Switzerland is a small country and wonderful to tour around, but it’s also dense with history and remarkable scenery so even a single region can easily fill a family vacation, and more.
Switzerland covers just under 25,500 square miles. You can travel by train from Zurich to Geneva in under three hours.
Switzerland has 12 Unesco World Heritage sites including the Old City of Bern, the Jungfrau Aletsch Region and the medieval Castles of Bellinzona.
Switzerland has five ski regions and several legendary resorts including Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Verbier, Gstaad and Klosters.
The 2016 Mercer Quality of Living survey named Zurich the world’s second best city to live in, just after Vienna.
The Bernina Express Alpine route is one of the highest rail journeys in Europe.
The Swiss National Park was established in 1914 making it the oldest in the Alps.
Switzerland is not a cheap country: the world’s fourth most expensive hotel, Geneva’s President Wilson, will cost you over $35,000 per night. Fortunately for families, there are considerably less expensive options and plenty of choices from ski chalets and apartments to family hostels on Lake Zurich, traditional guesthouses and inns in the Swiss National Park and child-friendly spas and hotels across every region.
Zurich is lively and interesting and works well as a home base for exploring northern and central Switzerland. There are over 130 ski resorts less than two hours driving from Zurich Airport. The Sattel-Hochstuckli region, just 40 minutes east of the city, is one of the country’s great outdoor adventure areas in summer.
If your knowledge of Geneva is limited to the famous Jet d’Eau, you’re in for a very pleasant surprise. Built around Lake Geneva, the city’s gorgeously green, very beautiful and amazingly exciting for kids. It’s also less than two hours from top French ski resorts like Les Gets and Chamonix and under an hour from Le Grand Bornand and Les Carroz.
Christmas in Basel is one of Europe’s best spectacles, but the ancient city’s just as charming to visit in spring, summer and autumn. It’s packed with engaging experiences for kids. They can learn about everything from traditional paper making to the history of cartoons in over 40 unique museums. The famous 500 year old Autumn Fair is fantastic for food, wine and white-knuckle thrills. And the annual Fasnacht is the most colorful and fun Mardi Gras celebration in the country.
For all its magnificent Alpine mountains and unspoiled landscape, Switzerland is one of Europe’s easiest countries to drive around. Rent a car for touring, take advantage of free bike rentals in cities, and hop aboard excellent Swiss trains as often as you can.
Discover more
