3 days in Engelberg?
 

Hi everyone!

Wife and I are going to Switzerland for the first time ever this coming October and we haven't managed to tackle a few nagging questions.

- Is Engelberg good for staying around 3 full days?
We want to go up Titlis, and try their ice cave and the bridge.
We also want to try our hand at skiing for the first time ever with one of the ski schools up there.
-Must we pay for the rotating cablecar again if we wish to go skiing on an alternate date or is there another way up?
- Must we take the chair-lift, from the top of the rotating cable car in order to be able to get to the ski schools and pistes?
-Is hiking good this time of year?
- Are there places to just sit and take in the view and have a relaxing day off?
-Would you recommend maybe a 4th day in Engelberg and suggest any other activities?

After that we are planning on spending 2 days in Lucerne. We wish to visit the old town, take the ferry around the lake, visit the dying lion sculpture and visit the transport museum.
-Is there anything else in particular you would recommend we do?
-Would you recommend a longer stay in Lucerne as opposed to Engelberg?


Thank you so much for your help, my apologies for the many questions but weeks of planning have not managed to clear these up for us!

- Yes, Engelberg is a good place to stay for 3 full days in my opinion. Skiing up there on Titlis for beginners wouldn't be my recommendation. The pistes there are on a glacier and not exactly gentle - better for advanced skiers.

- You must take the rotating cable car again, yes, but the fare for that one is included in the ski pass. No other way up.

- From the top station of the rotating cable car you walk to the ski school and pistes, but once you skied down you of course have to take the chair lift up again :-) Included in the ski pass, too.

- I enjoyed hiking very much in October in that area, but you could also be totally out of luck with lots of snow or rain and cold. One never knows. In general I'd say, early/mid October is very good for hiking.

- Plenty of very nice places to walk or hike to around Engelberg. Depending on your exact dates of staying there the Brunni cable car might still be in operation (Opposite side of the valley), or the Fürenalp cable car. There are lots of easy walking/hiking trails around the town with beautiful views. Also, going up to Titlis, there are two 'middle' stations at Gerschnialp and Trübsee where you can just sit or walk around the lake or so.

- Definitely see the Benedictine monastery/church in Engelberg.

- You did a good research job about Lucerne, I think. That's enough to do in 2 days.
- I personally love the mountains more than the cities, so longer in Engelberg is fine with me. No idea about you, though. You could always do excursions from either Lucerne or Engelberg if you feel you have seen everything there. Stans is a cute little town half way between the two, then there's the Bürgenstock massif by the lake, the upscale hotel resort with nice flat walks and the famous Hammetschwand elevator. And the glass workshop in Hergiswil between Stans and Lucerne.

Ingo!

Thank you so much for your thorough, well thought-out reply, we will definitely be using your post to seal the deal and get our bookings done in the next few minutes. Once again, thank you for your help and effort!