Holiday travel tips and experiences: mount titlis

16 Days Europe Vacation Package Day 7 Lucerne – Engelberg - Interlaken

16 Days Europe Tour – White Christmas Day 7 Lucerne – Engelberg - Interlaken

After breakfast at Astoria Hotel Lucerne, Switzerland, we started the day by taking an early morning walk around Lucerne. Ricky, our tour manager from Chan Brothers, brought us to the lake to feed the swans and seagulls. Check out the blog post on Lucerne Switzerland - Lucerne Tourist where you will be able to see the video on that interesting moment of Feeding Seagulls, so close with nature.

Breakfast in Hotel Astoria Lucerne

We also managed to take some beautiful pictures of the Chapel Bridge, some interesting buildings as well and we finally ended at Bucherer and Gubelin, two of the famous watch shops in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Chapel Bridge, the oldest covered wooden bridge

Holiday Travel Tips:-

As tourists, we were given a voucher for a free souvenir spoon at Bucherer’s as well as a chance to win a Rolex watch at Gubelin by guessing the 3 correct numbers, failing which you get a ‘gold bar’ comprising two pieces of chocolates which still makes you a winner.

After giving us some time to shop, we then met at the pre-arranged meeting point to visit the Lion Monument in Lucerne which is carved out of the cliff. Remarkable craftsmanship!

Lucerne Lion Monument

Next, we began our ascent to Mount Titlis, our next adventure. Here we had our lunch at the restaurant before spending time playing in the snow and taking lots of photographs.

Mount Titlis

Holiday Travel Tips:-

If you intend to visit Mt Titlis especially in winter, when temperatures could drop below 10 degrees Centigrade, do come prepared for the cold. It is good to wear a few layers …………… and also bring along your sunglasses as the sun can be very glaring up in the mountain.

View on the way up to Mount Titlis

Check out Mount Titlis for more holiday travel tips and spectacular pictures.

Lindner Grand Hotel Beau Rivage

After having fun on the mountain, we proceeded to Interlaken, a city between 2 lakes. Here we checked in for the night at Interlaken Lindner Grand Hotel Beau Rivage, a beautiful 5 star hotel in Interlaken. This lovely hotel was home for two nights. What good fortune!

After freshening up, we walked across town to Bebbi’s Restaurant to have fondue dinner. It was an interesting experience where we started off with salad, followed by bread dipped in cheese fondue, then meat and later fruits dipped in chocolate fondue.

Bebbi's Restaurant

Again we experienced snowfall as we walked back to our hotel. This has been an extremely wonderful Europe vacation package and we have had the good fortune to have fun in the snow.

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Lucerne Switzerland - Lucerne Tourist

Are you intending to visit Lucerne Switzerland?

We were on a 16 days Europe vacation package recently and Lucerne Switzerland was one of our stops where we did the usual things a Lucerne tourist would do.

We started the day by feeding seagulls at the Reuss River in the city of Lucerne in Switzerland. The fourth largest river in Switzerland, we enjoyed some wonderful moments feeding seagulls and swans there. It was almost being at one with nature.

Feeding the swan

Posing with a seagull

Feeding the seagulls

Another interesting Lucerne tourist attraction that is a 'must-see' is the Kapellbrucke, better known as the Chapel Bridge. During the spring and summer months, you will see the bridge brightened up with lovely flowers.

The must-see Kapellbrucke or Chapel Bridge

You can see the 140 metre high brick water tower alongside the Chapel Bridge which has served its purpose as a prison, torture chamber watchtower as well as treasury through the centuries.

At 204 metres long, this is the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe made up entirely of wood and crosses the Ruess River. Interestingly, whilst crossing the bridge built in 1333, you will be able to enjoy some paintings from the 17th century which were painted directly on the triangular spaces between the wooden gables that were not destroyed by the 1993 fire.

You will see this as you walk along the Chapel Bridge

One of the 17th century paintings on the wooden gables of this historical bridge

The other end of Chapel Bridge

View taken from the Kapellbrucke

Here's a picture of a Jesuit church along the banks of the River Reuss.

Jesuit church

Here are more Lucerne Switzerland pictures that we took as a Lucerne tourist whilst walking the streets to our destination to check out the famous Swiss watches.

Interesting building

Picturesque restaurant

We also passed by a shop that was known as 'Rent-A-Box'. Here is a novel idea for individuals with high-end jewelry and accessories to literally rent-a-box to display their wares and for other to rent the items for a specific period of time for a certain price.

The Rent-A-Box unit

Check out the RentABox video to see what Ricky, our tour manager, has to say about it.

Colourful clock

Lively street

Unique structure

Upon reaching the shopping district, we headed for Bucherer, the flagship store of Switzerland's best known watch and high-end jewelry dealer. Here, we managed to add another Bucherer souvenir spoon to our collection. This is only given to tourists.

The flagship store of Bucherer

More brand name watches

Specially designed watch

In the vicinity of the watch giants

Interested in winning a watch? Visit Gubelin

Even if you do not win a watch, you will at least win this 'gold' bar... :)

Another must-see Lucerne tourist attraction is the Lion Monument. also known as the Lion of Lucerne. This is a sculpture that commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. Also known as the Dying Lion of Lucerne, this sculpture was carved out of natural rock on-site.

Dying Lion of Lucerne

The Lion lies in his lair in the perpendicular face of a low cliff — for he is carved from the living rock of the cliff. His size is colossal, his attitude is noble. His head is bowed, the broken spear is sticking in his shoulder, his protecting paw rests upon the lilies of France. Vines hang down the cliff and wave in the wind, and a clear stream trickles from above and empties into a pond at the base, and in the smooth surface of the pond the lion is mirrored, among the water-lilies.

Around about are green trees and grass. The place is a sheltered, reposeful woodland nook, remote from noise and stir and confusion — and all this is fitting, for lions do die in such places, and not on granite pedestals in public squares fenced with fancy iron railings. The Lion of Lucerne would be impressive anywhere, but nowhere so impressive as where he is.
– Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880

On the way to the Lion Monument of Lucerne

Whilst on the way to Mount Titlis, we managed to snap some interesting Lucerne Switzerland pictures. Check them out...

One of my favourite Lucerne Switzerland pictures

We went up to Mount Titlis from Englebert to the summit of Mt Titlis via gondola, cable car and the world's first rotating cable car which gives you a stunning view of the scenery.

Mount Titlis, 3,020 metres above sea level

I would not be doing Mt Titlis justice if I did not have a blog post just for that... So, please carry on to Mount Titlis to check out even more spectacular pictures of our journey up to the summit as well as the glacier cave.

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Mount Titlis

As part of our Europe vacation package, we were excited to be able to visit Mount Titlis, the highest destination in Central Switzerland.

According to Wiki, Mt Titlis stands at 3,238 meters in the Umer Alps of Switzerland and is famous as the site for the world's first revolving cable car which connects the Engelbert to the summit of Klein Titlis through Gerschnialp, Trubsee and Stand. The last part of the cable car way leads above the glacier where you will see some pictures of a glacier cave below.

WOW! With Mt Titlis in the background

This is the Engelbert ticket counter for the trip up to Mt Titlis via cable car to Trubsee, then gondola to Stand, followed by the 360 degrees revolving Rotair to the summit of Titlis.

Ticket counter

On the way up

Hopping onto the cable car

View from the cable car

Beautiful and scenic view on the way up to Mt Titlis

Getting off the Mt Titlis cable car at Trubsee station

Trubsee Station at 1800 metres

Stop for the skiers where you can find gradual slopes

Next part of the journey up to Titlis via gondola

Going up...

Reaching Stand station

From Stand station, you take the Rotair, the world's first revolving cable car, up to the summit of Mt Titlis. Total journey time from Engelbert to Titlis takes less than an hour.

Mt Titlis Rotair - first revolving cable car

The entire floor of the Rotair slowly rotates, giving you a 360 degrees view of the stunning scenery.

Beautiful

Spectacular

Breathtaking

Panoramic

Mountainscape

Upon reaching Mt Titlis summit, you can check out the glacier cave where 3,000 cubic metre of ice were excavated.

Glacier cave information

Mt Titlis glacier cave

Another view of the glacier cave

Holiday Travel Tips:-

Food in Europe is not cheap and our meal for the six of us came up to Chf150 (USD172.65).

Restaurant on Mt Titlis

Time for a break

Lunch in the cozy restaurant

Western food

Thumbs up!

MOO.............

Outside a souvenir shop

Taking in the spectacular view of Mt Titlis from the warm cover of the building

Holiday Travel Tips:-

If you intend to visit Mt Titlis especially in winter, when temperatures could drop below 10 degrees Centigrade, do come prepared for the cold. It is good to wear a few layers of clothing and our winter scarves as well... Do not forget to bring along some heat packs as well just in case... :)

Another scenic view of Mount Titlis

Happiness!

Don't worry... I'll catch you if you fall!

Holiday Travel Tips:-
Remember to bring along your sunglasses to shield your eyes as the sun can be very glaring up in the mountains.

Up at the Mount Titlis summit, 3,020 metres above sea level

Holiday Travel Tips:-
Being high up at 3,020 metres above sea level, if you feel dizzy due to the thin oxygen level, drink some Coke as per our tour manager to bring up your glucose level and you should feel better. Also, do not run or do anything too energetic that will cause you to use up too much oxygen. This is basically advice for us who are not used to such heights.