Zürich “Märlitram” ride with Samichlaus

In December, children can ride around Zürich with Samichlaus on the Märlitram, a delightful holiday tradition since 1958. Samichlaus and a few angels welcome your children onto the festive tram and tell them stories (in German) during the 20 min ride around downtown Zürich.

Children aged 4 to 9 years old are welcome, but no parents.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to get tickets and enjoy the event.

Note: Starting in 2025, Coop City St Annhof will be the new sponsor of the Märlitram, replacing Jemoli, which is closing. Tickets will be available 12 Nov 2025. I will update this post as more details become available.

Quick Info 2024

Dates: 21.Nov to 24.Dec 2025

When: rides every 25 mins / Mon-Fri 13:25 to 18:50 / Sat & Sun 12:10 to 18:50

Where: Zürich Bellevue

Cost: CHF 10 per child

Tickets: www.coop-city.ch/maerlitram

Opening times

The tram runs most every day from late November until Christmas Eve. 

On Mon-Fri the tram runs from 13:25 to 18:50, on Sat-Sun from 12:10 to 18:50.

It does not run on the 1st Advent Sunday (Samichlaus Parade) or the Sunday of the Silversterlauf run through the city. 

The tram ride lasts 25 minutes. Be on time, it leaves punctually. Parents may not accompany children on the tram.

Tickets

Tickets go on sale 13.Nov 2025.

You can buy tickets at CoopCity stores at these locations: St Annahof, Bellevue, Sihlcity, Oerlikon. You can also buy tickets at the Tourist Information office in the Zürich HB main station.

There are about 25 tickets available for each time slot. Tickets are CHF 10 per child.

More ticket info on www.coop-city.ch/maerlitram

How to get there and parking

The tram ride starts and end at Zurich Bellevue, from a special tram stop at the south side of the Bellevue area.

If you live in or near Zurich, it’s easiest to ride a tram to Bellevue or take the train to Stadelhofen and walk over. From Zürich HB, you can take trams 4, 11, or 17.

By car:

It’s easiest to park in the Parkhaus Opera (Schillerstrasse 5, 8001 Zürich), which is adjacent to Bellevue. If that’s full, try the Parkhaus Hohe Promenade (Rämistrasse 22A, 8001 Zürich), which is two blocks from Bellevue. Both are very expensive, about CHF 4.50/hr depending on how long you stay.

Photo story of the tram ride

The tram ride starts and end at Zurich Bellevue, from a special tram stop at the south side of the Bellevue area, near this red booth. Arrive a few minutes before your tram is scheduled to leave and crowd around with the other kids.

Kids line up to give their ticket to Samichlaus and hop on the tram. It goes fast, so if you want a pic, push to the front of all the other parents clicking away.

The ride lasts about 20 minutes, which goes faster than you think. You have enough time to wander around the Christmas market across the street, but probably not enough time to go get a coffee. When the kids come back, the angels dust their noses with glitter and help them out of the tram. The end.

Where to eat nearby

The ride is short, so we usually make the event into a longer evening by getting hot chocolate beforehand and food afterwards. Here are nearby places for hot chocolate:

• Cafe Felix across the street from Bellevue (Schillerstrasse 5, 8001 Zürich)
• Starbucks two blocks north of Bellevue (Limmatquai 4, 8001 Zürich)

We love eating our way through the Christmas market across the street. But sometimes it’s too cold and/or crowded for the kids at nighttime. So we often go for pizza at the nearby Vapianos, one block north of Bellevue (Rämistrasse 8, 8001 Zürich). 

Souvenirs

To remember this special time, you can purchase a beautiful Märlitram ornament at Jelmoli. There’s a limited supply and they will sell out, so go early in December to get one. It’s expensive, about CHF 40, but worth it in my opinion as it will always remind us of Christmas in Zurich with our kids.

They sometimes have other souvenirs like a Märlitram children’s book, Märlitram pajamas, Märlitram advent calendar and Märlitram chocolate. See it in the Jemoli shop.

Coloring Competition

Most years, you will receive a coloring page for child, which they can complete and return to enter a contest. One of our friends won the contest a few years ago.

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