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Switzerlan-Munich-Vienna in December with toddler

Posted by (asia) on

hello!
we're planning to travel to these places in mid December, we're looking at 14-16 days. no car. nothing has been booked yet but this a rough idea on what we have in mind:

  1. fly in Vienna, spend 4 days there (perhaps do a day trip to bratislava)
  2. from Vienna, train to Munich, 3 or 4 days there
  3. from Munich, train to Zurich, 4 days there (perhaps a day trip to Lucerne)
  4. last stop will be Geneva maybe 2 or 3 days? (flying out from Geneva)

based on your experiences, would these be too much/rushing to travel with a 2 year old on hand?

we're actually thinking of adding another stop in Switzerland. which stop/city would you recommend to stop in between Zurich and Geneva?

we prefer to ride by train, would luggage be a problem?

this is our first time experiencing winter/snow/christmas so would really appreciate any insights or recommendations! we're not sure how it's going to be like so any feedbacks would be appreciated.
we would like to visit attractions, sightseeing, christmas markets of course! more of a relaxed fun holiday. no sports/adventures i suppose since we'll be with a toddler.

would really love a memorable holiday at one of our dream destinations :)

thank you in advance!

Posted by
2955 posts

I would not stay in Zurich. Would not stay in Geneva either. The big cities are not the most interesting parts of the country. And they are expensive. Also do not expect there to be snow in those places in mid December.

I would stay in Luzern (so travel Munich - Luzern), and maybe have Vevey or Montreux as the next stop, and then maybe one night in Geneva before flying out.

From Luzern you could easily do excursions to Rigi and or Titlis, where there will be snow.

Posted by
3 posts

thank you for the recommendation! will definitely look into Lucerne.
we've never been to Switzerland before so we really do not know where we should go, weather etc so really appreciate your insight.

if we were to stay in Lucerne and do a day trip to Zurich, do you think that'll work? as we wanted to visit the Lindt Chocolate & Fifa museum if time suffice.

you mentioned that there's no snow, how would the weather be like then? :)

Posted by
22126 posts

Yes, a day trip from Luzern to Zurich to see the FIFA Museum and Lindt factory would work. It is only about 1 hour train to Zurich Enge station by the FIFA Museum and there is a direct train (currently) at 6:20 am and 7:20 am, but lots of trains with a single connection. Returning to Luzern, you can stop at Kilchberg to see the Lindt factory.

In about a dozen flights to Zurich in January, I have only seen snow on the ground twice. But not to worry, you will see snow in the mountains. Take the scenic Golden Pass train from Luzern to Montreux on the way to Geneva and you will travel through the mountains and see snow.

You might benefit from the 6-day Swiss Travel Pass for you time in Switzerland. Besides the travel benefits, it does include free the entry at the FIFA Museum.

Posted by
17 posts

Any traveling with young kids means you need to readjust your expectations from what you could do and see before they came along, so don’t plan to pack in too much into a day and make time for naps. Sounds like you are doing that with 3-4 days in each city.
Switzerland is great with kids - there are playground areas on the first car of IC (Intercity) trains and lots of playgrounds around.
For train travel, its best to pack light and be able to carry your luggage and your child all together as some connections between trains can only be a few minutes long so it might be hard to make the connection if you are ferrying luggage back and forth or trying to push too many things. Have a good carrier for your child like Ergobaby instead of a stroller. Mamalila is a great German brand that makes jackets to wear when carrying babies on your front or back so it might be handy in winter weather.
I traveled to Switzerland when my daughter was 2 yr old and she loved it. She also got very clingy if she saw us packing up our hotel room and needed to be held so we started packing at night while she was asleep and it worked a lot better!
Have a great trip!

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