What to do in Zurich
Summer Days Out for Families
These suggestions from our ZIWA members are of special interest to families, but all can be enjoyed at any age!
Thanks to all ZIWA members who contributed.
In and around Zürich:
Alpamare water park at Pfäffikon (SZ) Buy a special day ticket from 5 May to 30 June, or a 4-hour pass. Has water slides, a wave pool, jacuzzis, thermal pools, outdoor sunbathing lawn and two restaurants. Also good in wet weather. Large car park. www.alpamare.ch
Atzmännig at Goldingen Beyond Rapperswil, near Wald. An outdoor adventure park with giant slide, rides and children's zoo. Ascend with the chair lift then, if you have strong nerves, take a car on the toboggan slide down. Other activities available. Check here for directions and opening times: www.atzmaennig.ch
Boat and pedalo hire on the Zürichsee at Utoquai, near Restaurant Frascati.
Boat trip to Rapperswil The Grosse Rundfahrt from Bürkliplatz takes you there in style and they serve drinks and lunch on board. Once there, explore the rose garden, the castle and the old town. Return with the same ticket by train or boat. There are two ZIWA interest group trips to Rapperswil in August - see ZIWA News. www.zsg.ch
China Garden at Zurichhorn. Spend a peaceful hour enjoying the small but exquisite gardens which were a gift from the people of Kunming. It's a great place for sketching. There's also a small Chinese takeaway restaurant there, or bring a picnic. Afterwards you can stroll in the beautiful Zürichhorn gardens. Look out for news about a visit with the Discovering ZH & CH group. www.china-garden.ch
Knie Kinderzoo in Rapperswil am See. Open middle of March to end of October from 9am to 6pm.There are many attractions, and you can buy a combined boat and entrance ticket on the boat. There is a restaurant with reasonably priced simple meals. For more information, see this link: www.knieskinderzoo.ch
Mühlerama Tiefenbrunnen. A former flour mill on the foundations of an old brewery which now houses a museum. The milling machines still work to produce flour. The old flour ramp is now a fun helter-skelter slide for children. There's also a restaurant and shop on the site. www.muehlerama.ch
Planetenweg Take the S10 train up to Uetliberg and admire the view from the top. Then walk along the planetary way to Felsenegg. See the relatively sized planets marked along the route. Several pleasant restaurants near the start and along the way. The walk takes about one and a half hours. From Felsenegg, take the cablecar (it's open again now) down to Adliswil and walk to the station to complete the round trip back to Zürich. www.sbb.ch
Sauriermuseum (Dinosaur Museum) in Aathal, near Uster. Has a collection of Swiss and other European fossils and dinosaur relics, as well as information about archaeological digs and finds in the USA. Good for dinosaur enthusiasts. www.sauriermuseum.ch
For garden lovers: Seleger Moor in Rifferswil near Hausen am Albis has beautiful gardens which are at their best in May and June, when the rhododendron and azalea blooms are spectacular. It's also pleasant to walk around the gardens with the mirror ponds and see the wildlife. Allow one and a half hours. For opening times see this link: www.selegermoor.ch
Tram museum Zürich In Burgwies at Forchstrasse 260, Zürich. A large historic collection which also includes the new cobra trams. Look out too for the special museum line trams running in July and August. www.tram-museum.ch
Wildpark Langenberg in Langnau am Albis. Many wild animals such as wolves and lynx. Barbecue sites and a restaurant are available or take a picnic. Car park nearby. Open daily. Free entry. www.zoos.ch
Around the Bodensee:
Boat from Romanshorn to Friedrichshafen on the Bodensee. (Christine F.)
www.sbsag.ch
Bodensee Anne A. writes: my suggestions for places to go centre on the Bodensee. It is well worth a visit particulary Constance, Ermatingen, Gottlieben, Uberlingen and Meersburg. There are ferries from Constance to these and many other spots and of course you can swim in the lake. There is a large open air pool in Kreuzlingen right next to Constance and a wonderful very large pool in Lindau at the other end of the lake (both best during the week.) There are good restaurants in all the places I mentioned but a special restaurant treat is the Insel Hotel in Constance.
Insel Mainau Drive or take the boat on the Bodensee from Kreuzlingen or Konstanz. In summer time the roses are beautiful and there are several places to have lunch after exploring the gardens. www.mainau.de
Further afield:
Ballenberg Open-Air museum. (Wendy) Experience rural Swiss life in bygone days, with original buildings, local crafts being demonstrated and 250 native farmyard animals. There's an open-air theatre too in July and August. www.ballenberg.ch
Canoeing and rafting in Ticino. From Cresciano to Bellizona . www.swissraft.ch
Goldau Tierpark A nature and animal park with brown bears, deer and wolves as well as birds and many other wildlife. Nice for children to get close to the animals. www.tierpark.ch
Hergiswil Glassmuseum with glass-blowing, hands-on activities for children and a lovely gift shop. By boat or train from Luzern. Nice restaurants nearby too. Closed Sundays. www.glasi.ch
Höllgrotten in Baar, Canton Zug. Not quite on the scale of the Carlsbad caverns but they are described as "surpassing all other grottoes in Switzerland with regard to the abundance, beauty and variety of their stalactites and stalagmites, and belong to the most interesting natural phenomena in Switzerland." The grottoes are lit by electricity and made accessible by means of good paths. The visit takes about half-an-hour. The caves are open from the beginning of April to the end of October. www.hoellgrotten.ch
Lenzburg castle Off the A3 autobahn north of Baden. Interesting to explore inside, see the prison, the old well, the mythical dragon's nest and the children's play castle with dressing up box. You can barbecue in the grounds. It's a bit of a climb up from the car park, so look for the shuttle bus. Closed Mondays. www.schlosslenzburg.ch
Oberhofen Castle on the lake of Thun. It has many beautifully furnished rooms and a park right on the lakeside. It's open from May to Mid October 11:00 till 17:00 (not Monday mornings). There are several restaurants in Oberhofen near the castle. Travelling by car would be the simplest route. www.oberhofen.ch
Pilatus round trip (Deb) Take the boat from Luzern to Alpnachstadt, then up "the steepest rack railway in the world" to the summit of Pilatus. Enjoy the views and the restaurant at the top. Return via cable car to Kriens then walk down to get the bus back to Luzern. www.pilatus.ch
Tellskapelle on Urnersee See the place where legendary Swiss hero William Tell took sanctuary from Gessler. Park by the roadside and walk down the steep path to the lake. Peep inside the chapel and hear the glockenspiel chimes. Take a picnic. Café also nearby.
Verkehrshaus Luzern Transport Museum, IMAX theatre and Planetarium. Good for older children. Also several restaurants and picnic tables available. Allow at least half a day. There's lots to see and do. You can take the boat or bus from Luzern. www.verkehrshaus.ch
For those who enjoy walking:
Walks around the outlying lakes of Türlersee, Greifensee, Wägitalersee, Sihlsee.
A nice day's outing is a walk (and perhaps a swim) along the Rhine from Schaffhausen to Diesenhofen - a visit to the old wooden bridge at Diesenhofen - lunch in one of the restaurants there, and then a boat ride back to Schaffhausen. If you take the train, you have a beautiful view of the Rhine Falls. Anne Z.
Dolder walks Take the Dolderbahn which leaves every 10 minutes from Romerhof. Explore the woodland walks around the Dolder. www.vbz.ch
Julia Newton and Cynthia Hoehn, 27 May 2008