The apres-ski in Engelberg is much, much better than you’d expect from a town of 3,600 souls. The inhabitants of nearby Luzern treat Engelberg as their weekend retreat, which has given the nightlife an unexpected metropolitan sheen, and bequeathed the town with some of the best Alpine bars we know. The resort is a big hit with the Swedes too, which adds to the atmosphere. Admittedly, it’s no match for the leviathans of the apres-ski scene: St Anton, Ischgl, Meribel, Val Thorens and Verbier. But the bars are bursting on Friday and Saturday nights, and the sense of wonder many skiers bring back down from the mountain gives the place a relaxed and happy vibe.
Yucatan – on the ground floor of the Bellevue Hotel in the middle of town – is the most buzzing of Engelberg’s bars. With high ceilings, big tables, a long bar, and stripped-down decor it’s the kind of venue we’re always looking for in the Alps, but rarely find. Its livecam in the main bar works from 3pm, and as you’ll see, it’s usually rammed at the weekend from 5pm, but much mellower midweek.
The refurbished bar at Ski Lodge Engelberg is a good spot for a mellower drink.
Put the Spindle on your list too – check out its picture gallery for a taster. It too gets rammed at the weekends, though it’s more of a late-night destination, and can be completely dead midweek. We’d hang out in the Yucatan first and move onto the Spindle later.
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