I am looking for a place to take my 8 year old for a week in December for a mommy/daughter getaway. We are open to any destination in Switzerland but would like to stay put in one place once we arrive. Walking, hiking, skiing, sledding, reading by the fire, etc are all things we love. We will be leaving from Neuchatel and need to end up in Locarno so anywhere in between is great. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Virtually any ski resort town will fit your bill... but, most don't fully open for the winter season until the middle of the month, so timing is key. Although I think sometimes people on this website are a little too quick to automatically recommend the Berner Oberland, in your case, I think it would be a great choice. It's a very family-friendly area. The skiing is great, it has well-established winter walking and sledding trails, and there's plenty of lodging options. For winter sports, however, I'm going against the usual grain of recommending Mürren. The winter activities on this side of the valley are more limited. Consider Wengen across the valley or Grindelwald on the other side of the mountain instead. St. Moritz is also a good choice because in addition to all of the above, they have horse racing in the snow.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
I took my 11 yr old on a Family tour , and we stayed in Wengen, and we really liked it, its so beautiful. The town is small, but you have access to cable cars that can take you up to Scheigen for great views.
We stayed at the Hotel Falken , which we loved, but its definately old style, not all modern and sleek . I have also been to Zermatt which is actually cuter if possible.. Sorry can't recall hotel i stayed at then , but I don't think theres any dumps in Zermatt, its a pricey destination.
Posted by
OP
sonoma, ca
9 posts
Thank you both for the suggestions!
Posted by
Binche, Hainaut, Belgium
8 posts
My daughter was 8 when we went there and had a very good time. Time of year matters and December, depending on the winter this year, could be great for skiing and such. We went in November and saw the first snow. It was very beautiful to say the least. Since you will be starting in the west, one suggestion if you like train rides. One day, we took the Golden Pass Railway panorama train out of Montreux and went up into the mountains. The trip was great and made stops along the way including Gstaad. Chillon Castle is also on Lake Geneva near Montreux which is one of the best preserved medieval castles we have ever seen.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
Zermatt is a little pricey but a great place to take kids. There is SO much for them to do there. Compact town center surrounded by lots of little trains and gondolas going up the mountains. She would love Wolli Park, the kids learn-to-ski area. Go up to Glacier Paradise and explore the ice tunnel under the glacier...they even have an ice slide in it for the kids. The town itself is really cute with it's very picturesque chalets and the views of the Matterhorn.