Zurich Spring Break Staycation: 10 Fun Activities for Locals

If you’re staying local during the spring school holidays, there are plenty of fun family activities to fill up your schedule. When we do a spring staycation, we like trying new activities to add some excitement to the holiday. Here are some favorites from previous spring breaks in Zurich. Maybe one will become a new tradition for your family.

Note: Please check opening times before planning your day. Some mountains may have later opening days due to the recent snow or may close temporarily due to poor weather conditions.

1. Fun hikes in forests and along rivers

Although proper hiking season doesn’t start until around mid- May to late-June, there are lots of low elevation areas where you can start hiking in mid-April.

For kids, we like the theme trails trails in Sihlwald, Frick and Zugerland. We love the river gorges like Teufelschlucht and Wolfschlucht. 

For many more ideas, see:

• 10 Spring Walks near Zurich
• What to do in Spring in Switzerland
• Easy nature walks around Zürich

2. Bike around a lake

Spring is a wonderful time to be on a bike, enjoying all the flowers and trees that are green again. We love the beautiful and very safe bike path around the Greifensee lake near Zurich. It’s paved and smooth dirt path, separated from car traffic. It passes by gorgeous nature preserves and has plenty of great spots for picnicking with a fire.

We also like biking along the Limmat river, Sihl river and Pfäffikersee.

See all our family bike rides

3. Picnic at a waterfall

Now that the snow is melting, it’s the beginning of waterfall season. In April, some of them might be a little small, but getting bigger week by week. We love the waterfalls at the nearby Walensee, reached by a ferry ride across the lake and a lovely walk along rolling greens hills, suitable for families and strollers.

The Berschner Falls are a hidden gem south of Zurich. The Weisstannen Falls are a great place for a picnic. The Giessbach Falls shown below are also impressive, easy to access for families, and have a nice restaurant overlooking the falls.

See more waterfall hikes for families.

4. Climb in rope adventure parks

There are a few fun ropes courses in the Zurich area, but we like the Atzmännig Seilpark, with courses for all ages. Little kids are safe and within easy reach on the mini course, which even has a mini zip line. Big kids can try some of the bigger courses high up in the trees. Teens will find tricky climbing challenges and scary free falls even higher up.

We also like the Seilpark Zürich Kloten, which is close to the city but feels far away as it is hidden in a forest.

See more ropes courses in Switzerland

5. Jump for joy in the alps

Most mountains are closed during spring break, but a few lower elevation resorts are already open. We love the bouncy castle complex and toboggan run at Sattel Hochstuckli. They also have a gorgeous panorama family hike with several interactive stations for kids.

6. Visit animal parks

Many animal parks are open again, where you can visit their outdoor exhibits. Indoor areas like aquariums and animal houses are closed. We love Zurich Zoo and are excited to see the relatively new Lewy Savanna exhibit. The Rapperswil Kinderzoo is also a popular choice for smaller children. We also like Basel Zoo, which has fun play areas scattered through the zoo.

Over the border near Basel, Vogelpark Steinen has a huge collection of birds, from owls to hawks to peacocks. My son was thrilled to participate in the birds of prey show.

See more of my reviews of animal parks in Switzerland.

7. Play dress up at a castle

It’s so fun to live in Europe and have real castles all over the place. The Lenzburg castle near Zurich is particularly family friendly. Kids love the play room on the top floor where they can dress up as knights and princesses, craft crowns and swords, and let their imagination run wild.

See more Swiss castles on My Switzerland

8. Play and learn at interactive museums

School is out, but learning can still be fun at one of the many interactive museums in Switzerland. The Technorama Science & Technology museum is a favorite, but we like to try a new museum every school holiday. We loved our visits to Umwelt Arena, the FIFA Museum, and Kulturama all right in Zurich.

Visiting the glass factory and mirror maze at Glasi Hergiswil near Lucerne is always a treat. Near Bern, we like Sensorium.

Read about more family-friendly museums in Switzerland

9. Play indoors

There are so many places to play indoors including climbing gyms, indoor playgrounds, laser tag, and bowling. See our Indoor sports for Zürich kids and rainy day family activities near Zurich.

10. Get wet and wild at an indoor pool

Zurich has lots of great indoor pools, like the Altstetten pool with its water slide, diving platform, and bouncy Blasio. For a special outing, you can splurge on an indoor water slide parks like Alpamare or Säntispark. 

See more indoor swimming in Switzerland

Extra credit: Take it easy and simply enjoy the sunshine

Don’t underestimate the simple pleasures of sitting lakeside and soaking in the sun while the kids dig in the sand. Zurich often has a string of hot days in April, as shown in the pic below which was taken on 26 April a few years ago.

Even if the water is too cold for swimming, we love spending these sunny spring days digging in the sand at one of the Zurich lake beaches, like the Strandbad Mythenquai. It’s free and open to the public until late May when it opens for business. Even though it’s not officially open in April, sometimes on hot days, the cafe opens and you can get an ice lolly.

I hope you have a wonderful spring break and make lots of good memories with your family.