Our family (including 2 children ages 11 and 9) will be traveling in mid-June in Switzerland. We have already been to the Lauterbrunnen Valley/Murren and Ascona on Lake Maggiore. We would like to visit some new and different family-friendly destinations in Switzerland. We will be driving in a car on our way to France from Milan. Any suggestions would be most appreciate. Thank you.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17432 posts
Kandersteg is right on your way. It is a nice little town, but the big attraction for kids is the Rodelbahn (summer luge) up at Oescninensee, as well as the lake itself. You ride a chairlift up to the Rodelbahn area, and you can walk or ride a horse-drawn coach the 1/2 mile to the lakeshore. There is a lovely rustic mountain inn there; they serve great food (on the deck if it is a nice day) and there is an ice-cream window as well.
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
we spent a week in Switzerland when the kids were 8 and 10 years old. Their favourite activities included:
Ballenberg Open Air Museum
Taking the funicular up the Niesen and hiking a bit up there and watching the paragliders jump off. We've never been in a funicular so that was quite exciting.
going to the Museum of Transportation in Luzern
We also very much liked Bern and visited Einstein's house there and the Historisches Museum Bern, also with an exceptionel Einstein exhibit. We were there during Einstein's anniversary year so there was also a fantastic "world of physics" in the exeterior gardens of the museum with tons of hands-on exhibits the kids loved to explore, like "flying" in a Wrights Brothers Flyer. They only have this kind of exhibit in the summer you'd need to ask ahead of time if it will be on again this year.
Our base from where we visitied all the above destinations on daytrips was a vacation appartment in Emmental, not very touristy, very rural, very roomy - and very cheap.
The owner lives in the same building and is a wealth of information for trips in the area. For instance, he told us where to go swimming in the Emme - a spot next to a historic covered bridge where he learned to swim as a kid 50 years earlier. The water is really cold but the kids had a blast!
Posted by
Newport Beach, CA, USA
769 posts
There is a small miniature theme park in the italian Ticino part "Swiss Miniature Park". Lugano/Lucarno is great if you want to go back - Like Ascona. Also in that area is Bellinzona - the famous 3-castle town. I just visited this summer and hiked around and up all three! Amazing - for kids too. Stay in Lugano or Locarno - a nice train ride away.
Lucerne has a great transport museum, the lake, the bridge, the Pilatus mountain overhead with the hotel/restaurant. Another great train and hike event!
Ballenberg is great - as other mentioned - and centrally located. Go to Bern old city and visit the historic old town (not sure the new Bear pit is done yet tho!)
Posted by
Vidalia
113 posts
Bern is fun - are the bear pits still occupied? Kids love that, if so. Also the river is nice.