We will be traveling to Switzerland next week as a family of four. We will be spending 4 nights in Wengen and 2 nights in Geneva. I have been to Switzerland before (7 years ago) but my husband has not. I have been to Lucerne, Lausanne and Wengen and would like to spend some time exploring new areas. I was thinking while we stay in Wengen we will venture to Bern one day, other villages near Wengen and visiting the open air museum in Ballenberg, and spend some time around Lake Brienz or Thun. We plan on hiking as my children are 14 and 11 and are capable of easy hikes. Once we get to Geneva area, I don't plan on spending that much time in Geneva, but rather spend time in Montreux or other areas around the lake. My questions for you all are: Is it okay to skip Lausanne and Lucerne even though my husband has never been? What are some family friendly hikes in the Bernese Oberland? What would you do with kids in the Geneva area? Would you take a day trip to Annency, France or just stay in Switzerland? Any recommendations for tweenagers would be wonderful. My daughters love to swim, love art, and nature. Thanks so much!
Posted by
Bend, OR
1444 posts
In the Geneva area, you could take the train to Lausanne then on to Maison Cailler and do their chocolate tour and maybe even a chocolate making class (it was a lot of fun!). You could stop in Gruyère (a bit touristy but pretty neat) on the way back.
Posted by
MPLS, MN
424 posts
We love Bern - and Wengen. If you are good swimmers, hit Bern on a nice day and do the river float/swim. One of our most enjoyable experiences ever. Check the water current reports that day as sometimes the current may be too swift. Google the Bern River Float and a bunch of stuff pops up. We never experienced Lausanne but we felt Lucerne was just okay when we spent a few days there. Bern was much more enjoyable. There are tons of hikes of varying levels in the Wengen area. The most obvious “easy” hike option is the Männlichen to the Kleine Scheidegg hike, about 90 mins and starts right by the lift to Mannlichen from Wengen. I recommend you get the Berner Oberland pass when in Wengen.
Posted by
Nashville, TN
1000 posts
Do you have to stay in Geneva? It seems like you might enjoy being in Montreux or somewhere like that more instead of commuting every day. I am personally not a big fan of Lausanne and with only 2 nights, I'd just focus on the area around the lake. 1 day you could do Chateau de Chillon + a boat ride + maybe a visit to Vevey. 1 day you could hike amidst the Lavaux vineyard terraces overlooking the lake or take a boat ride from Nyon to Yvoire, France or go to one of the villages along the water for swimming. St-Prex has a nice public beach and huge diving platform in the water for a "beach" day.
For Wengen, I'd do
1 day - Mannlichen > Kleine Scheidegg > Fallbodensee > Kleine Scheidegg > Wengernalp > train back to Wengen
1 day - Schilthorn/Birg Thrill Walk + Allmendhubel and Northface hike counterclockwise or Flower Trail hike + easy walk down to Gimmelwald
1 day - Lake Brienz + Ballenberg
1 day - Mannlichen to Lieselotte kid's trail OR Schynige Platte + hiking
I'd only recommend going to Bern if you have a bad weather day or you could stop there on your way to Montreux/Geneva and just store your luggage at the station to explore for a couple hours.
https://swissfamilyfun.com/jungfrau-region-family-hikes/
https://swissfamilyfun.com/montreux-spring-weekend/
Posted by
Switzerland
258 posts
Ballenberg has some special events coming up that you might want to catch if the timing works for you.
Already this Sunday (so probably too early) there is a traditional costume and Folk Dancing Day
https://ballenberg.ch/en/events/traditional-costume-and-folk-dancing-day/
June 21-22 is the craft market where you can learn about traditional crafts and try them out
https://ballenberg.ch/en/events/craft-market/
And new this year is the Swiss Culture Stage with flag throwing, yodelling, alphorns, folk dancing, etc. this runs from July 5 - August 17, but not every day of the week. You can find the schedule here:
https://ballenberg.ch/en/active-experiences/swiss-culture-stage/
If you do go to Bern there is a small but very interesting art museum your daughters might enjoy visiting.
https://www.museen-bern.ch/en/institutions/museums/kunstmuseum-bern
I have not seen people swimming in the Aare river just yet, but we have had a few days of warm weather so maybe? It is just still a bit early in the season. There are some great outdoor pools you can visit in Wengen and Mürren and a big one in Interlaken.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you everyone!