by Jessica Pawl

Why Choose Switzerland for Family Travel

Europe is full of family-friendly destinations, but among the top is Switzerland. Let me explain.

1. Epic playgrounds: The alpine parks are incredible, but so are the quaint playgrounds in towns like Lauterbrunnen, overlooked by the stunning Staubbach Falls.
2. Easy transport: From trains and trams to funiculars, Switzerland is full of clever transport to get you up into the mountains. (It’s not always cheap, but it’s certainly available and easy to use!)
3. Access to nature: The hikes and stunning natural wonders–like Trummelbach Falls (INSIDE a mountain!)–are aplenty.
4. Museums and culture: From lakeside castles to caves, and mountaintop Alphorn music, there are so many fun and thoughtfully designed options for families.
5. Open space to run and play: So much greenery, hills, pastures, fields and mountains… it’s a dream when you’ve got littles that just want to run, play and explore *safely.*

Where To Stay in Switzerland

Let’s start with the basics. We flew into Geneva, rented a vehicle, and drove roughly 2.5 hours to get to Lauterbrunnen, truly one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever seen. A lush valley surrounded by sky-high mountain peaks, with a darling town and gushing cliffside waterfall.

For us, Lautrerbrunnen served as the perfect homebase for our stay. It offered a train station with easy access to all of the connecting points that would take us up into the mountains, and also had everything we needed to keep comfortable–a convenient market, playground and cozy vacation rental.

Lodging in Lauterbrunnen

You’ll find a good offering of vacation rentals in Lauterbrunnen and with young kids (one year and three years old at the time we went), we just couldn’t beat the convenience of a full kitchen and separate bedrooms. That said, top of my personal list of amenities was a fabulous view… and we found just that.

We opted to stay in this two-bedroom VRBO at the edge of town, which sleeps five and has an average rate of less than $300 per night. It offered all the standard amenities, fairly basic European design, and STUNNING valley views. From the back patio, we watched paragliders land, and from every room you could see the falls in their constant motion (lit up at night, too!).

For parents with little children, a highchair and travel crib is available.

From the condo, town is just a 10-15 minute walk, most of it along a gushing glacial river. There, you’ll find restaurants, shops and the train station.

Your Bern Region Family Travel Itinerary

DAY ONE

• Settle into your accommodations and explore Lauterbrunnen at a leisurely pace. You’ll want to get your lay of the land and perhaps pick up a few groceries at the market. But mostly, you’ll be wide-eyed with wonder soaking up the Lauterbrunnen Valley views, which are nothing short of magical.
  • Lauterbrunnen Playground: We adored the tiny playground in town, not because it offered any particularly impressive play equipment, but because it offered lovely views of the falls, which I dreamily stared at while pushing my toddler on a swing for 30 minutes.
  • Staubbach Falls: From town, you can climb the mountainside to get a closer look at the falls. From that vantage point, along the cliffside, you’ll reap sweeping views of the valley. It’s spectacular, and on a sunny day, downright perfection for photographs. If you’re toting a little one, wear a baby carrier. The terrain is a bit steep, as you’d expect, with stairs near the top that are narrow.

DAY TWO

• Kick off your first full day with a visit to what we think is the region’s most epic playground. To get to it, you’ll need to hop a few different type of transportation systems, but thankfully, navigating the railway and cable cars aren’t too difficult here.
  • Muerren: From Lauterbrunnen, you’ll take a cable car to Grütschalp, then the train to get to Muerren, a mountaintop town that’s entirely free of cars. Enjoy a stroll through town and pop into small shops while soaking up the views and convenience of zero traffic. Slowly, you can make your way toward the funicular to Allmendubel.
  • Flower Park: Once you’ve arrived at Allmendhubel, you can find a cozy spot at the Panorama Restaurant, with epic views out over the mountains (as well as playground views for parents of older kids, who can keep tabs from afar). Reservations can be made in advance. On the sun terrace, enjoy drinks and a charcuterie platter or an order of pasta or chicken nuggets for picky kids. Once you’re done–or before, if your kids are anything like mine–head into the playground itself, which is full of slides, a play cheese shop, and water labyrinth, all with the most gorgeous views of the mountains.
    • NOTE: The funicular railway from Muerren to the playground operates in summer from mid-June to mid-October. In winter, it runs from mid-December to the beginning of April. The restaurant is open daily during the operating hours of the funicular railway. You can reach the Allmendhubel playground on foot 365 days a year, even if the funicular and restaurant aren’t in operation.

DAY THREE

• Today, you’ll drive into the more populated city of Interlaken, just 15 minutes from Lauterbrunnen. (You can also take a train.)
  • Castle Oberhofen: From your homebase, it will take just over 30 minutes to get to Schloss Oberhofen, a gorgeous castle that’s also ideal for little kids, with its educational components and darling “mouse hunt,”–which my three year old loved! An Oriental smoking room at the top level is as stunning as you might imagine, and the gardens outside are spectacular.
  • Sigriswil Panoramic Bridge: Also out this way, you’ll find the stroller-friendly Sigriswil panoramic suspension bridge 340 meters long, that can easily be incorporated into nearby hikes. Children under 16 are free and anyone older can pay up to 8 CHF per ticket.
  • St. Beatus Caves: Also on this side of the lake, you’ll find St. Beatus Caves, a one-kilometer long cave system open to the public–for a fee. Inside, you’ll see rivers, waterfalls and an up-close look at the inside of a mountain. There are nearly 300 steps along the way, so be sure to pack a baby carrier if you’ve got a tiny one!

DAY FOUR

• To start your day, you’ll only need five minutes by car (or a 30-minute walk) to get to Trummelbach Falls, an attraction well worth your time. But note the age limits! Afterwards, head over for a proper hike and one of the most imaginative alpine playgrounds we’ve seen yet.
  • Trummelbach Falls: From the beginning of April to November, you can access these gorgeous mountain-interior falls, which are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Children under four aren’t permitted (my husband and I each went individually though; it was worth the solo trip!). You can take an elevator to the top, then wind down the falls, through cave-like interiors to see the gushing water–up to 20,000 liters per second.
  • Alpine Herdsman’s Playground: With a wooden cow that’s over 8 meters tall with a clever tongue slide, this mountain top playground truly does stand apart from the rest. Like Allmendhubel, it has a casual restaurant and sun terrace as well, though this one is cafeteria style. The views are STUNNING, with a perfect picture opportunity of a Swiss flag near the cable car arrival. THere are also plenty of trails, including family friendly options like the Lieselotte Trail with cute stops for kids along the way. To get here, you’ll take a train to Wengen from Lauterbrunnen, and then a cable car up to Mannlichen.

DAY FIVE

• We’re back to castles today! On the opposite side of the lake that we visited last time, you’ll soak up some new views, including these worthwhile stops.
  • Spiez Castle: Not only is this lakeside castle in another gorgeous setting, it’s chock full of family-friendly activities, including dress-up clothes, knight’s armor and jousting practice on a wooden horse. After our visit, we toured the grounds and then popped into a nearby winery for some samples (our three-year old was offered grape juice in a fancy glass!)
  • Harder Kulm Panorama Restaurant: Here’s a case of do-as-I-say and not as I do, because while I was really wanting to go to this mountaintop restaurant for the famed alpenhorn performances and epic vies, we squeezed it in a bit last minute and had to scramble to make it up the mountain in time. Like most things, this destination requires a funicular. Dubbed the “top of Interlaken,” you’ll be more than 1,300 meters above sea level and overlooking the lake and city. It’s stunning. A sun terrace is available for folks like us without reservations, though you can be smarter and buy a ticketed seating here. A playground exists here too, though we didn’t see it in person.

DAY SIX

• A 20-minute drive from Lauterbrunnen, you’ll find Gridelwald and from here, you can reach the last of the playgrounds on our Swiss play tour, in addition to seeing a new and stunning valley landscape.
  • Bort Playground: From Grindelwald, you’ll take the Firstbahn cable car up to the “Bort” stop and hop out to spend time at this 700-meter playground, mid mountain and offering beautiful views.
  • Grindelwald First: But the further up the mountain you go, the more adventurous activities await. From the First Glider experience, where a group of four (at least 51″ tall) can ride together in a high-speed paraglide-on-a-line type experience that’s nearly as fun to watch from the ground! Or to the Moutain Carts for children taller than 53″, which let them track downhill in a cross between a go-cart and sled. At the top of the mountain, however, you’ll find the First Cliff Walk, where folks not so scared of heights can venture out beyond the safety of the grassy grounds.