Many Swiss mountain resorts offer a scooter run down the mountain, generally called “Trottis.” After hiking, it can be a fun alternative to riding the cable car down. First some tips and below that, our favorite places to go.
Contents
What is a Swiss mountain scooter?
The scooters take various forms, usually an large version of child’s scooter with big tires and hand brakes. A “Trottinett” or “Trotti Bike” typically has two thin wheels. If it has “Monster” in the title, that means knobby oversized tires. A “cart” means that it’s three wheeled and you sit low to the ground.
What is the scooter path like?
Typically the scooter path is on a paved or relatively smooth dirt mountain road. Although these roads have little to no car traffic, you still have to watch carefully in case a tractor or car is on the road. Best to stay close to the kids to help them navigate. Most paths range from 3 to 6 km long, which takes about 15 mins, depending on your speed.
The paths are usually well marked, with signs specific to the scooter path. But children aren’t always paying close attention when speeding ahead on scooters. So best to stick together and instruct children to wait at any junctions. Read about my son getting lost on a scooter run.
Scooter Rental
Scooter rental ranges from about CHF 10-15 per scooter, helmet included. This does not include the cable car to reach the scooter run. Some resorts offer a combi ticket, which gives a slight discount on the scooter run, so check when paying for your cable car ticket. A younger child can ride double at no extra cost. Usually you pick up and pay for the scooter at the top of the cable car, sometimes cash only.
Age requirements differ by resort. Usually children 8 and over can ride a scooter on their own, but I’ve seen above 10 and 12 at some places. Some resorts enforce these rules more strictly than others, so be prepared for sad children in case they tell you no.
Younger children can ride double with an adult. I recommend only from age 4 and up, because the child must hold firmly to the bike, since the adult must keep both hands on the handles and brakes. Sometimes scooters can be difficult to balance with two people, so be careful!
Transport your gear
If you’ve been hiking, you probably have some bulky backpacks and perhaps a stroller. Some resorts will allow you to send down your packs on the lift/cable car. Then you can pick them up at the end of your ride. I’d recommend taking your phone and wallet on your person just in case.
Otherwise, you need to take all your stuff with you on the scooter. We’ve had no problems riding down with big backpacks. When the kids were little, my husband rode down with the bigger kids, while I took the cable car down with the stroller and toddlers.
Zurich & Eastern Switzerland
1. Elm Trottinett and Monstercarts
Elm is a beautiful and fun mountain resort for families, with an alpine playground and fun activity trail. We always end our day with the 4 km kick scooter ride down the mountain. Elm has one of the prettiest scooter routes, with big mountain views the whole time.
At Elm you can ride two wheeled Trottinett kick scooters, which come in adult and child sizes. Children aged 9 can ride alone. Younger children can ride double with adult, better 5+.
Alternatively, you can rent a three-wheeled “Mountaincart,” which my teens prefer. You must be at least 12 years old and 140 cm tall to ride the go carts.
Tickets: To reach the scooter run, you need to ride a gondola up to the Ämpächli station. You can purchase a ticket that includes one way up the gondola and a scooter rental. In 2024, this combo ticket cost CHF 24/adult, CHF 16/child. It includes your helmet. See Elm website for current prices.
Location: Elm cable car – parking near Schiesserblock 24, 8767 Elm, bus stop Elm, Sportbahnen
Open: usually early June through October
2. Ruhesitz Kickbike at Hoher Kasten (Appenzell)
This 3 km scooter run starts in the middle of the mountain, so you have to first hike about 6 km from the top of the cable car. But it saves you hiking the rest of the way down. At Berggasthaus Ruhesitz, you pick up this thin two wheeled “Kickbike”. We found them quite difficult to balance, especially riding double, but fun once we got the hang of it.
The whole ride has wide open views of the green Appenzell rolling hills. The path was easy to navigate, but we did get stuck briefly behind a herd of sheep. More about Hoher Kasten area >>>
Scooter rental: CHF 15 per scooter, cash only, recommend 12+ but not enforced. Website.
3. Kerenzerberg Trotti Scooters (Heidiland)
We loved the 6 km scooter run at Kerenzerberg. It’s on a winding paved road, so you can go a bit faster than on gravel paths. The views across the valley and the lake below are fantastic.
The scooters have strong hand brakes like bikes to control your speed. They have smaller scooters for children over 6 and larger family scooters where a smaller child can ride with an adult.
Before riding down, we recommend hiking to the beautiful Talalp lake and having a picnic. See our post for details.
Chair Lift + Scooter Rental: Adult CHF 23, Child CHF 19. See website.
Lucerne Region
4. Klewenalp Stockhütte Bike Board
This 5 km scooter route has beautiful views of Lake Luzern and the surrounding mountains. Much of the route is through forests, which was particularly beautiful at the end of September, when the leaves where changing. Here you ride a “Bike Board”, which is a three wheel scooter, much more stable than the two wheel Trotti scooters. So this is a good choice if you are riding double.
We did this after hiking from Klewenalp to Stockhütte, a very nice stroller-friendly hike, with playgrounds and beautiful picnic areas. More about Stockhütte area >>>
- Cost: CHF 10/scooter. Does not include transport up Stockhütte cable car.
- Location: Emmetten-Stockhütte gondola
- Website: klewenalp.ch
5. Sörenberg Bike Boards
At the Mooraculum mountain playground, you can rent kick scooters to ride down the mountain instead of the gondola. We typically do this after visiting the big playground and doing the short Sundew trail with activities related to the senses and moor.
Scooter Route: 4.5 km, about 20 mins
Suitable for: minimum height 110cm (3′ 7″), no specific minimum age. Cannot ride double with adult.
Costs: scooter rental & helmet, plus one way gondola ticket to reach route
Open: weekends June to October, can make a reservation for weekdays
Location: Rossweid gondola station – Hinter-Schöniseistrasse 4, 6174 Flühli. Bus stop: Sörenberg, Post
Interlaken / Jungfrau Region scooter runs
6. Hasliberg Käserstatt Monster-Trotti
Usually the scooter run is below the hike, so you hike first, then ride down the mountain. Here the 4 km scooter run parallels the trail, the Käserstatt-Lischen Muggestutz theme trail for children, which has interactive activity stations and nice picnic areas. So you could hike first, then ride back up the cable car and do the scooter run. They have two sizes of scooters, with a smaller version designed for children.
The path is smooth gravel and dirt. There is one section we had to walk because the path was slightly uphill and my younger son found that a bit difficult. The path is well signed and not particularly difficult to follow. But my son sped ahead, took a wrong turn, and got lost. So stick together on this one. Hasliberg also has another Trotti Bike run from the Mägsialp cable car, which has a thin wheeled scooter on a paved road.
Scooter Rental: CHF 13 Adult, CHF 9 Child aged 6-16. Subsequent runs are discounted. Does not include transport up cable car. See website.
7. Niederhorn Trotti Bikes
My family had a great time on this scooter run near Interlaken. There are two scooter paths, 6 km or 12 km, both on country roads leading from the cable car middle station Vorsass to the top of the funicular at Beatenberg.
Before reaching the scooters, we did an amazingly beautiful ridge hike that led to the middle station, which I highly recommend. More about Niederhorn area >>>
Scooter Rental: CHF 14 per scooter, recommended for school aged children. Family discount: 1st child pays, additional children go free if accompanied by one parent. Cable car ticket separate. See website for current prices.
8. Reichenbach Falls Monster Scooter
After riding visiting the beautiful Reichenbach falls, you can add-on this fun scooter ride down the mountain. To reach the scooter ride, you ride a funicular to the falls viewpoint, famous as the setting for Sherlock Holmes death in the books.
Then you do a short hike up to the top of the falls, where you’ll find a restaurant with a beautiful view over the Haslital valley. You can pick up the scooters here. Then ride 3km down a marked path back to your starting point, part on a paved road and part on a dirt/gravel path.
Funicular + Scooter (2024): CHF 25 Adult, CHF 22 Child.
Open: May through October
Website: www.outdoor-for-fun.ch
Location: funicular parking Reichenbach 8, 3860 Schattenhalb, bus stop Willigen, Klinik Reichenbach
It’s a short activity, so you may to combine this with the nearby Aare Gorge. Then go get the traditional meringue and cream dessert in the nearby village Meiringen, perhaps at Restaurant Rössli.
➡️ Read our full post about Reichenbach Falls.
9. Grindelwald First
Grindelwald First in the Jungfrau Region is a great choice for adventure seekers, with beautiful hiking, epic zip lines, and both go-carts and kick scooter to ride down the mountain. We suggest doing these after visiting the Grindelwald First Cliff Walk and/or hiking to the Bachalpsee lake.
First Mountain Cart
We prefer the First Mountain Cart, a three wheel go-cart, a bit of a wild ride that feels like Mario Kart. To reach the go-carts, you ride the Grindelwald First gondola to the Schreckfeld station, one station below the top. Pick the carts up here and ride 2.5 km down a signed gravel path, descending about 380m of elevation to the Bort station. It takes about 15 mins, depending on how fast you go.
Requirements: minimum height 135cm (4’5”)
Cost: CHF 21/adult and CHF 17/child for one Mountain Cart ride including helmet (2023 prices). This does not include the gondola ticket.
Trottibikes
At the Bort station (where the go-cart route ends), you can rent Trottibikes, a kick scooter The Trottibike has a wide footboard, hand brakes, and suspension for a relatively smooth ride on bumpy surfaces.
You ride along the signed path down the mountain, with views of the Grindelwald valley and surrounding peaks. The route is 5km, descending 566m of elevation, starting on a wide gravel path and ending on a paved road. See route map. It usually takes about 30 mins depending on how fast you go.
Requirements: minimum height 125cm (4’1”), smaller bike for kids
Cost: CHF 21/adult and CHF 17/child for Trottibike ride including helmet (2023 prices). This does not include the gondola ticket.
See website for more info.
Western Switzerland
La Robella
Villars
Zermatt & Valais Region scooter runs
10. Bettmeralp Trotti Scooters
The Bettmeralp scooter run might be our favorite in Switzerland. After a full day exploring the Aletsch Arena mountain area, we spontaneously decided to ride scooters right before leaving. It was a surprise highlight of the trip!
Not only is it super fun to zoom along with the scooter, but the scenery was so beautiful, riding by lush fields full of wildflowers and mountain views in all directions. I wanted to ride all day!
They have different style scooters, some easier to steer and lighter for small riders. With children, ask the attendant for help choosing a scooter. The scooters are well maintained but I always check the brakes carefully before heading out. Your rental includes a helmet.
The ride takes about 40 mins. The road is only lightly used by residents and farmers, but be very careful around curves as you may encounter an oncoming truck or tractor, which we did twice.
Age / Height: minimum age is 10 and they don’t allow riding double
Cost: CHF 10/person + cable car fee to reach Bettmeralp
Location: Bettmeralp cable car station
Open: late June to middle of October. Not available on rainy days. Check status.
See more details in our Bettmeralp post
11. Hohsaas Kreuzboden Monstertrotti
HohSaas is a mountain resort in the Saas valley in southern Switzerland. This downhill scooter run starts at the Kreuzboden station, descending 11 km on bumpy roads with gorgeous views, ending at Saas Grund at the valley cable car station.
The first couple km are really rocky and bumpy, difficult to manage even as adults. One of us crashed but nothing serious. Then it turns into a paved road and that was much easier to handle.
Before the scooter ride, we like to ride up to the highest station and do the short Panorama Peak trail, where you can get close to the glacier and spy eighteen mountain peaks over 4000m tall. Then ride the gondola down to Kreuzboden, which has a big playground, sensory trail, and restaurant.
Cost 2024: Monster scooters CHF 19/adult, CH 13/child + cable car fee
Age/Height: best for ages 10+
Location: Saas Grund-Kreuzboden gondola – Seilbahnstraße 18, 3910 Saas-Grund
Open: early June through mid October
See our Kreuzboden post and the Hohsaas website
12. Zermatt Sunnegga Kickbikes
We did this scooter run after doing the Riffelalp Three Lake hike, which ends at Sunnegga. The scooter route follows a dirt road that turns into paved about 7.2 km down to the Zermatt village. There were some flat parts at the beginning where we had to walk the scooters. But overall we really liked this route and found it relatively easy and safe. You can see a video of us on this scooter run on our YouTube channel.
Scooter Rental: CHF 18/adult, not including mountain transport. See website.
Map of Scooter Runs in Switzerland
Here’s a map of the scooter runs I discuss in this post.
10 Responses
Hi! Can we use our personal bikes for these scooter trails? We are hoping to bring our bikes with us for our trip. I want to make sure we are able to use them for the entirety of the trip without repercussions. Thank you! I am loving reading up on your tips!
I think you could probably use your own bikes on most of these. But you would probably have more fun going to proper mountain biking areas like Lenzerheide.
You have done a wonderful job with this site. So much useful info and terrific tips to avoid crowds and expense. We’re 70yrs old but looking for the toboggans and scooter runs. We heard that some Swiss towns give vouchers when you pay your accommodation tax for use on chairs and lifts. Do you know about this? We intend to buy the Swiss Travel Pass anyway to use along with our hire car. No scenery like that here in Oz! Can’t wait.
Sorry for the late reply. Yes, you often get a regional “guest card” when you stay at a hotel that offers discounts on many attractions in the area. You might find this post helpful: https://swissfamilyfun.com/regional-guest-cards/
Thanks for breaking down the different runs, I know my six year old is going to be excited to try quite a few. Is there another map, or another layer, that shows the bike routes? When I click on the interactive map, it’s got hikes and waterfalls, but no bike icons.
Also, have you heard of a place to visit that shows the cultures of the different cantons? I have a friend who visited 25 years ago, and he can’t remember the place, but says there was a place to visit to learn history and culture of the cantons, all in one spot.
Thanks
Sorry about that. I moved the mountain scooters to the biking map. I’ll fix that in the post. Re: culture of the different cantons. I think you might be thinking of Ballenberg, a living museum that has a section for most cantons. Try this: https://swissfamilyfun.com/ballenberg/
Adelboden is the best. Please check it out 🙂
Adelboden is on my list for sure! Glad to know you like it.
Wow! This a great site! Thanks:)
Very informative indeed especially when i’m researching for my first trip to Switzerland with my wife & 6 years old son this coming October.
May i ask a few questions:
1) which is the best mountain trail to ride the scooter down?
2) my 6 years old son is about 1.1 meter tall. Do you think he is allowed to ride by himself?
3) if my son is not allow to ride by himself, can i get the 3 wheels cart with low seating to ride down with him seating on my lap?
Very much appreciate your advise!:)
Kind regards,
Michael from Singapore
Thanks Michael. Everyone loves the scooter run at Elm. They have smaller scooters for smaller kids, I think that will work for your 6 yr old. With the monster carts (3 wheelers), you can ride with a child on your lap, but I’m not sure how big. Elm is also a great choice because it has lots of fun extras for kids, like the trampolines and fun theme trail. This would be my first choice. I hope you like it!