10 Zurich Activities Our Kids Love

Here is a list of our girl’s top 10 Zürich activities our kids love. Most of the list involves either the beauty of Switzerland’s natural resources or chocolate. I’m sure as they get older and we get to know the city better, this list will grow and change.

Take a boat

We love hopping on a boat and riding around Lake Zürich. There are many great stops as we circle the lake, but a few of our favorites are the Bürkliplatz (center of Zürich), China Garden, Au (fun playground stop), and Rapperswil. A typical weekend includes us playing at a playground in the morning until the boat arrives, hopping on it toward Bürkliplatz, wandering through the Bürkliplatz antique market or farmer’s market, and stopping for lunch. If it’s raining, the boat is a nice place bring an activity for the girls and enjoy the ride.

Go Swimming in a Badi (i.e. public swimming)

From May-October all along Lake Zürich there are public spaces to swim, picnic, and play. Mythenquai has a large badi including a Hiltl restaurant. Here is a list of badis in Zürich to choose from. Here is a list of Canton Zürich public rivers, lakes, and beaches organized by town. As everyone told me when we moved here, just wait for badi season. The best part is, going to your local badi you see everyone from your little section of Zürich. It’s like a built in playdate.

Lindt & Sprungli

Lindt & Sprüngli recently opened a new chocolate shop at their flagship Kilchberg location along the lake. There are also wonderful chocolate courses throughout the year including Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, and their ongoing truffle course. We have been for their Valentine’s truffle making and Easter. Any excuse for chocolate.

Sprungli Hot Chocolate

We love a good hot chocolate break at Sprungli. Our girls love the soup and my husband and I go for their famous hot chocolate. Still the very best in Zürich if you ask me. The historic Paradaplatz Sprungli, on the Bahnhofstrasse, is our favorite location. We love to sit upstairs with a window seat if possible. Tip: They can bring colored pencils, paper, kinder sirup, and a macron for kids.

Hike from Uetliberg to Felsenegg

We are a bit new to hiking, so this quick and easy hike from Uetliberg to Felsenegg is right up our alley. There are great playgrounds at both ends of this trail for the kids. Bring 1 Franc coins for the carousels. There are restaurants at either end to stop, eat and take in the view of Zürich, the lake and the gorgeous mountains. The hike is quite flat and easy enough for our 4 and 6 year olds. The tower at Uetliberg is quite fun to climb to the top and see an even more incredible view. Along the hike is the Planet Trail which keeps the kids searching for the next planet along the way.

Bürkliplatz Farmer’s Market

On Tuesdays and Fridays the Bürkliplatz has a wonderful farmer’s market. From fresh breads, cheeses, pastas, flowers to fruit and vegetables, they have absolutely everything we need in this one square. It is fun to people watch and grab a coffee with friends after we finish shopping.

Zürich Zoo

We love to go to the Zürich Zoo. This yearly membership pays for itself as we go at least once a month. The trip to get there is all part of the adventure. We take a tram over the Quaibrucke, up the hill past the university to some of the oldest grandest houses of Zürich, to the hilltop zoo. The girls head straight for the outdoor café where we usually sit down for a coffee and the Thai chicken soup, quiche, or a salad. We really like the café and sometimes it’s a cheeky way to get into the zoo without the main entrance line as you can scan your yearly membership from the café into the gift shop and then you are in the zoo! The petting zoo, playgrounds, train to the elephants, camel rides, and penguin march are all some of our favorite things to see.

Kunsthaus

The Kunsthaus is the art museum in Zürich. On Sundays from 10:30am-12pm they have an amazing children’s art class that includes a guided tour through the museum for the kids and a painting session. After class, our girls always want to walk us through and show us what they learned and painted. Reservations necessary.

Ice Skate at the Dolder

The Dolder is a gorgeous place to ice skate. The adventure to get there is half the fun. From the funicular ride to the excitement of renting skates and an ice bear to balance, this is an amazing rink in Zürich. There are many ice skating rinks in Zürich in the wintertime to choose from. For my girls, any age over three was the most enjoyable as they were big enough to push their own balance animal or skate on their own.

Franz Carl Weber

I remember our first family visit to Zürich (we first came and did a train tour just the two of us years before children). The girls walked in to Franz Carl Weber and immediately went down the slide at the entrance. I thought I had lost them forever. Luckily we quickly figured out where the slide led, downstairs to the book area, and reunited with our kids. This amazing toy store on the famous Bahnhofstrasse is a regular stop for us.

I just realized that everything on their list is either a restaurant or has a restaurant in it. Hmmmm.