10 Reasons to Hike with Kids in Switzerland

Are you nervous about hiking with your kids in Switzerland? I felt that way when I first moved here with a toddler in 2005 but was delighted to find that Switzerland makes it so easy to enjoy the alps and hike with kids.

Maybe you live in Switzerland and don’t consider your family a “hiking” or “outdoors” family. Or maybe you were a hiker, but now you have little kids and it seems so hard. Or maybe you just moved to Switzerland and you don’t know where to start. Maybe you have lots of kids and Switzerland seems too expensive.

Don’t worry. We’ve got something for everyone. Here are 10 great reasons to start planning your first or next family hike in the Swiss alps.

1. Don’t have to walk up the mountain

When I have little kids with me, I want to get straight to the good stuff. I want them to love the alps first before I train them to hike longer and harder trails.

Luckily in Switzerland, it seems like every mountain, big or small, has its own mountain transport: chair lifts, cable cars, or mountain trains, taking you up to the big views without the hard work of hiking up the mountain. The first time I took a cable car up to a hike, it felt like cheating. But it felt great too, especially with a toddler in tow.

In Switzerland, you don’t have to work hard to get the big views. You ride up the mountain, then do a little or big hike enjoying the views the whole time. Kids learn to love the mountains with this easy introduction, instead of being scared off. As parents you can save your energy for parenting.

See 10 Tips for Turning Toddlers into Happy Hikers

2. Kids are free!

Switzerland offers lots of discounts for families. First all kids under 6 are free on most everything, including public transportation, mountain transport and boats. Second, many mountains offer a family discount, some where you only pay for the first child or all kids under 15 are free when traveling with parents. So make sure to ask when purchasing your tickets.

Lastly, for children aged 6 to 16, you can buy a Junior travel card (CHF 30 for one year), which entitles them to free travel on all public transportation and most mountain transport when accompanied by a parent.

See also my post Swiss Alps on a Budget.

3. Lots of easy family trails

It’s important for kids to feel joy and success in hiking. So starting small is a great way to do this.

Switzerland has so many short hikes in the alps designed for families. Most mountain areas have “family” trails, which are relatively short (like 1 to 5 km), not too steep, easy walking, often with smooth wide paths suitable for all terrain strollers.

Most mountain resorts provide a free hiking map that notes which trails are suitable for families. The maps will also show where the fire pits and playgrounds are along the trails.

The first trail we did with our 2.5 year old actually walking was a 1km loop flower trail at Flumserberg, which was perfect. It took our toddler almost hour to walk this short distance but he loved it. We weren’t in a hurry to finish. We could enjoy amazing views at a leisurely pace.

See our favorite Short & Easy hikes for families

4. Don’t have to hike at all, just relax

If you don’t want hike at all, no problem. Many people just ride up the cable and enjoy the view from a panorama terrace, often lounging in sun beds. There’s usually a restaurant and often a playground. With little kids in tow, this can be a great introduction to the mountains before you’re ready to get out onto the trail. Many “non-hiking” families start here, then experiment with easy trails and eventually find themselves doing proper hikes on a regular basis.

See our list of Swiss Mountain Restaurants with a View

5. Playgrounds everywhere

Most mountain areas have one or more playgrounds, typically next to the restaurants. Some just have a swing or slide. But some are enormous, with zip lines, climbing equipment, and water play.

We like to plan our hike so we end at a playground, a good incentive to keep walking and a nice reward for enduring the hard work. If you don’t feel like hiking, you can just settle in at the playground and soak in the views, certainly an improvement on the same old neighborhood playground. Even better if you bring friends.

See also 10 Big Playgrounds with Big Views in Switzerland

6. Theme Trails for Children

I’m so thankful for the theme trails for children, which makes training my children to hike so much easier. These fantastic trails have interactive play areas scattered along the way, to entertain the kids and motivate them to keep walking.

Our favorite is the Toggenburg Tone Trail, which has over 20 musical installations along the trail, like a xylophone see-saw, a cow bell tree, giant metal mushrooms to bang, and a whisper rock.

See also 10 Theme Trails to Motivate Lazy Kids

7. Attractions for kids

If your kids need extra motivation, pick a mountain area with fun extras like alpine coasters, mountain scooter runs, ropes courses, and alpine lakes for swimming. These works great as a reward at the end of the hike. It helps your child feel that this outing is tailored to them, not just something they have to endure because their parents wanted to go there.

See also 10 Thrills and Chills for Kids in Switzerland

8. Trails are well marked and well maintained

You are not going to get lost in Switzerland. Most trails have regular yellow trail signs at each juncture and red/white trail markers along the path. Trails have a difficulty rating, so you can easily tell the difference between a walking path and alpine trek. Most tourist info offices and mountain areas provide free hiking maps that list trails by difficulty and time, with public transportation, mountain cafes, playground and picnic areas all clearly marked. I like to research before I go, but if you’re not picky, you can usually just show up to most mountains and easily find something appropriate for your family to do.

For more details, see What to Expect on Swiss Trails

9. Don’t have to carry so much stuff

On most trails in Switzerland, you are never far from civilization, with mountain huts and other services available along the trail. So you don’t need to carry as much gear and supplies as you might have to other places that are more wild. You definitely need to carry water, snacks and warm layers. But if you don’t want to carry a lot of food, you can simply stop for lunch at one of the many mountain huts that dot the Swiss landscape. This also make planning and packing for your outing much simpler.

This is important for families, where kids may not be carrying their own packs or you are still carrying your child on your back.

Also, it’s fun to eat the local food and sample cheese from the cows on the trail. Most mountain huts serve hearty Swiss staples like pasta, sausage, and potatoes, quite kid-friendly food. Remember to bring cash, as many do not accept cards.

For suggestions, see Swiss Mountain Restaurants with a View

10. Swiss Hiking Culture

Lastly, I love that the Swiss culture values time spent outdoors, particularly for families. Hiking in the alps is a completely normal activity for families here. School children are often hiking in the local woods and having day trips and camps in the mountains. Many Swiss families have vacation homes in the alps that have belonged to their families for generations.

I’m a big fan of family time in the outdoors, where you are disconnected from social media, screens, and consumerism. It forces you to interact with each other, rely on each other, solve problems together, and make memories even if, or especially if, things don’t go exactly to plan.

For hike suggestions, see our favorite family hikes in Switzerland

Have I convinced you? Leave a comment and tell me where you’re planning to go hiking next.