[Removed user]

14 April 2017 at 21:21:38 #811413

Hello.

we shall be in interlaken for 3 nights in early July and I need some ideas on how to spend the 3 days.

My kids are aged 15, 13 and 1 1/2yrs old.we shall not be visiting juangfrau because of the high altitude.

I need some ideas on where it will be convenient to take the little one too.

Have read about the adventure park and the older kids are interested in that.

I personally would love to visit the nearby towns i.e. grindelwald and Wengen

Will it be less of a hassle if we get a swiss travel pass as we are also spending 2 nights in lucerne and 3 in Zurich.( I know I’ve asked this question about rail pass before in another forum )

regards

Aamena

Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions. Sign up

[Removed user]

15 April 2017 at 13:38:03 #861601

Hi Aamena, welcome to the forum.

One or two ideas for you.

1. Go to Wengen by train from Interlaken, take cable car to Maennlichen, admire the views and have lunch, take gondola down to Grindelwald Grund from where you can take train or bus to Grindelwald. You can buy tickets in Wengen to Grindelwald via Maennlichen (50% off with Swiss Travel Pass and free for the children with Family Card you can order free with STP). Or you can do the "Grannies' Walk from Maennlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and go to Grindelwald by train from there (25% off this leg). Interlaken to / from Wengen and Grindelwald covered by pass.

2. Schnynige Platte is another good option – free with STP.

3. If the weather is too overcast for mountain top visits, consider going to Brienz and from there to Ballenberg Open Air Museum which is free with STP and very family orientated – lots to see and do.

4. Another option for not such good weather is Heimwehfluh – funicular discounted – to visit model railway exhibition – great fun for the older ones. There is also a play area up there and an excellent café. Check out the website for a fun alternative to funicular for way down for the older ones!

I would definitely go for the Swiss Travel Pas s and Family Card – it will save you a lot of money as there are free trips in Lucerne you could use it for too – Pilatus Kulm and Rigi Kulm are covered by pass and you could get discount on the Transport Museum there which is a cloudy weather option the older ones would love. Also cruises on the Lakes, Thunersee, Brienzersee and Lake Lucerne are covered, there is 5chf surcharge on Lake Zurich.

Hope some of these suggestions are useful for you. Enjoy your trip!

Maggie

[Debra]

15 April 2017 at 14:34:20 #861602

Can I suggest the website momstotszurich.com? It is done by a gal who has kids and posts loads of stuff to do that are kid friendly! Adventure hikes that are set up where kids follow clues, flower trails and gardens, museums, hikes kids can do (even tells you what can be done with a stroller or wheelchair)!

I have found her site extremely useful in planning my trip, (even though I am not travelling with kids) as she is from Zurich (a US expat) and knows the hidden places.

[Removed user]

15 April 2017 at 16:54:13 #861603

Thank you so very much Maggie and Debra .

I shall definitely look into all the options .Also to include in interlaken is the funky chocolate club.

I must sit and plan a detailed itinerary especially since have only travelled by train only once in my life, from Verona to Venice last year, hence I’m just overwhelmed by the swiss train transport system.

Very very excited about the impending trip though.

Thank you for your help.

regards

aamena

[Arno]

15 April 2017 at 17:25:22 #861604

Hi Aamena,

The Swiss train system is much better than most other train systems in the world, including Italy. So if you could manage the Verona to Venice trip you will certainly do fine in Switzerland. The only thing is that there are a lot of train passes to choose from (both a good and a bad thing). You can start learning here: myswissalps.com/ train.

[Removed user]

15 April 2017 at 19:13:30 #861605

Thank you Arno.

[Removed user]

16 April 2017 at 9:04:10 #861606

Hi aamena,

I would strongly encourage you to follow Maggie’s #1 suggestion at the very least. The scenery is extraordinary, and it would be an absolute shame to be in the area and to miss out on seeing it 🙂 Furthermore, that excursion offers the chance to ride in a cogwheel train, a cable car (large, people mostly stand) and a gondola (small, seating for about 4 people), which would be great experiences for both you and your children.

Here’s another idea, which would be free if you have a Swiss Travel Pass: take a ride in a train which has a children’s play area on board. This might be fun for your little one. The play area is on the upper level of the first or last coach of the train.

From Interlaken Ost, it is only trains on the Basel line that have the play areas. You could just travel as far as Thun, which is about half an hour, then catch a boat across Lake Thun back to Interlaken West. The boat trip would be another fun experience, and the wharf is adjacent to Thun railway station.

For a picture of the play area on board the train, see here:

http://www.tickipark.ch/en/er lebe-ticki-park/familienwagen/

To find trains with a children’s play area, use the SBB (Swiss Railways) timetable, using Interlaken Ost as your starting point, and Basel SBB as the destination. Look for the symbol “FA” in the “Comments” column, as this indicates that the train has a coach with children’s play area (see attached screenshot).

http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

For the timetable for boats on Lake Thun, see here:

https://www.bls.ch/-/media/bls/pdf/fahrpla ene/schiff/fahrplan-2017.pdf?la=de&vs=1

(Look for the summer timetable, which covers 13 May to 15 October 2017)

Alpenrose

[Removed user]

16 April 2017 at 14:01:55 #861607

Thank you very much Alpenrose.

Im all the more excited about this trip.

regards

aaamena.

[AlanPrice]

16 April 2017 at 19:05:49 #861608

Hi,

There are a couple of things to do around Grindelwald that kids enjoy. There is the Rodelbahn (steel tobbogan track) at Pfingstegg, which is a short cable car ride out of Grindelwald. http://www.pfingstegg.ch/inde x.php/en/

There is also the Alpine Bird Park, which is a sanctuary for birds that have been injured and cannot be released. http://www.alpenvogelpark.ch/ tiere.html

The older kids might enjoy doing the First Flyer and Trotti Bike. The Flyer is an 800 metre zip line, and the Trotti Bike is a long downhill scooter ride. You can get a combined ticket from the First cable car ticket station in Grindelwald. There is also the Cliff Walk if you are feeling adventurous. http://www.jungfrau.ch/de-ch/grindelwaldfirst/.

Cheers

Alan