Zurich, Lucerne, Jungfrau Region with toddlers late March-early April
A traveler named Arcturus is planning a family trip to Switzerland, arriving in Zurich on March 28 and leaving for Milan on April 5. They are looking for advice on kid-friendly activities and whether their itinerary is manageable with two toddlers, including considerations for mountain excursions that may not operate yet.
- Consider keeping your day on March 29 flexible as it involves long travel with toddlers.
- Invest in an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass for flexibility and discounts on mountain trips; children under 6 travel free.
- Adjust your plans to utilize early boat services on Lake Brienz, starting before Easter.
- Check operating dates for mountain cable cars as some may not start until after April 3.
AI-generated summary-
Hi everyone — my family and I are travelling to Switzerland and Italy at the end of March / early April next year and would love any tips.
Quick Trip Facts:- Travel dates: arrive Zurich on 28 March, leaving Switzerland for Milan on 5 April.
- Travelling with two toddlers (almost-3 and 4 years old).
- Flights are booked and fixed; everything else is flexible.
- This will be our first time in Switzerland — we want a relaxed, kid-friendly trip and know some mountain services may still be seasonal.
Rough Itinerary:
Please let me know if this is too much with toddlers, or if we should drop/ change anything.Day 1 — 28 Mar (Sat): Zurich
- Arrive, check in, and rest (likely jet-lagged).
- Evening — casual walk around the Bahnhofstrasse, Dinner.
Day 2 — 29 Mar (Sun): Lindt + Rhine Falls- Morning at the Lindt Home of Chocolate
- Train to Rhine Falls — take the glass elevator and return to Zurich.
Day 3 — 30 Mar (Mon): Zurich → Lucerne- Morning: explore Zurich (Grossmünster, Augustinergasse, Bahnhofstrasse)
- Collect luggage in the afternoon and take the train to Lucerne.
- Overnight in Lucerne (base for 3 nights).
Day 4 — 31 Mar (Tue): Lucerne
- Explore Lucerne: Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument, Old Town, Museggmauer.
Day 5 — 1 Apr (Wed): Mt Rigi day trip- Boat Lucerne → Vitznau → cogwheel train to Rigi Kulm.
- Rigiland playground at the top, return via Weggis cable car + boat → Lucerne.
Day 6 — 2 Apr (Thu): Lucerne → Interlaken → Grindelwald- Check out, train to Interlaken, store luggage.
- Lake Brienz boat to Iseltwald for a short visit, then onward to Grindelwald (base for 3 nights).
Day 7 — 3 Apr (Fri): Lauterbrunnen / Mürren / Wengen- Explore Lauterbrunnen valley and Staubbach Falls; visit Wengen / Mürren. (We were hoping to do the Mannlichen alpine playground, but we’re not sure if the lift operates in early April.)
Day 8 — 4 Apr (Sat): Grindelwald- First Cliff Walk, playgrounds, optional Jungfrau or Schilthorn — not sure if that’s too ambitious with the kids and uncertain mountain weather.
Day 9 — 5 Apr (Sun): Harder Kulm → Milan- Check out, train to Interlaken Ost, visit Harder Kulm
- Afternoon/evening train to Milan (planning to leave by afternoon as there’s no direct, fast overnight).
Questions/Requests for Advice- Is this too much for toddlers; are there any items I should remove or reorder?
- Are there can’t-miss, child-friendly activities we should add?
- Which pass(s) should we buy: Swiss Travel Pass / Berner Oberland Pass / Swiss Half Fare Card?
- Any practical tips on reservations for mountain trains with toddlers?
Thanks so much — any local tips (stroller-friendly routes, short gentle playgrounds, restaurants with kid options, or must-skip things in late March) would be really helpful!
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Hi Arcturus, and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Your plans look well-paced to me! I’d say it’s doable with toddlers. I’d only be hesitant about 29 March, as it’s a 1h20 to 1h30 trip from Lindt Home of Chocolate to the Rhine Falls, and then another 0h50 back from the Rhine Falls to Zurich. But if they can handle a fuller day, that’s perfectly fine! And both excursions are great for kids :-).
A few tips:
- 2 April: this year, boats on Lake Brienz didn’t start operating before April 12. But you can catch a bus from Interlaken to Iseltwald and back. See https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-brienz/
- 3 April: if the Männlichen operation dates are similar to this year’s (the winter season lasted until April 6), then yes, you might be able to enjoy tis mountain visit! I’d suggest this round trip: Grindelwald – Zweilütschinen – Lauterbrunnen – Wengen – Männlichen – Grindelwald Terminal – Grindelwald. For all details, please see https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/mannlichen/
- 3-4 April: your plans look lovely. In case weather isn’t great, consider the Beautus Caves above Lake Thun or the Jungfrau Park in Interlaken. More bad-weather tips are available here https://www.myswissalps.com/town/interlaken/#activities
As for rail passes: kids under 6 years old travel for free anywhere. For the adults, I’d consider an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass for days 2 to 9. It will give you optimum flexibility. You can hop on and off trains, buses, boats, and trams in all of Switzerland, however it suits you. If your toddlers are tired and you want to return home earlier, or if you need to change plans because of the weather, you won’t lose money spent on point-to-point tickets for fixed routes. And mountain trips are discounted. Please see:
- https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/
- https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/tickets/discount/
In addition, you could use point-to-point tickets for the quick journey from Zurich Airport to Zurich on day 1:
And you’d need tickets from either Domodossola or Chiasso (this depends on the route you choose) to Milan on day 9:
Does this get you started?
Hi Annika,
Thank you so much for the detailed reply and the helpful links!
That’s a great point about 29 March — we’ll have to keep our plans flexible and see how the kids handle the longer day. I’d really like to fit in both activities, and since an Uber from our hotel to the Lindt Home of Chocolate is only about 15 minutes one way, we may consider that to cut down on travel time.
I really appreciate the clarification about the Lake Brienz boats and the alternative bus route to Iseltwald — that’s very useful. The Männlichen round trip you suggested sounds perfect, too.
I had looked into the Beatus Caves before, but wasn’t sure how manageable they’d be with toddlers. I’ll definitely keep Jungfrau Park in mind as a rainy-day option — I didn’t even know it existed!
Your advice about the 8-day Swiss Travel Pass makes a lot of sense, especially for the flexibility it gives us with young kids. I’ll look into that, along with point-to-point tickets for Day 1 and the Milan leg. We were considering the attached train route for the Interlaken–Milan journey — it’s not the most scenic, but with toddlers, I think fewer changes and a shorter commute will be best.
Really appreciate your guidance — it definitely makes me feel more confident about our plans!
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Hello Arcturus
My remarks are largely designed to supplement those of Annika.
I am sure your children will love Switzerland. They will like the scenery. If you are from a warm country which does not get snow, they will love playing in snow. They will also be thrilled by the huge variety of ways you will use to get around. (Trains, boats, buses, cable cars, funiculars.)
The Festival of Easter
Along with most of the rest of Europe, this is a holiday period in Switzerland. In 2026, it stretches from Friday 3rd to Monday 6th April.
That means that some resorts, (Including Grindelwald) will be busy. But there will be two benefits for you.
The Männlichen cable cars will still be running. Better still, it appears that the Brienzersee boats start on 3rd April (earlier than this year). So by re-organising your Grindelwald days, you will be able to get a boat ride on beautiful Lake Brienz.
Swiss Travel Passes
Largely for the reasons Annika gives in her central paragraph underneath her first three bullet points, I would invest in Swiss Travel Passes.
The STP gives you the freedom of an absolutely superlative system of public transport. Train and buses on all important routes run at least hourly. On many routes they are every 30 minutes.
If the children on any journey get a little restless, you can always get off at a suitable station, give them a break for an hour, and then carry on!
Verkehrshaus (Transport Museum) at Lucerne
This is Switzerland’s most popular museum. (The STP gives 50% discount on the entrance fee.) The Verkehrshaus covers all forms of transport.
Lots of things for the children to do and see. I last visited the Verkershaus in October 2024 on a wet day. The place was full of children of all ages thoroughly enjoying themselves!
https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/museum-of-transport/
Journey to Milan on Easter Sunday (5th)
As you may already have worked out, there are two alternative routes from the Interlaken area to Milan.
https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/italy-switzerland
1 Simplon Line
This is the most direct and quickest routing. It may take as little as three-and-a-half hours. You will need to change at Interlaken Ost, Spiez and (perhaps) Brig.
The drawback of this routing is that the ‘Eurocity’ trains on the Simplon route are not that frequent; they will be busy; seat reservations are compulsory; you will need FOUR seat reservations; you will need to ensure that those seats are ‘together’.
2 Gotthard Line
This journey can be broken up into bits and spread out over the whole of Easter Sunday.
Go back to Lucerne (Luzern in German) the way you came. Give the children a break in Lucerne. Then go as follows.
Get the 14 18 IC21 train to Lugano, arrive there at 15 58.
Give the children another break in Lugano. The STP is valid on the little funicular which goes from the station into the town.
Catch the 17 02 RE80 train to Milano Centrale, arrive 18 17.
You will need Italian tickets for the 51 kms from the frontier station of Chiasso to Milan. I suggest that you buy those from the booking office at Lucerne station.
(Note that you do NOT get off the RE80 train at Chaisso.)
Kind regards
Roger
Hi Roger,
Thank you so much for sharing all this detailed information, it’s really helpful! It’s great to know that Lake Brienz boats start earlier around Easter; I’ll definitely adjust my itinerary to make the most of that.
I also really appreciate your insights on the Swiss Travel Pass. I was worried it might end up being more expensive than other options, but as you and Annika have pointed out, the convenience and flexibility it offers with young kids really does make it worthwhile.
Your explanation of the Simplon vs. Gotthard routes is very clear, thank you. My main reason for leaning towards the Simplon was the shorter travel time and fewer changes, but I’ll definitely keep the Gotthard option in mind. Stopping at Lugano sounds lovely, though, since we’ll be heading to Lake Como from the 7th to the 9th, I think we may save that for another trip.
Thanks again for taking the time to guide me. I really appreciate it!
Hello again Arcturus
Thanks for your kind words.
Operating Dates for Mountain and Lake Trips
I was in Switzerland April 1st to 12th this year, and I had to keep a careful eye on the opening dates of various mountain lines, (Easter was late this year, April 20th.)
Looking again at your plans, you mention both the cable car from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad, and the funicular up to Harder. Note that both these lines will not start operating until April 3rd (‘Good Friday’).
However, do not let the point about the Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad cable car put you off taking a trip up Mount Rigi.
Rigi (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rigi/) is served by two cog-wheel railways. The line from Vitznau and another line from Arth-Goldau. Both these lines operate 365-days-a-year, and are free with the Swiss Travel Pass. (There are frequent trains Lucerne to Arth-Goldau.)
The boats on the main Lake Lucerne route Lucerne-Vitznau-Brunnen-Beckenried-[Fluelen] sale 365-days-a-year. (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-lucerne/)
Note also that, while the cog-wheel railway up Mount Pilatus (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/pilatus/) will not be operating, the cable cars up the same mountain will be operating.
Best wishes for your detailed planning.
Roger
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