11 Tips for holidays to Switzerland with kids

Holidays to Switzerland with kids. The allure of Switzerland with beautiful scenery, alpine meadows, mountain peaks, medieval towns and walking trails makes it a popular destination amount the European countries. We visited Switzerland for our family holiday staying at Manor Farm Camping Interlaken, on the edge of Lake Thun in Bernese Oberland during mid-April for our Easter holidays. Which in our opinion is the best time to visit this amazing country for a Swiss alps vacation.

Travelling out of high season comes with huge benefits (lack of people) and some disadvantages (not everything is open). However, having experienced Interlaken out of season I would definitely recommend a visit early in the season as we definitely got the best of both snow-capped peaks and sunny days by the lake in this mild climate. Whenever you choose to visit this year-round travel destination, we also learnt some things that will help when holidaying in Switzerland with kids.

Tips for holidays to Switzerland with kids

Public Transport – Trains

We used the trains quite a bit while on our Switzerland vacations in the Swiss Alps even when we visited the UNSECO Aletsch glacier. Unlike London transport, the system runs like clockwork. Trains are punctual and easy to understand with timings and routes on all platforms. We travelled from Interlaken Ost and there was also a large Train Information Office where you can get maps and further information. As well as speak to operators to book your tickets if needed.

The Swiss trains run in perfect time, and in such a way that you will be sure to make your connections. Therefore if your train is delayed by a couple of minutes it is likely your connecting train will also be the same. The system makes assumptions about the most popular journeys, connecting routes and the time it takes to get from one platform to another. It is a great place to see the beautiful towns in the mountainous regions.

We also found computer screens on the trains themselves telling you the next stops. The intercom is in German and English. Some station stops are by request only. But there is a request button in the carriage to allow you to do this. Parking tends to be reasonably priced so a whole day at Interlaken Ost cost 7 CHF and the car park was of a good size. We didn’t see it as more than half full our entire holiday although we were travelling out of season and not during local holidays. The car park availability may be different during the Swiss school holidays.

Lakeside – Good Water Shoes 

If the kids want to get in the glacial lakes at any point. Which they probably will even if it’s cold, the blue/ turquoise water looks very appealing. Then good water shoes are a must! Preferably with a rubber grippy sole for climbing on the large stones as well as paddling in the shallows. The boys really enjoyed paddling in Lake Brienz. It was the perfect place for relaxing. As while they played the husband and I took in the fresh mountain air and panoramic views of the snow-capped mountains.

Food & Eating Out – Switzerland family holidays 

There is no getting away from it eating out in Switzerland is expensive. When eating out even a basic family meal costs around 100 CHF. You really want to be looking for self-catering accommodation or where there is an option for half of full board. Even the supermarkets are much more expensive than in the U.K. so bring some essentials from the U.K. with you. There are similar brands to those at home but…

Kids Snacks & Water

You may not be able to get the branded snacks that your kids like and if you can they are likely to be expensive. If you are driving then make sure you stock the car up before leaving the U.K. On the other hand, the water in the mountains of Switzerland is absolutely fine to drink right out of the tap. So remember those reusable bottles or be prepared to pay up to 5 CHF for a small bottle. 

Look out for discounts – especially on attractions

There are ways to save money while holidaying in Switzerland. For example, the Brienz Lake Crusie that we did with BSL had a special offer on a Monday which meant tickets were half price. We brought a nighttime ticket for Harder Kulm which meant that we could visit late afternoon and eat for effectively 6 CHF. 

For some of the smaller attractions, you may be able to get a discount with your camping card or the tourist card which you are given when paying your tourist tax. We saved both at St Beatus Caves and The Open Air Museum in this way. All of th Swiss people that we came across during our break helped work out the cheapest way for us to visit an attraction during our Swiss alps vacation.

READ MORE – Interlaken Switzerland – 7 nights with kids

Under 6s are free

Everything we did during our Switzerland family holiday, Harry was free. Even on the passes for The Top of Europe and Grindelwald and cable cars, there are free child places. This includes the public transport system, mountain railway, cable car ride, buses and trains. For kids over the age of 6, you can a kids travel card which costs 30CHF and is valid for 12 months. Depending on your plans this could work out cheaper for your Switzerland itinerary and is available to buy at the Travel Information Office at the station.

Driving in Switzerland 

To drive on the Swiss motorways you need a Vinette. It costs 40 CHF and is available to purchase at the border. When we drove down from Reims in France we reached the border crossing and brought ours by card from a very friendly official. He did also take cash if you have some Swiss Francs. Historically we have also brought them in petrol stations. They are effectively a toll, if your drive on the motorways without one and you are stopped by the police then you will be fined. It needs to be placed on the lefthand side of the windscreen so that it can be read properly and is valid for the whole calendar year it is brought in. For example, we brought ours in April 2022 and so it is valid until January 2023. 

Sat Nav Postcodes – Switzerland holidays

So use to putting postcodes into the built in sat nav and arriving at our destination. That we were quite surprised when this didn’t work during our Swiss alps vacation. We had this problem on numerous occasions. I think the postcode areas are so large which is why it is a problem. Google maps do seem to work much better, especially when looking for attractions. However Switzerland is not part of Europe and many telecom companies have taken the decision that they will charge for data, minutes etc used while there. Consequently, data is expensive so download your maps prior to leaving or where you have wifi. 

Supermarkets

I was surprised to find that supermarkets are generally shut on a Sunday. However, we did find that Coops which are everywhere tend to be open if they are attached to a petrol station. There was a slight panic moment when we realised we needed something for dinner. 

Amenities 

Play areas – we found that there are multiple play areas down by the edges of the crystal clear lakes. All were well maintained and had some fun things for the kids to do. Ideal for a Switzerland family holiday.

Parking Machines – outside of the large parking garages most parking machines need coins. Some will have the pay by phone app. Depending on the type of machine you may not get a ticket. Where there is only a few parking spaces instead you enter a parking space number and pay an amount. 

Toilets – we found every station we visited had toilets and they were always clean and well serviced. However, in service stations, you will need to pay to use the loo (kids are free). Normally 1CHF and sometimes it can be discounted against any purchases. 

Covid testing – Swiss alps vacation

As much as I would like to ignore the virus, unfortunately, it is part of travel and I think will be so for some time to come. When we visited Switzerland we had plans to spend a second week in Italy. At this time we were still needing an antigen or PCR test for Charlie who is nine and unvaccinated. We arranged one free of charge via the local hospital and were able to book a time slot online. They did need an NHS number to do this. The whole process was super quick and easy with an email being sent with the result in about an hour after the test was done

Have you visited Switzerland on holiday? I would love to hear your best tips in the comments below for Switzerland for kids. 

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