Many families visit Switzerland as part of a whirlwind European tour. If you only have a couple days to spend here, I would ideally suggest picking either the Jungfrau Region or the Zermatt/Matterhorn to maximize both your budget and your time. In that case, see our regional guides here.
But if you want to travel around, here’s our favorite 3 day itinerary that visits the most famous parts of Switzerland and includes fun activities that appeal to children. If you have even less days, just pick the days below that sound the best to you. One is not better than the other in my opinion.
Why listen to us? Our family has lived in Zürich Switzerland since 2005 and we spend most of our free time hiking the Swiss alps with our children. We’ve hiked these places many times and understand Swiss travel inside and out. We advise dozens of families every year on their Swiss trips and hope we can do the same for you.
Overview of a 3 day Swiss Sampler
Here’s a quick overview of the trip. Below are broad outlines of your day with sample timelines and links to trail maps and other details.
- Day 1: Luzern walking tour & Golden Round Trip to Pilatus
- Day 2: Hike in the Jungfrau region
- Day 3: Gornergrat railway and hike with Matterhorn views
Of course, this trip could be infinitely customized to fit your needs. If you need help planning your trip or have detailed questions, contact me for trip planning services.
Day 1: Luzern walking tour & Golden Round Trip to Pilatus
Arrive in Luzern either the night before or early that morning. Pick up the self-guided walking tour map from the Tourist Information booth at the train station or download one on your phone. Do a walking tour of the city, about 1 hr.
Go to the Pier 1 across from the Luzern train station and buy tix for the Golden Round Trip, no reservation is required. This ticket includes your whole round trip journey on boat, train, cable cars and bus. If you have a Visitor Card Lucerne from your hotel, you can get a small discount. You can also buy the tickets on the ferry boat the cashier desk. This trip includes a 90 min ferry ride on the lake to the Alpnachstad train station.
Next you catch a cogwheel train that takes you to the top of Mt Pilatus at 2128m, with spectacular panorama views of the whole region. Plan for about 60-90 mins at the top, where there is an observation deck and restaurant. There are two short hikes to other peaks if you want to shake your legs out. More information about visiting Mt. Pilatus here.
To return to Luzern, ride down the cable cars to Kriens (instead of the mountain train you took up here). If you have time and energy, stop at the Fräkmüntegg middle station for the Ropes Adventure Park, summer toboggan and other amusements.
Otherwise, catch the public bus back to Luzern. Pick up your luggage and take the train to your next destination in Lauterbrunnen, about 2hr15 travel time and a beautiful ride. Settle into your hotel and have dinner with a view. If you have time, take a short stroll to the Staubbach waterfalls on the edge of the village.
Sample timeline:
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 Walking tour Luzern
10:38 Catch ferry for Golden Round Trip
12:50 Arrive at top of Mt. Pilatus, lunch & hike
14:30 Descend cable car to Kriens
15:30 Arrive in Luzern, pick up luggage
16:06 – 17:25 Train from Luzern to Lauterbrunnen (Jungfrau Region), check into hotel
18:30 Dinner at hotel
20:00 Optional evening stroll to Staubbach waterfalls
Rainy day option: There are many great museums in the Luzern area. Our first choice would be the Transportation Museum, a huge museum with interactive exhibits related to all modes of transportation. Also has a Swiss chocolate discovery tour.
Day 2: Hike in the Jungfrau region
You don’t have to work hard to get gorgeous views while in the Jungfrau region. Any hike you pick in this area will be great, but here are my top picks.
Option 1: With small children, my first choice would be the Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike. The path is a relatively easy 4km, possible with an all-terrain stroller. There is a great playground at the start of this hike and restaurants on both ends. Details for this hike here.
At Kleine Scheidegg, you can optionally add on a detour to the Jungfraujoch, a lookout point at 3466m overlooking at glacier at two 4000m peaks, the Jungfrau and Eiger. You can play in the snow here even in summer, with sleds to rent and even a little ski hill. It’s about 35min on the train in a tunnel each way and costs an extra CHF 102 round trip from Kleine Scheidegg. More information about the Jungfraujoch here.
Option 2: With adults or children that can hike, I would recommend the Mürren Mountain View trail, a 4.8 km trail that ends at the fantastic Allmendhubel Flower Park playground, shown below. This trail is less crowded than other areas in this region and has a spectacular views. You can bring a picnic or eat lunch at the restaurant adjacent to the playground.
From Mürren, you can optionally add on a cable car ride up to the Schilthorn observation deck at 2970m and test your nerves on the Birg cliff walk. Return trip from Mürren costs CHF 82.50. You should plan about 2 hours for the ride and time at the top.
If you didn’t go the Schilthorn, stop by the Trümmelbach falls on your way back to Lauterbrunnen. These spectacular falls cut through the mountain, creating beautiful formations in the rock. Plan for about an hour. There are stairs and you might get wet.
That evening, pick up your luggage and take the train to your next destination Zermatt (about 2hrs), settle into your hotel and have dinner at your hotel or in town.
Sample timeline:
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Ride cable car up to your hike
9:30 – 12:30 Hike & playtime on mountain
12:30 Lunch at mountain restaurant or picnic
13:30 – 16:30 optional detour to Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn observatories
or visit Trummelbach waterfalls
17:30 – 19:51 Train from Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt
20:30 Dinner at hotel or in town
Rainy day options: If the mountains are totally obscured by clouds or the weather is too wet, we recommend the St Beatus caves, a short bus ride from Interlaken, and/or wandering the village of Thun, which has a nice castle. If you want more excitement, you can take the train about 1hr to Bern where there are many museums and indoor thermal baths at Bernaqua.
See more hiking ideas for Jungfrau region.
Day 3: Gornergrat railway and hike with Matterhorn views
It’s all about the Matterhorn views while in the Zermatt area. Every hike is great, but the classic includes the Riffelsee lake which reflects the famous peak on a calm day.
Start your day by riding up the Gornergrat railway to a viewpoint over the glacier. Then hike down to the Riffelsee lake, take lots of pictures and perhaps have a picnic.
Continue your hike to Riffelalp, where you’ll find a playground and you can catch the train back down to Zermatt. If you hiked fast and have extra time, you can hurry over to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and ride a cable car to the top for a closer look at the Matterhorn. Or take it easy and wander through town and visit the Gorner Gorge.
Have some fondue in Zermatt and get a good nights sleep. Your next day will be a full day of travel to your next destination outside Switzerland.
Sample timeline
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Ride mountain train to Gornergrat
9:45 Wander around the top, admire glacier, lots of selfies
10:30 – 11:30 Hike to Riffelsee
11:30 – 12:30 picnic lunch with lake & Matterhorn views
12:30 – 14:30 Hike to Riffelallp
14:30 – 15:30 Ride train back to Zermatt
15:30 – 17:30 Wander town and optionally visit Gorner Gorge
18:30 Dinner in town
Rainy day option: If it’s only a bit drizzly and you can still see the peaks, you should go out. But if you can’t see anything, you might visit the Briggerbad Thermal Baths or take the kids bowling at FunPlanet.
Day 4: Travel from Zermatt to your next destination
Since other major European destinations are so far from Zermatt, I recommend using day 4 as a travel day. From Zermatt, it’s 3hr to Milan, 6hr to Florence or Venice, about 7hrs to Cinque Terre.
Getting to Zermatt
If you are flying, best to fly into Zürich or Basel. From Zürich it’s a 1hr train trip to Luzern. From Basel, about 2 hrs to Luzern.
If you are traveling from the north, like from France, Germany or Austria, it’s about a 5hr train ride from big cities like Paris or Münich to Luzern.
If you traveling from Italy, it’s better to do this trip in reverse, starting in Zermatt, which is about a 5hr train ride from Milan.
General tips for efficient Swiss travel
It’s best to start early in the mountains, around 9:00 because weather changes quickly and can sometimes obscure peaks in the afternoon. Plus mountain transport closes earlier than you think, many with the last cable car down around 16:30 or 17:00.
For that reason, I also recommend traveling to your next destination in the evenings. That way you can don’t spend a bunch of daylight traveling to your next destination and getting settled in your hotel.
Swiss restaurants notoriously take a long time to serve and get your bill. I’d plan for 60-90 mins at a full service restaurant. Ask for your bill, don’t wait for them to come to you. If your time is very short, you might consider picnics for lunch.
If you are traveling with children, consider getting a SBB Junior card, which costs CHF 30 and gives them free travel on all public transport and most mountain transport mentioned in this post. See more Budget Tips for Swiss Travel.
6 responses
Hi Tanya! Thanks for all this helpful information. When doing a day trip in Luzern, you say you can “pick up your luggage”. Where can you leave your luggage if you haven’t stayed the night? Thank you!
There are luggage lockers at the Lucerne train station. More info here: https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/at-the-station/railway-stations/lucerne-station.html
Hi,
I’ve booked flights to Zurich for one week trip in May.
I’m very mindful as I’m travelling with my two-year-old and I don’t want any altitude issues. We play to use Lauterbrunnen as a main base. What places would you recommend we visit from around here please?
I love your Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike. This looks like a great way to spend the day.
Thanks
Becky and Ethan.
You might find these two posts helpful in your planning: https://swissfamilyfun.com/best-hikes-lauterbrunnen-families/ and https://swissfamilyfun.com/top-5-family-hikes-jungfrau-region/
For a two year old, I would suggest carrying your child in a backpack so you can do whatever hike you like. I can’t think of a trail there that would be suitable for a 2 year old walking the way by themselves. The Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg trail is probably the easiest of the bunch, but it’s 4k, which is too long for a 2 yr old in my experience.
We want to visit Switzerland summer of 2023. We are not hikers, but my daughters can handle it. My wife not very athletic and doesn’t relish hiking.
On your three day itinerary are the hiking portions doable of difficult? I really want us to see the country, and it looks like walking/hiking critical to do. She and I are in our sixties, and I am in decent shape.
Thanks for your time.
Hi. The hikes are varying in length and difficulty. So you’ll have to look at each hike and decide for yourself. The hike from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is pretty easy. In Zermatt, the walk down to the Riffelsee is very short and easy, but the other hikes mentioned are longer.