Engelberg and the Titlis
More of our Central Switzerland properties are in Engelberg than anywhere else. It is a resort town grown up around a Benedictine monastery. The Titlis cable cars climb to the glacier, the last section in a rotating cabin, and the top runs give a long season. In summer the lifts serve walks around the Trübsee lake. The Zentralbahn train runs from Lucerne in around 45 minutes, and Zurich airport is about an hour and a quarter by car.
Best for: Skiers and walkers who want high mountains an hour from Lucerne
Not for you if: You want a sleepy village: Engelberg is a busy year-round resort with tour groups on the Titlis.
Sörenberg and the Entlebuch (Sörenberg, Flühli, Schüpfheim, Escholzmatt, Marbach)
The Entlebuch is a UNESCO biosphere reserve of moorland, farms and forested hills between Lucerne and Bern. Sörenberg is its main resort, with gentle skiing and a cable car up the Brienzer Rothorn, which looks over Lake Brienz from the top. Marbach has its own small ski area. Prices are lower than around the lake. Lucerne is around 50 minutes away and Zurich airport about an hour and a half.
Best for: Families who want low-key skiing and rolling walking country
Not for you if: You want snow-sure skiing in March or April: the slopes are low and the season can end early.
Lucerne and the Rigi shore (Lucerne, Weggis, Vitznau)
Lucerne has the covered Chapel Bridge, a walkable old town and boats to almost every village on the lake. Weggis and Vitznau face south across the water at the foot of the Rigi. From Vitznau a rack railway climbs to the summit, and from Weggis a cable car goes up to Rigi Kaltbad. Lucerne station is around an hour from Zurich airport by train or car.
Best for: Couples and first-timers who want lake steamers, a city and easy excursions
Not for you if: You want to ski from the door: you'll drive or take the train to Engelberg for that.
Lake Sarnen and Obwalden (Sarnen, Giswil, Bürglen, Alpnach, Melchtal, Flüeli-Ranft, Brünig)
Lake Sarnen is smaller and calmer than Lake Lucerne, with lidos at Sarnen and Giswil. Alpnachstad, at the foot of Pilatus, has the steep cogwheel railway up the mountain. Melchtal leads up to the Melchsee-Frutt plateau, and the Brünig Pass crosses into the Bernese Oberland near Meiringen. Giswil has a small family ski area at Mörlialp. Lucerne is 20 to 40 minutes away.
Best for: Families who want a quiet lake, swimming and Pilatus nearby
Not for you if: You want evening restaurants and shops within walking distance: most of these villages are small.
Emmetten and Seelisberg (south shore of Lake Lucerne)
Emmetten sits above Beckenried with lifts up to the Klewenalp and Stockhütte area, small for skiing but good for winter walks and summer hiking. Seelisberg looks down on the Rütli meadow, where the Swiss founding oath is said to have been sworn, and the Swiss Path walking trail around the Urnersee starts here. Boats from Treib and Beckenried link to Lucerne. Zurich airport is around an hour and a quarter away.
Best for: Walkers who want lake views and quiet villages above the water
Not for you if: You don't want to drive narrow hill roads: both villages sit high above the lake.
Brunnen and the Urnersee (Brunnen, Sisikon, Morschach, Seewen, Altdorf)
The eastern arm of Lake Lucerne is narrower and more fjord-like, with the Axenstrasse road cut into the cliffs between Brunnen and Flüelen. Morschach sits on a terrace above Brunnen, close to Stoos, a car-free village reached by one of the steepest funiculars in the world, with skiing and the Fronalpstock ridge walk. Altdorf has the William Tell monument. Zurich is about an hour by car.
Best for: Lakeside walks, boat trips and the car-free village of Stoos
Not for you if: You want calm water every day: the föhn wind can blow hard down this arm of the lake.
