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Fondue igloo: the restaurant of a special kind

A fine fondue in the middle of the ice – in the Igloo Restaurant on Engstligenalp you will experience two Swiss originals in a unique liaison. Our house blend of regional cheese and bread from the Beck in Adelboden await you here – you’re sure to find the perfect wine to go with it. We wish you “Ä Guete!” in the restaurant of a special kind. The best thing is to reserve your table in the fondue igloo right now!

Arrival and departure

By the way, you can easily get to the fondue igloo with our cable car. The cable car is in continuous operation between 08:45 and 17:00.

The additional rides of the cable car take place as follows (no reservation required):

  • Ascent for igloo guests at 7.30 pm
  • Descents for igloo guests at 7.30 and 10.00 pm

Arrival by public transport:
Our valley station “Unter dem Birg” is not accessible by public transport in the evening. Last connection from Adelboden, Unter dem Birg, 17.40 (bus direction Oey, connection to Frutigen).
Guests arriving by public transport in the evening are strongly recommended to make a cab reservation (at least 2 days in advance): 075 415 15 15

Prices

  • Fondue à discretionper person
    AdultsCHF 39
    Children (up to 15 years)CHF 24
    Group 10-49 p.: AdultsCHF 34
    Group 10-49 p.: ChildrenCHF 19
  • Fondue à discretion + Cable Car Ticketper person
    AdultsCHF 65
    Children (up to 15 years)CHF 37
    Group 10-49 p.: AdultsCHF 60
    Group 10-49 p.: ChildrenCHF 32

Impressions

An unforgettable experience

Whether for relaxation after an exciting day, for a family celebration in unique surroundings or for a little togetherness during a romantic dinner – there are many occasions for a meal in the ice! All by itself, the fondue dinner in the igloo restaurant thus becomes an unforgettable experience. And why not extend your stay and spend the night on Engstligenalp? Off to the igloo adventure!

A look behind the ice walls

The igloos belong to Engstligenalp just as snow belongs to winter – and have done so for almost 15 years. Behind the construction method hides skillful craftsmanship: large balloons are filled with air and filled with snow. After that, the balloon is removed and an igloo shell of snow remains. During the interior finishing, the snow is removed by hand and the snow walls inside are shaped according to the theme. Definitely an art in itself!

360° tour

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Frequently asked questions

  • Our snow restaurant is usually open from Thursday to Sunday, during the holidays and in the vacation season additionally on Wednesday. On Monday and Tuesday we usually have a day off due to maintenance work in the igloo. The detailed data incl. Service times can be found under opening hours.

  • You can redeem the printed voucher at the valley station of the Engstligenalp cable cars. There you will receive your train ticket and the voucher for the fondue in the igloo. If you have a voucher without a train ride, you can also hand in the voucher directly at the Igloo Restaurant. Please don’t forget to make your table reservation in advance at the Fondue Igloo.

  • By cable car. The first cable car departs at 8.15/8.45 am (see operating times for details) and the last cable car at 4.45 pm to Engstligenalp (additional trips for igloo guests: ascent and descent at 7.30 pm, descent at 10.00 pm).

  • No. The strength of the snow is enormously high. For this purpose, snow groomers were driven over the igloos for testing – they held up without any problems.

  • Additional rides for igloo guests: ascent 19.30 hrs | descent 19.30 hrs/22.00 hrs. By the way: With your fondue igloo booking you directly trigger the reservation of your additional ride. You do not need to make an additional reservation.

    For larger groups we are happy to organize other extra trips for an additional charge.

  • Our valley station “Unter dem Birg” is not accessible via public transport in the evening. The last connection to Adelboden, Oey with a connection to Frutigen leaves from the valley station (Adelboden, Unter dem Birg) at 17:40.
    Guests arriving or departing later by public transport are strongly recommended to book an AFA cab (at least 2 days in advance). Tel. 033 673 74 74 (office hours) or 075 415 15 15.

  • You can buy the train ticket and the fondue in the igloo conveniently at the ticket office of the valley station of the Engstligenalp AG mountain railroads.

  • The igloo can accommodate up to 120 guests in total. The individual igloos are divided by theme and can accommodate 20 – 40 people.

  • A reservation in advance is mandatory, especially if you would like to come at the weekend. For the very spontaneous, there are always places available during the week and in the early afternoon. Under Reservations you can already reserve your table for the fondue in the snow.

  • You are welcome to bring your four-legged friend to eat in the ice cream. However, do not forget the warm base, so that your darling does not freeze on the snowy ground.

  • CHF 39 for adults, CHF 24 for children (6-15). There is a discount for groups of 10 or more.

  • We serve our guests a regional cheese blend. We are also happy to prepare non-alcoholic, gluten-free, lactose-free or vegan fondues by appointment.

  • The meal in the fondue igloo can be ideally combined with an overnight stay in our mountain hotel / chalet Wildstrubel or also in the sleeping igloo. The fondue igloo is located right next to the mountain hotel – so nothing stands in the way of a convivial evening on our alp!
    Our room rates include half board (dinner at the mountain hotel). When booking online, you can add the fondue igloo under additional services (surcharge CHF 16 per adult). We will gladly reserve you the table in the fondue igloo.
    By the way: if you have a voucher for the fondue igloo, please note this when booking. Your voucher will of course be credited to you.

    To the accommodation offer
  • Smoking is prohibited in all igloos.

  • For our younger guests or those who do not like cheese, we are happy to prepare Hörnli Napoli or Bolognese on advance order.

  • No, but you may of course use the toilet of the neighboring mountain hotel.

  • It’s best to wear ski clothes and well-insulated, warm shoes. Jeans or normal street shoes are not particularly suitable because of the cold.

  • Temperatures range between -3 °C and +3 °C. This depends, among other things, on how many guests are in the ice cream restaurant. Warm clothes (preferably ski clothes) and especially warm shoes go without saying. We can provide a limited number of blankets.

  • The Igloo Restaurant is located about 100 meters below the top station of the cable car directly next to the Berghotel Engstligenalp on the right side – it is very easy to reach on foot.

  • Of course, this is possible. Our room rates include half board (dinner at the mountain hotel). When booking online, you can add the fondue igloo under additional services (surcharge CHF 16 per person). We will gladly reserve you the table in the fondue igloo. Please note the opening hours of the Fondue Igloo.
    By the way: if you have a voucher for the fondue igloo, please note this when booking. Your voucher will of course be credited to your booking.

  • Engstligenalp is located in the Bernese Oberland on a beautiful plateau near Adelboden.

    Arrival by car: Enter Adelboden at the traffic circle, turn left and drive 4 kilometers into the valley until you reach the cable car station.

    Arrival by public transport: from Frutigen by bus to bus stop “Adelboden Oey”, change bus there and get off at the last stop “Adelboden Unter dem Birg”. The bus stop is located directly at the valley station of the cable car.

    The cable car ride up to Engstligenalp takes about 7 minutes.

  • The last ascent up to Engstligenalp departs at 5.00 pm (during the summer vacations at 5.50 pm). If you would like to stay overnight with us and arrive later, please contact us by phone (033 673 22 91) or by e-mail.

  • The season always lasts from December to April. Due to weather conditions, a closure may be moved forward or back a few days.

A voucher for the fondue igloo is also always a unique gift idea!