We had some cherished moments this year visiting few popular tourist attractions in Switzerland. It was a 5-day trip from July 1st to 5th, 2019. July is peak summer in Switzerland when the weather is cool and pleasant and is the best time for Indian tourists, in particular for South Indian tourists, to visit Switzerland.
On Day 2 (July 3rd, 2019) we had the most adventurous trip to Mt Titlis - the mountain of eternal snow and glacier in Swiss Alps. Coincidentally, July 3rd is my husband's birthday, so we were too excited as we were going to celebrate his birthday on the top of Swiss Alps at a height of 10,000 ft above MSL (mean sea level). And spent a pleasant evening at Lucerne.
Switzerland is a dream destination for a majority of Indian tourists. The super hit Bollywood movie Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol which was mostly shot in Switzerland had greatly influenced Indians in visiting Switzerland. In addition to that the group travels offered by various tours and travels at reasonable / discounted rates have made it easy for the Indian tourists to visit their dream destination.
On the day of our trip we had an Indian-cum-continental breakfast in Hotel Courtyard Marriott and started from Basel at around 9.30 a.m. It was a pleasant / enjoyable ride to Engelberg passing through the beautiful Swiss countryside, tunnels, lakes and mountains.
The 'Titlis Xpress' consists of two cable car rides - Cable car from Engelberg base station to Stand Station and 'Titlis Rotair' from Stand station to Titlis Terminus.
We three took a cable car and as it started ascending (moving up), we were awed at the astounding view of valley of Engelberg, the cottages, green pastures with tall alpine trees on either side. OMG! it's a real paradise on Earth.
From Engelberg base station the cable car reached the intermediate (the 1st) station at Trubsee. Tourists who wish to enjoy the Trubsee lake and relish food in the restaurant can get down at Trubsee station (the 1st halt). But those who wish to reach Mt Titlis need to remain seated and continue their ride in the cable car. We did not get down Trubsee station but we continued our ride to reach the Stand station.
The next halt is at the Stand station where the tourists need to get down and take the 'Titlis Rotair'. This place is also heavily crowded with Indian tourists who were eagerly waiting for the 'Rotair'.
After getting down from the cable car we waited at the Stand station for few minutes enjoying the snowy view of the Swiss Alps and taking clicks.
As the 'Rotair' moved up we were awed at the breathtaking view of the snow-capped peaks and didn't even know when our cable car reached the Terminus. We got down from the 'Rotair' and walked towards the elevator.
The main building at the Titlis Terminus has elevators (lifts) with access to 5 levels. There are gift / souvenir shops, washrooms and restaurants from Level 1 to 4 and Level 5 provides access to the tourists to Mt Titlis and various mountain activities in the snow / glacier park.
We just did window shopping in the gift shop and didn't make any purchase here. In fact I didn't find any item interesting in the shop when compared to the eternal beauty of Mother Nature at this place.
The heavy crowd (Indian tourists) at this place as well are competing to get into the lifts with much hulchul. We took the elevator and reached Level 5 - the topmost level where from tourists walk up a small flight of steps to the topmost peak of Titlis.
We walked up the steps and stepped on the snowy Swiss Alps. We were very lucky as there was fair weather on the day of our visit and I could see the snowy mountain filled with Indians in high with a good number of Indian women in saris. For a moment I felt as if I am in India.
We walked carefully on the snowy mountain and went to experience few thrill activities on Mt Titlis. There are few interesting / thrilling attractions on Mt Titlis for the tourists which are must-a-visit for lifetime experience and remembrance.
Ice Flyer is a chair lift and is one-of-its-kind cable car. It takes the tourists flying over the vast stretch of snow / glacier providing a jaw-dropping aerial view beneath. These chairs have glass on the back and top but the front is open. There are no secure belts in the chair to fasten but it has a horizontal rod in front which is locked on sitting. The tourists hold the rod as the chair flies over the glacier.
Getting on to the Ice Flyer needs a bit of planning / technique. The operator helps the tourists in getting into the Ice Flyer. This is a 6-seater chair and is in constant movement like the other cable cars at this place. We walked to the station and waited for the Ice Flyer.
As per the instructions of the operator, we three stood one beside the other at the pick-up line where there is yellow mark with foot prints. The operator asked us to stand at the designated place with our feet placed correctly on the yellow foot print marks. The Ice Flyer comes from behind and this will be also in constant motion without halting.
As the cable car was coming from behind we stood carefully and as we felt the thump of the chair on our bumps.We quickly seated ourselves in the chair and the operator locked the rod in front of us. Everything happened so quickly that before I could realize it, we found ourselves flying over the vast expanse of snow. Our feet was placed on the pads and we felt hanging in the mid-air over the glacier which was a spine-chilling experience.
The suspended bridge is 100 metres long, 3 feet wide and is attached to steel cables that are fixed into solid rocks at both the ends. The walkway of the bridge is made of a grid of steel and has a 2 metre high strong mesh on either side.
After a ride in the Ice Flyer from Mountain station to Glacier Park and back to Mountain station, we walked towards the 'Cliff Walk'. At both the ends of the Cliff Walk, there is space / provision to stand and enjoy the vast and majestic view of the mountain peaks and valleys.
And within no time we reached the other end of the bridge where stood for a while and clicked the gorgeous views of the peaks of Swiss Alps. Tourists can either walk back on the suspension bridge to enter the main building or they can continue their walk down the stairs to Glacier Cave.
While descending in the 'Rotair', some Indian tourists were talking that the weather on Mt Titlis turned cloudy and chill and the rides in Ice Flyer and Cliff Walk are stopped due to bad weather. On listening their words, I felt we were lucky as the weather remained fair when we were taking the rides.
We then shifted to cable car from the Rotair at the Stand station. While descending in the cable car we enjoyed the beautiful view of the Trubsee lake, clouded mountains and mountain valleys.
Hats off to the engineering marvel that enabled the tourists across the world to watch the beautiful Mother Nature at this place.
While descending we got down at Trubsee station for lunch in the Indian restaurant.
After relishing our Indian veg food in Titlis (Trubsee), we descend in the cable car and reached Engelberg base station. While descending we heard some melodious tingling sound and were wondering where from the sound was coming.
It was around 4.30 p.m by the time we reach Engelberg base station. At this place there was an Indian cafeteria where a good number of Indian tourists were havinggaram garam chai (hot tea), samosa and other such Indian evening snacks. Well as it was tea time, my husband to sipped hot masala chai.
After the lifetime thrilling and adventurous activities on Mt Titlis we visited Luzern (Lucerne) sight-seeing.
2. For Indian tourists (particularly South Indians), July is the best season to visit as the weather won't be too chill.
3. Carry / wear woolen garments (jacket or coat, cap, hand gloves) and comfortable walking shoes / sneakers even in peak summer i.e. July. Woolen garments like coat, cap and hand gloves are available for rent at Engelberg base station but are too expensive in terms of Indian rupees.
4. Prefer to visit the place on a sunny day to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature.
5. Ice flyer and Cliff Walk are not suitable for those who have height fear / sickness and for kids.
Altogether a visit to Mt Titlis will leave an everlasting mesmerizing experience in one's lifetime
On Day 2 (July 3rd, 2019) we had the most adventurous trip to Mt Titlis - the mountain of eternal snow and glacier in Swiss Alps. Coincidentally, July 3rd is my husband's birthday, so we were too excited as we were going to celebrate his birthday on the top of Swiss Alps at a height of 10,000 ft above MSL (mean sea level). And spent a pleasant evening at Lucerne.
Switzerland is a dream destination for a majority of Indian tourists. The super hit Bollywood movie Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol which was mostly shot in Switzerland had greatly influenced Indians in visiting Switzerland. In addition to that the group travels offered by various tours and travels at reasonable / discounted rates have made it easy for the Indian tourists to visit their dream destination.
Mt Titlis - The Paradise of Swiss Alps
Mt Titlis is the highest tourist destination in the Swiss Alps in Central Switzerland. It is located between the cantons (regions) of Obwalden and Berne. The beautiful landscapes, panoramic view of snow-capped peaks and glaciers round the year, breathtaking view of mountain valley and the fabulous view of the valley of Engelberg which are beyond the description of a writer made the place popular among world tourists.
Road trip from Basel to Engelberg
I made the trip planner well in advance and made all the necessary arrangements for the trip. On inquiring about the weather at the place in July in the official website of Titlis, I came to know that the weather at Mt Titlis is unpredictable which keeps changing all of a sudden. We are a family of 3 members (self, husband and 10 years old daughter).On the day of our trip we had an Indian-cum-continental breakfast in Hotel Courtyard Marriott and started from Basel at around 9.30 a.m. It was a pleasant / enjoyable ride to Engelberg passing through the beautiful Swiss countryside, tunnels, lakes and mountains.
Thrilling Ride in 'Titlis Xpress' to reach Mt Titlis
It was around 12.30 p.m by the time we reached Engelberg. We took the entry tickets for 'Titlis Xpress' and collected stickers (to be stuck on the shirts) at the counter and walked to the base (cable car) station at Engelberg. Tickets can be booked online as well from the official website of Titlis. There are signboards at every place leading the tourists in the right direction, so we could reach the station without any confusion. The place was crowded with Indian tourists.The 'Titlis Xpress' consists of two cable car rides - Cable car from Engelberg base station to Stand Station and 'Titlis Rotair' from Stand station to Titlis Terminus.
1. Gondola / Cable Car
These are closed cable cars that accommodate 6 passengers and are very safe to ride even with kids. It is a 10-minute ride from the base station to Stand station. We scanned our tickets at the gate and entered the base station. I saw the gondolas (cable cars) moving constantly without halting for the passengers to get in. However, the operators are helping the tourists to quickly get into the cable car and are closing the doors.We three took a cable car and as it started ascending (moving up), we were awed at the astounding view of valley of Engelberg, the cottages, green pastures with tall alpine trees on either side. OMG! it's a real paradise on Earth.
From Engelberg base station the cable car reached the intermediate (the 1st) station at Trubsee. Tourists who wish to enjoy the Trubsee lake and relish food in the restaurant can get down at Trubsee station (the 1st halt). But those who wish to reach Mt Titlis need to remain seated and continue their ride in the cable car. We did not get down Trubsee station but we continued our ride to reach the Stand station.
The next halt is at the Stand station where the tourists need to get down and take the 'Titlis Rotair'. This place is also heavily crowded with Indian tourists who were eagerly waiting for the 'Rotair'.
2. Titlis Rotair
'Rotair' is the world's first of it's kind cable car that rotates 360 degrees. It accommodates around 80 passengers and takes 5 minutes from the Stand (middle) station to reach Titlis Terminus. As the 'Rotair' moves up, tourists will be enthralled by the breathtaking panoramic 360-degree view of the glacial world.After getting down from the cable car we waited at the Stand station for few minutes enjoying the snowy view of the Swiss Alps and taking clicks.
As the 'Rotair' moved up we were awed at the breathtaking view of the snow-capped peaks and didn't even know when our cable car reached the Terminus. We got down from the 'Rotair' and walked towards the elevator.
The main building at the Titlis Terminus has elevators (lifts) with access to 5 levels. There are gift / souvenir shops, washrooms and restaurants from Level 1 to 4 and Level 5 provides access to the tourists to Mt Titlis and various mountain activities in the snow / glacier park.
We just did window shopping in the gift shop and didn't make any purchase here. In fact I didn't find any item interesting in the shop when compared to the eternal beauty of Mother Nature at this place.
The heavy crowd (Indian tourists) at this place as well are competing to get into the lifts with much hulchul. We took the elevator and reached Level 5 - the topmost level where from tourists walk up a small flight of steps to the topmost peak of Titlis.
We walked up the steps and stepped on the snowy Swiss Alps. We were very lucky as there was fair weather on the day of our visit and I could see the snowy mountain filled with Indians in high with a good number of Indian women in saris. For a moment I felt as if I am in India.
We walked carefully on the snowy mountain and went to experience few thrill activities on Mt Titlis. There are few interesting / thrilling attractions on Mt Titlis for the tourists which are must-a-visit for lifetime experience and remembrance.
Attractions on Mt Titlis
There are few thrilling attractions for the tourists on the Swiss Alps. Some of these attractions will be closed during bad weather.1. Ice Flyer
After enjoying the beautiful view of the snow mountain we carefully walked on the snow and reached the Ice Flyer station. The Ice Flyer flies from Mountain station to Titlis Glacier Park where tourists enjoy various snow activities / games on the slopes on snowy peaks in the glacier park.Ice Flyer is a chair lift and is one-of-its-kind cable car. It takes the tourists flying over the vast stretch of snow / glacier providing a jaw-dropping aerial view beneath. These chairs have glass on the back and top but the front is open. There are no secure belts in the chair to fasten but it has a horizontal rod in front which is locked on sitting. The tourists hold the rod as the chair flies over the glacier.
Getting on to the Ice Flyer needs a bit of planning / technique. The operator helps the tourists in getting into the Ice Flyer. This is a 6-seater chair and is in constant movement like the other cable cars at this place. We walked to the station and waited for the Ice Flyer.
As per the instructions of the operator, we three stood one beside the other at the pick-up line where there is yellow mark with foot prints. The operator asked us to stand at the designated place with our feet placed correctly on the yellow foot print marks. The Ice Flyer comes from behind and this will be also in constant motion without halting.
As the cable car was coming from behind we stood carefully and as we felt the thump of the chair on our bumps.We quickly seated ourselves in the chair and the operator locked the rod in front of us. Everything happened so quickly that before I could realize it, we found ourselves flying over the vast expanse of snow. Our feet was placed on the pads and we felt hanging in the mid-air over the glacier which was a spine-chilling experience.
2. Glacier Park
The Ice Flyers take the tourists to the Glacier Park where tourists enjoy many fun activities in the snow in summer. Somehow this was not our cup of tea, so we flew back to the Mountain station in the Ice Flyer.3. Cliff Walk
Cliff Walk is yet another very thrilling attraction in Mt Titlis. This is the highest elevated suspension bridge in Europe. A walk on the bridge would be a heart-thumping experience. The bridge stands suspends over 1,600 feet off the ground.
The suspended bridge is 100 metres long, 3 feet wide and is attached to steel cables that are fixed into solid rocks at both the ends. The walkway of the bridge is made of a grid of steel and has a 2 metre high strong mesh on either side.
After a ride in the Ice Flyer from Mountain station to Glacier Park and back to Mountain station, we walked towards the 'Cliff Walk'. At both the ends of the Cliff Walk, there is space / provision to stand and enjoy the vast and majestic view of the mountain peaks and valleys.
And within no time we reached the other end of the bridge where stood for a while and clicked the gorgeous views of the peaks of Swiss Alps. Tourists can either walk back on the suspension bridge to enter the main building or they can continue their walk down the stairs to Glacier Cave.
4. Glacier Cave
The Glacier Cave is a magical world of ice with a 150-metre long tunnel / walkway that branches in different directions. The cave is accessible from Level 1 as well. The temperature inside is below zero degrees through out year. We couldn't make it to the cave so we took the 'Rotair' of the 'Titlis Xpress' at the Terminus and descended to the Stand station. Again while descending in the 'Rotair', we enjoyed the majestic snow / glacier view for the final time and took few pics and videos.While descending in the 'Rotair', some Indian tourists were talking that the weather on Mt Titlis turned cloudy and chill and the rides in Ice Flyer and Cliff Walk are stopped due to bad weather. On listening their words, I felt we were lucky as the weather remained fair when we were taking the rides.
We then shifted to cable car from the Rotair at the Stand station. While descending in the cable car we enjoyed the beautiful view of the Trubsee lake, clouded mountains and mountain valleys.
Hats off to the engineering marvel that enabled the tourists across the world to watch the beautiful Mother Nature at this place.
While descending we got down at Trubsee station for lunch in the Indian restaurant.
After relishing our Indian veg food in Titlis (Trubsee), we descend in the cable car and reached Engelberg base station. While descending we heard some melodious tingling sound and were wondering where from the sound was coming.
It was around 4.30 p.m by the time we reach Engelberg base station. At this place there was an Indian cafeteria where a good number of Indian tourists were havinggaram garam chai (hot tea), samosa and other such Indian evening snacks. Well as it was tea time, my husband to sipped hot masala chai.
After the lifetime thrilling and adventurous activities on Mt Titlis we visited Luzern (Lucerne) sight-seeing.
Travel Tips / Guide while visiting Mt Titlis
1. Weather on Mt Titlis is highly unpredictable which keeps changing in a day. So keep checking the weather prediction from the official website of Titlis.2. For Indian tourists (particularly South Indians), July is the best season to visit as the weather won't be too chill.
3. Carry / wear woolen garments (jacket or coat, cap, hand gloves) and comfortable walking shoes / sneakers even in peak summer i.e. July. Woolen garments like coat, cap and hand gloves are available for rent at Engelberg base station but are too expensive in terms of Indian rupees.
4. Prefer to visit the place on a sunny day to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature.
5. Ice flyer and Cliff Walk are not suitable for those who have height fear / sickness and for kids.
Altogether a visit to Mt Titlis will leave an everlasting mesmerizing experience in one's lifetime
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