Top 10 fairy tale trails – hiking with kids and families in Switzerland

Hiking with kids is the number one activity for almost every family in Switzerland: we have gathered the top 10 fairy tale trails for families and kids in Switzerland for you below.

Hiking with kids is easy to do with the whole family as trails, there are easy and short trails that can be hiked by everyone even with little legs. But some are more exciting than others: along Switzerland, there are fairy tale trails that are great for families and kids. They tell stories of magical creatures and include fun activities for children to complete along the way, so the hiking experience is even more fun.

1. BEVER FAIRY-TALE TRAIL IN ENGADIN

The Bever Fairy Trail in Engadin is loved by young and old. There are six stop off points along the trail where hikers can read from huge storybooks that contain fairy tales written by writers from the Engadin. The texts are illustrated by sculptures that can be found around the trail and have been created by local artists.

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2. THE WITCH TRAIL

The wirzweli witch trail is located between  Luzern and Engelberg and tells a story of a herb witch. It is 3 kilometers long, so takes about 1.5 hours to complete if you don’t want to rush. The trail includes all kinds of witch themed stations that revolve around brooms, creepy creatures, herbs and potions. It is open for a walk from April to October.

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3. WITCHES TRAIL FROM SCHWARZSEE-SENSELAND

The next one is another witches trail, but this time the trail tells stories and legends of the region it is placed in: the Schwarzsee-Senseland region. Stories include local fairytales and a tale on how lake Schwarzsee was created. For more information on the route and the trail, please enquire with the local tourism office.

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4. WURZILLA FAIRYTALE AND LEGEND TRAIL IN HEILIGKREUZ

The Wurzilla fairytale and legend trail tells the story of little tree root child Wurzilla. It takes about two hours to walk and engrosses listeners into her suspenseful story of dragons and other creatures of the forest. The trail is in Heiligenkreuz. The local tourism office provides further information for everyone who wants to walk the trail.

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5. FAIRYTALE TRAIL-MÄRLIWEG, SAAS-FEE

This legend trail in canton Valais is available in German and French and tells the story of Pia, a girl who spends a day with dwarves that tell her stories about the Saas valley where they live. Displays along the way that include the nature around them illustrate Pias journey on an interactive adventure.

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6. HEIDI TRAIL ON PARDIEL

The Heidi trail starts in Bad Ragaz and takes about 90 minutes to complete. It takes children on a quest to find Peter’s little goats (taken from famous Swiss story “Heidi”) and includes many activities along the way that all have to do with the alp.

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7. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HEIDI

This is a long one and another trail following famous Heidi’s footsteps: it takes about 4 hours to complete, but can be modified to only take about two hours. It is based in the countryside that inspired Johanna Spiri, author of the Heidi novel, to write her book. Starting from Mayenfeld railway station, the trail takes young and old around beautiful hills and mountains.

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8. MUGGESTUTZ DWARF TRAIL HASLIBERG

Muggestutz dwarf trail tells the story of dwarves who lived in the area of the trail, which is Meiringen Hasliberg. The walk on the trail takes about 2 hours to hike and it is located around 1,5 hours from Zurich by car. It starts at Mägisalp-Bidmi and leads downhill to the village of Bidmi. The trail includes stations like a maze, a cave and a dwarf-well.

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9. “WILD MAN” NATURE THEME TRAIL IN FLUMSERBERG

This trail tells the story of a man who used to live at Flumserberg and interacted with the nature around him. It is called “Sagenerlebnisweg” and includes several play stations with educational activities and riddles for the little ones. On completion of the trail, kids can enter a competition by solving all the riddles on the trail. It takes roughly two hours to hike the whole trail, including the activities. You can find more information on the website.

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10. BANNALP DWARF THEME TRAIL

Dwarves are a very popular subject in fairy tales and also included in this trail: the Bannalp dwarf trail that goes around a picturesque lake tells the story of magic crystals that are being protected by dwarves. There are many activities for kids along the way. You can either take a cable car one way and then walk the trail, or walk back and forth. One way is 2,5 kilometers, so takes about an hour to complete.

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As you can see, you don’t just have to stick to the books to have a magical experience. Hiking a fairytale trail is great in many ways: the kids are outside, learn something and can interact with their favourite storybook characters. It brings a little magic into every day life and is a super inexpensive (mostly free!) way to have a great family day out.

Do you think we have forgotten something? Then please drop us a line on info (at) familyfirst.ch and we will add your tips to our article!

 

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