10 Best Playgrounds in Zurich City

With over 150 playgrounds in Zurich city, practically every neighborhood park and school has one, big or small. Living in the city, we like to visit playgrounds in other neighborhoods to see something new and have an excuse to get to know our city better. I’m sure you have your favorite in your corner of the city. But here are a few of our favorites and the reasons why. Enjoy!

What to expect at Swiss playgrounds

When we first moved to Zurich, I was shocked at how dangerous the playgrounds were compared to the US. Many climbing structures do not have safety barriers, making it easy for kids to fall off and get hurt.

I spent a lot of time shadowing my kids as they played, planning to catch them if they fell. Luckily, we never had any serious accidents. My kids quickly learned to navigate their way without hurting themselves and I eventually learned to relax and let go. Good luck!

1. Blatterwiese on Zürich lakeshore

Start with a lovely stroll along Zürich lake, ending at this fun playground next to a large grassy field. We love that there are lots of swings and four slides of varying heights, so kids don’t have to compete. Bring your own sand toys for the big sand pit and extra clothes for the splash pad in summer. We like that it’s fenced in to contain the kids and deter randos from wandering in.

For lunch, you could get some Chinese take out next door at China Garten. Or a short walk over to the Fischerkiosk, where you can sit at outdoor lakeside tables and enjoy sausage and fries with a view.

Blatterwiese Playground at Zurihorn
Bellerivestrasse 146, 8008 Zürich
Bus stop: China Garten

2. Josefwiese at Viadukt

This large playground sits in a shady corner of an enormous grassy park, adjacent to the im Viadukt specialty food market and shopping area. It’s delightful to find such a quiet and clean park in a rather industrial part of the city.

My kids love that are there are so many swings that they rarely have to take turns. There’s also a climbing structure, a slide, and sand pit with water play. There is a kiosk serving grilled sausages, Flammenkuchen and other simple refreshments. Or you can visit the St Jakob bakery or other food shops in the Viadukt to gather picnic supplies.

Josefwiese Playground
Josefstrasse 197, 8005 Zürich
www.josefwiese.ch

3. Artergut near Stadelhofen

This big grassy park is just one tram stop from the Zürich Operahaus and a short walk or bus ride from the Kunsthaus art museum. It has a fun playground with swings, slide, sandpit, climbing structure and shallow water play area.

The park is completely enclosed by hedges and fences, so it’s easy to keep the kids contained and not worry. For refreshments, across the street from the park, you’ll find a Migros grocery, Starbucks, Stocker bakery, and Bohemia café. 

Spielplatz Artergut
Minervastrasse 46, 8032 Zürich
Tram stop: Kreuzplatz

4. Quartier Treff Enge

This enclosed park has a cafe open every afternoon, so chatting parents can enjoy homemade cake and coffee while the kids dig in the sand pit and climb around. They host lots of community events throughout the year.

Quartier Treff Enge
Gablerstrasse 20, 8002 Zürich – Map
www.quartiertreff.ch

5. GZ Wipkingen

Many locals will tell you that is the best playground in all of Zurich, even if they don’t live in the neighborhood. The play equipment is primary an enormous rope climbing structure, great for bigger kids but also with features that cater to small ones. There are swings, a slide, a fun splash pad for warm days, and a big sand pit with water play. There is a mini “Kinder” farm with animals to visit. They have an arts and crafts workshop that offers classes. Of course, there is a self-service cafe for coffee and cakes and a casual weekday lunch, first come first served till the food runs out.

GZ Wipkingen
Breitensteinstrasse 19A, 8037 Zürich – Map
www.gz-zh.ch/gz-wipkingen/

6. Kanzleiweise at Helvetiaplatz

The semi-enclosed park is a welcome quiet spot in the center of a lot of action. The kids love the climbing structures, big net swing and wide open grass for kicking the ball. We love the fun nearby foodies stops, like the twice weekly farmer’s market, John Baker Ltd for scrumptious baked goods, and Aggarwal Indian Grocery for super fine mangos.

Kanzleiweise Playground at Helvetiaplatz
Kanzleistrasse 56, 8004 Zürich – Map

7. Kollerwiese

Kids love the pirate ship and parents love the picnic tables, making snack time much easier. The hill next to the playground is great for sledding in winter and rolling down in summer. Take a quick walk to the top of it and get a wonderful view over the city.

Kollerwiese Playground in Wiedikon
Wiedingstrasse, 8003 Zürich

8. GZ Wollishofen

This playground looks a little rough, with graffiti spilling over from the Rote Fabrik artists center next door. But the kids don’t care when they are climbing, running, swinging and laughing. We like that the playground is right on the lake shore, so on hot days we can all jump in the water to cool off.

There are also grills in the adjacent grassy park, making dinner plans super easy on warm summer evenings. The playground belongs to the Wollishofen community center, aka Gemeindezentrum,  where you’ll find a cafe and organized classes and events for families.

GZ Wollishofen Playground
Bachstrasse 7, 8038 Zürich 
Bus stop: Bahnhof Wollishofen/Werft

9. Sihlpromenade

This crazy structure looks more like a street art project than a kids’ playground, but we dig it. My kids like to race through the sticks and design obstacle courses. Local day-care groups often make this a destination. We like that it’s away from the roads, so only bothered by the occasional train.

Sihlpromenade Playground near Sihlhölzli
Sihlpromenade, 8002 Zürich

10. Park im Grüene

This playground is not in the city, but worth the short drive or bus ride if your kids need something different. This is also a good place to meet friends that live on the silver coast, because parking is easy.

It has a big playground with lots of things to climb, a favorite place to play tag for my kids. In summer, they have donkey rides, puppet theatre shows, a splash pad for hot days and a little train kids can ride. There is a self-service Migros restaurant at the park and Migros grocery across the street if you need picnic supplies.

Park im Grüene
Alsenstrasse 40, 8803 Rüschlikon
www.parkimgruene.ch

Find more playgrounds

Happily, the Zurich playgrounds are lovingly cataloged on a great map by Zuriplay, where you can see lots of pictures of each playground and search by feature. Stadt Zürich also has a playground map, but it doesn’t seem to be functioning properly at the moment.

What’s your favorite playground in Zurich?