switzerland   Travel for Kids
   
     
   

Switzerland

Swiss scenery

Switzerland is small in size, but half the country is the breathtaking Swiss Alps, and as you travel Switzerland with kids you'll hear three different languages spoken – French, German and Italian. Cities are situated on sparking turquoise lakes, villages nestle on slopes above green valleys, and high altitude trains zip up and down the mountains.

    Zurich
    Basel
    Northeast
    Central - Lucerne
    Bern (Berne)
    Bernese Oberland
 
Interlaken
    Valais - Zermatt
    Lake Geneva Region
    Geneva
Hiking trail sign
 

Wanderweg – Hiking with kids in Switzerland is a must do, even if it's just an easy stroll on a green hillside with cows grazing, panoramas of snow covered peaks in the distance. Everywhere in Switzerland are hiking trails, very well marked with yellow "Wanderweg" signs.

   

Ride the trains – Switzerland has some of the most amazing train rides in the world, with panoramic views of glaciers and snow covered peaks. Some trains go where there are no cars, such as the trains to Zermatt or Wengen. There's a variety of trains, from cogwheel railways or steam trains that inch up the mountains, to the Top of Europe – Jungfraujoch railway that runs inside the mountain and arrives at a station high in the Alps.

   

Fun food

   

Ice cream. Think of all those cows, and Swiss ice cream is special. Kids will want to try local gelato (part of Switzerland is Italian speaking), as well as one of our favorites, Movenpick. So many flavors to choose from, such as edelweiss blueberry, swiss chocolate, raspberry, mint cocoa, swiss honey almond, and more.

     

The Swiss are famous for their chocolates, and kids will want to sample them at every opportunity, plus hot chocolate is very good, year round.

     

Sample the Switzerland's most famous dish, cheese fondue. It is a melange of cheeses, usually Gruyere, Appenzeller and Emmentaler. Kids will enjoy dipping bread, or sometimes vegetables, into the hot cheese.

family hotels switzerland

Travel for Kids has so many fun things to do with kids in Switzerland, but you'll need a fun place to stay.

Here's our own Travel for Kids hand-picked list of family hotels in Switzerland all styles and price ranges, in neighborhoods comfortable for families, and near to places you'll want to explore:

 
Zurich Interlaken
Bern Geneva
kids books switzerland
     
dog diaries barry  
Dog Diaries: Barry
Kate Klimo, Tim Jessell

True stories of Saint Bernard dogs and monks who rescue people lost in snowstorms, or even buried in avalanches. Barry, the finest dog, attacks robbers, brings back a baby, saves more than forty lives. (Chapter book)

 

     
Dogs in the Dead of Night
Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie are whirled back in time to the Great Saint Bernard Pass in the Swiss Alps. Immediately buried by an avalanche, the children are rescued by Saint Bernard dogs and monks in the monastery. They meet Barry, the most heroic dog, and for a time, Jack and Annie find out what it's like to be a Saint Bernard. (Easy reader)

 

 
dogs in the dead of night
     
heidi  
Heidi
Johanna Spyri,
Lisa Church, Karl James Mountford

Retelling of best loved story of Switzerland, little Heidi comes to the mountains to live with her grandfather. She runs through alpine meadows with Peter and the goats, helps her friend Clara to walk again, and brings joy and love to her grandfather.

 

TfK Blog
TfK Blog