Top 10 Rainy Day Activities with Kids near Zurich

Here are our top 10 rainy day activities with our kids near Zürich. We have only been living in Zürich for a little more than two years now, but we have our favorite places to go when the weather is terrible. And there are so many good places to go! Personally, my favorite places will always be where I can cozy up with a book, a cappuccino, and a bit of girl talk, but when we are out and about as a family, these are our favorite places to keep dry and have fun.

1. Swiss Science Center Technorama

The Swiss Science Center in Winterthur is fantastic. enormous and enjoyable for the whole family. We came here last year with a family who was visiting and we all had a wonderful full day out.

2. Transportation Museum

The Transportation Museum, or Verkehrhaus, in Luzern is absolutely fantastic. Boasting the largest movie screen in Switzerland the cinema is not to be missed. Plus there are three restaurants. And with The Chocolate Adventure, Planetarium, and Movie Theatre, our family was easily entertained for hours. And it’s a quick and easy journey on the train from Zürich to Luzern. 

3. TrampolinoTrampolino is a large (they say it’s the largest children’s paradise in Switzerland…) indoor open space with many climbing activities and little rides for kids. My girls came here once last year and they can not stop talking about it. They always ask if they can go back.

4. Kindercity

Kindercity is a really well done science and technology minded space that is geared toward fun. It’s a bit more of a playful version of the Technorama. There is a cinema at the entrance showing current children’s movies. The large gift shop sells a lot of nice science type gifts. There is a huge tree in the center of the indoor space and a spiral walkway all the way up to the rooftop.

The first floor had great play stations filled with science activities including all about recycling, compost, the human heart, as well as measuring, weighing and how to build a healthy “znuni.” My girls spent the most time in that room. The other main attraction was the rooftop which had such a cute driving area for kids to actually drive tiny little cars. My littlest loved driving! They also had the trampolines with the harnesses and both girls had a great time on that as well.

5. Sihlcity Minicity
My girls absolutely love being dropped off at Sihlcity’s Minicity. Minicity is a really well run, great place to drop off the kids while getting some shopping done in the mall. It’s located on the very top floor of the mall Sihlcity. It was recently redone and it really is fantastic. They have great birthday parties which the girls have really loved as well. They are open Monday-Saturday 9am-7pm for children 3-8 years old and the first hour is 4.50chf. Quite an amazing deal.

6. KunsthausWe love the Kunsthaus. On Sundays they have wonderful art classes for children that my girls love. On Wednesdays, admission to the Collection is free of charge for all visitors. I wrote all about the girls Sunday art classes last year.

7. Springding

Springding is full of trampolines. My girls went here with friends this summer and they had the best time. They were sweaty and played for hours. We had a nice lunch there as well.

8. Swiss National Museum

We came to the Swiss National Museum on a rainy day last year and had a great time exploring. This is an absolutely gorgeous building right next to the Zürich HB. It recently had a remodel and we need to go back and see what they have added.

9. Zürich Zoo The Zürich Zoo is such a fun day out, rain or shine. With the giant elephant enclosure, the indoor aquarium, and the indoor rainforest, there is so much to see inside even if it’s raining. Plus, the café, restaurant, and gift shops are all indoors so that keeps us pretty busy. We love the zoo and all the fun activities it has all year round. We still haven’t been to their Thai Sunday brunch overlooking the elephants. Still on our must do list.

10. Park im Grüene

Park im Grüene helped get me through our first year in Zürich before we had our bearings and lay of the land. With 6chf kid meals that include a drink, hot meal, and a dessert or toy. This is the best bargain in town! There is an indoor playground as well as a large outside space.

There are all sorts of activities on Wednesdays in the warmer months including the puppet shows, a train, and donkey rides. In the summer there is a water area the kids can splash around in. Plus there is a large Migros across the street to shop at before or after all this playing.

Here are more of our favorite activities our kids love in Zürich. What are your favorite places to go with your kids when it’s raining? I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments below. We are always looking for new places to go! My personal favorite thing to do with a rainy morning to myself is tuck into a cozy brunch or coffee shop.