Snow for the 1st time in the Swiss Alps with kids
Naiana from Brazil is excited to visit Switzerland in January with her husband and two kids (ages 6 and 9) for their first snow experience. They're staying in Interlaken for 5 days, looking for family-friendly activities, specifically around Bodmi Arena in Grindelwald, and seeking tips that don't involve skiing or extreme sports.
- Visit Murren for beautiful views and easy walks, which is perfect for families.
- Try snowshoeing near Interlaken or Murren; it’s easy to learn and fun for everyone.
- You can travel to Bodmi Arena easily from Interlaken via train and bus; confirm your route with your hotel.
- Consider sledding for a fun family activity; rentals are available in the area.
- The Harder Kulm viewpoint is closed in winter, so look for other scenic spots instead.
AI-generated summary-
Hello,
I´m from Brazil and my husband and our children (6 and 9 years old) are going to Switzerland on January and we are staying for 5 days.
Will be our first time meeting snow (how exciting?) and Switzerland.
We are staying at Interlaken (Unterseen more precisely) and we would like to take the kids in Bodmi arena in Grindewald to play in the snow playground.
I barely didn’t find any itinerary that doesn’t include skiing in winter or snow shoeeing at night, or paragliding and the other itineraries in Portuguese are all summer activities, for example, Harder Kulm it’s not open on winter, right? But if you google what to do in Interlaken in the winter, will appears Harder Kulm (portuguese results!) It’s a little confusing.
So, I would like to know, wich activities you recommend for a family with children who doesn’t ski, it’s our first time seeing snow! can’t wait for this. Ps.: we aren’t super adventures either, so paragliding and snow shoeing it’s out of question, lol!
Well, english it’s not my first language – you can notice that, lol – so, I would need easier tips, if anyone could help me with this I will be very grateful.
Finishing, we have decided that we won’t go to Jungfraujoch, but until now, our only activities planned are go to First Mountain (Cliff walk) and take the kids to Bodmi Arena. Is it easy to get to Grindelwald (Grindelwald sports – Bodmi arena) from Interlaken West??
What elso we can do?
Thank you!
Greetings from Brazil.
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The best place to go is Murren. I went there myself when I was 3, then aged 7 (and then more recently when I was 57…)
For me it beats Jungfraujoch anyway (for a start it is hugely cheaper) as you can get a great view of the Eiger/Monch/Jungfrau from the village mirador in Murren centre.
Murren is a commune village in its own right so travelling there without winter sports equipment is quite normal.
However, you should take good footwear as the walk between Grutschalp and Murren is lovely (and quite level too)
You can also go around the Thunersee (Lake Thun) by bus one side and train the other and see the castles.
You can also easily visit Bern from Interlaken
Hi Naiana and welcome to MySwissAlps!
How exciting, that you will meet first time with snow. I am sure, your children will love it too.
Snowshoeing is not too difficult, it just helps you to walk on the snow. You can rent snowshoes and in Interlaken or Mürren and try it. You do not need to go for big walks with it. There are shorter trails too. So the point of my story is that it is not like paragliding. 🙂
Regarding the clothes and shoes for the winter, this guide will help you: http://www.myswissalps.com/plantrip/clothing/winter.
Some activity ideas during winter:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/wheretogo/winter
- http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/winter
- http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/winter/nonski
- If you would like to try sledging: http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/winter/snow
I hope this helps,
Take care,
Ildiko
More about the Jungfrau region: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/activities
Todo bem Naiana, and welcome to MySwissAlps,
There should be snow at Grindelwald Bodmi in January. Bodmi is where the skiing school for beginners is located. Your children are of the right age to learn skiing and might feel comfortable after 3 days (comfortable, for skiing in the easy-going Bodmi area, that is). For their parents, the 5-day stay in the area may be a bit short to learn skiing. Inquire at your hotel on how best to rent skiing equipment in Grindelwald. You should find several ski rental places between the Grindelwald railway station and the departure station of the First gondola. Bodmi is just above that station. From the top station of the First gondolas, you (but probably not your children) could have a try at the First Flyer experience. If the weather is good, you could do the longest sledging ride in the world. I think you can rent sledges (trenó) at First and return them at Bussalp, but again ask confirmation from your hotel desk of the tourist office near the train station in Grindelwald.
You are right, Harder Kulm is closed until 16 April. You are also right in not considering paragliding!
Have a full day for the Jungfraujoch trip (if you change your mind, that is). Stay at Jungfraujoch for at least 2 hours, but if you stay 4 hours you will still have plenty to discover and do. The elevation difference can make you tired or even dizzy.
To go to the Bodmi area, take the train at Interlaken-Ost to Grindelwald. From there you can take a bus to Bodmi (your hotel can probably give you a pass for the local busses), but then you will bypass the Firstbahn gondola station. Or you can walk (about 30 min.,or take another bus) to the Firstbahn station, from where you can walk to Bodmi (maybe 20 minutes to the top of the Bodmi snow area).
Sejam bem-vindos!
Snowman
Hi Naiana
Snowman’s suggestion to visit Murren is a good one. While there I would continue on up to Schilthorn by cable car. Actually my want to visit Schilthorn first then down to Murren. Schilthorn is a little touristy but not nearly as much as Jungfraujoch and if the weather is nice it has beautiful views and lots of snow.
You may also consider visiting Wengen which is larger than Murren but smaller than Grindelwald. Also very picturesque and you can ride the Gondola from there to Mannlichen for more great views.
Both these places are readily accessible from Interlaken. You may want to consider a regional pass like the Jungfrau pass which will cover most trains, gondolas and boats (if you get the 5 day pass).
A walk down Lauterbrunnen valley from Lauterbrunnen towards Stechelberg is very nice. You can turn around whenever you want but there are waterfalls and the valley is spectacular.
I agree with Ildiko that trying snowshoeing is a good option. It is not technical and easy to learn. You can do as much exercise as you feel comfortable with then stop. It would be an adventure the whole family can do and you might be surprised how easy it is and hoe much fun. It is definitely easier to learn than skiing. But I would imagine both your children would love to try skiing and would do just fine. However I would highly recommend starting with lessons ( a group lesson for beginners would be ideal ).
Mark
Thanks for the credit, Mark, but Murren is a suggestion from 1960man. A good suggestion, no doubt.
Oops
Hi!
Loved these suggestions! Do you guys think that with a 1 year 5 months old toddler is doable?
Not planning to do ski sports since we’re heading to Zermatt on New Years.
Thank you!
Hi GiseleC,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
It is not uncommon to see parents sledding with their toddlers. But you probably want to stick to shorter and safer slopes. I’ve personally taken my children sledding in Murren when they were 2-3 years old. Back then, you can rent sleds for around CHF10 for half a day from most sport shops. For more suggestions, please check out the links provided by Ildiko in the post.
Regards,
Anna
Hi Naiana,
You are planning a wonderful trip. We went with 2 kids (5 and 7 yr old) to Switzerland in May 2019, a little different from your timing, but we also got snow! I would recommend staying at Beatenberg, at the Dorint Hotel. It has the most amazing view of the lakes and its a 2omin bus ride to Interlaken train station (beautiful trip also) . Dorint is also wonderful for kids with playground and an awesome breakfast.
Also I would recommend visiting Lauterbrunnen via train from Interlaken, the train trip is amazing, you see so many waterfalls from the train and the then use the railway to go up Trümmelbach waterfall, your kids will love it.
thanks.
Hi, 1960man
Thank you so much for your answer.
I just added Murren to our itinerary.
I think it will be an amazing experience. Thanks for helping us.
Hi, Ildiko
You helped me a lot.
Thank you for the answer.
In fact, all the guidance contained in other topics has helped me a lot, especially about the coronavirus.
I’m a little worried about it because I will have to do 3 PCR’s tests in less than 15 days. It’s quite unconfortable and expensive, but it’s really worth it to get to know Switzerland, can’t wait for this!!
About the snowshoeing, I’m really excited. I bought snow boots for whole family and I think will be quite possible to do!
Thank you so much for helping us.
Hi, Snowman
Thank you for your answer.
Too bad Harder Kulm is closed in January. Thanks for confirming.
I would like to meet Jungfraujoch, but the prices are not very attractive, other than that our currency being worth almost 7 times less, we will still have extra costs for running multiple covid tests during our stay, but thanks for suggesting.
And about the sledding, I’m wish we could be able to do, seems very nice and fun!
And thank your for answer me about how to get to Grindelwald from Interlaken. It helped me a lot.
Hello, Mark
Thank you for answering me.
I’m considering to visit Wengen for sure, thanks for suggesting me.
About Lauterbrunnen I’ve heard that it’s not really worth it in winter, because it gets poor visibility, but I don’t know if this information is true.
And yes, we will definitely try snowshoeing.
Thank you so much for your answer.
Hi, RB19
Thank you so much for your answer.
I can’t wait for this trip! It’s our family dream trip. My kids are crazy to see, touch and play in the snow for the first time, and meet the Switzerland is an old dream to me! So, we joined the two goals and we hope to be able to enjoy it a lot.
Thank you for answering me.
Hi Naiana
I’m glad you found the suggestions helpful. When you state that Lauterbrunnen has poor visibility in winter I’m not sure what you mean. Lauterbrunnen is a town on the rail line between Interlaken Ost and Wengen. The town is not particularly scenic except it is on one end of Lauterbrunnen valley with Stechelberg being on the other end of the valley. On one side of the valley you will look up towards Wengen and Jungfrau and on the other side of the valley you look up towards Murren and Schilthorn. I would guess the valley would have similar visibility to the surrounding area and mountains or perhaps better as it is less likely to be covered by clouds than the mountains. See attached photos of Lauterbrunnen valley
Too bad Harder Kulm is closed in January. Thanks for confirming.
Indeed, Harder Kulm is really a ‘summer’ destination (as it has no winter sport possibilities so is not a winter attraction)
Naiana: About Lauterbrunnen I’ve heard that it’s not really worth it in winter, because it gets poor visibility, but I don’t know if this information is true.
Mark: When you state that Lauterbrunnen has poor visibility in winter I’m not sure what you mean.
This will presumably have been someone’s comment referring to Lauterbrunnen‘s location – it is in a narrow deep valley hence it does not get much sun in the winter, and in some weather patterns it could be below the cloudbase when at the same moment Murren etc might be above the clouds
Hi 1960man
What you suggested regarding Lauterbrunnen visibility occurred to me as well. I have certainly seen it many times in mountain areas especially in my home, The Smokey Mountains . At least in my experience it often occurs in the early morning and dissipates in a few hours. And it is much less common than clouds covering the mountain tops, at least that’s my experience in the Jungfrau area including Lauterbrunnen valley (see my photos on my previous post).
I would also add that when those inversion systems do occur with clear mountain tops and clouds in the valleys it makes for wonderful photos. (See attached photos).
Mark
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