Hello! My husband has a work trip to Fribourg (updated: potentially Bern) in mid March and my almost 4 year old and myself will be joining him. We will be staying 10 days and are looking to make day trips on the train and be back by 6pm. We only speak English and I'm a bit nervous to travel solo with her. We would appreciate any helpful information on traveling this time of year with a kiddo and what kind of day trips would be worth the visit! Thank you so much for the help!!
Posted by
Alaska
49 posts
Hi Rachelle!
Two websites that might help you in your planning are Swiss Family Fun and Swiss Family of Five. I have been reading their posts in preparation for our upcoming trip to Switzerland with 9, 7, and.4 year olds. Each website has information on different weekend trips the families have done in Switzerland, including towns that look to be near Fribourg. Happy planning!
Posted by
4959 posts
I don't know Fribourg, but it looks very well placed for day trips, smack in the middle of some excellent options! You are between Bern and Montreux, plus Gruyere.
I just wanted to assure you about train travel in Switzerland. You will almost always find someone who speaks English to help you (I saw attendants on most platforms), and things are just exceedingly well done. The bathrooms at train stations are even clean!
One thing I found helpful was asking for a slip that clearly listed where to change trains, then I could watch/listen for that station name while I was en route. The SBB app will also help with this. Otherwise, absolutely no worries.
Go to the SBB website first to read about your options for passes that will facilitate travel. good luck!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
You can find museums, zoos, and other activities for children on tourism sites such as these:
Posted by
OP
Austin, Texas
4 posts
Thank you for the advice and suggestions! I'm excited to look into them. Very helpful! We just got the update that we will most likely be in Bern so will be ending there each day.
Posted by
4959 posts
It will be fun with a child to take in all of the bear paraphernalia.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
Basing in Bern should be great—-we love that city. I will see what I can find and be back.
Posted by
OP
Austin, Texas
4 posts
Great to hear! Thank you in advance for any info!
I'm looking at a Swiss Travel Pass tickets and am unclear if I need to buy a ticket for my 3 year old (4 in May). Would you also recommend the flex pass for me? We will be there for 10 days but looks like getting it for just 10 days is not an option as it would need to be 8 or 15 days?
Posted by
OP
Austin, Texas
4 posts
One more note...I could use my husband's rental car to get to locations but not sure how difficult that would be. We are trying to keep the trip as affordable as possible but I know traveling in Switzerland is pricey.
Posted by
Nashville, TN
612 posts
Your 4 year old travels free on everything. You could look into getting the Half Fare Card if you’re unsure about a full Swiss Pass. This would give you 50% off everything (the price on SBB defaults to Half Fare Card pricing). A rental car won’t be helpful to you. Just enjoy the trains. They are efficient and often enjoyable for kids as they get to watch out the windows and stretch their legs. Look for the train cars that have a teddy bear on them - these have playgrounds inside! https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/individual-needs/travelling-with-children/train-children.html
And don’t be nervous about only speaking English. Almost everyone in Switzerland speaks English. All the train/SBB workers speak English and will help you if you’re confused. Put the google translate app on your phone (it translates live onto a photo for you of anything you need to translate) + the SBB app.
Posted by
Minneapolis
77 posts
Check out Blausee and Oeschinensee near Kandersteg. I meet a woman from Bern making the two locations a day trip. About an hour each way with a couple of hours at each location. Oeschinensee has at the top of the cable a toboggan ride. The lake is a 20 minute walk.
Switzerland seems to bring out the best in everyone. I agree with Wanderweg about the ease of traveling in Switzerland. You can use Google maps to verify that you used the SBB app correctly. Consider the bus an extension of the train. It stops at the parking lot of Blausee.