Top 10 tips for visiting Zurich with kids

Thinking about visiting Zurich with kids? You`re very welcome! Zurich is a beautiful city, that is for sure. Besides the splendid surroundings, it offers plenty of things to see and do – there are tons of activities to choose from. The only problem is that a lot of those aren’t particularly family friendly. To make sure you get the most of your time in Zurich and your children will be happy too, we put together 10 great things to do when travelling to Zurich with kids – or maybe you get visitors with kids and want to show them around the city? In either case, we’ve got you covered. Here are our suggestions for having a great time in Zurich!

Rent a free bicycle with a children’s seat and discover Zurich by bike: The city of Zurich created the initiative “Züri rollt” which can roughly be translated to “Zurich rolls” and consists of a free bike rental scheme for young and old. For a deposit of CHF 20, you can rent a bike throughout the day; if you want to keep it overnight, you’d have to pay a fee of CHF 10. Bikes can be picked up at various points around the city – check out the closest bike rental point to where you are staying here: free bicycle link. This is a great way to get some fresh air, see a whole lot of the city and discover Zurich at your own pace.
Zurich offers plenty of green spaces, parks and outdoor playgrounds, perfect for having a relaxed day out and about without traveling far. Located in trendy Zurich-West, Josefwiese is one of our favourites for this kind of activity – the park has an outdoor playground to keep your kids happy, barbecue spaces for great food and sports facilities to keep active playing soccer, table tennis and more: Josefwiese link. This is a great way to get some fresh air, see a whole lot of the city and discover Zurich at your own pace.
One of our favourite things to do with kids in Zurich: Head over to Freitag tower to enjoy a view of the Zurich transit-bridge and then have a coffee at CLOUDS bistro located on the 35th floor of the Prime Tower at Maagplatz. Freitag is the famous Swiss brand that you’ve probably heard of: they make bags from recycled tarp; their flagship store is a unique setup of shipping containers and definitely worth a visit: Freitag tower link. CLOUDS bistro and kitchen is located just around the corner of the Freitag store and offers a great panoramic view of the city – a great day out for shopping and food: Clouds link.
If you’re looking to have a great, active day with your kids, Zurich lake is the perfect destination. You could walk along the water, go for a swim if it’s warm enough and then take a boat trip on the lake or on Limmat river. Boats for the river cruise on Limmat river set off every 30 minutes for most of the day during summer. You can even rent a whole boat, it is definitely worth checking out! Zurich Boats link.
A special tip from Family First: Niederdorf in the heart of Zurich. Niederdorf is a part of Zurich’s old part of town and offers something for every taste – from shopping to food and Swiss Chocolate and sightseeing, you can do it all in this beautiful part of the city. Locals and tourists love this district alike, and it has been described as a village within the city – it definitely has a unique vibe that is great for kids and parents alike: Niederdorf link.
Visit the zoo – a classic that is loved by kids everywhere. A visit to Zurich Zoo never disappoints and is an easy one – all you have to do is sort out how to get to this attractions and your children will be entertained for hours by elephants, lions and the like. The zoo is open 365 days a year and children under 6 get in for free: Zurich Zoo link.
The Swiss National Museum is another classic loved by locals that guarantees a great day out. The museum actually consists of three smaller museums: the National Museum Zurich, the Castle of Prangins and the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz. Located in the center of the city, this museum teaches kids and adults about Switzerland’s cultural history and is especially interesting for expats and foreign visitors as it will give visitors an understanding of the complex culture of the country: Swiss National Museum link.
One for the kids: A visit to one of the Franz Carl Weber stores, a chain of huge toy stores in the city, will surely bring a sparkle to your children’s eyes. We recommend going for or before a special occasion like your kid’s birthday, so they can pick out their favourite toys and gadgets and take them home to play: Franz Carl Weber link.
Open every day of the week, “Ütliberg” is Zurich’s famous, very own mountain in the city. This popular tourist attraction is great fun and worth a trip. You can take a cable car from the center of the city to go on top of the hill and enjoy a magnificent panoramic view overlooking the whole city. For the sporty families, you could go on hiking trips, mountainbike routes or walk the planet trail all starting from the top of Utliberg: Ütliberg link.
Last but not least, taking a train trip to the mountains is a very Swiss thing to do and definitely a great day out with the family. We recommend traveling with Ticki Park, which is the children’s programme of train provider SBB. The train waggons are equipped with toys and games and make the train journey great fun for your little ones. There are over 400 day trips to take via the Ticki Park trains, and we can’t decide which one’s our favourite. This is the most family friendly way to discover the beautiful country of Switzerland for sure: SBB for kids link.

As you can see, there are tons of things to do in and around Zurich with your kids this summer. We could go on forever listing things and family friendly activities, but to help you choose, we listed our favourite tried and tested ways to have a fun day out with your little ones.

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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