Zurich Moms and Tots - Out and About

frozen lakes!

2012-02-08T23:09:00.001+01:00

frozen Türlersee

Revised: Türlersee and several other lakes are open for skating!

With this cold weather, I've been watching closely to see if the local lakes would freeze. It finally happened! Two obvious choices are the Türlersee (about 25 mins from Zurich) and the Sihlsee (about 40 mins from Zurich). Three years ago, the Türlersee froze and it was a real treat. You can read my post about the last time the Türlersee froze and how much fun you can have.

This website maintained by the Zurich police shows the frozen status of the local lakes. "Gesperrt" means closed and "begehbar" means open.

Here are two news articles about the frozen lakes that are not quite ready for ice skating:

> 20 Minuten
> Neue Luzerner Zeitung

ski schools

2012-02-03T21:14:00.000+01:00

I was making this list for myself and thought some of you might find it useful. I'm trying to decide which ski school to put my kids in. I've heard good things about all of these. I'll report back after the classes.

Flumserberg
Ski school, about 35CHF for 2 hours not including lift pass
Lift prices, approx. 26.50CHF child full day, 18.50CHF child half day
Snow garden with magic carpet - 35CHF for 2 hours, drop in
Free magic carpets

Amden
Ski school, 35CHF for 2 hours, includes lift pass.
Lift prices, approx. 35CHF adult, 22CHF child
No snow garden.

Brunni
Ski school, approx. 42CHF for 2 hours, includes lift pass
Lift prices, approx. 21CHF adult, 16CHF child
Snow garden - 28CHF for 1 hour 12:30-13:30

See websites for details. This information is subject to change.

Kilchberg farm

2012-01-31T21:37:00.000+01:00

the baby cows are always a favorite with our kids, these ones were only a few months old

The Kilchberg farm is a cute working farm that is open to the public. It's not like Jucker farm at all; it's just a little farm with a little shop, some animals to visit, and a sandbox to play in. It's a low-key (free) afternoon outing with super delicious fresh apple juice and milk straight from the cows. The farm has a few events during the year, particularly at Christmas and pumpkin season, where they decorate and sell special products. Check their website for details.

I was a little confused the first time I went, so I'll give a little walking tour to help orient you on your visit. Once you arrive, you'll see a big decorated building, fountain and arched entrance. I wasn't sure if I should drive in, but yes, you should. After driving through the arch, you will pass the self-service shop on your left and vending machines for apple juice and unpasteurized milk. Immediately after the shop, there are four parking spots on your left that are for shop customers. If you plan to stay awhile and look at the animals, instead turn right and drive up by the big barn. There are several parking spots there.

On your left, there is a grassy spot next with a sandbox with lots of toys. Walk down the road further into the farm and you'll see the chicken coops on your left. The bathrooms are your right. Keep walking and you'll see donkeys and goats on your left and rabbits, guinea pigs, sometimes regular pigs on your right.

Keep walking and you'll reach the cows. You can enter the cow barn on the right or left and walk right in and get up close and personal with the cows. I wasn't sure if it was ok to go in, but it totally is and if you're there in the late afternoon, you can see the cows getting milked. They ask that you keep quiet and don't run around in the cow barn as it can upset the animals. So if your kids are rowdy, come back later.

Well, that's about it. Remember to bring change and empty bottles so you can get the fresh apple juice (not always in season) and/or fresh milk from the vending machines. The little shop sells eggs, potatoes, yogurt, sausage, seasonal fruit, and other products of the farm. The shop is self-service so you add up your own total and drop your money into the cash box.

Stockenstr. 84, Kilchberg. Map

Their website: http://www.stockengut.ch/

swim school

2012-01-30T23:18:00.000+01:00

Recently, I helped a friend search for swim schools and I thought I'd share the results of my findings.

First, Swimsports.ch is a great site that lists swim schools in Zurich kanton and all over Switzerland. The schools listed as "Aquality" use the same standard swim levels, as displayed in the icons above.

I'm familiar with two swim schools near Zurich. Although my kids haven't taken lessons there, I've heard positive reviews from several friends on both schools. Both locations have separate baby pools and shallow pools where your other children can swim while you wait for the class to finish.

- Aqua-fit swim school in Adliswil, about 16CHF/lesson, plus pool entrance for 6+ years old. Parents can view class behind glass without entering pool area (i.e. no fee and no swimsuit for you).

- Zollikuda swim school in Zollikon/Fohrbach, about 25CHF/lesson, which includes pool entrance. Parent must accompany child into pool area, which means you must pay your own pool entrance fee and wear a swimsuit.

There is an upcoming swim competition for children (born 1999 or earlier) called Zürifisch. Any child living in Zurich can participate. It's free and you don't have to register beforehand. You simply show up to the one of the pools listed on their site on March 14 between 13:30 to 15:00. The kids have to swim 50 meters. The fastest kids in each age group qualify for the finals held on April 14. I'm planning to take my soon-to-be 8yr old this year, just for the experience.

Lastly, all pools in Zurich kanton (and all Switzerland) are listed on badi-info.ch. You can choose to view outdoor pools (Freibad) or Hallenbad (indoor heated pools).

If you've had a good experience with a swim school in Zurich, please leave a comment!

Elki Turnen (aka Kiddie Gym Class)

2012-01-23T16:39:00.000+01:00

With this cold weather, you're probably looking for more indoor activities. Muki (or Elki) Turnen is a gymnastics class for the 3-5YO crowd with parent participation. Muki stands for Mutter/Kinder, Elki stands for Eltern/Kinder. Many Gemeindes offer these classes and some are privately organized. They are usually very affordable, ranging from as low as 2CHF/session to about 10CHF/session.

Over the years I've attended three different turnen classes and they are all about the same. The class usually starts with some songs and games. Then the parents help build a complicated parcour course with the gym equipment. Then the kids climb around on the equipment for awhile, assisted by their parents. Then clean-up and a closing song/game. Each session usually has a theme, like animals or a season or holiday, and the activities revolve around this theme.

I mention this now as the new term usually starts in March, after the February school holiday. So now's the time to find a class so you can sign up after the holiday. I can't point you to any specific turnen classes at the moment, but the first place you should look is your local Gemeinschaftzentrum (aka community center). This website lists all the Gemeinschaftzentrums in Zurich city. The pages for various Gemeinschaftzentrums (like Affoltern, Seefeld, Wollishofen) show the services and activities happening there. Or just stop by your local GZ and ask around. This is how I found mine. I'll write more about the wonderfulness of Gemeinschaftzentrums in another post.

http://www.gz-zh.ch/

Toy shopping in Germany - How to Guide

2011-11-21T15:28:00.000+01:00

This sugary sweet advent calendar was brought to you by Germany's affordable VAT-free shopping. Each bag of mini-candies, ~1-3EUR. The advent sock chain, ~12EUR. One item off my Christmas checklist, priceless.

After six years in Switzerland, I finally did my first shopping trip to Germany, processing the VAT refund and everything. It was awesome! I did a bunch of my Christmas shopping there and it made me so happy to buy more for less. Plus there is a different/better selection than in Switzerland.

Is it worth it? -------------------------
Not everything is significantly cheaper, but I found prices to be about 30-40% cheaper (including VAT) on the things I was interested in. If you process your VAT refund, you save another 19% on top of that. I spent about 30CHF on gas round trip and an hour driving each way. I think it's totally worth it, but it really depends on what you buy there. If you are already in Germany for another reason, it's a downright shame to not also shop there.

The Affenalarm game above is 26CHF at Manor, 15EUR at Real DE, and 10EUR on Amazon.de
The Lego box is 90CHF at Manor and 39EUR at Real.
The Babalu line (compatible with Brio) has a battery train for 10EUR, while the Brio one is 30CHF at Manor. The Babalu train tracks are 3-10EUR while the Brio ones range 15-30CHF.

Food is cheap too.

What about Swiss Customs? -------------------------
I am not an expert. You can read the official customs policy here. But in general, you are allowed 300CHF duty-free per person. There are also limits on certain food stuffs, like dairy and meat (see official rules here). Important things to note:

- Customs calculates how many francs you spent using their exchange rate (1.25CHF = 1EUR today).

- If you are over over the limit, you are charged customs on the whole amount, not just the difference. So if you spent 301CHF, you are charged customs on 301CHF, not the 1CHF you are over, that's 24CHF fyi. I know because it happened to me.

- You get 300CHF/person but you cannot split the cost of one item over multiple people. If one item cost 301CHF, you are over the limit even if you have 6 people in your car.

- If you stop to process VAT, the Swiss customs people will first look at your receipts and look in your car (maybe just through the windows) to see if you are over the limit. So if you claim one thing, you better plan on claiming everything.

- Food is charged at 2.5% and everything else at 8%. You will get a receipt that details this.

How do I process VAT? -------------------------
When you pay for your stuff, ask for an "Ausfuhrschein" (or if like me, just mumble "VAT?" and shrug your shoulders). Either the sales clerk will fill out and stamp the Ausfuhrschein right at the register, or they'll send you to Customer Service where someone will do it there. Then drive to the border and park near the German side of the border (sometimes before you get the Swiss border). Near Singen, the German and Swiss borders are at the same place, so you drive through Swiss, park just on the other side and walk over to the German side to get your stamp.

If Swiss customs stop you, just show your Ausfuhrschein. They'll check to make sure you are under the 300CHF/person limit (see above for details), peer in your car windows, and tell you where to park so you can walk over to German side.

At the German border, you go to the Steuer (aka Tax) window and show them your Ausfuhrschein(s) and passport. They asked me if all the items were in my car and if the Ausfuhrscheins I gave them represented everything I bought. They stamp the Ausfuhrschein (have you learned this word yet?) and you're on your way.

To get your money, you have to return to the store (usually within 12 months, but ask at the store beforehand) and present your stamped Ausfuhrschein.

Where to go? -------------------------
I've only been once, so I'm not an expert. But here's where I went and where friends told me to go. Most Zürichers shop in Singen or Konstanz, both of which are about an hour drive from Zurich. Today I went to Singen and shopped at Real (like a Walmart with groceries) and Karlstadt, a department store. Singen has a small pedestrian shopping area with other obvious shopping options like H&M. Next time I plan to go Konstanz which has a mall and big pedestrian shopping area.

Real
Georg-Fischer-Str. 15, 78224 Singen Deutschland
Open Mon-Sat 7:00-22:00Uhr
Online shop, toys section

Karlstadt
Bahnhofstraße 19-21, 78224 Singen Deutschland
Open Mon-Sat 9:15-19:00Uhr
Online toy catalog

Müller
Marktstätte 13, 78462 Konstanz, Deutschland
Open Mon-Sat 9:00-22:00
Online toy catalog

Anyone have any other favorite places to shop in Germany?

View DE shopping in a larger map

What about online shopping? -------------------------
Amazon.de is an obvious choice for books (English too!) and other media, but I've also had a good experience buying toys there. Shipping is always free for books and other media, and free for other goods if you spend over 20CHF. Amazon.de deducts VAT on checkout, so your purchase total suddenly is lower on the final confirmation page - what a nice surprise!

The customs policy for online shopping is confusing. The official rules say that all goods arriving in Switzerland by post are subject to tax and there is no duty-free limit, except gifts for which there is a 100CHF duty-free limit. Customs is charged on not only the value of the good but also the shipping charges.

However, I've never been heard of anyone being charged customs on items purchased from Amazon.de. I don't know why. I've heard there is a 60CHf or 80CHF duty-free limit and that books and other media are exempt. But the official rules don't say anything about this. In an abundance of caution, I always keep my orders small, under 50EUR, breaking my order up into multiple batches if necessary.

Also, Amazon will not ship certain items to Switzerland, like electronics and kitchen appliances (I don't know what the real rules are). Also some suppliers on Amazon won't ship to Switzerland. You won't find any of this out until you try to checkout and enter your Swiss shipping address. So don't wait to buy at the last minute, only to find out they won't ship to Switzerland.

Remember, I'm not an expert, so use this information at your own risk. I'll try to update this post as I have more experience shopping in Germany. Next stop for me, Konstanz. Happy shopping, ya'll!

Christmas market on Pilatus - this weekend only

2011-11-19T22:44:00.000+01:00

Just a quick note. We went to the Christmas market on top of Pilatus today and it was pretty fun. It only runs this weekend, so go tomorrow (Sunday) if you're interested. Check the weather on their webcams to make sure you can get a good view. It's not worth it if you're stuck in the clouds.

the complex on top of Pilatus

Christmas market on all levels of Pilatus market. Games to try in Hasbro's Spielraum downstairs.

What will you find there? Everything is decked out in Christmas decorations. There's music and food. There are lots of booths selling handmade Christmas stuff. There's a Spielraum downstairs hosted by Hasbro that has lots of board games for you to try with your kids. It's not the best Christmas market I've been to, but there were more handmade stuff than you see at other market and it has the fun novelty factor of being on top of a mountain.

Trail to Tomlishorn is short and easy, but only partly good for strollers. My kids loved the signs describing the flowers, even if the flowers were all dead by now.

Then there's all the regular stuff like great mountain views and a few trails. We did the trail to Tomlishorn, which took us about 45 mins one way, walking pretty slow. The first half of the trail is ok for strollers. But after the stairs, the trail gets super rocky and you're stroller will not make it. So carry your kids or have them walk after that. It's not a difficult or particularly long trail and the views are great. Small kids can do it with a little motivation. Our four year old did it just fine without complaining.

view from Tomlishorn, I think it's worth it

Like most places, the food is outrageously priced. There are plenty of places to sit and picnic. At the minimum, I'd recommend bringing your own drinks unless you fancy paying 5CHF a pop.

I'll update my Pilatus post soon based on my visit today.

Christmas: Samichlaus in woods

2011-11-14T10:07:00.000+01:00

Schmützli and donkey outside Samichlaus forest hut

As promised, here are more details about visiting Samichlaus in the woods (aka Waldhüsli).

In Zurich, Samichlaus is always at the waldhut (forest house) in the Chäferbergwald near Buchenggplatz during the first week of December and it's free to visit. In 2011, he'll be there from Fri 2 Dec to Wed 7 Dec from 10am to 4pm. See their website for more info. We've been here at least four out of the last six years. Here's how to get there and what to expect.

You can take trams 4, 11, 15 or bus 32 (see sbb.ch for details) to Bucheneggplatz and walk northwest towards the forest. Or you can drive past Buchenplatz to the edge of the woods and park in the blue zone street parking along Käferholzstrasse (see maps below). The parking can get very full, but I've never had a problem getting a spot. The maps below show some detail about how to get there.

This map shows an overview of Zurich. The blue dots show where to park and where the hut is.

This map shows more detail. The blue dot on the right shows where to park. The blue line shows where the trail is. The blue dot on the left shows approximately where the Samichlaus hut is.

Once you get to the forest, just take whichever trail you see, as they mostly all converge on a main dirt road that lead through the forest. You'll probably see people jogging along this road and there is a parcours course there too. There will probably be other people with kids going the same place as you. Just keep walking along this dirt road until you see the Samichlaus hut. There is at least one wood sign along the trail/road that say "Zur Samichlaus". It takes about 30 minutes or so with little kids. It is fine for strollers. If it's snowy, you can bring your sled to drag your kids up the trail and sled back down. This doesn't happen every year, but when it does, it's super fun.

The little wood hut where Samichlaus lives is a simple affair but festively decorated. There are a couple donkeys next to the hut (don't feed the animals) and a slightly scary helper, Schmützli. You wait in line (can be very long on weekends) until it's your turn to go in the hut.

They squeeze in about 30 people into a very small smokey room where Samichlaus lives (shown below). Samichlaus tells a story or two to the children, usually instructive (like about brushing your teeth). He asks the children to recite a Sprüchli (a Christmas poem or song) they have memorized for the occasion. If your kids go to Swiss school, they will have learned something for this, so ask them about it before. It's all in Swiss German, so bring your own translator if that's important to you. When you exit the hut, you can shake hands with Samichlaus and they give you a few nuts, maybe a cookie. There is a donation box outside the hut. It's free to visit, but they do ask for donations to help fund this event. So if you're feeling generous, drop a few francs in the box. It's all very rustic and very Swiss. You should definitely go at least once.

If you go in the afternoon, you'll get a lovely view of Zurich in twilight.

You should also check with your local Gemeindehaus to see what they do. They often have Samichlaus visit the Gemeindehaus, but you probably have to sign up beforehand and pay a small fee. Or they arrange Samichlaus to visit their local forest hut. You might have to be a member of the community family club to participate, or just know the right people. Just ask around your local playground and someone will know.

more Christmas stuff...

2011-11-14T09:23:00.000+01:00

I got a couple recommendations of other Christmas stuff to do in Zurich. I have done these myself yet, but they come from people I trust :)

PHOTOS WITH SANTA ----------------------

(From Kim) I know it sounds cheesy but the American Women's Club of Zurich does a great visit with Santa for the kids. Each year it gets better but last year the kids could color and do a craft before meeting with Santa. Santa was VERY patient, listened closely to EACH child and asked several questions which meant the line could get long but my 6-year-old loved it. The bake sale is nice and they usually have a small craft market as well.

Here's more info AWCZ:

AWCZ Christmas Market and Santa's Winter Wonderland
Sunday, December 4, from 11.00 to 16.00
Schöntalstrasse 8, 8004 Zurich

Kick start your holiday shopping with a wide range of handmade gifts, craft items and other products ––including Christmas decorations, cards, soft fabric toys, patchwork quilts, children's clothes, accessories, handbags, belts, jewelry, silk products and ceramics at the AWCZ Christmas Market. Snacks, sweets and drinks will be on sale for your refreshment.
Be sure to stop by Santa's Winter Wonderland, so that your child can visit with Santa; enjoy crafts, stories and other activities; and take home a goodie bag! Bring your own camera or have our in-house photographer capture your child's visit with Santa.

New this year: Charity raffle at the market! Christmas Market sellers have generously donated prizes for the raffle, including a fine leather accessory from Hark Designs, a handcrafted Cambodian silk necklace from OlaRe, and colorful painted ceramics from Fire-Works Ceramics & Art. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the door. Proceeds from the raffle will go to support AWCZ charities: Schweizer Berghilfe (www.berghilfe.ch) and the FAWCO Foundation's global target program, Wells for Clean Water, Cambodia (www.fawcofoundation.org).

Entrance to the Market is free! Visit to Santa's Winter Wonderland: CHF 20 per family (AWCZ members); CHF 25 per family (non-AWCZ members).

For more information, please contact christmasmarket@awczurich.org or go to www.awczurich.org

CUTTING DOWN YOUR OWN TREE ----------------------

(From Kim) If you can wait until Dec. 18 to get your tree then I highly recommend going into a city forest and picking out your own.

There are only two dates to cut down your own tree so it can be busy. Saws are provided and staff will wrap your tree in a net so you can easily carry it home on the tram like we did. There's a grill with sausages for sale as well as glühwein and hot drinks. If there's snow like last year, bring a sled to drag your tree on. This is by far one of our favorite things to do as a family. We go to the Albisgütli forest and this year you can cut your tree on Dec. 18 from 11-16:00. You can also cut down your own tree in Hönggerberg on Dec. 17 from 11-16:00.

More info about where and when to cut down your own tree on stadt-zuerich.ch.

Christmas in Zurich with kids

2011-11-10T22:13:00.001+01:00

Christmas is just around the corner and Christmas stuff starts early in Zurich. I don't want you to miss any of it! So here's a little overview of fun Christmas things in Zurich for kids:

Samichlaus Parade on Bahnhofstrasse ------------------

Sunday 27 November 5pm on Bahnhofstrasse. This is a big parade with hundreds of Santas and Santa helpers marching along the Bahnhofstrasse, with lots of floats and marching bands. Get there a little early to get a good spot, we usually set up near Paradeplatz. Dress super warm and bring some snacks. The Santas hand out Lebkuchen to the kids (a little dry ginger cake, not my favorite).

Visit Samichlaus in the woods (aka Waldhüsli) ------------------

Samichlaus is the German-speaking Swiss version of Santa Claus or St. Nicholas. Your kids will see a lot of Samichlaus in the first week of December. He usually visits the Kindergartens. Some community centers (Gemeindehaus) have him visit, but you must sign up beforehand and pay a small fee. Some Swiss hire a Samichlaus to visit their home and give personal scoldings. You can also visit Samichlaus in woods at various locations.

In Zurich, Samichlaus is always at the waldhut (forest house) in the Chäferbergwald near Buchenggplatz during the first week of December and it's free to visit. In 2011, he'll be there from Fri 2 Dec to Wed 7 Dec from 10am to 4pm. See their website here. See my post with more details about Samichlaus in woods.

Dec 6 - St. Nicholas day ------------------

In Switzerland, Samichlaus visits children on Dec 6, not on Christmas Eve (the Christ Child brings presents on Christmas). I've heard different stories from different people. But in general, on the night of Dec 5, children leave shoes outside their door. The morning of Dec 6, they'll find a canvas bag with peanuts, oranges, little cookies, Lebkuchen with Santa decal, and a Grittzbänz (bread man, see below). Migros and other shops sell the bags filled and empty to make it really easy for St. Nicholas to do his job. Many of my expat friends have embraced this tradition and have Samichlaus visit on Dec 6 and Santa visit on Dec 24. At my house, Santa still comes on Christmas Eve and doesn't vist on Dec 6. So far, my 7YO and 3YO haven't complained. I told them that I wrote Santa and told him we'd prefer him to come on Dec 24.

> More about St. Nicholas in Switzerland (German only).
> More about St. Nicholas around the world and Switzerland (in English) and ideas about how to celebrate.

Jelmoli Märlitram (aka Samichlaus story tram) ------------------

For most of December, the Jelmoli Märlitram drives kids around town while Santa and his angel helpers tell stories to children. My son went for the first time when he was 5 years old and it was pure magic. Children from 4 to 10 years old may go, not accompanied by parents. The ride starts at Bellevue and lasts about 20 mins. Rides start about every 25 mins starting at 13:35 until 19:00. You can buy tickets at Jelmoli (2nd floor by the children's shoes) one week before you want to ride. This is a hot ticket, so go early in the morning to get your tickets before they sell out. They also have a booth by the tram stop to buy last minute tickets for anything unsold for that day. Jelmoli is really bad about providing online info for this event. So just visit Jelmoli in person and ask around for the ticket booth (which seems to change locations every year).

Kerzenziehen - Making candles ------------------

Making hand-dipped candles is a time-honored tradition in Zürich. For most of November and December, almost every Gemeindehaus has a candle-making tent. You select a width and length of wick and dip in various colors until you're satisfied with the result. Where I go, you can leave your candle with your name hanging and return later to finish and pay for it. Some places provide old shirts to wear to avoid getting wax on your clothes, but most kids come out with lots of wax on their shoes, so be prepared. Kids can do it on their own starting around 4 years old, but I've seen much smaller kids do it with help. They charge about 3sfr per 100g. An average-sized candle ends up costing about 4CHF. The Kerzenziehn tent at Bürkliplatz is particularly charming. More info here.

Singing Christmas tree ------------------

Starting at the end of November, the Singing Christmas Tree shows up on Werdmühleplatz in Zürich, off the Bahnhofstrasse opposite of Globus. It is a set of risers decorated to look like a big Christmas tree, so the performers can stand in the tree. There is a musical program almost every evening at 5:30 and 6:30, often from local school or singing groups (not particularly professional). See their online program here. There are some food booths near Singing Christmas Tree, selling wurst, glühwein, raclette, etc. We go at least once a year and then go get hot chocolate at a nearby cafe.

Diorama Bethlehem in Einsiedeln ------------------

Diorama Bethlehem is advertized as the "largest nativity scene in the world" with "over 450 wood-carved figures wearing oriental costumes in a realistic reproduction of the environs of Bethlehem." It's just one room, with an enormous diorama depicting various aspects of the Christmas story with an accompanying commentary (in English). I think it's a bit expensive (5.50CHF/adult, 2.50CHF/child), but my kids and I kinda liked it. You will only spend 15 minutes or so inside so I'd combine this with a visit to the Einsiedeln Christmas market, Kloster and the Lebkuchen museum. Diorama Bethlehem, Benzigerstrasse 23, CH-8840 Einsiedeln, Switzerland

pic from their website

Christmas Markets ------------------

You'll find Christmas Markets all over europe, some much better than others. Zurich's Christmas market is adequate, but not nearly as charming as some across the border. Some markets open as early as the last weekend of November and continue through Christmas Eve. Some only run one weekend during December. So make sure check info online for whichever Christmas market you choose. I'd recommend Basel or Strasbourg or Colmar in the Alsace region. Besides being impossibly cute, I thought these markets had more for kids and more handcrafted products that other markets. I'll post soon, detailing all the Christmas markets I've visited, in and outside Switzerland.

Lichterschwimmen ------------------

This event happens usually in the third week of December. Primary school children float hundreds of little candles down the Limmat river, starting near the Ratbrücke. For 2011, it's scheduled for 22 Dec at 6pm. I couldn't find a website for this event.

Silvesterlauf ------------------

I haven't done this myself but my friends have and really enjoyed it. This "new years" run happens every year in Zurich in mid-December. The course is fairly short and they have several categories for children and families. Most race times are in the late afternoon and evening, so you get to run through the streets of Zurich lit up by all the Christmas lights. Get information here.

Ice Skating at Landesmuseum ------------------

During winter, the Landesmuseum has a free ice skating rink that's lit up with festive lights. I haven't done this yet, so I'll give a real report after I visit it this year. More information on their website.

summer hiking season is over

2011-11-10T22:11:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone. I've had a few comments lately about gondolas and trails closed. So here's just a friendly reminder that summer hiking season is over and most all gondolas are closed until they re-open for winter skiing season. In general, summer hiking season is late June to the end of October and winter skiing season is mid-December to early April. Most mountains are closed 4-6 weeks during the fall and spring shoulder seasons. Some of the biggest and most famous mountains (like Jungfrau and Matterhorn) are open year round. So check the website of your destination before going.

Also, even if your mountain transport is open, check the webcams to see if the trails are covered in snow and if the restaurants open. When you near the close of the season, not all services are available. We hiked in Piotta Ritom a couple weeks ago and despite the warm sun, most of the trail was covered in lots of snow and the restaurant was closed. We had fun anyway, but some of us had wet, cold feet.

Dolder ice rink

2011-10-30T22:01:00.000+01:00

ice hockey is a good motivator for beginners

I would like to give some gold stars to the Dolder Kunsteisbahn for a couple extras that make it even more fun for kids. This ice rink is on the east side of Zurich lake, near the zoo.

View Larger Map

First up: hockey! Next to the main free-skating rink, there is a hockey rink with goals that is usually open to the public during the afternoons. Here your young skaters can practice hitting the puck around and into the goals. The rink has a bucket full of hockey sticks that are free to use. You can rent a puck or bring your own. This has really motivated my 7YO to step up his skating skills. Every time we've gone, there were some serious hockey players practicing in the rink. But there was plenty of room for our kids to play too.

my 4YO graduated to real skates this year (instead of two blade strap-on baby skates), but he still needs/likes the ice walker

Another plus, the icewalkers for little kids come with a rope so you can pull it around instead of pushing it while skating behind your kid. This is a major improvement! I actually had fun pulling my four year old around the rink instead of developing a back ache as I hunched over the short handles. I even taught myself to skate backwards so I could look at my kid while skating.

And extra points for free/cheap parking. There is a lot of metered parking (1/2 franc per hour) all around the rink and some free spots along the road. Heuried ice rink is closer to my house, but there are so few metered parking spots that I usually find myself in a one hour blue spot.

A few tips...

- It is very quiet in the early weekday afternoons, getting noticeably more crowded by 4pm after school lets out. If you have little beginners, try to go early so they don't have to compete for space with the super fast crazy hockey skaters.

- Bring your own snacks and drinks. There is a cafe, but the prices are outrageous as most Swiss cafes are. I brought my own thermos of hot water so I could make hot chocolate, saving me 4CHF per kid. There are a lot of tables and chairs (with fluffy seat pads) around the rink that you can use for picniking.

- They have lockers, but not coin-operated. So bring your own lock if you want to secure your valuables.

- Buy skates for your kids, secondhand if you can. Skate rental is 7CHF, so it quickly adds up. Migros Sport XX is selling an adjustable multi-size hockey-style skate for 50CHF. You can probably squeeze 2-3 years per kid out of this skate, so it's definitely worth it. I bought mine secondhand for 20CHF at a Brockenhaus (secondhand store).

- Child helmets are provided free of charge and they have a large selection of sizes.

- Kids get hot ice skating, so use layers. Instead of snow gear, I usually put my kids in rain pants and jackets with sweaters and tights underneath. Gloves are a must as they fall a lot and their hands are frequently on the ice.

- I've seen moms pushing strollers on the ice, but I don't know if this is actually allowed. Leave a comment if you know more than I do.

- Ice skating is fun even when it's snowing (rain not so much), so don't let the weather keep you home.

Räbechilbi - turnip lantern festival

2011-10-25T21:44:00.000+02:00

enjoying the turnip lantern festival in Richterswil

Summer might be over, but there are plenty of fun winter activities to look forward to. The next big event in Zurich is Räbechilbi, literally "turnip party." In short, people carve designs into turnips, light them up like a lantern and have a parade. The turnip lanterns represent the warmth of home during the cold winter months. It's beautiful, special tradition that you should experience at least once during your time in Switzerland.

The biggest Räbechilbi is in Richterswil, about a 20 min drive south of Zurich on the west side of the lake. The main event is a big parade through town with marching bands and floats decorated with turnip lanterns. This year the parade is Saturday 12. November, parade starting at 18:30pm. But my favorite part is simply walking through town, which is lit up with thousands of turnip lanterns. While the parade route and food stands are very busy, the side streets are quiet and so lovely with all the flickering candlelight. You should plan to spend some time just wandering around town before the parade.

the whole town of Richterswil is lit with lanterns

Thousands of people attend this event, so get there early to get a good spot along the parade route. We usually get there a bit before 6pm, wander around town, then find a spot near the end of the parade route where it's not as crowded. Although it might be a little difficult to navigate the crowds with your stroller, you'll be thankful that your kids have somewhere to sit when watching the parade curbside. You might consider carrying small kids in a hiking backpack, so they can see over the crowds. Although there are a few food stands, the lines get real long, real fast. So I recommend bringing snacks and a thermos full of hot chocolate to keep your kiddies happy.

couple of the lantern floats

Because it's so popular and parking can be difficult, I'd recommend taking the train (S2 or S8), which runs about every 15 mins. The journey takes about 30 mins. The train gets really crowded, so be prepared. As you enter the town, you'll need to buy a ticket (last time I went it was 5CHF/adult, kids free) from one of the many staff wandering the train station. More information about Richterswil Räbechilbi.

If you're not willing to face the crowds, most communities and neighborhoods host their own little Räbechilbi, which is a fun way to get to socialize with your Swiss neighbors. Check your local Gemeindehaus or school for information about this. Many Swiss Spielgruppen will have the kids make papermache lanterns for this parade. In my neighborhood, the Kirchegemeindehaus hosts the turnip carving a few hours before the parade, where you can buy a turnip for 1CHF and they'll drill out the middle with a special machine so you can put a candle inside. They provide all sorts of cutters to help make designs, but little kids will need lots of adult supervision with the sharp tools. You provide the candle, rope and stick to construct your lantern.

drilling a hole in the turnip ... carving the turnip, children need supervision

Then the neighbors meet at the local school, where they have a wagon decorated with lanterns and a marching band. The police close off the streets while the whole neighborhood walks around with their lanterns. Even if you don't walk the whole parade route, you might be able to watch it go by from your window or corner.

get fancy with a lid on your lantern ... my son carrying a papermache lantern from spielgruppe and me with the turnip

Gelmerbahn - steepest funicular in Switzerland (so they say)

2011-10-10T23:28:00.001+02:00

main attractions: super steep funicular and wobbly suspension bridge

Summary: ~1:40hr drive from Zurich, exciting funicular ride to glacial reservoir, hike around lake and across dam, not stroller friendly, no grill pits, restaurant and playground near base, barefoot trail nearby, suspension bridge

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Wow, I loved our day at the Gelmersee! You might have to work a little harder on this one, but it's totally doable with kids and it has lots of fun features that kids will enjoy. The main attraction is the ridiculously steep Gelmerbahn funicular (feels more like an elevator) that takes you up to the Gelmersee reservoir. There's a hike around the lake, though with kids you probably won't do the whole loop and it doesn't matter; it's pretty no matter how far you walk. Since the funicular only takes 24 people up at a time, you may have to wait awhile. But no worries. Near the base of funicular, there is a hotel/restaurant with a big playground and near that, a short barefoot trail through the woods, plenty to keep you busy for an hour or two.

Details. Drive to Handegg towards the Grimselpass and look for a sign on the left pointing to the Gelmerbahn. After turning off the main road, follow the parking signs. If the small lot is full, don't worry; just keep driving down the narrow road and there's a grassy field with plenty of spots. Then a short walk back the way you came, then uphill a minute or so the base of the funicular. Buy your tickets here.

The funicular only takes 24 people every 15 minutes or so, so it fills up quick. We arrived at noon and the first available tickets were for 2:40pm. When you buy your ticket, you have to also pick a return time since there are only so many spots. So you'll need to estimate how long you expect to stay at the top; 2-3 hours is probably enough, unless you plan to hike around the entire lake. But check your watch. You don't want to miss your return trip slot because you didn't make it all the way around the lake in time.

When we realized we'd have to wait over 2.5 hours to go up, we almost left. But they advertised a restaurant and little hike on the other side of the suspension bridge. So we bought our tix and went exploring. There are several maps and brochures in the ticket office, one with a map of a barefoot trail on the other side of the suspension bridge. The bridge starts just below the ticket office, crossing crosses a gorge and the road you drove up on.

After crossing the bridge, you follow a short trail through the grass and trees to reach the restaurant. To find the barefoot trail, turn right before reaching the playground and follow the road/trail past a cafe/cheese shop into the meadow to find the barefoot trail, marked by the trail sign by the lamppost in above pic.

here is the restaurant and playground on the other side of the suspension bridge

Unlike other barefoot trails that have manmade collections of funny things to walk on, this was simply a nice little trail through the woods on which they suggest you walk barefoot. So we took off our shoes and gave ourselves into the experience. It was really fun to feel the different textures and temperatures on our feet as we walked. It's narrow, bumpy, and uphill, not suitable to strollers. But it's pretty short (maybe 45 min with kids) and our 4 year old did it without much coaching.

It was a real treat to spot wild blueberries along the barefoot trail. Lots of other people were there gathering berries so we did too. We spent almost an hour gathering, eating and squashing berries.

Finally, it was our turn to ride up the super steep funicular ride! It's totally safe, but still a little unnerving. There wasn't room for much cargo, so don't plan on bringing your stroller up.

We made it safely to the top and started on the trail.

There's a narrow bumpy trail to the left and a wide partially paved trail leading to the dam on the right. Guess which one we took? It gets super narrow in parts, so hold tight to your little ones.

Gelmersee as seen from the trail, looking back to the dam

We didn't have enough time to walk all the way around the lake. But after about 30 minutes of walking, we found a great picnic spot with more berry bushes and lots of rocks to climb on.

fantastic view from our picnic spot

we spent a lot of time climbing rocks

We headed back with plenty of time to spare, so we'd be sure not to miss our ride down. We had enough time to pop over to the dam and get some views of the pass before heading back down.

Thermal baths

2011-10-10T22:49:00.000+02:00

summer may be over, but heated pool season is in full swing

Now that winter is almost upon us, I thought you might like another idea for rainy days: thermal baths! Thermal baths (aka Thermalbad in German) are spa facilities with heated pools, often with water from underground springs. These are great in any weather, but particularly fun when it's snowing or raining while you are in the outdoor heated pools.

Before I started going to thermal baths, I was worried that it was just for adults and my kids wouldn't be welcome there. But kids are almost always welcome at thermal baths and some even have specific family and kiddie pools. Thermal baths are primarily designed for relaxing adults, but this should not deter you. While your kids shouldn't be as rowdy as they would in a regular public pool, they can certainly laugh, play and swim about. I've never been hushed or ask to restrain my children at the thermalbads, but I do remind my kids to not scream and not splash other people. It can be a very fun outing for the whole family if you have the right expectations. We usually visit a Thermalbad while traveling. It's great for a rainy day or at the end of the day to relax and tire out the kids. Most resort towns in Switzerland, Austria and Germany have at least one thermalbad.

Obviously thermal bath features vary, but in general you can expect a few different indoor and outdoor heated pools (typically 32-36C) with a variety of massage jets, bubble beds, and waterfalls. Children are welcome in all pools and steam rooms unless specifically noted; sometimes certain pools are designated for adults only or sometimes the water or air temperature is deemed unsuitably hot for small children. Most Thermal baths have a separate adults-only section for sauna (often nude) and spa treatments, if one parent wants to take a break from the kids for bit (priced separately from the pool entrance fee). Usually there is an attached restaurant, often connected to the pool area, with typical Swiss cafe food: wurst, salad, and noodles.

sweat it out and clear your lungs in the scented steam rooms

Most thermal baths have special features that make it interesting and fun for the kids, like a lazy river or waterslide. We especially like the "fire and ice" pools that we've seen at several thermal baths. You go back and forth between an ice cold pool and a hot pool. My kids think it's hilarious and love daring each other to go into the pools.

float in the salty "Dead Sea" pool

My favorite new find is the Sole Uno Thermalbad in Rheinfelden, about a 50 minute drive from Zurich. (See their brochure in English). It had so many different features that kept our kids interested:

- outdoor pool with lazy river, bubble beds, waterfall, massage jets

- Dead Sea pool with 12% salt content, so you float very easily. There is relaxing music and soothing light reflections on the walls.

- a series of steam rooms with different scents like coconut/vanilla, lemon/orange, and mint

- rainforest room where you push a button to make very warm rain fall from the ceiling

- waterfall room where push a button and a rushing river bounces back and forth through some rocks before falling on your head

- fire (40C) and ice (15C) pools

Most thermalbads charge by the hour. We typically get a 2 hr pass. This includes the time you spend changing your clothes, so plan for that. If you go over your time, you are usually charged a couple francs for every extra 15 minutes. Sole Uno costs 25CHF/adult and 14CHF/child for 2 hours. Only children 4 and over are allowed at this one.

We've also enjoyed Bad Zurzach, about a 45 min drive from Zurich. Among other things, they have fast "river" that is even more fun if you bring something to float on. Since our last visit, they have added a kiddie pool. Bad Zurzach costs 16.50CHF/adult, 9CHF/children 4-13, 5CHF/children under 4 for two hours.

We've gone to the Swiss Holiday Park in Morschach (more pics here). In addition to the heated indoor and outdoor pools, it has a kiddie pool, a big waterslide, and innertubes for the kids to float on. It was fine, but it was very crowded the day we went and I was quite chilly sitting by the kiddie pool monitoring my toddler. I'd much prefer to go to Sole Uno.

Some regular indoor pools have lots of extra features for a lower cost, like the Fohrbach pool in Zollikon (9CHF/adult, 5CHF/child). This pool has two big waterslides, a kiddie splash pool and a big non-swimmer pool. But the outdoor heated pool with massage jets is for adults only.

Thermal baths cost much more than regular pools. But winter is long and sometimes you need something a little special to break up the monotony of gray skies. You should try it at least once.

(All pictures from Sole Uno website)

what's your favorite spot in Switzerland?

2011-09-02T14:08:00.000+02:00

here's the moment I realized I was in love with Switzerland, in the Berner Oberland back in 2006

I was recently interviewed by ExpatArrivals.com, a website providing local info for global expats, about my experience here in Zurich (you can read the interview here). It gave me a chance to look back on our time here and remember all the good times we've had, many of them documented here on this blog. This month marks my six year anniversary in Switzerland. I never thought we'd stay this long and now I can't imagine leaving.

I've really enjoyed sharing my experiences with you, my mostly unknown readers. I thought it'd be fun to hear from you this time. So please leave a comment to tell us where your favorite spot in Switzerland is. Come on, it'll be fun!

Gruyeres cheese factory

2011-08-30T02:43:00.000+02:00

enormous vats of almost cheese at La Maison du Gruyère

Summary: ~2hr drive from Zurich, partially stroller friendly (some stairs), restaurant, adjacent playground and picnic area, 12CHF/family

After six years in Switzerland, I finally visited a cheese factory and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. It's not super exciting, but it was nice to learn more about an industry that is so important to Switzerland. It's totally kid-friendly, with buttons to push and videos to watch. It's good add-on the Cailler Chocolate Factory and the Gruyeres town.

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Details. La Maison du Gruyère is a small, cute and informative "museum" with cheese demonstrations throughout the day. Everyone gets an audio guide (no extra charge), so you can listen to a cow tell you all about cheese making. My boys spent most of their time typing in random numbers so they could listen to the cow in different languages like Japanese.

You walk along a short informational board that tells you all about cows and cheese.

I liked this part that lets you smell all the things that cows eat and guess what they are.

I thought the factoids were fascinating. My kids, not so much.

Then you enter the gallery where you can see the cheese machines behind glass. There are a couple videos running on loops, showing the whole cheese making process in case you don't want to wait around. Then you wait (or don't) to see if anyone is going to actually do some cheese making.

We kept getting excited as the cheeseman would come in and out of the room, checking the milk temperature, spraying water around, fussing with equipment, etc. After about 30 minutes, he finally poured the curds and whey into cheese molds, which was fun in a cheesy sort of way (like my pun?). Eventually the cheese ends up in the cheese caves where it ages.

It's best to visit the factory when they are actually making cheese, but somehow I missed the link on their website detailing the cheese making schedule. I think the most interesting part is "removing the
cheese and filling it into the moulds" but you can choose for yourself.

I usually don't like to eat at the themed restaurant attached to an attraction, but for various good reasons, we opted to eat at the cheese factory and the food we ordered was actually pretty good. I had a rösti (above) and it was tasty.

The restaurant has a kids menu, high chairs and a small play corner.

There is also a playground outside the restaurant, surrounding by picnic tables.

Cailler Chocolate Factory

2011-08-30T02:04:00.001+02:00

all you can eat chocolate at Cailler Chocolate Factory

Summary: ~2hr drive from Zurich, ~1hr tour of chocolate factory, stroller-friendly, cafe and playground on premises, possible with public transportation but not convenient, 10CHF/adult & kids under 16 free

I've been anxious to visit a chocolate factory ever since moving here and I'd heard good things about the Cailler Chocolate factory, near Gruyeres. But I felt it was too far for a day trip and kept waiting until I was in the area for another reason. But this summer, I couldn't wait any longer and I'm happy to report a good time was had by all.

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The Cailler Chocolate Factory is in Broc, very near the small town of Gruyeres, about a 2 hour drive from Zurich. It's a bit far to travel just for the chocolate factory, so I'd recommend combining it with a visit to Gruyeres and the nearby cheese factory, as we did. The drive wasn't so bad (mostly on the freeway) and our whole group really enjoyed the factory. I would definitely recommend it.

outside factory (good rainy day option) ... playground (not good in rain) ... chocolate cafe (good in all weather)

What happens at the Chocolate factory? You will buy your ticket for a tour time, which can be within 20 minutes or an hour on a very busy summer day, as it was for us. While you wait, you can browse the chocolate shop, watch old tyme chocolate factory footage in the theater, drink hot cocoa and eat chocolate croissants in the cafe, and run around the playground outside the cafe. There's plenty to do and distract, don't worry.

Diorama rooms from tour. Small kids might be frightened by the dark and some of the light and sound effects, but the tour is short and you only stay in each room a couple minutes.

The tour group is small, about 20 people, and is given in a variety of languages. At your assigned time, your group will be led into the first of several diorama rooms that provide a history of chocolate and chocolate making in Switzerland. It's a little hokey but fun, lasting about 20 minutes or so.

old fashioned chocolate making equipment

You exit into the "factory" where you can see and learn more about the chocolate making process. The kids loved smelling the different cocoa beans.

This was my favorite part of the tour. You can linger here as long as you like, reading as much or little as you like about all the different elements of chocolate making.

You only get to see one chocolate machine up close, but it's super cool and you get to eat the chocolates that pop out of the machine in real time.

You can push buttons to watch videos about different machines in the factory, against the backdrop of the real factory.

Then you enter the tasting room, where you can eat as much chocolate as you want. Really, you can eat as much as you want, but don't be surprised when you can't eat as much as you think you can.

Cailler also offers chocolate making classes, but you have to reserve these ahead of time as they fill up quickly. I really wish I had known about that beforehand as my kids would have loved that. They have a children's class for kids 6 and older. Other classes are 12 and older.

Before going, you might want to get excited by reading George Goes to a Chocolate Factory or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Grotzenwäldli adventure playground

2011-08-23T22:11:00.000+02:00

push rafts around in this adventure playground in Engelberg

Summary: adventure playground near alps, grill pits, 10CHF donation requested

My friends have been talking up the Abenteuer Robinsonspielplatz Grotzenwäldli playground for awhile and I finally got a chance to check it out a couple weeks ago. It's in the Engelberg valley, so it's a good add-on after visiting one of the mountain peaks in the area, like the Brunni Tickle Trail or Titlis. The main attraction is the large pond with wooden rafts that the kids can push around, Huck Finn style. I was surprised how entertaining this simple activity was for a group of energetic boys. The whole place seems a bit special and adventurous, a good place for your kids to use their imagination.

While the over six crowd used the rafts on their own, I accompanied the younger kids on the raft and obeyed their every command, pushing them back and forth across the pond. The pond itself is not very deep, but it would be wise to put water wings on non-swimmers just to be safe. There is shallow part of the pond, where the cold river flows into it, where kids can splash and swim on a super hot day. There's a tree house on an island in the middle of the pond and plenty of spots to dock your raft and explore (although the park is enclosed so kids can't easily escape).

In addition to the rafts, there is more traditional play equipment and a grassy field along the pond for lounging. There are tables and grills along the pond, making it easy to set up a picnic. It's a private playground and signs request you to leave a 10CHF/family donation in the dropbox, particularly if you are using the grilling facilities.

The playground does not have a website and I could only limited information on the web. But it's super easy to find. Drive through Engelberg, veering right onto Wydenstrasse, then veering left on Horbisstrasse. Keep driving on Horbisstrasse until you see the playground on your left. You can park along on the street.

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badi water temperatures

2011-08-11T10:22:00.000+02:00

We've had some rainy cold weather this summer - aaah! But it looks like it might get warm enough in the next couple days to actually swim outside. I've wanted to swim at the Caumasee near Flims for a couple years, but it never seems to get warm enough. Maybe this weekend?

I came across these websites that catalog the water temperatures of Swiss outdoor pools and lake swimming areas. I thought you might find it helpful, so I added them to the Outdoor Swimming post. Happy swimming!

http://sospo.myswitzerland.com

http://www.wiewarm.ch/

Muggestutz dwarf trail

2011-07-27T01:26:00.000+02:00

map of the Muggestutz dwarf trail, showing the various play stations along the way

Summary: ~1hr30min drive from Zurich, theme trail with play stations along trail, not stroller-friendly, grill pits, cafes at cable car stations

I've been wanting to do this trail for a long time and we finally got around to it a couple weeks ago. The Muggestutz trail has play stations along the trail that match up with the Muggestutz storybook, which tells about the dwarves that supposedly live in the Meiringen Hasliberg area. We read the book before going on the hike, which made it more fun for the kids. But it's still fun without the book. It's not a super long trail, it's mostly downhill, and the play stations keep the kids motivated. But very small children will probably get tired, so you might have to carry them at some point (trail is not stroller-friendly). We spent all day on the trail, playing at all the stations, so I can't really say how long it will take you. But I can say that our family and our friends really liked it. I suggest you take friends which always makes it more fun for the kids.

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Details. Drive to Meiringen and follow signs to the Luftseilbahn. It runs about every 30 minutes. Buy the Muggestutz ticket, which includes mountain transport to the trail head and transport back from the bottom of the trail. They take Halbtax.

You'll take gondola, then a cable car to the Mägisalp station. There's a cafe and playground here, but you might want to get started on the trail before the kids run out of energy. Follow the signs for the Muggestutz trail.

We brought our off-road stroller, but the trail is not stroller-friendly; it gets quite lumpy and steep in parts.

Here are some of the play stations. In the first pic, you can see some of the caves where dwarves live. In the second, swings along the trail supposedly simulating the flight of an eagle that snatches one of the dwarves. Then the pine cone drying station, surprisingly entertaining for such a dull task. Then a maze, in which the kids insisted we (we=adults too) play tag. Some of the stations are like playgrounds like the swings. Others take a little imagination to make fun.

In the middle of the trail, there is a large group of fire pits and picnic tables with wood and grills.

There are two dwarf homes along the trail, decked out inside with all the comforts of home. The second home on the trail is surrounded by a picnic place with a grill pit and water fountain.

This alp cheese shop is along the trail, where you can buy some quite yummy cheese with the Muggestutz label.

This is the last station, a cave at the end of the trail, where the dwarves (and your children) find a crystal (locked in a box, not to take home).

Melchsee Frutt mountain resort

2011-07-19T21:21:00.000+02:00

Summary: ~1hr15min from Zurich, easy trails around lakes, stroller-friendly, grill pits, restaurants, playground

I'm so happy we finally discovered the Melchsee Frutt mountain resort. It's a wonderful option for families with little kids and visitors with limited mobility that still want to experience the alps. After riding the gondola up to an alpine lake, you can take a little "train" along the trail, so you can see the whole area without walking it. The train has several stops along the way, so you can walk as much or little as you like and then catch the train when you are tired. The scenery is spectacular with both near and far dramatic peaks, two super blue lakes, rolling grassy hills, and plenty of cows to befriend.

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Details. First, drive to Stöckalp, past Luzern on your way to Interlaken, about a 1hr15min drive from Zürich. The cable car runs from here to the lakes. You can buy just a up and back ticket or a combo ticket that includes the train for the day. They accept Halbtax.

The train will meet you at the top of the cable car. It leaves about every hour, more frequently on weekends and holiday. There are eight stops, terminating a bit past the second lake at a restaurant before it turns around and heads back. We rode the train to the end, walked around the second lake, then took the train back to the cable car. The main "trail" that the train drives along is a paved road (easy for strollers) and plenty of people were walking instead of taking the train. It's also a popular route for mountain bikers.

There are several restaurants scattered along the trail, but we picnicked that day so I don't have any recommendations. There are also a few grill pits (Feuerstelle) with grills, wood, and stone benches (no tables).

looking back towards the cable car station from the second lake

this pic was taken from the train, showing how much you can see without even walking

This pic shows the windy trail around the second lake. The trail around the lake, opposite the road, is a wide dirt path, easily navigated with a sturdy stroller. It's relatively flat and easy to do with little kids.

this pic shows: a feuerstelle on the second lake, the wide dirt trail around the lake, one of the train stops along the trail, and another feuerstelle near the dam on the second lake.

You can leave the trail at any point and go down to the lake to throw rocks and annoy fish.

At the cable car stations, there is an indoor play area (in the plastic bubble) next to the cafe and a big playground above the station, with swings, sand pit, zip line, balance rope, and picnic tables. It's great!

Dynamic Earth Exhibit at ETH (aka FocusTerra)

2011-07-18T23:24:00.000+02:00

lots of interactive displays and buttons to push here

Summary: in Zurich, free, stroller-friendly, no cafe and probably no picnic

A friend tipped me off on this great free exhibit at ETH University called FocusTerra. From their website:

"...an inspiring new museum which explains in an easily understandable way the geologic processes in and on our planet. It displays exciting aspects of the Earth and shows how earthquakes are triggered, what makes volcanoes erupt, where gems come from and what fossils tell us about the origin of life. The exhibit also explains how the Alps came to be and what the climate was once like in the past."

We loved it! First, it's free, so that makes it an easy choice. It's at the ETH, around the corner from the Zoological Museum. The "museum" is in a big atrium in the middle of the building (shown below), with four floors of displays. There are stairs between the levels, but I'm pretty sure the building has elevators and all the levels are connected to the main building. Since it's in an open space, it was rather loud with our rowdy kids running around and yelling. But over the hour or so we were there, no one asked us to be quiet or anything, even with studying students scattered around.

The displays are eye-catching and interactive, with buttons to push and videos to watch. Most of the displays are in both German and English, making it easier to explain the science to your kids.

One of my favorites was this giant globe above that changed its display when you selected various options on the computer screen. For example, you could choose different planets and the globe would change to look like that planet. Another option was to simulate the movement of the tectonic plates over 600 million years. Another option showed earthquakes and tsunamis.

There was a lot of pushing and shoving to get access to this microscope.

They had so many interesting crystals, all shapes and sizes.

They advertised an earthquake simulator, but they only do it on Sundays as part of an one hour guided tour at specific times. See here for details. Only for kids 5 and up.

ETH - FocusTerra
Sonneggstrasse 5, Zürich
Trams 6, 9, 10

Mon–Fri: 9–17 h
Sun: 10–16 h
Sat: closed

summer museum passes

2011-07-18T09:54:00.000+02:00

Don't let the rainy summer days get you down. Zurich and Switzerland have a few different Ferien passes, most of which include entrance to lots of museums, a good way to spend a rainy summer day. See these links for details:

- ZVV Ferienpass. Free travel and entry to lots of Zurich museums, including the zoo for 20CHF.

- Zurich Museum List.

- Zurich Ferienpass with lots of activity ideas and inexpensive mini-camps for kids.

- Swiss Museum Pass. Gets you into over 400 museums across Switzerland for one calendar year. Adult=144 CHF, Adult+up to 5 children=177CHF

And here a few of our rainy day ideas.

indoor swimming

2011-07-08T01:38:00.001+02:00

Hooray for indoor swimming pools! Thanks to them, I always have an easy, kid-friendly activity if the weather doesn't cooperate. At most indoor pools, you can usually expect a shallow non-swimmer pool, a lap pool, and a cafe. At the good ones, you also get a kiddie splash pool, water slides, and outdoor heated pools.

If you buy the full year Zurich sportpass (not just the summer badi pass), you get access to all Zurich city pools (indoor and outdoor) and ice skating rinks. But the Zurich city indoor pools are not so great with kids. Most don't have kiddie pools and are focused on lap-swimming and aqua aerobics. The only Zurich city indoor pool I visit is Altstetten, which has an indoor water slide. There is very limited metered parking here.

So let's get to my favorite indoor pools:

Schwimmbad Fohrbach Zollikon - seemingly everyone in Zurich goes to this pool. It has two indoor waterslides, two non-swimmer pools, kiddie splash pool with mini slide and river, a lap pool, and outdoor heated pool with massage jets (adults only).

Adliswil - it's not amazing, but it gets the job done. There is a fun kiddie splash pool with a mini slide. The non-swimmer pool has a slightly bigger slide, which is nice for slightly bigger kids that are learning to swim.

Schwimmendbad Lättich, Baar - In addition to the regular stuff, the indoor pool has a lazy river, diving area, and an extra splashy kiddie pool. Paid parking can get full on a busy weekend.

Zurzach Thermalbad - The pools here are more outdoor than indoor, but they are heated to 35C so it's good in all seasons. It's mostly geared to adults with lots of massage jets and spa facilities. But kids are welcome and there were tons of kids there the day we went. One of the pools has a super fun lazy river, best enjoyed with a flotation device. I'm not an expert on their complicated entrance fees, but the day we went, we got a four hour pass, which was plenty for our crew. It's about double the price of regular badis, but it's worth it I think.

Morschach Swiss Holiday Park - This is a whole holiday complex, with lots of entertainment and relaxation activities. You can go just for the "Erlebnisbad," which is a big heated pool that goes both indoor and outdoor. It also has a kiddie splash pool. It's pretty expensive (about 16sfr/person for four hours if I remember correctly), a bit of a drive (maybe 40 mins?) so I'm not sure it's worth it. But it was fun to be swimming outside with the snow and do something a little different. It might be worth it if one of you stays with the kids, while the other goes to the spa for awhile, then trade off.

Here are a couple sites that show all badis in Switzerland.
http://www.badi-info.ch/
http://www.swissbadeanstalt.ch/

outdoor swimming

2011-07-08T01:03:00.007+02:00

It's raining now, but I have faith that more hot sunny days are in our future. So here's the skinny on swimming in Zurich. You might already have your favorite pool, but it's nice to change it up once in awhile. There are tons of badis in Switzerland and this website shows all the swimming places in Kanton Zurich and beyond. I'm just going to highlight some of my favorites.

First let's talk about lake swimming. There are lots of "Strandbads" along Zurich lake, which usually involve a roped off place to swim in the lake, a park with lots of grass, a small kiddie pool, a playground, a restaurant, bathrooms, changing rooms, etc. There are several free strandbads along the lake, some with services, many without.

The Zurich summer badi pass includes the Mythenquai and Tiefenbrunnen strandbads. My favorite is the Mythenquai because it has a sandy beach, while almost all other Strandbads have rocky shores.

Other non-Zurich city strandbads I like:

Kilchberg - I like this one because it has a waterslide going into the lake (but the lake bottom is rocky and seriously hurts your feet) and it has a proper pool set back from the lake if you want something less murky.

Ruschlikon - it's free, but it has a wonderfully maintained grassy area, a kiddie splash pool, a sand pit with sand toys, ad a restaurant. I don't know why they aren't charging.

Now, outdoor pools. At almost any pool, you can expect a partially shaded kiddie splash pool, a shallow non-schwimmer pool, a deep lap pool, lots of grass, a playground, and a restaurant. If you have a Zurich summer badi pass, you can get into any Zurich city pool (indoor, outdoor, and strandbads) not just the one where you bought the pass. All of these pools have very limited metered parking, so it's better to take public transport if you can. I'd recommend the following outdoor pools:

Heuried - big water slide in addition to the regular stuff
Allenmoos - big water slide in addition to the regular stuff
Letzigraben - The non-swimmer pool has a graduated entry, like a beach, ideal for little kids. It also has lots of sprays and fountains in the non-swimmer pool (not just the kiddie splash pool), so it's fun for older kids too.

Here are my other nearby favorites not on the Zurich pass:

Fohrbach Zollikon - Everyone loves this pool. It has both indoor and outdoor pools, a big water slide, a big pirate ship with a slide, lots of sprays, etc. Parking is easy and free.

Schwimmendbad Geren, Birmensdorf - This is a new favorite. I love that it has a playground and sand pit right next to the kiddie pool. So as a mom, you can stay in one place and monitor your kids across the various entertainments. The big pool has a water slide and diving boards to entertain older kids. Parking is easy and free but on a busy weekend, you might have a park in the overflow lot and walk a bit.

Adliswil - They have an extra wide, bumpy water slide that the big kids do all sorts of crazy stuff on. But it's fun for the little ones too. The kiddie pool and adjacent playground are quite nice.

Schwimmendbad Lättich, Baar - People _love_ this pool. It has indoor and outdoor. Outside, there is a big waterslide and an extra splashy kiddie pool. Inside, there's a lazy river, diving area, an extra splashy kiddie pool, etc. Paid parking can get full on a busy weekend.

Terrassenbad Baden, wave pool - it's a bit of a drive, but if you need something different, the wave pool definitely delivers. We went specifically for the wave pool and our 3 and 7yr old boys were in heaven. It helps if you have rafts to float on, so non-swimmers can really enjoy the wave action. There's also a big outdoor waterslide, a no-frills kiddie pool, a sand pit, big playground, sand volleyball courts, etc.

Lastly, here are a couple sites that show the water temperatures for Swiss badis, including lakes.
http://sospo.myswitzerland.com
http://www.wiewarm.ch/

And a couple sites that show all badis in Switzerland.
http://www.badi-info.ch/
http://www.swissbadeanstalt.ch/

free bike rental

2011-07-08T00:12:00.001+02:00

on two wheels and loving it!

It's summer again and I still don't have a bike. But not to worry: Zurich lends out bikes for free, don't ya know? For years, I've seen those Zurirollt bikes all over Zurich (some have McDonalds logos, you've seen them too, I bet). But I've never seen one with a child seat and I've always wondered. Well, today was the day and I hauled my kids over to Bahnhof Enge to find an answer to this mystery.

I'm happy to report that Zurirollt does have bikes with Kindersitzen and it's absolutely free! You just show them your ID and leave a 20sfr deposit. At Bahnhof Enge, they have regular bikes (with baskets), bikes with child seats, scooters for kids, and even helmets. The bikes come with a lock, so you can bike somewhere and stay awhile. The website led me to believe that they also have bikes with trailers and kid bikes at other locations. They can be found at the Zurich Hauptbahnhof as well as Globus City, Bürkliplatz, and Bahnhof Enge.

If you don't find what you need there, you can visit Rent-a-Bike, which has locations at most major train stations around Switzerland, including Zurich's Hauptbahnhof. They have a wider variety of bike options (see website for details) and rental options. A couple years ago, we rented a bike with a trailer from them in Kreuzlingen and had a lovely day biking through the apple orchards along the Bodensee.

Where to bike with kids? If you're borrowing the bike in the city, your choices are a little limited. We went to Brunau, the big park across from Sihlcity, which has a wide, relatively flat path along the Sihl river towards Adliswil. You could ride for a couple hours or more along this path, if you were so inclined. It's an easy trail for young kids riding their own bikes (like 5+ yrs old). It's along the river, with lots of places to stop for picnics, etc. And if you get tired, you can just ride the train home as the tracks are right on the other side of the river.

Safety first: If you've never ridden a bike with a kid on the back, please be very, very careful! The extra weight on the back makes the bike rather unstable. I'm embarrassed to admit that while simply preparing to get on the bike today, the bike promptly fell over and my three year old crashed to the ground. I thought I could just hold the handlebars to keep the bike upright while stationary, but the back of the bike is so heavy that it pulled the bike down while I was still holding the handlebars. Fortunately he wasn't badly hurt (just a little scrape on his arm) and he only cried for a couple minutes. But we were both a little traumatized and I was extra extra cautious for the rest of the ride. Happily, my son ended up loving the bike ride. But every time I stopped and started, he would say "please don't crash this time, mama."

Please don't let this happen to you. When walking the bike or even just holding it, keep your body against the bike seat and slightly lean the back of the bike toward you. It's not terribly difficult, it just takes a little practice. Happy biking!

Art Basel

2011-06-18T22:48:00.000+02:00

my boys were happy to see a few dinosaur themed art pieces at Art Basel (a couple pirates too)

Summary: ~1 hr from Zurich, art exhibition, stroller-friendly, cafes inside (no picnic), 40sfr/adult kids free

I took my two boys (aged 3 & 7) to Art Basel today and had so much more fun than I expected. It ends tomorrow, so I'm posting this in a hurry in case anyone wants to go. I think this is an annual event, so you can catch it next year if you miss it. We're definitely making this a family tradition.

Anyhoo, Art Basel is an enormous modern and contemporary art exhibition with more than 2,500 artists. It's housed in two enormous industrial halls that are partitioned so each artist gets their own "space". You'll find an enormous variety of paintings, sculptures, films, interactive installations, etc. Get it: it's enormous!

Giant art installations in Hall 1. The hanging bricks on the left were allowed to be touched with the warning "enter at your own risk" printed on the floor. My son loved that he could not only touch this one but run around in it.

So why bring the kids? First, it's a more comfortable environment than a traditional museum. When I bring my kids to the Kunsthaus, the docents hover around us and are constantly shushing us and telling us to stand further away from the art. But at Art Basel, there are thousands of people milling about and it's kinda noisy so you don't stick out so much. You still need to have control of your kids and no one should be running around like crazy and touching the art. But I felt relaxed and my kids did too.

my son was sure that guitars could not be art ... my son was the only patron unselfconscious enough to try out this this "art" video game, where you "surf" on the surfboard shaped carpet and make the surfing zen master collect points by jumping on a sun and moon.

Second, the modern art is fun: lots of bright colors, crazy juxtapositions, larger than life sculptures, a few interactive installations, current cultural references (one piece had Dora the Explorer), etc. I was really surprised how entertained my kids were for at least a full hour before lunch and another after.

my kids like this person sculpture because it was made up of letters ... they liked the scribble painting because of all the hidden faces ... they weren't sure the last one was actually "art" but were happy to pick their favorite colors

Third, Art Basel includes Art Kids, which is an enormous play area run by Robi-Spiel-Aktion on the 2nd floor in Hall 1. You can leave your kids here while you browse the art or stay with them if you all need a break. Amazingly, it's free with your admission and they have so much to entertain your kids, I would have happily paid. They have a bouncy palace, foosball table, ping pong table, legos, playmobil, balloon sculpturist, play kitchen, story corner, kid-sized train tracks, and more, more, more. They also had a craft area where the kids could paint, wood work, and make T-shirts. They have free drinks and snacks for the kids. I couldn't believe it.

Art Kids play hall, it's free and you even leave your kids while you look at art

painting station in Art Kids, including a paint spinner powered by bicycle ... this fishing toy was one of the many little play stations

Some details...

- It is located in Halls 1 and 2 of Messe Basel. By car, follow signs to Messe, then park at either the Parkhaus Messe and Badischer Bahnhof parking lots.

- We rode the train, which I'd recommend. You can get a SBB combo ticket (ask at the window at the train station) that gives you a slight discount and includes Art Basel entrance, train to/from Basel, and trams within Basel for 64sfr/adult. If you take the train, take tram 1 or 2 (tram 2 has a low floor for strollers in the first car) to Baselmesseplatz, following the crowds.

- I'd recommend starting in Hall 1. It has all the giant installations that can be really fun for kids. The short art films can be interesting too. My kids were kinda obsessed with them and wanted to stop in every dark room. But I was always nervous that something innocuous (like paper blowing in the wind) would suddenly turn violent or sexual to make an artistic statement. But we watched part of 10 or so films and didn't see anything disturbing.

an overview of Hall 1 just so you can see the scale

- Strollers are allowed in the exhibition and you can navigate the whole thing easily with a stroller, even with the crowds. There are elevators to reach the upper floors.

- The coat check is free and convenient. They are inconsistently serious about what can and can't bring in. We were asked to check our umbrellas and big camera. But inside, everyone was taking photos with their photos and small point-and-shoot cameras. When we left, they searched everyone's bags (not sure for what) but didn't search my stroller basket which had a whole liter of water and my mini umbrella.

- There is at least one cafe on each floor of each hall. On the center of Hall 2, there is a big atrium with tables and food stands, including bratwursts. This is an ideal place to let the kids run around a bit to blow off some steam.

atrium with tables and food stands

- There are two bathrooms on each floor along the perimeter, check the map in the provided program. I did not see any changing tables except in the bathroom in the Art Kids area (Hall 1, 2nd floor).

- There are tons of staff members everywhere and they were quite friendly and helpful and spoke English. They seem to want everyone to have a really good time and for things to run smoothly. So just ask if you need something or have a problem.

- Concern for little eyes: You will find some nudity, violence and suggestive material in some of the art, but there was much less than I expected. Plus, the artist spaces are structured so there are lots of corners and hidden spaces, so you can often peek around to see if there's anything you find offensive before continuing on. And there's so much to see that you can quickly distract and move on if there's something you don't want your kids lingering on.

One last note: exactly how does one enjoy art with your kids?

I'm not an expert on this. I know very little about art. My art appreciation skills could be summed up with either "I like it" or "I don't like it." But I think art is an important part of society (I'll keep this short and suggest you google for reasons why) and I think it's important to kids to experience lots of art forms, including ones that I'm not that familiar with myself. I may be wrong, but I don't think you have to know anything about art for it to have a meaningful impact on you. More information can make it more meaningful, but it's not required.

Anyway, here are a few things I do to help my little kids enjoy viewing art:

- I often start with: what's your favorite color in this painting? This is an easy question for kids to answer and get them to look at the art a little closer.
- I point out familiar things in the art, like animals, faces, vehicles, etc. This gives them a point of reference.
- if we're in a room with multiple pieces, I ask "what's your favorite piece here and why?" and "which piece do you not like and why?" I'll offer up my opinions after so I don't influence them beforehand.
- for abstract art, I ask: what do you think this is a picture of? usually, they say "nothing" So I give them a couple of my ideas and sometimes it becomes a game.
- my 7 yr old likes to say "Anyone could do this!" really loud. I usually say: "Maybe, but first you have to have an idea. This artist had an idea and then made it. Do you have idea? Maybe we should make it when we get home."
- my 7yr old also likes to say "This is not art!" I always ask "why not?" to which he never has a good answer. Then I go home and think about what I should say next time.

Seleger Moor Flower Garden

2011-05-14T22:45:00.000+02:00

Summary: ~30 min drive from Zurich, big flower garden, stroller friendly, picnic tables, small cafe, no playground

I don't know why we never knew about Seleger Moor park before. It's only a 30 min drive from Zurich and quite popular. There are so many signs pointing the way from all directions that you simply can't miss it.

View Larger Map

We really liked it, even though it rained on us the whole time. The park is an enormous flower garden, packed mostly with rhododendrons and azaleas. There are lots of little paths to wander on and get lost. There are a couple picnic spots with tables, so you can bring your lunch or get a snack from the small cafe. The only thing it's missing is a playground.

The season is roughly from the beginning of May through mid-June, so don't delay. This is a great springtime choice before the summer hiking season begins. Entrance fee is 10sfr/adult, children under 16 free, parking 2sfr/car.

the flowers smelled so good!

The main path Rundweg through the park is paved and easy with a stroller. There are also lots of dirt paths through the flowers with are still pretty doable with a stroller. My little one only looks sad because of the rain.

The pond was full of water lilies and croaking frogs! My boys loved that.

barcelona with kids

2011-04-07T14:35:00.002+02:00

I hope I can convince you that not only you shouldn't be scared to take your kids to Barcelona, but it's so much fun you should book your trip right now! So here's why Barcelona is super with kids (in no particular order):

Churros and chocolate, my main reason to go back. Two times a day is not too much, three might make you sick. You can eat them bags of them on the go or sit down at a "granja" cafe so you can dip and eat at a more relaxed pace.

La Rambla is a 1.2km long pedestrian street, lined with trees and street performers. Many other neighborhoods have similar "ramblas" that are perfect for a leisurely stroll any time of day.

On the La Rambla, your kids can chase birds, browse one of the many outdoor pet shops, and gawk at street performers.

La Boqueria market is great fun to look at even if you're not shopping for dinner.

There are several tapas joints inside La Boqueria for quick eats if you snag a spot at the bar. Patata Bravas are almost always on the menu, so if you kids can have fries if they don't like squid or fried chili peppers.

Barcelona is right on the coast, so there are miles of beaches (with a paved boardwalk) to explore. This was a great way to relax after a long hot day of sightseeing.

You can drive out of town if you want a prettier, quieter beach. But the city beaches are full of entertainment: cafes, playgrounds, strange people, rocks to throw, sea glass to collect, etc. Plus you can swim.

Gaudi architecture is a fun way to introduce your kids to the love of buildings: so colorful and imaginative. Here we are at Casa Batlló.

Continuing on the Gaudi theme, Park Guell is a must-do with its candyland-like appearance and open space to run. Bring a picnic and find a spot on these curvy tiled benches.

Mont Juic has lots of culture and history. Visit Poble Espagnol open-air museum and see all of Spain in one day. Climb on old artilerty in the Castell de Montjuic. Then take a gondola ride all the way back to the beach.

At any moment, you might see something strange and interesting like this enormous three-legged scuplture or these geese inside a kloster.

Get your wiggles out in the city park by the zoo. You can rent four-seater family bikes, which are difficult to maneuver but definitely amusing.

Visit the acquarium, which kicks the pants off Sea Life Konstanz (the nearest aquarium to Zurich).

admire the colorful street art

Keep the kids up late one night to admire the magic fountain in front of the national museum. Then take a cab home to enjoy the city at night.

Are you convinced yet? I am. I think I'll book our next trip right now...

tuscany with kids

2011-04-05T01:01:00.002+02:00

Since Tuscany is probably one of the most popular destinations, I thought I'd mention a few things that made this trip fun for our kids. In Tuscany, you usually do two things: hang out at the pool at your villa or visit the many "hill" towns like Sienna. We did the later. To keep our kids happy, we ate a lot of gelato and aggressively sought out parks and open spaces where they could run around. Here are some of those places.

View tuscany with kids in a larger map

Siena is the most popular hill town in Tuscany, so I'm stating the obvious here. But I just want to emphasize how nice it is to simply sit in Piazza del Campo, eat gelato, chase birds and people watch. We spent two relaxing afternoons doing just that.

We stumbled upon two nice parks in Siena that are a bit far from the center. So unless you are really looking for them, you probably won't find them. That's why I have to show you on the map below. (This Siena map is also very helpful.)

View tuscany with kids in a larger map

Siena park 1. After a long hot day, we were so happy to find this quiet park on the edge of the city wall. The park is right near the Il Campo parking, which where we parked and why we found this park. It has a small play structure with a slide and climbing wall. There's a large grassy field where we played soccer (we usually bring a ball with for just these occasions). And there's a lovely view of the surrounding countryside.

Siena park 2 is inside the Forte di Santa Barbara, northwest of Il Campo. It's a quiet green space, with long walkways perfect for running and scootering. There's also a fenced in playground in one of the corners.

Volterra. After walking around this famous hill town, take a break in the enormous park (Parco Archeologico) next to the Citadel (Fortezza Medicea). It has a big playground and lots and lots of grass.

San Gimignano had the most charming park of all the towns we visited. The small park is enclosed in the Fortress of La Rocca. There's some grass, space to run around, and benches so you can rest your weary legs (especially if you've been carrying a two year old on your back all day). You can climb the wall to get a view of the surrounding countryside. The day we were there, there were musicians and artists displaying their wares. This was our favorite part of the day.

Monteriggioni is a tiny hill town near Siena. It's heavily promoted by guidebooks, thus the enormous tiered parking lots almost larger than the town itself. It's cute and charming, but not much to do. You'll see the whole thing in 30 minutes or less. Our boys did enjoy walking along the city wall, which was reasonably safe.

San Galgano. We liked San Galgano because there was a lot of open space for our kids to run around and be loud. Since the kloster is in ruins with no roof, you don't have to be particularly quiet or respectful. There's lots of room on the surrounding grounds for a picnic. And the setting is lovely.

Cecina Beach. If you need a change from the hill towns and want to cool off, you can drive about an hour west to the coast and dip your toes in the sea. Cecina is not particularly nice, it's just the closest beach from the Siena area. We really loved these days just digging in the sand and lounging in the sun. The beaches are lined by forests, which make for a nice walk and a place to cool off if the sun gets to be too much. We were there off season in April, so the towns were quiet and beaches empty. But you can tell they are ready for serious crowds in summertime.

Sterpaia Beach. This beach was farther south than Cecina, part of a national park so it was cleaner and quieter (aka: no services) than the beaches closer to bigger towns. We all thought this was a perfect day, minus the drive there on a windy two lane road through the Tuscan hills. It was beautiful, but we all felt a little carsick by the end.

Wildnispark Zürich-Langenberg

2011-04-04T22:52:00.002+02:00

I've been here a dozen times and never seen the bear until today

Summary: ~15 min drive from Zurich, animal park, free, stroller-friendly, playground, restaurant & picnic area

It's strange that I haven't posted on this earlier. I've been here many times and never taken any pictures. I happened to be in the neighborhood, so I stopped by today to take some pics. It was rainy and the trees are still bare, so it looks a little unfriendly. But try to look past that. We had a nice hour in the park, even in the rain.

Wildnispark Zürich-Langenberg is a free "wild" animal park near Adliswil, featuring animals that are native to this area like deer, mountain goats, wolves, boar, wildcats, etc. Some of the enclosures are very big and forested so it can be hard to see the animals. Other enclosures are cramped with unattractive chained link fences. The park is designed with a more natural feel than a zoo, so it's a bit like a walk in the woods where you might see a deer in the distance. The most popular feature is the big playground at the entrance with a zipline, swings, water play, slide, etc. There's a restaurant and a big picnic area with grill pits. Besides the parking, it's free, so it's an easy choice.

View Larger Map

To get there, drive through Adliswil and follow Albisstrasse up the hill. You'll see the park on your left. Turn left on Schwerzistrasse then your next left into the parking lot. If it's not crowded, you can drive all the way up to the park entrance and playground where there are a few spots. It costs 5sfr to park for 24 hours.

some of the animals: steinbock, wild boar, deer

board showing how many animals (male, female, child) are in the park

part of the big playground

the restaurant, more play areas and the Feuerstelle with lots of picnic tables

the paths are clearly marked as double as regular hiking trails ... the lookout over the wolf enclosure ... my son trying to match dog nose and tails on one of the many educational signboards

the signboards in the wildcat enclosure show how the wildcats communicate through body language

Luzern

2011-04-04T01:10:00.002+02:00

The wooden bridge is a must-do, so drag your stroller up the few stairs and enjoy the stroll.

Wow, it's taken me a long time to post about Luzern. I figured it was so obvious, you didn't need me to post about it. But for the sake of completeness, I'll throw it in the mix.

Luzern is a lovely city about 40mins southwest of Zurich. The main attractions are the much photographed wooden bridge that crosses the large river cutting through town, the brightly decorated fountains scattered around the old town, the old castle wall looming over the city, the waterfront, and the general cuteness of the old town. You can learn more than you want to know on their tourist site here.

View Larger Map

I won't repeat a full walking tour here but merely mention a few kid-specific things. Generally, the town is stroller-friendly or at least tolerant. The cobblestones are bumpy obviously, but you can do most of the town without stairs. But the most important thing you need to know is that there is a Dieci gelato shop on the east side of the river, between the wooden bridge and the metal bridge. Use this as motivation to get your kids moving whatever direction you need them to go. Plus it's delicious, especially wild cherry.

The old town has lots of elaborate wall paintings. It can fun to have the kids look for things in the paintings. But some of them are kinda scary and racy. So be choosy.

The fountains are fun for the kids.

Raging river. Keep a close eye/hold on your kids as you walk along that river. The gaps in the barrier are very wide and a child could easily flop right in. I'm a little overprotective when it comes to fast moving water, so just use your own judgement.

City wall. I wouldn't particularly recommend the city wall. First, it was a little confusing to get to it and a little confusing getting back. And it had stairs and some of it was closed and it wasn't really obvious what you were supposed to do up there. I had a stroller that day and at some point, I took a different path from the non-stroller members of our party. We all got lost, cell phones lost power, and it took us a good hour to find each other again. This will not happen to you of course and you will wonder what is wrong with me. I wonder that too sometimes. But I feel I had to mention it just in case.

The Lion. I'd been to Luzern a few times before I even knew there was a lion. According to their website: «The dying Lion of Lucerne» is one of the world's most famous monuments. It's not in the old town, you have to walk a bit through the not-particularly attractive commercial part of town to get there. Once you get there, you can decide whether it was worth the effort.

Next door is the Gletschergarten museum (glacier garden) which I haven't visited and therefore have no opinion. I've heard it's semi-interesting, small and overpriced. If you go, let me know what you think.

Another view of the river with white Chateau Gutsch way in the background up the hill. The Rick Steves book recommended the funicular ride up to Chateau Gutsch that overlooks Luzern. It was a little odd when we tried it back in 2005. The funicular was unattended and didn't seem to have a schedule but after 10mins or so, it suddenly decided to go up the hill. The hotel is closed for renovation, so nothing was going on up top. The view was nice, but we didn't think it was worth the effort.

view of Luzern from Chateau Gutsch

Reading through this post, it might sound a little negative. But please don't misunderstand me. I think Luzern is very nice and you should definitely go. I just wanted to warn you of a few things to help your trip run smoother than some of mine have. So happy traveling!

St. Beatus dragon caves

2011-04-04T00:02:00.001+02:00

No pics allowed inside the caves, thus the bad pic taken on the sly without a flash. But you get the idea, dark and mysterious

Summary: ~1:45 drive from Zurich, guided tour of caves, a little scary for little kids, restaurant and picnic area, partially stroller friendly

Legend has it that St. Beatus, the first apostle to Switzerland, fought a dragon in the caves above the Thunersee. The whole area has embraced the dragon theme: with Niederhorn and its dragon slide, the St. Beatus adventure trail, and the St. Beatus caves where the dragon may still live.

St. Beatus-Höhlen is not just the caves, but a whole complex. From the parking lot, you'll follow a steep paved trail up to cave entrance, passing roaring waterfalls, strange carved wooden sculptures, a big playground and picnic area. We went on a rainy day, thinking that caves were a good rainy day option (inside!) but it would have been nice to enjoy the outside bits as well. So I'd recommend a sunny day for this one.

At the top, you buy your ticket for the guided tour. While you wait for you appointed time, you can browse the gift shops and get a snack. The caves themselves are interesting, especially the super fast river rushing down the middle. It's a bit scary for little kids as it's quite dark and occasionally they turn out the lights and there's a life-size dragon inside that my kids hated.

I'm going to apologize right now for not paying better attention to the stroller friendliness of this activity (I carried my 2yr old on my back). I'm pretty sure you can make it to the cave entrance without any stairs (there are stairs, but I think there are alternative paths for accessibility). If I'm wrong, please leave a comment so I can correct this. I'm pretty sure the cave itself has lots of stairs so not suitable for a stroller. The tour goes about 1km into the cave, so your little ones will have do some walking if you're not carrying them. It's not that bad, but just know what you are getting into.

I wouldn't recommend driving all the way out there just for the caves. But if you're in the area, it's a fun activity.

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Details: Drive to and past Interlaken on A8 and take the Weissenaustrasse exit, following this road around the lake until you reach the cave parking. Follow the paved trail into the park. You don't have to pay an entrance fee to the park. You only pay for the guided tour in the caves. Tickets for that are available at the top.

You can't miss the cave entrance; it's well marked with signs. But it comes up pretty quick around a curve, so keep an eye out.

the waterfalls outside the cave might be more impressive than the cave itself

lots of dwarf-themed stuff along the path, including wood sculptures like these

Here's the complex at the cave entrance. Buy your ticket here. There's a kiosk, cafe and sit-down restaurant here. There's also a museum, but we didn't visit it.

There's a big playground and picnic area a short walk down from the entrance. Our kids didn't want to go down this dragon slide in the rain, but we hassled them until them did. Of course, the wet slide was way too fast and they shot off into the gravel and got all scraped up. Good times. In the other pic, you can see the map of the park leading up to the caves.

Like I said above, the cave were fine. But I was a little underwhelmed after seeing the Postojna Caves in Slovenia. Seriously, those caves are amazing, you should go! I'll post on that later.

Niesen

2011-04-03T22:58:00.001+02:00

Summary: 1:45 drive from Zurich, funicular, big views, stroller-friendly, playground, no hike, good restaurant

We had such a nice time in Thun and cruising on the Thunersee, that we kept going back to the area, trying out whatever else was on offer. Thus Niesen, the pyramid-shaped mountain on the southwest side of the Thunersee. You take two steep funiculars to the top, where you get an amazing 360 view of the Berner Oberland mountains, lakes and valleys. There's a short path to the top (stroller-friendly), where you'll find a pretty good restaurant and a big playground.

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Details. Drive to Mülenen and take the two funiculars to the top.

there is a little playground at the bottom of the funicular to occupy the kiddies while you wait

at the top, follow the short paved trail to the restaurant (shown above) with a fantastic view

food was pretty good, restaurant was packed the day we were there

view of the Thunersee from the top

the big playground at the top

slide in the playground

There are some trails that take off from the top, but they are not stroller-friendly and they basically lead straight down. So unless you fancy hiking straight back up, I wouldn't recommend them.

At the bottom of the funicular, there is a trail along the roaring river if you want to walk some more. You'll see houses like this.

A smaller river empties into the main river right at the bottom funicular station. The water level was low enough when we were there so we could play in it.

My boys had a lot of fun building dams in the ice cold water. But I made sure to keep them far away from the main river, which would have swept them away in a second.

Camping Jungfrau

2011-04-01T16:26:00.000+02:00

view from our "budget" hostel room at Camping Jungfrau

We typically do day trips, not weekend overnighters because hotels are so expensive. Not so many budget options in Switzerland. But last May, it was so hot and nice that last minute, we decided to spend Auffahrt (public holiday in most of Europe) in the Berner Oberland. After a mixup at a hostel that declined to honor our reservation (they were mean!), we luckily found a room at Camping Jungfrau that has hostel rooms, private bungalows, trailer plots and grass plots for tents. Our hostel room cost about 100sfr for our family of four, but that's a good deal in this area and we were happy to pay it.

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To get there, drive through Lauterbrunnen until the main road turns sharply to the left. Instead of going left, you will drive straight past Hotel Horner following signs to the campground. After a minute or so, you'll see the campground on your left. Drive in, check in, and they'll tell you where to park.

Here is the room, designed to sleep 6 on these oversized bunks. Technically, they rent you a spot in the bed, not the whole room. But for families, they'll give you the whole room if they aren't too crowded. They provide blankets and pillows, but you'll want your own sleeping bag or linens. There are shared bathrooms and shower facilities directly outside the room that we found clean and decent. There is a kitchen on the main floor that you can use to prepare meals. You have to pay to make the stovetop work (like a couple francs for 10 mins or something like that). There are dishes and pots and pans, enough to prepare something simple. There's a grocery right there with the basics. There's also an average restaurant that had pizza and regular swiss fare. There are a couple grilling stations in the campground, but they were surprisingly unkempt and dirty. There is a playground for the kiddies and generally lots of room to run around. Overall, we were very happy there for two nights and would even go back. If you camp here, you can easily do this walk straight from the campground.

The "hostel" rooms are in this building. My family is waving from our balcony.

Here's the campground

the Stabbach falls are right next to the campground

Lauterbrunnen valley

2011-04-01T15:57:00.001+02:00

Summary: ~1:45 from Zurich, easy paved trail about 2 miles or longer if you want, stroller-friendly, free

Last time we visited the Berner Oberland, we camped in the Lauterbrunnen valley and spent one morning just walking from our camp down the valley. It was one of the most beautiful walks I've taken. It was also super fun with our kids because it was paved the whole way and the kids could ride their scooters. Great for bikes or strollers too. You can walk as far as you want down this road and simply ride the bus back into town when you get tired. We walked about 2 miles to the Sandbach bus station near the Trummelbach Falls. This is a great option if you're staying in the area and need something low key to fill up your day.

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To find the road/trail, drive through town to Camping Jungfrau (when the main road takes a sharp left, you will continue start to the campground). Park just outside the campground (there are a few spaces up there) and just start walking down the road. There might be an occasional vehicle on the road, so don't let your kids get too far away from you. But for the most part, it's traffic-free.

it was so fun to wake up to this

you don't have to go up a gondola to enjoy the mountain peaks

lots of little waterfalls along the way

Lake Luzern cruise

2011-04-01T09:29:00.000+02:00

I always love driving by the dramatic Vierwaldstättersee (aka Lake Luzern) on our way to Ticino or Italy. Last year we finally got out on the water a couple times and we loved it. The lake takes so many twists and turns and the mountains shoot up so dramatically from the lake. They run all year but much more frequently in summer. You can see the ferry timetables here. I think it's nice any time of year as long as you have clear skies. There are many different routes, with one-way and round trip options, but I think the middle of the lake is the nicest section because the mountains are bigger. You don't need to book ahead, just arrive a little beforehand to buy your ticket and get a good seat.

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Important kid details. You can easily bring your stroller on the boat. There is a little cafe and/or restaurant on the boat depending on which boat you are on. But I recommend bringing lots of snacks for your kids as we found the offers at the cafe and restaurant either too junky (just chips and candy) or too fancy (expensive salads and plated meals) to feed our little ones. The boat is relatively safe, with high walls around the perimeter but your kids can climb on the benches and peer dangerously over the edge, so watch your kids carefully.

Now for some pics from our trips.

Our first trip, we took the train from Zurich to Brunnen (about the middle of the lake), then the ferry to Flüelen, about a 1 hour ride, then the train back to Zurich. Here we are waiting for the boat in Brunnen.

just hanging out at the dock for fun for our kids, running along the waterfront and checking out the boats

ferry rides are a fun change from gondolas and funiculars for our kids

We did this at the end of December because had free tickets that were expiring. It was very cold and we could have sat inside to stay warm. But we were so happy to see the sun that we just bundled up and had the boys run around the desk to keep warm.

even a hazy day has its charms

our boys had fun spying things on the surrounding mountains: animals, churches, waterfalls, etc.

Our second trip, I took my out-of-town relatives on the popular Rigi trip that starts and ends with a ferry trip from Luzern to Vitznau. It's certainly more expensive than driving directly to Vitznau to catch the cogwheel train. But it really added to the whole experience as you can see Rigi as you approach over the water, giving some perspective. Plus it gave us an excuse to wander around Luzern before and after the trip. Sometimes SBB.ch has special offers for this excursion, so keep your eye out.

Here is my grandma on the boat as we approach Vitznau with Rigi in the background (can you see that swiss flag in the background?). The other pic shows us at the picturesque Vitznau ferry dock. We all agreed that the ferry ride made this trip extra special.

view of Pilatus from the boat as we left Luzern

Reichenbach falls (Sherlock Holmes)

2011-03-31T21:18:00.000+02:00

Summary: ~1:20 drive from Zurich, funicular ride to falls, 0:30 hike to top, not stroller-friendly, restaurant at top

The Reichenbach falls are a series of waterfalls near Meiringen, which is kinda on your way to Interlaken. These falls are famous as the setting for Sherlock Holmes' apparent death in Sir Arthur Canon Doyle's stories. You take a funicular up to a lookout over the falls. Then you can hike up about 30 mins along the falls to see more up close. At the top, there's a restaurant, but it's nothing special and it doesn't look over the falls or anything. You can rent a Trötti bike here and ride it all the way to the valley, instead of hiking back down and taking the funicular again. If you're in the area anyway, this is an obvious choice and I posted this so you know what you're getting into. Although the falls and view are quite nice, I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this one. The nearby Giessbach falls are prettier and more fun.

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the vintage funicular car

At the top of the funicular, you can admire the falls from this viewing platform. If you want to see more up close, you can take the trail up lots of steps into the forest. No strollers here for sure.

view of Meiringen from top of funicular

the bumpy trail through the forest to get to the top of the falls ... another section of the falls viewed from a lookout on the trail

The restaurant by the Reichenbach falls was too busy the day we were there. So we headed back down to Meiringen and had Flammenkuchen at a little cafe, then ice cream sundaes at the restaurant right next to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. I don't know the name of it, but it's hard to miss. It has lots of outdoor seating that spills out onto a little playground and grassy area in front of the museum. We always stop there when we're in the area.

Piotta-Ritom funicular & lake

2011-03-31T17:55:00.000+02:00

Lago Ritom

Summary: ~1:40 drive from Zurich (assuming no tunnel traffic), ~1:45 hike one-way to restaurant, stroller-friendly, rustic restaurant with sandpit playarea

(Note: in my recent AWCZ presentation, I mislabeled this as "Riton" instead of "Ritom." The hike seemed shorter in my memory, but indeed it is about 1:45 one-way to the restaurant).

This hike at Piotta-Ritom is one of my favorites. The super steep funicular ride (87.8% grade) is rather exciting/terrifying. The lake is a gorgeous deep blue. The surrounding mountains are dramatic. The restaurant had delicious food. The trail is quite long for kids, but stroller-friendly. One downside is that it's just on the other (south) side of the Gottard tunnel, which means you may get caught in traffic on the way there or on the way back. But let's assume you are lucky, like we were. Plus I'll tell you about a "secret" way back that bypasses most of the tunnel traffic.

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Details. Drive to Piotta by driving south on the A4 then A2, going through the Gottard Tunnel, then taking the first exit after you leave the tunnel. Follow the local road south to Piotta, turning left when you see signs for the Piotta-Ritom funicular. You can park right next to the funicular station. (See map above for more detailed directions).

There's a playground and field next to the lower funicular station, so your kids can entertain themselves while you wait for your ride.

The funicular has a 87.8% grade, making it one of the steepest funiculars in the world open to the public. It feels more like an elevator ride and is a little unnerving.

view from top of funicular

At the top, you'll follow the road to your right (if you are looking at the mountain) towards Lago Ritom. It takes about 20 mins to reach the dam and lake.

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This map shows a high-level outline of the trail. It's labeled as a little more than 1 hour to the restaurant. But with slow kids walking, it took us about 1:45 from the funicular.

At this point, the paved road turns into a dirt road but it's wide not particularly bumpy, so still pretty stroller-friendly. The trail continues up about an hour past the lake to two other small lakes. It's not a steep grade, but the trail definitely climbs upwards so small children probably can't do it on their own and you will sweat a bit pushing up the stroller. Our 4.5 yr old walked most of it (with lots of encouragement) but made me carry him on my back for the last 20 minutes or so.

and finally the Capanna Cadagno restaurant. There is a lot of outdoor seating and a sandpit with toys for the kids. It's not fancy but our food was hearty and very tasty.

I ate lentil stew with polenta - yum!

our boys had a great time playing in this tiny sandpit while the adults ate

one of the smaller lakes near the restaurant

When you drive back home, take the local road again and when you enter the freeway, you will have bypassed most of the backup before the tunnel.

hiking season

2011-03-30T17:06:00.001+02:00

I had fun presenting today the American Women's Club of Zurich. I hope all you ladies find some fun hikes to do. One thing I forgot to mention today was the hiking season. Although it's already quite warm this spring, most of the gondolas won't open for their summer hiking season until late June or July and will stay open usually through the end of October. The waterfall hikes that don't require a gondola will be at the best during May and June. Of course, check the mountain websites for more detailed information about opening times and trail conditions.

Happy Hiking!

Swiss grand canyon

2011-03-29T02:55:00.000+02:00

the grey Rhein Gorge contrasts dramatically against the trail's green fields

Summary: 1:45 min drive from Zurich, ~50 min one-way to lookout, restaurant, picnic, playground, stroller-friendly

This is another trail that I suspect you might need a little convincing to try. But I'm up to the challenge. We started this trail in a downpour in full rain suits because that's how we roll. But you will go on a warm sunny day. Starting from the Flims Waldhaus, it's an easy trail through a lush forest to a lookout over the Rhine Gorge or "swiss grand canyon."

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Details. Drive to Flims and continue to the Flims Waldhaus (where Via Selva turns into Via Del Lag). There is a small parking lot next to a big playground with a picnic area, grill pits and toilets. Take the dirt road from here, following signs to Conn. After 45 mins or so, you'll reach a restaurant. I'd recommend eating here - yummy! Continue past the restaurant for 5-10 minutes following signs to the lookout tower. Climb up to get a bird's eye view of the gorge, river, valleys and mountains.

Here we are on the trail last June. Our rainy day brought out hundreds of enormous Weinbergschnekes that were a little difficult to avoid smashing.

On a warm day, consider taking a detour to the Caumasee for some swimming. It looks fantastic! We didn't get to swim, but the wildflowers were a nice consolation.

Here we are approaching the restaurant (and hotel). Isn't the setting magical? It makes me want to have a party there.

We decided to eat there mostly to escape the rain, but the food was so delicious that I'd happily go back any time. Just look at that pretty tall salad topped with an edible flower. The handmade ravioli were great too.

The grounds around the restaurant are scatttered with little lounging areas. Looks like a great place to read a book or take a nap.

There's a see-saw behind the restaurant if your kids need to get their wiggles out.

The funky lookout tower. It took some convincing for my boys to climb this tower; they were scared, but it was totally safe.

Our view up and down the river. I want to go back in sunny weather so I can see the surrounding mountains.

The playground at the start and end of the trail.

Stanserhorn Luzern

2011-03-29T02:03:00.000+02:00

view from Stanserhorn trail

Another weekend, another mountain. Stanserhorn is a mountain a little southwest of Luzern. Nearby Pilatus or Rigi are much more popular, but Stanserhorn is very nice and is trying hard to win your business, which I appreciate since that attitude is rather unusual for Switzerland. The top offers a spectacular 360 degree view of lakes, alpine meadows, and mountain peaks. There is a short loop trail that our three year old happily did by himself. There is a lovely picnic area with grill pits or a restaurant with an enormous patio and fantastic view. All the ingredients for a lovely day in the sun.

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Details. Take Highway A2 to exit Stans Nord, enter village and follow the signs to the funicular. There are a few spots right next to the funicular, but these will probably be full. So you'll probably park in the large overflow lot about a 5 minute walk away. Buy your ticket for the funicular then gondola ride to the top. I thought it was a tad pricey at CHF 32/person with halbtax, but about the same as nearby Rigi and Pilatus. (Side note: the ticket office has an enormous book full of postcards, including vintage designs. Just ask to browse the book while you wait for the funicular.)

you start on a funicular, then a vintage gondola to top

Restaurant at top with an enormous patio and revolving restaurant. We didn't eat here, so I can't say if the food is any good. They advertise a "romantic" candlelight dinner on Friday nights during the summer, which could be an interesting date.

Marmots are the mascot here, so there's a little enclosure with lots of marmots to observe. This was semi-amusing.

We saw lots of paragliders and hang-gliders the day we were there and our boys loved watching them prep and take off. In this pic, you can see the short trail winding up to the lookout point.

view from top to Luzern

views north, south, east and west

great picnic spot with grills and wood

along the trail

Tüfels Chilen (abandoned quarry)

2011-03-29T01:58:00.000+02:00

the "monster mouth" of Tüfels Chilen

Summary: ~30 min drive from Zurich, ~40 min flat hike, grill pit, mostly stroller-friendly

I doubt that anyone who reads this blog will do this hike, because it's a little odd and not a mountain top. But you should! It's so interesting and very different from anything else I've seen here. Tüfels Chilen (I think it means "Devil's Church" - spooky!) is is an old quarry, abandoned in 1873 and now taken over by nature. Underground springs feed a small stream that pours over the mouth of this formation and topples down the "steps". It's beautiful and quite unique. We had a lovely hike through the forest to get there, grilled up lunch, then played in the stream awhile before heading back home.

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Details. Drive to Kollbrunn and park at the train station (you could probably park closer, but I don't know where). Generally you will follow yellow trail signs to Nussberg, which is a little further than Tüfels Chilen. The easiest way to get there is by walking through town on the Bahnhofstrasse till it ends and turn left (Tösstalstrasse). Take your next left on Nussbergstrasse. After a few minutes, the road will fork to the left and the trail will fork to the right. Stay on the trail to the right and follow it through the grassy fields and into the woods next to a stream. Pretty soon, there will be a trail on your right where another stream joins up to the stream you have been walking along. There should be a sign pointing to Tüfels Chilen. Walk up this trail a couple minutes and you have arrived. I made a little trail map below to make it even more clear.

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After leaving town, the hike will pass through grassy fields before entering the forest.

The trail will enter the forest and follow a stream. Look for signs to Tüfels Chilen, which will eventually leave the main trail to your right, along a smaller steam that joins the one you have been following. The pic above of us on the bridge is on the last part of the trail that leads up to Tüfels Chilen. If you brought a stroller, leave it here and continue the rest on foot. The trail gets narrow and lumpy with lots of steps. But it's short so small kids can do it on their own or you can easily carry them the rest of the way.

After admiring the formation from below, follow the stepped trail up to the top of the formation and eventually you will reach a clearing with picnic tables and a grill pit.

From the picnic place, you can find the source of the stream and follow it down to the top of the main formation. My kids had a lot of fun throwing rocks and sticks in the stream and playing around in the debris.

Klöntalersee

2011-03-29T01:15:00.000+02:00

perfect picnic spot, don't you think?

Summary: ~1hr drive from Zurich, large lake, long flat trail around lake, stroller-friendly, swimming, campfires allowed along lake, campground

The Klöntalersee is a lovely place for a picnic and leisurely walk. We discovered this by accident and even though it's quite popular, it still seems like a quiet secret place to me. You can build a fire pretty much anywhere along the lake. If it's warm enough, you can swim.

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Details. Drive to Klöntal in Glarnerland (see map) and follow signs to Klöntalersee. You will leave town and continue on a narrow windy road for about 10 mins that will suddenly spill out to the lake when you least expect it. Post buses travel this road, so be careful. Seriously, it's narrow and you may have to back up to let by oncoming traffic. But it's worth it.

As soon as you reach the lake, turn left and follow the road to the paid parking near the campground (not the campground parking). You will start your walk by continuing down the same road, past the campground.

Simply walk until you find a nice place for a picnic and make yourselves comfortable. We built a little fire, ate lunch, swam in the lake, and simply lounged, soaking in the sun.

Near the campground, a river empties into the lake. Several families were sunbathing, swimming and grilling right here.

When we were there last August, the river was running very low. So we spent a lot of time building dams and catching frogs.

Here's the Güntlenau campground, right next to the lake. I think I'll reserve a spot here for next summer.

Engelberg tickle trail

2011-03-26T23:41:00.001+01:00

the Tickle Trail and picnic area at the top of the Brunni chairlift

Summary: 1:25 drive from Zurich, short sensory barefoot trail, requires chairlift, rodelbahn, playground, not stroller-friendly, restaurant, several grill pits, bring extra clothes-you will get wet!

Last September, we visited the Engelberg barefoot trail, technically called the Brunni Tickle Trail. This is very popular and even the cold day we went, it was packed with happy families. The main attraction is a very short sensory trail, where you walk barefoot over surfaces like stones, sticks, bark, mud, and even cow pies. Next to the trail is a large picnic area and a big water play area. And of course, the views are fantastic, even when the peaks are partially obscured by clouds as it was on our day.

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Now the details. First, drive to Engelberg. Drive through town following signs to the Brunni gondola. You'll first take a gondola, then a chair lift up to the Tickle Trail. At the midway station, there is a nice playground with a trampoline, etc. There is also a rodelbahn. But don't get distracted now, there's plenty of time for that later.

Here we are at the top of the chair lift, with the restaurant on the right. Immediately as you get off, you'll see the Tickle Trail, which surrounds a very little lake.

There is also a big picnic area with grill pits and tables, interspersed with a water play area for the kids. When we were there in September, there were hundreds of little tadpoles in the little streams and my boys had loads of fun catching them. Which leads me to my next point: BRING EXTRA CLOTHES!!! My 3yr old fell into to the water in the first 10 minutes and proceed to soak two other outfits over the next hour. My 6yr old went through two outfits as well. Everyone ended up a bit wet, but still had a great time.

Here we are on the Tickle trail. You just take off your shoes, roll up your pants, and enjoy the experience. My boys were a little apprehensive at first, but soon got the hang of it. With very little ones, you'll need to hold on tight and carry them on part of it as the water sections might be too deep. You can easily skip any section that you don't like by using the adjacent dirt trail.

The reflective view across the lake is great, don't you think? So don't forget to stage this pic.

Instead of riding back down the chairlift, you can opt to hike back down to the gondola, which will take 45 mins or so. We stopped and grilled halfway down, so I don't know the exact time. If you do this, remember to only buy a one-way ticket for the chair lift to save a bit of money. The pics above show a bit of the trail. Once you are back to the gondola, spend some time at the playground or ride the rodelbahn a couple times to add in even more fun.

Giessbach waterfalls

2011-03-26T23:01:00.000+01:00

view of Giessbach hotel from the falls ... view of falls from hotel

Summary: 1:20 drive from Zurich, short hike along the upper falls, good restaurant with view of falls, short hike or funicular ride to lake, playground, partially stroller-friendly

Last May, we spent a wonderful day exploring the Giessbach Falls on the Brienzersee near Interlaken. These spectacular falls proved yet again that there is no end to the supply of amazingly beautiful things in Switzerland.

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So the details... First, drive to Giessbach, about 1:20 from Zurich. Just before you reach the Brienzersee, you will head off on a local road instead of the highway that continues to Interlaken. Then you will head up the mountain a bit into the woods. Just before you reach the falls and the Giessbach hotel, there is a parking lot for hikers and guests. Continue on foot along the road for a couple minutes until you reach the waterfalls.

There's a bridge crossing the falls, so take some pictures. Down the falls, you'll see the hotel. Before going there, head up the falls on the lumpy trail (no strollers). There are 14 "steps" of the falls named after Bernese heros, but you don't need to walk the whole way up. The pics below shown what we did...

Just a few minutes up the trail you can walk under the waterfall as shown here. If this is enough for your crowd, head back down from here.

We continued up the trail another 30-40 minutes until we reached the chute shown on the right.

The view was great but you might have to deal with sad tired children like we did.

Once you are done admiring the falls, head back down to the Giessbach hotel for lunch. I'd recommend eating at the restaurant on the hotel patio, either overlooking the falls or the lake as shown above. The food was so pretty and super yummy even though the prices were the same as most average mountain huts (which is pricey but standard for Swiss food). You can see above my spaztle with mushrooms and my husband's tall salad. My 6yr old was very happy with his aelplermagronen (mac n'cheese) while our 2.5yr old slept in his stroller and had a hot dog later at the kiosk.

The kiosk below the hotel patio has some cheap snacks like hot dogs, sandwiches and popsicles.

Near the hotel, there is a large grassy field and small playground. I think this is part of the hotel grounds, but no one seemed to mind us playing there. You could probably picnic there too.

From the hotel, you can walk down along the falls to the lake, which took us about thirty minutes. This part of the trail is paved and easy with a stroller.

Once you reach the lake, you can catch a ferry around Brienzersee or take the historic funicular back up to the hotel (claims to be the oldest tourist funicular in Europe). The funicular is rather pricey and the ride short, but it was all part of the experience and we enjoyed it.

Obviously, you can mix and match your transportation options, e.g. starting in Brienz, taking a ferry to the funicular, riding up to the hotel, then walking up the falls from there.

We loved this outing and would certainly do it again and take visitors.

Sportamt: kid sport classes and camps

2011-03-25T14:31:00.003+01:00

Sportamt ice skating at Heuried

If you live in Zurich, you probably get the Sportamt brochure mailed to your house every few months. Sportamt is a city department that organizes very affordable sport classes and camps for kids, both long-running weekly classes and holiday camps. You can see their current catalog on their website.

They offer a wide variety of activities: soccer, ballet, hip hop dance, ice skating, jumprope, judo, fencing, circus, etc. We finally tried one, the ice skating course during the February ski holiday. It was 55sfr for a 45min lesson for 5 days, excluding skate rental. It was great! There were about 40 kids with 3 adult and 3 youth instructors. The kids played lots of games, did relays, learned how to stop, spin, go backwards (a little bit). I regret not participating in more of these classes earlier.

Each class in the catalog clearly indicates the age range and ability level, to help you find the right class for your child. You need to sign up early to get a spot, ideally right after you receive the catalog. We tried to sign up for tennis class in the last week of registration and didn't get in. Of course, all classes are run in Swiss German, but the teachers are typically very friendly and kids can usually figure it out by following the other kids. I heard lots of English spoke by other mothers at our class, so you are not alone.

Zeppelin museum DE

2011-03-25T14:04:00.000+01:00

cute zeppelin play structure outside the museum

Summary: in Germany on Bodensee (~2hrs travel time with drive + car ferry), on waterfront, kid-friendly, not stroller friendly, no picnic, lots of food available in town

When my husband suggested the Friedrichshafen Zeppelin museum, I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Why not? What else are going to do?" Probably like you, I was only familiar with Zeppelins from the infamous Hindenburg shown exploding in the one of the photos below. I had no idea Zeppelins were so popular and ran so many routes so often. Apparently Friedrichshafen was the center of Zeppelin construction back in the early 1900s. The museum there has all sorts of zeppelin paraphernalia and parts to educate and amuse. I learned a lot. My seven year old learned a little and had fun pushing buttons and running around with this three year old brother.

The museum was reasonably kid friendly. In some rooms, there were kid-oriented touch-screen displays that had games and illustrated educational content. This kept the kids busy while we browsed the museum. There was a comfy reading corner with kids books about zeppelins. There were some hands-on displays like this one above where my son surprised us with his super strength by lifting the metal zeppelin frame with one finger. It looks heavy but it was made with a super light high-tech metal which made the air ship light enough to fly.

A small portion of a zeppelin (actual size) was reconstructed inside the museum. Look at how small we are in comparison. From another part of the museum, you get a cross-section view so you can see the skeleton that held the zeppelin together. Most of the museum was accompanied by multi-language informational touch-screens, so you could read all about the history and technical details in English.

Obviously disasters like the Hindenburg dramatically curbed the demand for Zeppelins and then they were replaced by commercial airlines. The museum was full of marketing material for Zeppelin travel, including a few board games where you could move little zeppelin game pieces around a map of Europe.

The reconstructed zeppelin included the passenger lounge and tight sleeping quarters. Here we are pretending to be fancy turn-of-the-century Europeans cruising over the Atlantic. One pic shows the beautiful woodcut menu and the china used for dinner service. This was high-end travel back in the day.

Just outside the museum, there was a small pizza cafe that had a funny self-serve popcorn machine. The popcorn wasn't particularly good, but we all had a good laugh trying to make the machine work.

To get there, we drove to Romershorn on the Bodensee (about ~80mins) and took the 45 min car ferry across to Friedrichshafen. The car ferry was expensive, about 40sfr with our Swiss Halbtax card. The ferry ride lasts 45 mins, during which you can lounge in the restaurant or sun yourself on the upper deck. The ferry drops you right in the middle of Friedrichshafen, where you can easily park in a parking garage and walk less than five minutes to the museum. The museum is in the pedestrian zone, so afterward you can walk around the small town or along the waterfront to fill the rest of your day.

Instead of returning back the same way we came, we drove a bit up the Bodensee to Meersburg. We didn't spend too much time here, just walked through the charming Unterstadt and got some ice cream. But as the sign above shows, it has enough there to warrant it's own visit and post. Hopefully we'll go back so I have more to share on this town. We took the ferry from Meersburg to Konstanz (about 13 euros), then drove home.

a bit more of Meersburg

Flumserberg ski lessons & free magic carpet

2011-02-26T09:33:00.017+01:00

free magic carpets immediately in front of the Tannenboden gondola

Summary: drop-in ski lessons, free magic carpet for baby ski, ~1:15hr drive from Zurich (public transport also good), restaurant

After lots of recommendations, I finally took my 6yr old up to Flumserberg for ski lessons and it was fantastic. You don't have to sign up for whole week. You can simply show up any morning (10am-12pm) or afternoon (2-4pm) and join a skill-appropriate class. And while I waited, I took my three year old up to the free magic carpet so he could ski and sled. We were all very happy.

This is only appropriate if your child has some experience skiing and can take the T-bar by him or herself. For absolute beginners, you'll need to talk to the ski school (across the street from where the classes meet) to find the right class. My son had a week of ski lessons the previous year and could snow plow his way down a beginning slope and take both a T-bar and chair lift by himself. These drop-in lessons were great for getting back his confidence this year.

Ski lessons meet here, before you get to the main Tannenboden gondola. The Kasse is the hut on the left.

Some tips:
- the ski school meets at the T-bars right before you get to the main Tannenboden gondola. There is some parking and a little Kasse hut that sells ski passes. Even if there are no parking spots, it's easy to double park here and quickly get your kid settled before finding a more permanent spot.

- to find a class, simply talk to any of the ski instructors in red outfits, which will suddenly appear about 10 mins before the classes start. They will ask a few questions about your child's ability and find the right class. You will pay the instructor in cash (35sfr) after the lesson.

- you will need to buy a lift ticket for your child. Ask the teacher if you only need the beginning T-bars (cheaper ticket) or full mountain pass. If you wait until 2pm, you get a discount on the lift pass (16sfr from 2pm). But the Kasse makes you wait until exactly 2pm before selling it, so you'll have to run the pass back to your child (and tell your instructor beforehand).
- put a card in your child's pocket with emergency info: their name, your name and your cell phone number. The instructor has blank cards you can fill out.

- arrive about 20 mins beforehand so you have time to buy the lift ticket, get your child dressed, and find your class

- your kid should have poles, there are few places where they have to walk and it makes it easier

- if you take at least once class during the week, your child can participate in the ski race on Friday afternoon. Ask your instructor for details.

- the classes only go if there are at least 4 children, but most days that's not a problem. I went on a Monday afternoon not during ski holiday, expecting it to be empty but there were over 50 kids there. You can't reserve a spot for drop-in, but it's rarely too full.

my three yr old on the free magic carpet waiting for his big brother to finish ski lessons

While you wait, you can go up to the restaurant at Tannenboden or take your littler ones to the magic carpet and bunny hill. Unfortunately, it's quite a hike from where the ski lessons start. So I drove my car up to the above parking lot and fortunately found a spot. People tend to start leaving in the early afternoon, so spots start opening up after 2pm. I thought it was a perfect hill for my 3yr old who had never been on skis. I wasn't on skis myself. I just walked next to him on the magic carpet, set him straight at the top of the hill, let go and ran next to him until he fell. He loved it! I brought lots of snacks and our sled to switch off to when he got tired of skiing.

snow garden for little ones - 35sfr for 2 hours

The resort also offers a snow garden for little ones (I think 3+), which is 35sfr for 2 hours. The kids walk around on their skis, go up a little magic carpet and "ski" around cartoon obstacles. It's not a lot of instruction, think of it more as child care while you do something else.

I went during the week, so I don't know how it works on the weekends. I know it's much more crowded and the ski school runs different. So just call the ski school - they are friendly and can usually find someone that speaks English.

Amden kid skiing

2011-02-26T09:31:00.010+01:00

Summary: combo beginner ski/sled run with chair lift, ~45mins from Zurich, cafe, limited services

I finally found a ski run that works for both my skiing 6yr old and my sledding 3yr old: Amden! My 6yr old is still a beginning skier and I've been looking for a small hill where he can ski "by himself" where I can see him on the hill while I sled with my 3 yr old. I've tried a few other places but usually the hill was too big so I couldn't see him as he came down and there was no place near the ski hill for me to sled with my little one.

On this particular slope at Amden/Arvenbuel, you can ski and sled on the same run! So I can sled down with my three year old, right behind my 6 year old skiing. It's a chair lift, but the operator will help your little ones get on and will hook your sled to the side of the chair. I found everyone to be very helpful.

Here's the piste map. Drive past Amden to Arvenbüel and go to the Sesselbahn Arven. You park "in town" and walk down the street to the middle of the slope. You ski/sled down to the bottom of the ski lift and buy your ticket (with cash) at the little booth there. This is very small operation. You can get a family ticket for 88sfr (2 adults, 2 children). You can also get an afternoon pass or single ride tickets. There are a couple other lifts and T-bars in this "resort" but I didn't try them. My boys were perfectly satisfied with this one slope.

There's a small cafe at the top of this slope. I didn't see any ski or sled rentals on the slope or in town. The services are very minimal. Bring cash for parking and your ski pass. I didn't see an ATM either.

Elm long sled run

2011-02-26T09:03:00.004+01:00

Summary: 4 km sled run, best for over 3yrs old, ~1:30hr drive from Zurich, restaurant at top

A favorite Swiss pastime is the super long sled run. Our first experience with this was at Elm with their 4km long sled run which takes about 20 minutes. You take the gondola up from the parking lot and sled back down to the parking lot. The sled run is maintained by the resort and used only by sleds (not skiers). It's super fun, but also fast and curvy so be careful. I wouldn't recommend taking under 3yr olds on this one, though . We took our 4 yr old and he liked but after two runs, he was done. Bring goggles, the snow tends to spray up as you stop with your heels. You can rent sleds three and they are great sleds - super comfortable ride. You can pay per ride or get a day pass (see rates here). Check the snow conditions before you go, as sled runs are usually at a lower elevation and don't always have snow even if the ski resort does.

we rented this sled - great ride!

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Mettmenalp lake

2010-06-10T21:47:00.000+02:00

lovely lake in all seasons at Mettmenalp

Summary: ~1hr drive from Zurich, short loop trail around lake (not stroller-friendly), kid-oriented games along trail, restaurant, three grill pits

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Mettmenalp is in Glarnerland, about an hour drive from Zurich. After a short windy drive up the mountain, you take a gondola up where you'll get a wonderful view of the Glarnerland mountains. The lake is small but beautiful. You can simply wander along the two dams or walk around the whole lake, which might take about 45 mins with small children. It gets rather lumpy and narrow in parts, so it's not for strollers. But it's short enough that even small children can make it all the way around without much trouble.

view from cable car

We first visited in May, there was still a lot of snow and we couldn't hike the entire trail. So we just wander along the dam, admiring the beautiful broken ice on the lake.

We went back in fall and did the trail all the way around the lake. The river on the far side of the lake has a small sculpture garden and grill pit. You can also rough it a big and build a fire right next to the river, like we did.

Along the trail, there are various amusements for the kids, starting with a matching game with local animals.

This long jump showing you how far various animals can jump. My 5yr old could jump as far as a squirrel.

trail in spring and in fall

There are a few grill pits around the lake, most with tables and wood. This feuerstelle is at the very beginning of the trail, right next to the lake.

Transportation Museum Luzern - Update

2009-10-17T23:36:00.007+02:00

A lot has changed since I last visited the Verkehrshaus with my 2.5 old 3 years ago. We didn't have much fun last time but this time it was fantastic! The museum has added lots of new fun things, my child is older and appreciates it more, and the outdoor stuff was open unlike last time when we visited in the dead of winter. Check out the updated post with lots of pics. It's super fun and under 6 is free so you should go right away!

Map of Kid-friendly Outings

2009-10-12T17:10:00.003+02:00

I made a Google map showing the locations of all the outings detailed on this blog. If you click a location on the map, you will see a link to a Moms & Tots blog post about that location. It's a work in progress and I'll update this map as I add new posts. Please let me know if you have any problems viewing or using this map. Enjoy!

View Zurich Moms & Tots Outings in a larger map

Säntis mountain peak

2009-09-20T09:16:00.002+02:00

on the top of Säntis, looking towards Appenzellerland

Summary: ~1:15hr drive from Zurich, no trail just an enormous lookout area to explore, lots of stairs, not stroller-friendly, multiple restaurants, 20.50sfr return with halbtax

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Säntis is one of my favorites because it's high impact with little work and a low price tag compared to other popular options like Rigi or Pilatus. I think it's particularly good for visitors who don't want to hike but still want to get some amazing mountain views. Säntis is great even in winter because it doesn't require a trail to enjoy the scenery. It's a nice way to spend a winter day when your kids are still too small to participate in winter sports.

on a clear day, you can see forever

Säntis is on the north east edge of the Swiss alps and on a clear day, it's a breathtaking view in all directions. You take a gondola up from Schwägalp (put that in your GPS) to an enormous building on the top of the mountain peak. There are lots of viewing areas, in and outside the building. You can take the elevator to some of the viewing platforms, but mostly you'll be outside, climbing lots of stairs and exploring the top.

you can wander all over the roof of the enormous complex to get a view on all sides

one of my favorite views from Säntis: the Churfirsten mountain range with Toggenberg on the near side and the Wallensee and Flumserberg on the other

There are a couple restaurants/cafes both at the top and at the gondola base, but we always eat at the little mountain hut on the southeast side of the top. To get there, you either walk down lots and lots of stairs or walk through a windy covered walkway. In nice weather, you can eat on the patio, with an amazing view. The menu is small but hearty. Bring cash - they don't take credit.

this shows the stairs leading down to the restaurant, shown on far right

Alternatively, you can take the covered walkway shown in this pic - warning: it can get super icy in winter!

my unexpectedly yummy lunch

I must mention that it can be dangerous for very small children. There are lots of stairs and the barriers on some of the walkways are pretty minimal (widely spaced cables that small children could easily slip under), with sheer cliffs on the other side. In some areas, I keep a very short rein on my kids. However, there are lots of areas that are properly fenced in and are perfectly safe for any child. So just use your best judgment.

example of ridiculously inadequate barriers

some of the many steep stairs with lousy handrails

slightly safer stairs up to the highest (and safest) lookout area

The danger factor is especially noticeable during winter when the pathways are often covered in snow and ice and it's a little tricky to walk on.

snowy, icy sidewalks in February

remember to bundle up

In winter, there is a sledding hill (with a lift for 5sfr day pass) at the gondola base, so bring your sleds for some extra fun. If you're into snow-shoeing, there are some paths for that down there as well.

sledding hill
Santis

Bannalp Dwarf Trail

2009-09-12T21:51:00.000+02:00

Zwärgliweg mural showing the magic crystal featured in the story told along the trail - only children can see the crystal, not adults

Summary: ~1:15hr drive from Zurich, ~1hr one-way theme trail (with lots of stops for playing), first-half of trail not stroller-friendly, lots of Feuerstellen, restaurant, 19sfr cable car return fare

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We recently visited Bannalp, a small, low-key mountain resort between Luzern and Engelberg. It has a Zwärgliweg, aka dwarf trail, with a story told on picture boards along the trail. The story tells about children searching for a magic crystal and the dwarfs who protected it, or something like that. Each story board is accompanied by some play equipment to keep the kids entertained. By the lake, there is a big picnic area with lots of grill pits and play stuff for the kids. Alternatively, there is a restaurant at the hotel when you first reach the lake.

It was fun and beautiful, but my favorite part was that the trail was all downhill. It has two cable cars servicing the area. So we went up the Fell-Chrüzhütte cable car (the first one you come to when driving), followed the dwarf trail down to and around the mountain lake, then took the Fellboden-Bannalpsee cable car back to our car. Your return fare (19sfr, no Halbtax) includes travel by either cable car - you don't have to buy a special ticket. The cable cars run rather infrequently, so plan your trip accordingly.

I'd definitely recommend this as an easy, fun, relatively inexpensive mountain walk with kids. I'd love to go back and explore the area in sunnier weather.

start of Zwärgliweg

one of the story boards along the trail and a dwarf house to play in

one of the seven play stations

view from the play station down to the lake - I was happy we didn't have to walk back up

this station showed how to find faces and figures in the mountain

lots of little wooden dwarfs were hidden along the trail

these silly dwarfs kept our son motivated to walk

the Feuerstelle at the river bed by the lake - I guess you could swim here on a hot day

lots of wood and lots of grill pits spread around the area - this trail must be popular in the middle of summer

play equipment by the grill pit - my boys loved this kugelbahn with golfballs

more play stuff near the grill pits

looking back to the picnic place on the far side of the lake and the "shark tooth" peaks in the distance

last dwarf station - the story says the crystal was hidden in the mountain somewhere. I wish I had known the story beforehand so I could have brought a red crystal and cleverly hid it for my son to find at the end of the trail.

required photo opp

View near the end of the trail around the lake - the big building straight across is a hotel and restaurant if you don't want to bring a picnic. To get back down to your car, you walk across the dam on the left and then down about 1 min to the second cable car.

Jucker Farm - Pumpkins

2009-09-11T23:14:00.003+02:00

I know we've blogged about this before, but this is just a reminder to get out to Jucker Farm asap! Americans usually aren't ready for pumpkins until October, but September is the main pumpkin time at Jucker Farm, so go enjoy it while the weather is still nice. Go for lunch - the food is always yummy, especially the pumpkin soup and pumpkin cake. And don't forget the Süssmost!

This year the theme is Noah's Ark. So they have all sorts of pumpkin sculptures on that theme. They got rid of the trampolines but there's still a semi-dangerous bouncy thing for kids to fall off of. There are goats to pet and feed. The goat food vending machine charges 2sfr for a small cup of sliced carrots or popcorn, so save a few francs and bring your own. If you want to make it into a more active outing, you can walk down to and around the lake on a beautiful tree shaded path.

Instead of trampolines, there are hammocks, which didn't sound that fun to me, but our boys had a great time in them.

Elm Tierliweg

2009-09-11T19:47:00.005+02:00

Elm Tierliweg has animal sculptures along the path, motivating the kids to keep walking

Summary: ~1:15hr drive from Zurich, stroller-friendly, ~30 min loop trail, several grill pits along path, restaurant with playground, 12sfr cable car return fare, trotti bike

Elm is a beautiful area in Glarnerland, about an hour drive south of Zurich. We had done the long sled run there last winter and were curious to explore the area in summer. We rode up the Elm Sportbahn (bypass the Elm town and drive further into the valley) and did the Tierliweg, which is a short loop trail with wooden sculptures of animals along the way to entertain the kiddies.

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I'd recommend it for an easy, inexpensive, spectacularly beautiful mountain experience with kids. The cable car is only 12sfr return (without a half-fare card) and the trail is only 30 mins (or less) and is stroller-friendly. It's so easy that our two-year old walked almost the whole thing. If you feel more adventurous, there are longer trail options and a trotti-bike path to the bottom. There are lots of grill pits, so you can plan a picnic to save some francs or make it easy on yourself and eat at the restaurant while the kids jump on trampolines. It couldn't be easier to enjoy nature.

classic Swiss alps at Elm

Elm is "famous" for this interesting hole in the mountain. Twice a year the rising sun shines through this hole directly on the church in the Elm dorfli.

Tierliweg starts to the right/south of the cable car, towards the restaurant

the trail starts with some real cows

the kids had fun spotting the animals

the sculptures are child-friendly

Most of the path is in the woods, but periodically the trees will part and you'll get a fantastic view of the mountains across the valley.

There are several Feuerstellen along the path, some with wood and metal grills to place over the fire. We used the Feuerstelle where the loop path turns back to the starting place (near the Heidihütte). It was a wide open spot out of the woods, with great views of the mountains across the valley. There were lots of rocks for the kids to climb around on and plenty of gentle grass to lounge on.

here was our picnic spot

We brought some of our own wood to make building the fire a little easier, but most of the Feuerstellen had wood available.

At the top of the cable car, you can rent a three-wheeled mountain bike or Trotti bike to ride down to the bottom (about 10-15 mins). In winter, you can rent sleds to go down the same path (I'll have to blog about that later). If you plan ahead, buy your trotti bike pass with your cable car ticket, instead of buying a return cable car ticket - it'll save you about 5sfr.

our 4 and 5 year old boys rode down with their dads

Elm definitely caters to families:

restaurant with a view at the top of the cable car

trampolines next to the restaurant

gold mining station near the restaurant - you pay a fee to mine and exchange the "gold" you find for a prize

under the cable car station, there's a zip line and baby goats to entertain kiddies too small for the trotti bikes

Links:
Elm Wanderkarte
Ferienregion Elm
Glarnerland

Arnisee

2009-08-22T17:32:00.005+02:00

Arnisee - crystal clear and icy cold

We had so much fun at Golzernsee that we decided to try another mountain lake. Arnisee is on the other side of the valley from Golzernsee. It was even more beautiful, but unfortunately, the lake water was absolutely freezing!!! But still, Arnisee is a lovely place for a picnic and a short walk with the kids.

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Like Golzernsee, you drive toward the Gottard tunnel and get off the freeway at Amsteg. Follow signs to the Luftseilbahn. (We took the one from Amsteg. There is another cable car from Intschi that also goes to the Arnisee, with a shorter walk to the lake.) It's a tiny cable car, so you'll have to fold up your stroller and stick it in the cargo section outside the car. There's no one manning the station below. You just get in and close the door and magically it will go up the mountain. At the top, you'll need to pay the fare in cash. Keep your receipt for the return trip.

From the top of the cable car, there's a relatively smooth stroller-friendly path to the lake, about 20 mins with kids. There were lots of crickets along the trail. My 5yr old caught at least three.

Here's our first view of the lake.

There's a short trail that goes around the lake, that your little ones can easily walk. We started to the left. After crossing the dam, there are some stairs leading into the woods, then the trail is very bumpy for about 5 mins until you exit the woods - this section is not stroller-friendly.

Most of the sunbathers settled in on the west side of the lake, where there are some shallow wading areas as well as benches and grill pits for picnics. The water was icy cold, but some people (including us) took a very short dip. There's a public bathroom next to the lake, if need a place to change your clothes.

Even without swimming, this is a lovely place for a stroll.

Here's the smooth trail on the west side of the lake.

The restaurant isn't next to the lake, but along the path back to the cable car. We didn't eat here, so I can't vouch for the quality.

And finally, the path back to the cable car.

Golzernsee

2009-08-22T17:31:00.000+02:00

Golzernsee, with a little beach by the big tree

This is an short, easy walk in the mountains to a small, pretty lake, where you can swim or just take in the view. Golzernsee is a small lake in canton Uri, about 1:30hr drive from Zurich, plus a short cable car ride and 25 min walk. The trail is relatively smooth and wide and stroller-friendly. There are a couple restaurants before you reach the lake, with excellent views of the valley, lake, and surrounding mountains. There are several grill pits next to the lake if you prefer to picnic. It's a lovely, easy day out with the kids. Now the details...

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First you drive toward the Gottard tunnel, get off the freeway at Amsteg and drive up a steep, windy (but short) one-lane road to Bristen (put this in your GPS). Drive all the way through town until you reach a large parking lot next to the roaring river (shown below). The cable car base station is here. The schedule says it only runs every half-hour and that it's closed for lunch. But the day we were there, it was so busy that it ran constantly all-day.

Then the easy 25 walk into the valley as shown below:

Here we are on the trail. We went on Swiss National Day (Aug 1), so it was a little crowded:

Along the trail, there were a couple stands selling crystals. Our kids bought some to add to their treasure chests at home.

Here's another view of the beautiful valley before reaching the lake.

We ate at Restaurant Golzernsee, which was exactly what you might expect from a Swiss mountain restaurant, no more, no less. The view, of course, was fantastic. They did have child plates with hot dogs or schnitzel.

And finally, the lake. Here the small "beach" which starts out very shallow, so your tots can wade around before it gets too deep. Before you walk down to the water, there is a public bathroom where you can change into your swimsuit.

We walked to the far side of the lake, where it was a little less crowded.

Here's the "beach" on the other side of the lake.

I have an irrational fear of swimming in lakes (it's dark and scary!) but the water was so wonderfully clear and refreshing that I was quickly won over. All the kids in our party had a great time splashing around in the shallow part and venturing out a little farther with floaties. I and my friend's 9 year old swam out into the lake, where there was a big rock we could stand on. We both thought this was pretty cool.

My husband found a big rock that we could jump off. The tots stayed by the shore and caught tadpoles.

Here are the kiddies searching the reeds for tadpoles and other treasures.

This is another view of the path, leading us back to the cable car.

Back at the bottom of the cable, we spent a few mintues throwing rocks in the river before heading home.

Kilchberg Strandbad

2009-07-28T00:39:00.004+02:00

I've heard so many good things about the Kilchberg Strandbad that I finally had to go check it out myself. I adore the Mythenquai but Kilchberg might be my new favorite for one reason: a regular swimming pool built right next to the lake front. It's nothing fancy, but it's a great alternative to the murky lake water and slimy, rocky lake bottom when I want to cool off. Unfortunately, it's just as cold as the lake, so don't get too excited. It starts off at .40m deep and slowly increases to 1m, then to 1.5m at the deepest section. Little tots will definitely need floaties here.

It has a big kiddie pool set back from the lake, with a few sprays, a river, and pools of varying depths, about 6ins in the shallowest and about 2ft in the deepest.

Right next to the kiddie pool is a fun play structure that looks like a boat. The fake grass surrounding it gets really hot (seriously, it burns!), so your kids will want their sandals on. The entire Strandbad property is much smaller than other badis, but there's still lots of real grass to run around on even on a crowded day.

The "beach" is not as nice as the Mythenquai, it's shallow and rocky, no sand. This makes it perfect for rock throwing, which entertained my boys for a least an hour. It does have a large sand/dirtbox built into the beach filled with sand toys, so your little ones can dig. It also has a small waterslide that empties into the lake. It's slow and the exit is shallow so little ones should be safe.

The cafe has slightly better food than other badis. I had a yummy Mah Meh asian noodle dish that was cooked fresh in the kitchen (seemingly not industrial food).

It costs 4sfr, slightly less than other Zurich badis. The parking is tiny so don't plan on getting a spot. We had to park about a 5 min walk away on a residential street (white zone, not blue), which wasn't a big deal. The bus stops directly in front of the badi, which may be more convenient for some.

The Kilchberg Strandbad is located on Seestrasse in Kilchberg directly across from the Lindt chocolate factory. They pump chocolate smells into the air so you won't be able to resist stopping in their store to pick up bulk, discounted truffles for the ride home. (As a side note, they do not offer factory tours. You'll have to visit the Cailler factory near Gruyeres.)

Zürich Tram Museum

2009-06-19T19:32:00.006+02:00

From Rebecca... The Zurich Tram Museum offers a great rainy day activity for kids. The museum is essentially a large garage bay that holds several historical models of Zurich’s trams. As soon as you enter the museum, your child is given a ticket that they can validate in a machine. Then you can make your rounds getting in and looking at all the old Zurich trams.

There is a mock-up tram that is kid’s sized that they can steer back and forth along a track. There is even a large toy train track set up (using Thomas and Friends engines) that the kids can play with. The upstairs in the museum has a moving model of Zurich and trams under glass that my son loved watching. He had a great time running around and looking at all the trams – I literally had to drag him out of there when the museum closed down. The curator was also very friendly. The museum store sells neat tram paraphernalia and some Thomas and Friends engines.

The museum’s opening hours are a bit obscure. Usually, it's open from 14:00-17:00 Wed-Sun. But check to make sure it's open before you go. The museum is located at Forchstrasse 260 in Zurich. It’s very easy to get there with the 11 tram or Forchbahn (use the Burgwies stop). From the stop – the museum is located in the building attached to a Migros store.

Here is the website for more information: http://tram-museum.ch

Berschner waterfall

2009-06-04T15:35:00.010+02:00

at Berschnerfall, close and closer

Summary: about 1hr drive from Zurich, partially stroller-friendly, 30 min hike one-way to waterfall, no restaurant, fire possible on riverbed, free

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Another day, another waterfall. This time at Berschnerfall, about an hour drive south Zurich, just south of the Wallensee. You walk up along a rushing river for about 30 mins, passing several small waterfalls, ending at a dramatic 46m tall waterfall. We stopped on our way back to build a fire on the riverbed, grill up some lunch, and throw some rocks. It's a nice, easy day out. So, the details...

Drive south of Zurich to Berschis and park in town. We parked on Schulhausstrasse, near the recycle bins. Walk east toward the mountain and you'll hit a river. There's a bridge crossing that river with a brown sign pointing to Wasserfall (shown below).

Below shows the river you just crossed and the start of the trail. Follow that trail (called Fingenweg on the map) along the river all the way to the waterfall.



The trail is relatively stroller-friendly, with a wide dirt path for about 25 mins. The trail ascends, but doesn't get very steep until just before the waterfall. You'll walk along the river, which has several small falls to enjoy before you get to the main event.

When you get close to the falls, the trail gets steeper and more difficult. Leave the stroller behind and let your child walk or carry your child the rest of the way. On the left, the steeper trail and on the right, our first view of the falls, with a bridge crossing the river.

When you finally see the waterfall, the trail has some stairs and gets a little tricky for little ones for a few meters until you get to the bridge. But it's completely manageable so don't get discouraged.

The view from the bridge is very nice. But if you want to get a little closer, you can continue on the trail up a muddy, slippery switchback (shown below) for about 3 mins to a closer lookout.

On our way back, we found a nice place next to the river for a picnic. The locals told us it was ok to build a fire there, so we did and grilled up sausages and marshmallows. Our boys were very happy to explore the area and throw rocks in the river for about an hour. The river wasn't too deep or fast here so I didn't have to hover over them the whole time.

pigniu waterfall

2009-05-31T22:45:00.005+02:00

Summary: about 1:45hr from Zurich, partially stroller-friendly, 1hr easy hike, no restaurant, grill pit, beautiful lake and waterfalls, no public transport

Another waterfall! This time at Lag da Pigniu in Graubunden, a bit west of Flims/Laax. This is a Romontsch, so even if you understand German, don't expect to be able to read any of the signs in this area. My husband found this hike on waterfall.ch. There's a loop trail around the lake, leading you to two dramatic waterfalls on the far side of the lake. There's a lakeside grill pit in front of the waterfalls. It's an easy, beautiful day in nature. Don't get scared by my photo story below. If you take the trail on the east side, it's wide and flat, easy for strollers, with none of the crazy stuff we encountered on the west side.

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We drove south of Zurich, past Chur, past Laax, to Reuen, then up a curvy road thru Pigniu (put this in your GPS), then a few minutes further on a lumpy road to the dam. Here's the view of the dam from where we parked our car:

View of the reservoir from the dam. The waterfalls are on the other side of the lake, about a 30 min walk from the dam.

We took the trail on the west side, which started out fine but ended up being quite rough with a stroller.

Three times our trail was covered by a huge patch of snow (it's covered with dirt, but it's still about a meter of snow under there). It was a little tricky to cross, but we've crossed worse.

The west side of the trail was not well maintained and had stairs and rocky sections that were difficult to navigate with the stroller. When we finally arrived at the waterfall, we had to cross this scary bridge with no handrails. It dropped down about 40 feet to a roaring river.

We left the lakeside trail and we scrambled up a grassy hill (about 5 mins) to get a little closer to the waterfall and find the perfect picnic spot.

view from our picnic spot

We wanted to continue the loop trail, especially because the trail behind us was quite rough. But of course, the bridge over the raging river proceeding from the second waterfall was no longer there, just a 50 foot gap with a 20 foot drop. We were feeling adventurous, so we walked down to the river mouth, scrambled down the sandy sides and waded through the knee-deep water, carrying our children and belongings on our backs. Don't worry, this is absolutely unnecessary if you take the east side trail.

Here's the mouth of the river that we crossed.

Here's the second waterfall and the grill pit in front of that waterfall, looking across to the first waterfall. No need to cross the river to access this grill pit.

Here's the easy flat east side trail back to the dam and our car. Maybe soon the town with fix up the trail and make the whole loop accessible to families.

View from the dam back to our car and our trail through the yellow flowers.

walensee waterfall

2009-05-31T21:21:00.005+02:00

Summary: 45min from Zürich, stroller-friendly, 30+ min hike, ferry ride, good for public transport, average restaurant with playground

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Just 45 mins south of Zurich is the Seerenbachfälle, which is the tallest freefall waterfall in Switzerland. The falls are on the north side of the Walensee. The easiest way to get there is to drive to Weesen at the west side of the lake and take a ferry boat to Betlis, about a 15 minute ride. You can also take the ferry from Mühlehorn, where the boat dock is only a one minute walk from the train station.

Once in Betlis, it was a posted 25 min walk to the falls, which took us about an hour with our 22 month old walking most of the way himself. It's a short, easy stroller friendly walk. The falls and surrounding views are fantastic. There's a restaurant near the Betlis boat dock, with a playground and great views. I highly recommend it. So, the details...

We got on the ferry at Mühlehorn, which has a train station right next to the boat dock. It costs 10sfr (halbtax not accepted) round trip to Betlis, where the walk begins.

view of the falls from the ferry

The hike starts with a short (<5 mins) narrow dirt section, which is a little difficult with a stroller. To avoid this, follow signs from the dock to the restaurant (left, instead of right), which is easier and puts you onto the paved road to the waterfall a little quicker. The little dirt trail we took joins up with the paved road after crossing through the cow fields.
the trail proceeds through this meadow for a few minutes

then onto a paved road for the majority of the trail

Near the base of the waterfall, you turn away from the lake and walk up a dirt trail through the woods to the waterfall lookout. It's a little rocky but wide enough for a stroller and not difficult.

Here we are at the lookout over the waterfall - you'll get wet. From here, there's a narrow, steep, muddy, rocky trail that goes up from this point so you can get a little closer to the upper waterfall section. It's not safe for little kids and not really worth the effort in my opinion.

We saw two grill pits on the trail. Right after you leave the boat dock, there are some castle ruins with this grill pit next to it.

Then after you leave the paved road and before you enter the woods towards the waterfall, there's this second grill pit.

Along the paved road, there are farms with goats and cows. Our kids enjoyed this distraction.

Restaurant Burg-Strahlegg is about a 5 min walk from the Betlis boat dock. It has a little playground and a lovely view of the Wallensee and surrounding mountains. The food menu is small, with just sausages and salads. But it filled our tummies and it was relaxing.

The ferry doesn't run frequently (about once every 90 mins) and changes based on the season, so check the schedule online before you go to make sure you're not waiting for a long time at the dock. We had to wait a few minutes but our boys were fully entertained throwing rocks in the lake by the boat dock.

kid-friendly mountain list

2009-05-31T21:01:00.004+02:00

I've made a list of mountains near Zurich that are suitable for hiking with kids. Most of these have been profiled on this blog. But it's nice to see them at a glance with important details like distance from zurich, hiking time, whether it's stroller friendly, good for visitors, good with public transport, etc.

Click here to see the mountain list.

Please comment if you have any problems accessing this list or have any corrections.

Uetliberg

2009-05-14T16:04:00.003+02:00

view of the alps from Uetliberg

On a clear day, there's no better place in Zurich to check out the alps than Uetliberg. It's a short train ride from town. Take the S10 (low floor, stroller-friendly) from Zurich HB (or other stop along the way) to the end of the line. It runs every 15 mins. It requires two zones more than a Zurich city day pass.

Where the train stops, there's a playground and snack stand. But don't get distracted. Follow the crowd up a short road (about 10 mins, stroller friendly) to the lookout point.

on the trail up to the lookout point

lookout point - can you find your house?

a tower to climb for an even better view

There's a sit-down restaurant as well as a snack stand for bratwurst, fries, and pricey drinks. Be smart and bring your own. On weekends with good weather, this can get ridiculously busy. There are park benchs and some lounge chairs, but on busy days you have to be really aggressive to get a spot. We circled for about 10 mins before we snagged this prime picnic spot.

If you have energy to burn, you can take a hike along the Planeta Trail which starts by climbing down a lot of stairs from the Uetliberg lookout (there's a road on the other side for stroller access - ask around to find it).

tanya's tips: visitor's guide

2009-05-14T14:45:00.025+02:00

Grandpa is finally here, now what?

People often ask me where to take their out-of-town guests, specifically what would give the best "swiss" experience. I'm not an expert, but here are a few crowd pleasers:

- Ballenberg - Swiss open air museum. Have the whole Swiss experience condensed into one location.

- Uetliberg or Felsenegg - great views of Zurich, closest "mountain" experience to Zurich, great view of the alps in the distance, inexpensive

- Säntis or Rigi - for dramatic mountain views without a hike

- Flumserberg or Hoch Ybrig - for a short uncrowded traditional hike in the alps

- Stein am Rhein and Rhein Falls - classic tourist sites near Zurich

- Kyburg or Lenzburg - castles close to Zurich

- Jucker Farm - a very consumer-friendly day at the farm, with farm-fresh food, lots of play equipment, animals to pet, and a lovely view. Everyone loves this.

- cruise on Lake Zurich, Lake Luzern or Lake Thun

- Colmar or Strasbourg - to see something different and impossibly cute and to eat real French croissants

And a few traditional things to eat:
- "Bratwurst mit Brot und Senf" at the Bellevue stand (north of the Coop)
- "Kalbsgeschnetzeltes mit Rosti" at Zeughauskeller
- "Rosti mit Eier" at a mountain restaurant
- Raclette and Fondue - but I always eat these at home so I don't have any restaurant recommendations

tanya's tips: photo shoot locations

2009-05-14T14:45:00.023+02:00

A few of my friends have had family portraits taken in the Alps, dressed in traditional Swiss clothing, as a memento of their time in Switzerland. Here are some locations I suggested to a friend for a photo shoot like this.

Hoch Ybrig - very close to Zurich with wonderful views of Lake Luzern. Requires a ride up a chair lift (not good for little ones) and a short walk down an easy trail (20mins, good for little ones) to get the right shots.

Stoos - Classic Swiss landscape and gives a variety of different types of landscapes. You could get the swiss village with the rolling hills or go to the top and get the alpine meadow with the mountains and lake luzern below.

Ebenalp - You could get some great pics in the valley, saving you the cost of going up a gondola. The pics I chose are from the bottom of the gondola. You can also get very nice ones from the top of the gondola as well.

Engelberg - the location used by my friends. Every time I've gone, they have very clear weather when Zurich and Luzern were very hazy. Maybe there's something special about this valley. There's lots to do here (alpine slide, trotti bike, swimming, hiking) so you can definitely make a whole day out of it.

Schonbuel - The most dramatic of the these locations. It's the highest up, overlooking the Bernese Alps.

Ballenberg - very easy for photoshoots because the land is all part of the open-air museum, not private farm land. So you don't have to worry about crossing over fences, etc. Plus, you can make a day of it and enjoy the museum. The fields are lovely and the Bernese Alps are in the background.

Nurnberg Christmas Market - Kinderweihnacht

2009-05-11T09:03:00.003+02:00

pint-sized ferris wheel in Nurnberg

From Amy M... Last December we spent a few days at the Nurnberg Christmas Market, which is considered to be one of the best in Europe. It is ~4 hour train or car ride away from Zurich. The market itself was excellent and since we went during the week we were able to avoid the heavier crowds. The great thing about this particular Christmas market is the Kinderweihnacht especially for children.

They have a carousel, small ferris wheel, and a train for children to ride (5 Euro for 5 tickets). There is also a model railway set up on display. Those activities were enough to keep my 2.5 year old entertained for the whole evening. For older kids they have "hands on" stalls where kids can help bake Christmas cookies, make candles, write letters to the Christ Child, or visit St. Nick. They also have a heated playmobil activity center. The rides are all outside, but the rest of the acitivites are in enclosed stalls. The activities, with the exception of the rides, were free of charge and you do not have to register in advance.

Check the website for opening days and and for more details about the Children's market.

From Tanya... The christmas market in Colmar, France also has a children's section, with some rides and lots of treats.

Sechselauten Children's parade

2009-05-11T08:50:00.003+02:00

children in historical Swiss dress

From Amy M... The Sechselauten Children's parade starts the celebration of the Sechselaulten Festival. It is held on Sunday afternoon, the day before the Guild Parade and the burning of the Boogg (usually the third Monday of April).

the Böögg on his way to be burned up

This was the second year that we have attended and have enjoyed it both times. Each time we have viewed the parade from Burkliplatz and arrived ~20 minutes before it started to get a front row seat. The children's parade is a minature version of the guild parade on Monday with marching bands, horse drawn floats, and children dressed in traditional costumes passing out candy. The parade last an hour and ends with horses pulling the Boogg along in wagon.

Check the website for dates, times, and parade route. More info on Sechseläuten.

Zugerberg sculpture trail

2009-04-06T14:41:00.001+02:00

some of the animals along the Zugerberg Sculpture Trail

Summary: 45min drive from Zurich, free, ~1hr trail with longer options, partially stroller-friendly, grill pits, playground, restaurant

Here's another close and easy walk: the Sculpture Trail on Zugerberg, just south of Zug, about a 40min drive from Zurich. The trail is lined with animal sculptures carved out of wood, which really helped motivate our 4yr old.

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We went in February, so it was a bit snowy and brown, but still lovely. My friends went in spring and got lovely green meadows and wildflowers. The trail starts out paved. After about 10 mins, the trail forks around a big open field. Here we are approaching the fork:

To the left, the trail continues on a paved road and almost immediately passes a big playground (with zip line of course) and lots of fire pits with wood. Another 10mins or so you'll find the restaurant (more about that later).

If you veer right, it continues paved for another 10mins then it's a dirt path (as shown below) and sometimes just grass for the next 30mins or so. This is no problem for an all-terrain stroller but a little tough for our little Maclaren umbrella stroller (which we brought by mistake).

Below shows the path continuing through the meadows.

We took the shortest loop back to our starting point (not the complete sculpture trail), which took about an hour with our 4yr old walking pretty slow the whole way. There are a few loops of varying distances, most labeled by an animal. I think we took the rabbit trail, as shown on this sign. When there is enough snow, some of the trails are marked for cross-country skiing, not winter walking (that means the snow on the path is not packed down for walkers). So study your map carefully before proceeding.

Near the end of the loop (before you get back to the playground and fork in the road)), there is the Hintergiessboden restaurant, which was cozy and unexpectedly delicious. They have high chairs. Here's their "signature" garlic bread that was super yummy.

I ordered Fohlenfillet (shown below), thinking it was fish (wow, I need to improve my menu Deutsch). Instead it was a super delicious steak, seriously tender and buttery. When I got home, I realized I had eaten foal (aka baby horse). I felt a little sad about that.

Here's the playground outside the restaurant.

Some travel details:

You can drive all the way to the top of Zugerberg. Our GPS took us up a little, windy one-lane road and we were skeptical. A local even stopped us to make sure we knew where we were going. But it was right on target. There is some parking along the road before you enter the little "village" and there are a few spots in the village. Alternatively, you can park down at Schönegg (south of Zug) and take the mountain railway up to Zugerberg - the trail starts right where you get out of the train.