my family - 2 teenage kids and wife have rented an apartment on Lake Lucern in the town of Vitznau. I'm open to any ideas to keep kids entertained. We have a car and are planning on visiting the Shilthorn or YoungFrau - both are $$$, have not decided which one to visit.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32200 posts
bean,
You won't be visiting either the Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch with a car, as there are no cars in those locations. You'll have to drive to either Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg and use the pay parking. Of the two sites you mentioned, the Schilthorn will be slightly cheaper. Depending on what other touring you're planning to do in Switzerland, it may be worthwhile to buy on of the Swiss Passes, such as the Half Fare card (you'll have to do the number crunching on that).
It would help to know when this trip is taking place.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
If your 2 kids are < 16 years old they'll travel for free on public transport (trains, gondolas, funiculars, buses, boats) all over Switzerland with you as long as you have a free Swiss Family Card. Excursion to the Jungfrau is best started in the Lauterbrunnen Valley area as it takes a long while to reach the time. Attempting to start that journey from Lucerne is just too long sitting on the train and lots of wasted time. Yes, that trip is very expensive and yes, your kids will travel 100% free to the Jungfrau AND to the Schilthorn with the Swiss Family Card. Vitznau on Lake Lucerne is a beautiful area although rather isolated and more on the lines of a retirement community feel. Is that what you really wanted with kids? You really don't need or even want that car in Switzerland
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8423 posts
IMO, between the two, Schilthorn is more fun than the Jungfraujoch. But the weather makes a big difference. It changes quickly, so even if its nice when you start out, it could be cloudy and cold when you get to the top. The Jungfraujoch trip includes a train ride up through the mountain (hence its expense) that is 1 1/2 hours each way from the nearest village, mostly in the dark. That's most of a day just to get there and back from where you'll be. With a Schilthorn trip, you can spend time in Mürren, or down in the valley, which is worth doing.
Posted by
Palo Alto, CA
45 posts
You can make a day trip to Schilthorn. You drive your car through Lautenberg valley to the parking lot at a gondola base that goes up first to Murren and then to the Schilthorn. We made this trip in December and had a wonderful time. We took the gondola only to Murren but still had a great view of the Alps.
Posted by
Florida
1443 posts
There's a nice lakefront park in Luzern near the Transportation Museum. In the summer a lot of teenagers hang out at the park if it's nice weather. The museum is interesting too, but who knows if it's true for a teen.