• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Urban Bliss Life logo

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • contact
  • shop
  • cookbooks
  • cooking classes
  • resources
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • 30-Minute Meals
    • Air Fryer Recipes
    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Asian recipes
    • Bread Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Cookie Recipes
    • Dairy-free Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Entertaining Recipes
    • Filipino Recipes
    • Gluten-Free Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • 5 Ingredients
    • Kid-Friendly Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Make-Ahead Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Snack Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Cocktail Recipes
    • Dog Treats
  • Wine
    • Oregon Wine Guide
    • Washington Wine
    • California Wine
    • Food and Wine Pairing
    • Wine Country
    • Wine Tips & Wine Pairings
  • Travel
    • Europe
      • Greece
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Liechtenstein
      • The Netherlands
      • Switzerland
      • The UK (United Kingdom)
    • Canada
    • USA travel
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • Oregon Travel Ideas
      • Utah
      • Washington
      • New Orleans
    • Travel Gear
    • Japan
    • Travel Tips
    • Hotels
    • Family Travel
  • Restaurants
  • About
    • Work With Urban Bliss Life
    • Press
    • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Fall Recipes
  • All Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About
  • Work With Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Urban Bliss Life » Blog » Travel to Zurich With Kids

    Published: March 22, 2016 / Updated: September 19, 2022 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Travel to Zurich With Kids

    45 shares

    Zurich, Switzerland is an international hub for business travelers but also a fabulous place for family vacations! Check out what to do in Zurich with kids.

    Tips for Traveling to Zurich With Kids on UrbanBlissLife.com

    Zurich, Switzerland is one of my favorite places to visit. My in-laws live in a little town just outside of Zurich, so I've been traveling here with my husband since 1997. We've been taking the kids overseas to Switzerland since they were babies.

    ZurichWithKidsFlags

    Zurich with Kids

    While the capitol of Switzerland is a huge international hub for business travelers, it's also a fantastic place for families.

    It's not the overwhelming hug of warmth and and loud, jovial outbursts of welcome you feel when visiting places like Italy or Portugal, where children are embraced and ingrained into life seemingly everywhere you go.

    Zurich is more of a milder, gentler, quieter embrace by the locals that you'll feel here. We always felt welcome with our children wherever we went in Zurich.

    Here are some of my top picks for where to go and what to do if you're traveling to Zurich, Switzerland with kids.

    Swiss Trains: The Best Way to Travel Around Zurich

    Tips for Traveling to Zurich With Kids on UrbanBlissLife.com
    Tips for Traveling to Zurich With Kids on UrbanBlissLife.com

    In Zurich, it's easy to take a train, bus or boat (or gondola!) to almost anywhere you need to go.

    If you'll be in the area for a few days or a week, I suggest getting the Swiss Travel Pass or the Swiss Travel Flex Pass. The best part for families: children under the age of 16 travel for free when accompanied by a parent who has a Swiss Family Card; children under the age of 6 travel free with an accompanying adult (no Swiss Family Card needed).

    The Swiss trains are the cleanest trains I have ever taken, anywhere. They are almost always on time (that famous Swiss precision!). Stations are well-organized, and transfers are fairly easy to navigate for first-time visitors.

    ZurichWithKidsTrain

    Traveling by train is a fabulous way to see the diverse and stunning Swiss countryside. I just love watching the landscape change from picturesque cities to small towns, mountains, lakes, and rivers.

    Walk and play along Lake Zurich

    Tips for Traveling to Zurich With Kids on UrbanBlissLife.com

    The large, windy lake connects Lake Zurich on the Western end, and the cantons of Zurich, St. Gallen, and Schwyz. At the Zurich end, as well as from several smaller towns along the lake, you have many options. You can rent paddle boats or go swimming. Rent bikes and bike along the scenic paths that follow the river. Watch the sailboats.

    Or partake in our favorite activity: take the ferry from Zurich to one of the other towns. On hot summer days, visit the largest covered waterpark in Europe – the Alpamare – in Pfäffikon.

    Walk around the Niederdorf

    Tips for Traveling to Zurich With Kids on UrbanBlissLife.com

    Located in the Old Town of Zurich, the Niederdorf is like a small European village within the big city.

    Wear comfortable shoes here. You'll need to traverse uneven cobblestone streets and hills, as make the tough decision where to enjoy a meal. There are so many options!

    Giving you a recommendation for where specifically to eat & drink in the Niederdorf would not do anyone justice. You'll come across dozens of options that look appetizing. Zurich restaurants here all offer many different cuisines. Plus, you'll find a different vibe and varied space options at each restaurant. I suggest you go with an open mind and choose according to what you and your family are feeling like that day.

    Every restaurant we've ever taken our kids to in the Niederdorf of Zurich has been kid-friendly.

    Tips for Traveling to Zurich With Kids on UrbanBlissLife.com

    It should go without saying, but that beer pictured above is mine and not my daughter's.

    Tips for Traveling to Zurich With Kids on UrbanBlissLife.com

    There are also lots of great travel photo opps in the Niederdorf. Whether it's classic Swiss architecture, signature red geraniums hanging in containers from terraces, or painted cow fixtures on corners. The Niederdorf is a great area to explore.

    Visit the Lindt Chocolate Factory

    ZurichWithKidsLindt
    Tips for Traveling to Zurich With Kids on UrbanBlissLife.com

    Located in Kilchberg, Switzerland is the magical place known as the Lindt chocolate factory. This is just outside of Zurich and an easy train ride from the city center.

    This is real chocolate, folks. Lindt chocolate is not the watered down stuff the large candy makers in the US try to feed us. You can make reservations to take a tour. However, the must-stop if you are short on time is the Lindt chocolate outlet store on the first floor. We always stock up on amazing chocolate here to bring back home.

    Bürkliplatz Market

    Five Tips for Healthy Travel on UrbanBlissLife.com

    There are many outdoor markets throughout Zurich on different days. One of my favorites is the Bürkliplatz open air market by the Lake Zurich waterfront.

    Bürkliplatz is part flea market, part farmers market. There are also food trucks and other vendors there. It's a great place to get fresh fruits and vegetables for your trip. There's a beautiful selection of fresh flowers here as well.

    Meanwhile, the food trucks offer kids a fun, quick bite while you are out and about exploring the city!

    Franz Carl Weber Toy Store

    ZurichWithKidsToyStore

    No trip to Zurich is complete without a walk down to check out the shops and restaurants along the Bahnhofstrasse. One of our must-stops on every trip, even as our kids get older, is the Franz Carl Weber toy store. This megastore is three floors of kid fun! Your children will find their favorites here. Plus, they'll find fabulous European toys that you can't get in most places in the States. It's a great place to go to perk the kids up after walking for a while in the city, too.

    Bonus: there's a Starbucks across the street! This is a great stop to fuel up on snacks before heading back out for to explore Zurich with kids.

    Have you traveled to Zurich with kids? Which of these ideas appeals to you the most?

    More Travel in Switzerland with Kids

    • Day trip to Basel, Switzerland - family travel tips on UrbanBlissLife.com Travel Bliss: Day Trip to Basel, Switzerland
    • Family Travel to Lucerne, Switzerland, on UrbanBlissLife.com Best Things to do in Lucerne, Switzerland with Kids
    • Enjoy a day of adventure and family fun on the Swiss Alps at Mount Titlis! Switzerland travel tips, Swiss Alps photos, and more on UrbanBlissLife.com. Mount Titlis: A Day High Up in the Swiss Alps
    • Tips for Traveling to Zurich, Switzerland with kids, on UrbanBlissLife.com Travel to Zurich With Kids

    More Travel Tips

    • Long Flights With Kids: 12 Tips for a Smoother Trip
    • Family Train Travel: Amtrak With Kids
    • Family Travel Adventures With Kids
    « Wine Tasting Birthday Weekend
    Easy, Tasty Mini Fruit Tarts »
    45 shares

    Get recipes, travel tips, deals and more delivered to your inbox!

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Harvindar K Grewal says

        May 09, 2019 at 7:53 pm

        Great post Switzerland is one my favourite country. travelling with kids be fun not always stressful.

        Reply
      2. Catherine says

        May 23, 2016 at 1:06 pm

        I can't wait to take my littles on a trip like this! Peeper has already used her passport a few times, and I think taking kids to places wholly unlike home is an invaluable way to open their eyes to the world around them.

        Also, a flea market/farmer's market hybrid sounds JUST up my alley!

        Reply
      3. Warren says

        March 23, 2016 at 10:05 pm

        You had me at Lindt Chocolate Factory. I NEED to visit :)

        Reply
      4. Mary @ Vindulge says

        March 22, 2016 at 7:50 pm

        Oh wow, looks amazing. I CAN'T WAIT to travel to Europe with my boys, but I'm not sure they are quite ready for that long of a flight?! 5 hours is the longest they've done in the air so far and they did great (that was at age 4).
        How old were your kids when you first took them on an international flight?

        Reply
      5. Rachel says

        March 22, 2016 at 7:04 pm

        This looks like so much fun! Switzerland is up there on my bucket list!

        Reply
      6. Pech says

        March 22, 2016 at 7:03 pm

        I'm sorta jealous of how well traveled your kids are!

        Reply
      7. Maya says

        March 22, 2016 at 4:31 pm

        Looks fantastic! I love the beer photo... we have a couple of those with our little one. Who says mom and dad can't enjoy themselves as well!

        Reply
      8. Jnellie says

        March 22, 2016 at 2:17 pm

        Awesome post. I would love to visit Zurich someday. Your family looks great, btw :)

        Reply
      9. Heather with WELLFITandFED says

        March 22, 2016 at 1:07 pm

        This looks fantastic. I love travel photos. They make me feel like I am there!

        Reply

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

      Primary Sidebar

      Marlynn Jayme Schotland 2021 profile pic

      Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I'm Marlynn - a cookbook author, writer, photographer, and mom of two teenagers + a lovable lab retriever. Here you'll find my fast, easy, and delicious recipes, wine pairings, and travel guides. I hold a WSET 2 with Distinction in wine, and am a member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

      More about me →

      Featured In

      Urban Bliss Life Press Featured In graphic

      Game Day Recipes

      • Air Fryer Potato Skins Recipe
      • Best Instant Pot Turkey Chili Recipe
      • Creamy Dairy Free Queso Dip
      • Instant Pot BBQ Ribs with Homemade BBQ Sauce

      New Recipes

      • Beef Pad Thai
      • Chocolate Rice Krispies
      • Lobster Pasta
      • 40+ Low Carb Air Fryer Recipes

      New Travel Tips

      • Best Bangkok Temples
      • Best Pad Thai in Bangkok
      • Brazen Banff
      • Best Things to Do in Banff
      • Twitter
      • Facebook
      • Pinterest
      • Instagram
      • YouTube

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      logos of media outlets that have featured urban bliss life.

      Recipes

      • 30-Minute Meals
      • 5-Ingredients
      • Air Fryer
      • Asian
      • Dairy-Free
      • Pasta
      • Seafood

      About

      • About
      • FAQs
      • Privacy & Accessibility Policy
      • Terms & Conditions

      Contact

      • Contact
      • Work with me

      As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
      Copyright © 2022 Urban Bliss Life

      All rights reserved. You may not use any photos or recipes on this site for any personal or commercial use without my express written permission.