Welcome to Switzerland!

Switzerland is a unique country.

Proudly quirky and different, this beautiful, prosperous country stands slap-bang in the middle of Europe. Despite its central location, the Switzerland didn’t participate in either of the World Wars due to its neutral status (although Hitler did have invasion plans that he never put into action for WWII). Whereas it once stood as an island in a sea of Nazi-occupied countries, now this landlocked country stands surrounded by European Union countries but is not part of the EU itself.

Although Switzerland can seem like a rather conservative and insular country, 20% of its current population is non-Swiss. Geneva is one of the most diverse cities in the world and is home to numerous international organisations and businesses. It has four official languages: French, German, Italian and Romansch which adds to Switzerland’s diversity.

DID YOU KNOW?  Although Switzerland ranks a high 11^th out of 144 in the Global Gender Gap Report 2016, women didn’t get the right to vote in Switzerland until 1971!

Some Great Family Switzerland Highlights

Switzerland Highlights #1: Mixing up the old town in Bern with a family friendly visit to see the famous Bern bears

Switzerland Highlights #2: Summer fun in the open-air lido in Olten, complete with waterslides

Switzerland Highlights #3: A family hike down some hills and through valley forests

Switzerland Highlights #4: A day out visiting castles, particularly those with extra activities for children

DID YOU KNOW?  One of the great female explorers of the Victorian age hailed from Geneva, Switzerland: Isabelle Eberhardt. Her life was an amazing adventure of challenging the norm and defying convention during an era of conservative social conventions and a rigid view on what women should and should not do.

Our Switzerland Family Travel Tips

• Switzerland is an amazing country in which to travel with children. There are so many fun activities to do. In the summer, the lakes are a great place to be active (sailing, watersports, swimming) and the mountains great for hiking in. In the winter, of course, it’s all about snow! Skiing, snow-boarding and don’t forget the apres-ski and fondue for the parents!

• Throughout the summer months, many Swiss towns open lidos (outdoor swimming pools). We visited one in Olten – it was huge and awesome fun. There were diving pools, water slides, a kiddie pool, a full-size lane pool, a café and even a bouncy castle. An awesome day out for adults and kids! 

• All amenities and resources that you could possibly need are available. If you have room in your luggage consider bringing enough diapers/ nappies, sun lotion, formula etc as Switzerland is very expensive.

• Self-catering is always a good idea with children but when average prices for a main course are 20-30 CHF then picnics and eating in seem an even better idea!

• Castles, castles, everywhere. Switzerland is awash with castles. Spotting them towering over us on hillsides during long drives was a great in-car game. Lenzburg Castle was amazing for children with a play area in the castle itself complete with dressing up boxes, a craft table, a real stone turret to climb up and dozens of other knight/princess themed activities. The highlight though is the animatronic dragon Fauchi who lives in a cage within the castle walls! Outside there’s a small hobbit-like collection of play houses to run around in.

Finding this interesting? Need a guidebook? We used this guidebook throughout our Switzerland holiday, which included the Switzerland highlights above.  If you are thinking about a Switzerland holiday then CLICK THROUGH to purchase (note – I am an Amazon affiliate member and will receive a small commission if you do buy, but it won’t cost you any extra. Thanks!)

Our day by day Switzerland itinerary

Accommodation Type/s: For our 9 days in Switzerland, we arranged a home swap through Home Exchange.com. We swapped with a lovely Swiss family with four children, knowing that there would be lots of toys and games for H and Zizi. We lived in their absolutely stunning, modern eco-house on the edge of a small town Olten about 45 minutes drive from Lucerne. Our kids loved the huge grassy garden, the refreshing swimming/paddling pool and the sense of space and freshness that we just don’t get in London. The two tortoises to look after were an added bonus!

Our day by day Switzerland itinerary included the Switzerland highlights described above.

Transport used: We hired a car at Basel Europa Airport

Day 1: Settling into our Home Exchange

Day 2: Exploring the local town, Olten, and its famous wooden bridge

Day 3: Driving to the beautiful city of Lucerne and admiring the architecture

Day 4: Long (for two toddlers) hike down a local mountain (and bonus stop at a medieval festival)

Day 5: A big dose of history and fantasy playing at Lenzburg and Habsburg castles

Day 6: Swimming and relaxing in Solothurn (lots of options there for a rainy day)

Day 7: Day-trip to the Swiss capital Bern and a quick hello to the Bern Bears (yep real bears!)

Day 8: A long drive to Liechtenstein to see the castle and museum

Day 9: Chilling out at the local Olten lido and whizzing down the waterslides

Welcome to the World for a Girl community. Please share your own ideas, comments and thoughts about Switzerland family travel. Do you agree with our Switzerland highlights or do you have others to add? Did you do a similar Switzerland itinerary or could you recommend an alternative one? What tips do you have for Switzerland family travel?