Anton (St. Anton am Arlberg).

Today was an incredible one. I started off as I did the day before, waking when Karin did at 6:30 and doing the dishes from the night before while Karin laid out breakfast. After breakfast I packed a bag I had borrowed from Karin that was slightly larger than mine. The extra space was needed because today I would include the Klettersteiging gear in my bag, which included a harness, a two carobiner strap system and a helmet. Karin was out the door by 7 and I followed around 7:30.

I arrived at the train station by 8 and boarded the 8:05 train to Engelberg. Now for those of us used to airport travel where you must arrive a minimum of one hour before the flight if you want to make it, this is far from the case with the European train system. No security gates. No check in. In fact, you don't even need to buy your ticket until you're on the train. For the procrastinators of the world, this is a transportation dream. And I definitely saw it more than once when someone would be sprinting through the streets, into the train station to board their train with seconds to spare. But even if you miss the train or just don't want to hurry to get on, there is typically always another train to follow one hour later.

The train ride to Engelberg lasted about 50 minutes and when I arrived I was one of about 10 people to get off the train. I'm pretty sure all 10 of us were the only ones moving around in the sleepy little town that morning. I noticed that as each person de-boarded the train they were carrying some type of athletic equipment, including mountain bikes, climbing gear and even skis and snowboards.

I made my way straight to the information center and asked where I could find a Klettersteig guide. The info center or tourist center was once again very helpful and provided me with two telephone numbers of companies that could help me learn to Klettersteig. When I called both offices I was connected to their answering machines with messages in German only. Now, speaking little German I could interpret a few words, but the speed of the message and too many unknowns led me clueless as to what was being said. I went into a local hotel and asked a desk clerk to interpret for me. Both messages said the same thing. We're on Holiday! That meant I came out to Engelberg to Klettersteig with no one here to help me. And I had already lost about an hour trying to find this out.

Not one to give up so quickly, I checked out a local map of Mount Titlis and found the begginer and intermediate Klettersteig zones. I was determined to try this sport out no matter what. Looking at the zones in relation to the hiking trails, I found I could hike the mountain versus taking the incline. Over the course of the next five hours I was able to wind my way up and around the mountain before finally arriving at the top at 2:30 pm.

Now, I've skimmed over my hiking experience and fast forwarded past five hours of my day because I don't believe words can do the experience and views any justice. So...I took plenty of photos and even a few videos that I highly encourage you to check out at the bottom of this page. They should do all the talking for me.

At 2:30 pm at the top of the mountain I read the sign I had be waiting to see "Klettersteig This Way." Game on, I was about to do this. Now I just needed to grab a quick drink from the small restaurant set at the top of the mountain, talk with a couple of people who had already been Klettersteiging for the day so I could get some tips and I'd be on my way. I drank a quick water then found a guy who had just finished Klettersteiging. I told him I had the gear but had never done it before and wandered if he would give me some tips. Fortunately he spoke perfect English.

We spoke for about 15 minutes and he taught me how to put on the gear, lock into the existing bolts and locks in the mountain and climb the beginner summit that was just ahead. Then he informed me it would take at least 20 minutes to hike there an hour to the top and hour back down and another 20 minutes to where we were standing. Two hours and 40 minutes total. And oh, by the way, the last gondola back down the mountain was leaving in about 1 hour. What the!

So my Klettersteiging adventure was cut short by time -- I mean I did have the alternative to hike back down the mountain -- but after the five hours up which was not easy, I wasn't the least bit interested in hiking back down. So a short walk around the lake and a few photos and back down the gondola I went, spending some time in town before boarding a train back to Luzern.

In Luzern I relaxed and I had dinner then Karin came home around 9 and we went out for some drinks. Good day, great hike, a little disappointed with not being able to Klettersteig, but the chance will come another day!

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Engelberg Bus Station

Engelberg, less than two hours from Zurich in central Switzerland, offers some of the best off-pist skiing in Europe. The ski season runs from December to early May with most crowds during Christmas, New Year and other holidays. The village is charming with beautiful surroundings and an amazing view of the mountains. Engelberg has two sides - Brunni and Titlis - with more than 82 km of ski runs and over 20 lifts. Brunni is often referred to as the sunnier side and suitable for beginners while Titlis has runs for all type of skiers.

We stayed at Hotel Bellevue, a two-star hotel with a perfect location opposite the railway station. For the best after-ski, go to Yucatan at Banhhofplatz where you can listen to great live concerts and eat tasty food in their Tex-Mex restaurant.

Engelberg is accessible by train from Luzern.