Titlis Rotair, Engelberg

Titlis Rotair - Mt Titlis

When we were on our honeymoon my husband and I had the chance to go to Mt Titlis in Switzerland. The tour was organised through the Cosmos tour we were doing of Europe and cost us 60 euros each to do the tour. This drove you to Engelberg and up onto Mt Titlis. The Titlis Rotair is the world's first revolving cable car took us to the top of Mt Titlis.

**THE TOUR**

You have to ...
...you will go onto the Titlis Rotair which is a revolving cable car and it will bring you up to the glacier station which has shops and restaurants.

The Titlis Rotair is round and you can see out the window. It means you can get 360 degree views of your surroundings. There is a circular station in the middle which does not revolve. It is very strange being brought up in the cable car and being spun around (very slowly may I add) at ... more

Titlis Rotair - Mt Titlis

When we were on our honeymoon my husband and I had the chance to go to Mt Titlis in Switzerland. The tour was organised through the Cosmos tour we were doing of Europe and cost us 60 euros each to do the tour. This drove you to Engelberg and up onto Mt Titlis. The Titlis Rotair is the world's first revolving cable car took us to the top of Mt Titlis.

**THE TOUR**

You have to check in at the bottom and get 2 gondolas to the next level. Then once at the next level you will go onto the Titlis Rotair which is a revolving cable car and it will bring you up to the glacier station which has shops and restaurants.

The Titlis Rotair is round and you can see out the window. It means you can get 360 degree views of your surroundings. There is a circular station in the middle which does not revolve. It is very strange being brought up in the cable car and being spun around (very slowly may I add) at the same time. You can get spectacular 360 degree views of the snowy mountains.

Its very strange as there is barely any snow at the bottom and lots at the top and it only takes about 20 to 30 minutes (on the 3 cable cars and waiting times), to get to the summit of Mt Titlis which is alt. 3020m or 9900 ft.

At the very top there was a Titlis Glacier Station which has a selection of shops, restaurants and you could have got photographs taken if you had of wanted. In the restaurants you had brilliant views of the snowy mountain. There also was public toilets scattered about if you had of needed them.

We went outside and went into the glacier cave which was free and worth while going if you never have been in one before. We had gone inside one in New Zealand and I have to admit it wasn't as good here, it all seemed fake and artificial. This may have been because they had lights turning different colours and you could chose different music to play. It was supposed to have given you atmospheric light and sound but to me it spoilt it really. Nevertheless you still had the opportunity to go inside a glacier.

Unfortunately we were not able to go on the Ice Flyer chairlift as the weather was too bad. This would have taken you over the glacier crevasses and to the Titlis Glacier Park. It would have been a small additional cost.

Once at the Titlis Glacier Park you could have took a large like snow tube down or had a go on balancers, snow scoot and snake glisses. This would have been an additional cost. Again we couldn't do this option but in fairness on the tour we took with Cosmos I doubt we would have had time.

If you had time and were adventurous you could have taken a guided glacier hike and crevasse abseiling. On this tour you could have got to the highest peak in the region. Or you could have taken a hike to viewpoint Scotzig Egg which is a safe easy going hike. All these tours cost extra.

We went to one of the restaurants and had a delicious pizza (at our own cost) and there was a breathtaking view of the mountain side of snow. Then we went outside to the snow were there was a small walk you could do on the flat and some people was coming down off the slopes from skiing. Here there was cut-out boards up of two people in skiing gear (hats and snow boots), it had two holes in the head so you could put your face into it. So you could get your photo taken and pretend you were skiing.

If you look closely at the building you could see icicles which were huge. Also you could see over the mountain cliffs. I have to warn you something I didn't realise and that is to wear sunglasses as the snow seems very bright white and you don't realise at the time but it is hurting your eyes. Once we went inside our eyes were really sore and we seen a green haze. It took several minutes for them to settle. It was lovely just to get out to see the powdery snow and to soak in the surroundings.

**OVERALL**

I would have liked to have done this tour by myself and had more time so I could have explored the area better. I did enjoy the time I did spend here and thought it was a great place to visit as it was completely different to normal sightseeing and was a beautiful place.

Even the drive to Engelberg was beautiful with lots of typical Swedish houses dotted along the way. I would advise anyone to go here if they got the chance. It really is a lovely place however it wouldn't be easy to get to if you had children as they have the gondolas which you have to share with other people. You do have a slightly bumpy ride to get up and need to have good balance or hold onto the gondolas. I would recommend it more for older children around 10 or so who wouldn't be scared of this experience.

**HOW TO GET THERE**

To get there by car you take the A2 Motorway to "Stans Sud", then the main toad up to Engelberg (20 minutes). You park right by the Valley Station and will see the centre for you to go up.

To get there by train or boat you take the "Zental-bahn" railway to Engelberg or on the boat from Lucern to Stansstad followed by the bus or train to Engelberg.

If you want more information or to make a reservation the address is Titlis Rotair CH-6390 Engelberg. The telephone number is +41(0)416395050 and the fax number is +41(0)416395060. To email the address is titlis@titlis.ch and the web address is www.titlis.ch. 

...less