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Mount Titlis Tours › Trübsee: the Lake Below Mount Titlis, and Why Groups Stop ThereUpdated 2026-09-26

Trübsee: the Lake Below Mount Titlis, and Why Groups Stop There

Hours, prices and access verified by the Mount Titlis Tours team — last checked 2026-09-26.

A valley village spread across green meadows below forested slopes and rock peaks

The short answer. Trübsee is the middle station of the Titlis cable cars, at about 1,800 metres, beside a lake of the same name. Your ticket to the summit lets you step off there on the way down. In summer you can walk round the lake, row on it and let children loose in the free adventure park. Allow at least an hour. In 2026 it is also where many tour groups eat, because summit time is short.

Most people ride straight past Trübsee on the way up. On the way down it is worth the stop. The glacier is behind you, the air is several degrees warmer, and an alpine lake lies at the foot of Titlis. This year it matters more than usual: while the summit station is rebuilt, several coach tours send their groups here for lunch. If you are booking a Mount Titlis day tour, here is what the stop can hold.

Where Trübsee is, and what the name means

The gondolas from Engelberg stop at Trübsee on their way to Stand and the summit. The station is at about 1,800 metres, and the lake lies just below it, at 1,764 metres. The name means "turbid lake". Its first cable car was built in 1927, from Gerschnialp; since 2016 the gondolas run straight from the valley to Trübsee.

Two facts few visitors know. The lake is a hydroelectric reservoir: its water feeds the underground Trübsee power station, opened in 1968, near Engelberg. And although you reach it from Engelberg, in the canton of Obwalden, the lake itself belongs to the municipality of Wolfenschiessen, in Nidwalden.

What to do at Trübsee in summer

ActivityWhenGood for
Walk round the lakeSummerEveryone; the simplest stop
Rowing and kayaks on the lakeSummerCouples, families
Adventure park: BagJump, trampolines, pump trackSummer, freeChildren and teenagers
Schmuggli's playground and treasure huntSummerYounger children
Trübsee Flyer zipline towards the lakeSummer and winterAnyone after a thrill
Älplerseil cableway across the valleySummer, CHF 12 one wayA view back to the lake

The walk round the lake is the simplest way to spend the stop, and it needs nothing beyond the ticket you already hold. Rowing boats and kayaks go out on the lake in summer. The adventure park, with its BagJump Tower, trampolines, bike pump track and slackline, is free during the summer season.

If you have more time, the Schmuggli's Sbrinz trail is a riddle hike of about an hour and a half, from the Hüethütte to the alpine cheese dairy at Untertrübsee. And the Trübsee Flyer zipline sends you, alone or in pairs, from above the Trübsee Hotel down towards the lake, in summer and in winter.

Useful tip. The Engelberg–Trübsee gondola runs until 17:15, with the last ride up at 17:00. That is later than the summit, so you can come down from the glacier and still have an unhurried hour at the lake.

How long to give it

That depends on how you came up.

  • On your own ticket: as long as you like. An hour covers the walk round the lake; half a day covers the lake, the playground and a meal.
  • On a Keytours day from Lucerne: there is an optional stop of about 30 minutes on the way down.
  • On the Gray Line day from Zurich: the stop at the lake is about 10 minutes, long enough for photographs.
  • On a Best of Switzerland day in 2026: after about an hour at the summit, the group comes down to Trübsee, where the restaurants are.

If you want a proper stop, the cableway's own ticket lets you break the ride on the way down for as long as you like. The summer return from Engelberg to the summit is CHF 102; a return to Trübsee alone is CHF 38. The fares page lists every section and discount.

Getting to Trübsee on your own

You do not need a summit ticket to visit the lake. From the valley station in Engelberg the gondola to Trübsee costs CHF 27 one way or CHF 38 return in summer. A Swiss Travel Pass or a Half Fare Card halves those fares, and a Lucerne Travel Pass covers them. Children aged 6 to 15 pay half.

From Engelberg station, the free local bus runs to the valley stations. The gondola starts at 08:30, so you can reach the lake early and have the shore almost to yourself before the day visitors arrive from the summit.

Trübsee in autumn and winter

Trübsee changes with the season, and autumn 2026 brings a few closures. The Engelberg–Trübsee section 1 is closed on weekdays from 26 to 31 October 2026, and Line 2 carries you to Trübsee instead. The Trübsee–Jochpass chairlift ends its summer season on 25 October. The Älplerseil is closed from 1 to 30 November.

Important. Lift closures in late October and November change from year to year. Check the seasonal schedule for the dates before you plan a stop.

In winter the lake freezes and Trübsee becomes the snow playground. The snow park has balancers, minibobs and snow tubes, with a moving belt to take you back up. There are snowshoe trails, and from the age of 12 you can race e-snowmobiles at the TITLIS SnowXpark near the station. The tubes that run at the summit in summer move down here from December to April.

Combining Trübsee with the summit

The usual order is summit first, then Trübsee on the way down. You reach the glacier while the snow is firm, then come down to the lake for a long lunch. Everything at the top is on things to do on Mount Titlis, and if you are wondering why the summit is short on tours this year, read the Rotair and its 2026 pause.

For a guided day that ends here, the half day from Lucerne and the day from Zurich both go down through Trübsee in 2026. Every city day is on the Mount Titlis and Lucerne day tour from Zurich page, and the visitor guide covers food and facilities across the mountain.

Where these facts come from

Days that stop at the lake

Next: pack for both heights with what to wear on Mount Titlis. Every guided day, private car and cable car ticket to the glacier sits side by side on Mount Titlis Tours.