8 day trip to Switzerland with 4 yo kid in August
Nelly is planning an 8-day trip to Switzerland at the end of August with her husband and their 4-year-old son. They want to explore scenic places and include a day on the Glacier Express train. Nelly seeks advice on kid-friendly activities in Zermatt, the feasibility of their itinerary, and whether to stay another night in Wengen before heading to Zurich for their flight.
- Consider using the Swiss Travel Pass for unlimited travel on trains and boats, which will be helpful since you'll be on the move every day.
- In Zermatt, look for easy hiking trails and a ride to Gornergrat for great views, which are kid-friendly options.
- If you’re unsure about the length of the Glacier Express ride with a young child, think about adjusting your travel route to make it easier.
- Staying another night in Wengen is a good idea if you want to explore at a relaxed pace before returning to Zurich.
AI-generated summary-
Hi,
We are planning a 8-day trip to Switzerland at the end of August. My husband, myself and a 4 years old kid. We would like to explore scenic places and include a day of panoramic train. Following is the itinerary that we plan. Any advice would really be appreciated.
Day 1: Taking flight from Berlin to Zurich. Travel to Lucerne by train. Check-in hotel and continue to explore Lucerne Old Town, Garden Glacier (and maybe Lion Monument), and The Chapel Bridge.
Day 2: Trip to Titlis. Go to Glacier Park for snow activities. As my son has never seen snow, I would like to bring him there (though i’m not too sure if he’s okay to take the ‘Ice Flyer’ chairlift). Going back back to Lucerne and stay another night there.
Day 3: Trip to Rigi Kulm. Take the boat from Lucerne to Vitznau. Change to the cogwheel train to Rigi Kulm. Then take the cogwheel train down to Rigi Kaltbad and change to the cable car down to Weggis. Walk over to the boat (15 minutes) to return to Lucerne. Check-out from hotel and take train to Zermatt.
Day 4: Haven’t planned for the activity at Zermatt yet. Do you have any suggestion for any kid friendly activities?
Day 5: Taking Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur. Then take regular train(s) to Wengen. Check-in hotel at Wengen.
Day 6: Trip to Jungfraujoch. Back to hotel at Wengen
Day 7 (Sunday): Trip to Lauterbrunnen, Grutschalp, Winteregg and Murren. Then take Allmendhubel Funicular Train. Go to Flower Park for some kid friendly adventures. Found this recommendation from other parents: bring-the-kids.com/kid-friendly-adventures-abound-in-murren-switzerland/
We would love to stay for another night at Wengen. But not sure if it will be too rush to travel back to Zurich on the next day to catch the flight at 7pm.
Question: Would you suggest to stay another night at Wengen? Or should we go back to Wengen (from Murren) to check-out from hotel and travel to Zurich?
Day 8: Catching flight at 7pm.
Initially we just planned to base in 2 towns (Lucerne and Wengen). But we changed the plan as we would like to add a day for panoramic train (Glacier Express).
Do you think the itinerary above is realistic? If no, can you please offer some suggestions/alternatives?
Thanks in advance.
Nelly
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Hi Nelly k,
Welcome to MySwissAlps!
The Lion monument is next to the Glacier Garden, so you can’t miss it. Zermatt has lots of hiking trails including easy ones. You’ll find suggestions on our Zermatt page, and the tourist office offers more if needed: http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt. I might opt for a ride to the Gornergrat with a short walk along the way.
I’m not sure if I would do a 5.5 hour Glacier Express ride with a 4 year old. And it will be much longer if you want to reach Wengen the same day. About 10 hours. If you do this, I would for sure change the order of towns. First Lucerne, then Wengen, then Zermatt. There are fast trains to Zurich from Chur: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.
Your itinerary is very good. Arno has given very valid suggestions for places and order of stay. Swiss travel pass for 8 days will be very useful since you will be travelling everyday
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