Engelberg is a beautiful mountain area near Lucerne with lots of hikes and amusements for all ages. Families will enjoy the alpine playgrounds and theme trails, making it easy to enjoy the Swiss alp with kids. Here are our top things to do in Engelberg, particularly for families.
Contents
Where is Engelberg
Engelberg is a mountain area southwest of Lucerne in central Switzerland. See on Google Maps.
How to get to Engelberg
The Engelberg village is easily accessible by car or public transportation. If you are traveling from outside Switzerland, the closest connection is the Zürich airport and Lucerne train station.
Once you get to Engelberg, you will drive or take a bus to a different locations in the valley depending on the activity you choose (details below).
By public transport: Take a train to Lucerne main train station. Then a train to Engelberg. From there, you can take a bus to Englelberg, Titlisbahn which drops directly at the gondola station. Or a 10 min walk (see route on Google).
By car: Drive to Engelberg and follow signs to Titlisbahn. Park in the metered lot next to the base station. Address of parking: Gerschnistrasse 12, 6390 Engelberg. Pay for your parking ticket at the end of the day.
What to do in Engelberg
1. Titlis Glacier
Most travelers go to Engelberg visit the Titlis glacier at 3028m, which has snow year round. This big attraction can be combined with a short hike around an alpine lake with various amusements.
To start your day, get yourself to the Titlisbahn station (Gerschnistrasse 12, 6390 Engelberg or Englelberg, Titlisbahn bus stop). Then you ride a gondola from the Engelberg village to the middle station, then a large rotating cable car to Titlis. It’s a beautiful, exciting ride. At the top, you’ll find a glacier cave, suspension bridge, restaurant, summer sledding and skiing. Read our detailed Titlis post.
Titlis is very popular with tourists and an expensive activity, a full price round trip ticket CHF 96 in 2022. It is included in the Tell Pass and discounted with the Swiss Travel Pass.
If you are visiting other mountain peaks, like Pilatus or Jungfraujoch, then it’s probably not worth it to also visit Titlis. But if this is the only mountain peak of your trip, I think it’s a special experience. If I had to choose between Titlis and Pilatus, I would probably choose Pilatus because you have more hiking options there.
2. Trübsee lake
On the way up to Titlis, you can stop at the Trübsee middle station, where you’ll find the beautiful Trübsee alpine lake. There is easy path around the lake, about 1 hour, with activities for children with a smuggler theme.
At the end of the trail, there is an enormous playground next to the water. You can bring a picnic to grill or eat at one of the mountain restaurants. Read our detailed post about Trübsee.
3. Brunni Sensory Barefoot Path & Treasure Hunt
One of our favorite summer traditions is the Brunni barefoot “Tickle Path” and the Globi treasure hunt trail. Both of these can be easily done in one day, including play time.
Get yourself to the Brunni cable car on the east side of Engelberg (. , you can ride the Brunni cable car up to a big alpine playground, with climbing structures, trampolines, water play, and an alpine slide.
Then ride a chair lift up to this barefoot sensory path around a little alpine lake. There’s a restaurant here and a large picnic area with grills. See details for Brunni Tickle Trail.
You can ride the chair lift back down. Or you can walk down the Globi Treasure Trail, where you search for treasure chest with clues along the trail. See details for the Globi Treasure Hunt Trail.
Besides the gorgeous mountain views, the best thing about the Brunni area is that you can easily mix and match the activities to fit the ages, skill and energy level of the children in your group.
4. Fürenalp
If you want to escape the crowds, I suggest exploring Fürenalp at the southern end of Engelberg valley. A tiny cable car whisks you up the cliffs to a restaurant with big mountain views and a little playground. If you have small children, you can do the short Marmot loop trail, that ends back at the cable car.
We always hike the longer panorama trail, which leads to a big waterfall, then follows the river back to your starting point.
This hike is usually open from May to November, a longer season that other hikes in this area. See details for Fürenalp hike.
5. Robinson Playground
Near the Brunni cable car station in the valley, there is a big playground with a small pond and picnic area. You pay a small fee to use the area. Horbisstrasse 50, 6390 Engelberg. Learn more.
Other fun hikes near Engelberg
Here are a few fun hikes for kids that are near the Engelberg valley. See also Best Hikes near Lucerne for Kids.
6. Wirzweli “Hexenweg”
On this theme trail near Lucerne, children follow Lizi, the “herb witch,” who tells the story of her forest through a series of interactive and informative stations along the trail. There is also a nice playground and summer toboggan (open starting 27 May 2023).
Hike: Easy • 1.5 h • 3 k • 20m up, 360m down
Location: Wizweli cable car – Wiesenbergstrasse 25, 6383 Dallenwil
Learn more about Wirzweli witch trail
7. Bannalp “Zwergliweg”
Fun theme trail telling the story of children searching for a magic crystal and the magical dwarfs who protect it. Each station is accompanied by something the kids can play with. Nice picnic area near the beautiful alpine lake with a few amusements for the kids.
Hike: Easy • 1 h • 2.7 k • 10m up, 130m down
Location: Fell-Chrüzhütte cable car – Fell 3, 6387 Oberrickenbach
Learn more about Bannalp Dwarf Trail
Rainy Day Activities near Engelberg
These fun museums are relatively close to Engelberg. See more Fun Swiss Museums for Kids.
8. Swiss Museum of Transport
If you get a rainy day in Engelberg, our first choice would be the Lucerne Transportation Museum.
9. Glasi Hergiswil glass factory
Discover the rich history of glass making in Switzerland by visiting the glass factory and museum located near Lucerne. Your experience begins with a brief multimedia presentation on the art of glass making, followed by an opportunity to witness the live production of glass on the factory floor.
Adjacent to the factory, you’ll find a museum that boasts a variety of enjoyable activities for children, such as a glass labyrinth, an interactive glass exhibit, a vast playground, and an enormous marble run that allows you to roll glass marbles purchased from their gift shop.
Learn more about Glasi Hergiswil glass factory
10. Aeschbach Chocowelt chocolate factory
Aeschbach is a well known Swiss chocolate producer known for their popular Schoggitaler chocolate coins, often sold by school children as a fundraiser (my own kids have participated in this every year). Similar to other chocolate factory visitor centers, you’ll pass through a series of decorated rooms that feature multimedia displays, educating you on the history and production of chocolate.
You’ll have the opportunity to indulge in various chocolate samples, such as small chocolate cubes with varying cocoa percentages, chocolate coins, and a chocolate fountain with delectable toppings. If you visit on a weekday, you can even observe the skilled workers in action on the chocolate factory floor. After completing the museum tour, you can try your hand at making your very own chocolate bar.
Learn more about Aeschbach chocolate factory.
Where to eat in Engelberg
For lunch, we suggest you eat at the mountain restaurants adjacent to the activities above. Near the Trübsee, our favorite restaurant is at the top of the Jochpass chair lift. The Trübsee self-service cafe is convenient and has kid-friendly options. But our favorite restaurant is at the top of the Trübsee-Jochpass chairlift, worth the extra effort.
At Brunni, we usually eat the Berglodge Restaurant Ristis next to the playground at the middle station. At the top of the chair lift, next to the barefoot path, there is Brunnihütte mountain hut with a restaurant, where you can also sleep overnight.
At Fürenalp, the restaurant is at the top of the cable car. See menu.
Where to stay in Engelberg
Engelberg has many hotels in a wide price range. With children, I’d suggest the Eienwäldli Sporthotel which has an indoor pool, playground and activities for children.
Another fun option would be the Trübsee Alpine Lodge, located half-way up the mountain to Titlis. It’s a short walk from the hotel to the lake and playground, meaning you can stay later in the mountains and enjoy the amusements while the sun goes down.
For a mountain experience, you could stay at the Brunnihütte mountain hut, next to the Tickle Path. It’s a SAC mountain hut, so a little bare bones, but a traditional Swiss experience.
For budget accommodation, you could stay at the Family & Youth Hostel, aka Jugendherberge. They have family rooms with bunks so you can fit larger number of people together.
How long should you stay in Engelberg
Engelberg is definitely worth a day trip from Lucerne. If you are staying overnight in Engelberg, I would stay 2-3 days. Overnight guests receive a guest card that provides discounts on mountain cableways and other services.
If you go to Engelberg, please come back and let me know how you liked it!
4 responses
Many thanks for your answer and thanks for the other post. Very helpfull! Would you advise to stay in Lucerne as a base for these activities. Or would you advise to choose another place, based on the preferred activities?
If you are doing multiple days of activities in the Engelberg area, you might as well stay in Engelberg. If you exploring other parts of the Lake Lucerne region, I think Lucerne is the most convenient play to stay.
How about a trip to Engelberg at the end of April/ beginning May. Can you already walk some trails with your family then?
Hi Marco, I would not expect to be hiking in Engelberg at that time. There might be snow and the facilities will not be open. You might find this post helpful: https://swissfamilyfun.com/spring-lucerne-central-switzerland/