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Me and my 5 year-old in Switzerland for 40 days

Looking for wisdom from those that have been there before ;)

My daughter and I will be in Switzerland, mostly in the mountains (falling back to Luzern and …? when we come down from the huts), for about 40 days. For the first 2 weeks my wife will be with us. We will be flying into and out of ZRH, but will not be staying in Zurich for any real amount of time.

We have been going to Switzerland for years and I am hoping that the accumulated knowledge of this group can help this trip be a bit more memorable, and FUN, for the little person!

We have been to Switzerland and the Alps (huts) twice before with her when she was 3-1/2 and then 4-1/2 and she was a trooper each time. She even made it up to the Hirli for Basecamp Matterhorn. Each time she took twice as many steps as I did and only complained 1/2 as much ;)

That being said she still likes to stop at every playground and whatnot in the towns and in the mountains. We try to make sure that we stop at most of them—we feel that to make the trip fun for her then the trip has to ‘bend’ around her a little bit, what she likes, her stamina, her energy. In a way, we just have to think about what would be fun for her and try to mix that into the big picture.

After Mom leaves we may even camp out some, otherwise we will mostly be staying in SAC-CAS huts in the mountains and hostels in town. I plan on picking up a little potty from Ikea outside of ZRH (6CHF, and well spent) like we have the last two times (I wish I could take a port-a-potty for me) and that should help with camping pottying but still a little hassle to clean.

ANY tips? Children in Switzerland, camping, fun things to do (boats, lifts, etc.)? Dads with children (bathrooms with dads and little girls in Switzerland)?

Additional twist: I am celiac but she is not, just fyi. Lucky kiddo :)

Thanks!

Posted by
8889 posts

Sounds like you've got everything well thought out.
Dad's bringing daughters into male public toilets in Switzerland to use the cubicles will not raise any eyebrows.
Bring plenty of water if you are walking. You probably know this already, but all the water fountains you see in each village, and sometimes along hiking tracks, are drinking water. Get her a small water bottle and a small backpack, and she can fill up her bottle and stick her hands in the water, just like Dad.

Posted by
3398 posts

Wooly Park in Zermatt is fun for kids.
The Alpenhorn Festival in Nendaz is fantastic! Get there early to get a spot in the parking garage, take the lift up into the mountains and enjoy hundreds of alpenhornists from all over the world in an amazing setting. In the middle of the day they all perform together in a grassy field overlooking the mountains. Stunning! Food, traditional dance, farmers parading with their cowbells hanging from their necks, crafts, very local and interesting!
Take a steamer across Lake Geneva.
Visit Chateau Chillon on Lake Geneva.
Above Verbier at the top of the road is Le Croix de Coeur restaurant - it has an outdoor trampoline. You can have a drink and enjoy the view - she can jump to her heart's content. There is a small field behind the restaurant where planes take off and land from the top of the mountain.
If you want to venture over to Chamonix (just an hour from Martigny to the south) there is a great kids amusement park that would be perfect for her age.
Take her up to the St. Bernard Pass to see the St. Bernard dogs where they have been bred for a few hundred years. Allegedly, this is also where Hannibal crossed the Alps with his elephants!
Hope these suggestions help!

Posted by
271 posts

These are great! Wow at how they price the park near Chamonix ;) I like the idea of rope parks and slaloms.

I am going to get the information together (prices, addresses, times, events) and put it in Notability and Google Maps before we leave.

MySwitzerland has some good info regarding festivals, too- -the Alpenhorn festival got me thinking...

Posted by
12040 posts

How old is the daughter, BTW?

The most kid-friendly resort I have seen in the Swiss Alps is Flumserberg (SE of Zurich in St. Gallen canton). Most of the lift stations have playgrounds, and if you ride to the top of the mountain, the hiking trails near the summit are relatively flat. You could even comfortably push a stoller, if needed. The region also promotes itself as "Heidi-land" and most of the usual scientific, historic and cultural information panels have a kid-oriented "Heidi" angle.

For people with gluten allergies, the answers are obvious in Switzerland: rösti and raclette!

Posted by
271 posts

She is 5.

Adding something concerning celiac.

One of Rick's favorite places, and one of ours from before it was visited by Rick ;) , Berggasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli. It is run by Claudia and Beny Knechtle-Wyss. Claudi speaks excellent english while Beny sticks to the SchwiezerDeutsch. One of their son's friends has celiac (and his mother runs or used to run a small gluten free bakery in Ursilau) and if you tell Claudia she will be very careful cooking (or instructing Beny on the cooking of) your Roesti as far as cross-contamination goes. That is huge for celiac sufferers. Last thing you need in the mountains is diarrhea and 'intestinal discomfort'.

I've got a good GF pizza place in Luzern, too. On Spitalstrasse there is a gluten free restaurant called 'Restaurant Trattoria della nonna in Luzern'. Check out the menu. I try to send them as much business as I can so that they are there when I need them ;) Excellent pizza.

http://www.restaurant-dellanonna.ch/de/