Guide to Switzerland with kids

At the top of the Brienzer Rothorn all six of us fitted on one swing shaped like a cogwheel. The next day our youngest daughter fell asleep on dad's lap on the steepest rack railway in the world, and in the evening the staff at our campsite near Lucerne rolled up our awning before the rain could damage it. That was our Switzerland with kids.

We were there from 9 to 14 August 2024, during a 20-day campervan holiday through Germany, France, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The whole route, day by day, is in our post Summer 2024 in a campervan with kids.

Switzerland is a great choice for families who love mountains but not necessarily long climbs. You go up the peaks on historic rack railways and cable cars, and with the Swiss Half Fare Card the tickets cost half the price. On most days the van stayed at the campsite and we travelled by train. Below you will find the most important practical tips and links to our posts.

Switzerland with kids at a glance

  • Our trip: from 9 to 14 August 2024 we drove over the Furka Pass, spent three nights in Interlaken and two near Lucerne, and then went on to Liechtenstein. In summer 2025 we came back to Switzerland: three days in Lugano, two in Disentis and an evening at the Rhine Falls.
  • Getting there: we came from France, through Martigny and the Rhone valley. You need a yearly vignette for the motorways.
  • Where we stayed: TCS campsites in Interlaken, right next to the railway station, and in Horw on Lake Lucerne. Our campervan Beza is only for driving and sleeping, so we cooked outside.
  • Kids: we travelled with our four daughters. On the trails Helena, our youngest daughter, rode in a baby carrier on dad's back.
  • How much time: we planned a separate day for each mountain railway. The ride up, a walk at the top and the ride down easily take half a day or more.

Practical info

We checked this in November 2026.

Trains with the Swiss Half Fare Card

For our time in Switzerland we bought two Swiss Half Fare Cards. The card gives 50% off trains and most mountain railways. In 2024 it cost 120 CHF for a month, today it is 150 CHF. Only people who live outside Switzerland and Liechtenstein can buy it.

  • Children aged 6-15 get a free Swiss Family Card with it and travel for free with a parent who has a valid ticket. You must add the Family Card when you buy the Half Fare Card.
  • Children under 6 always travel for free.
  • With the Half Fare Card a ticket from Interlaken Ost cost us 5.50 CHF per adult to Grindelwald Terminal and 4.30 CHF to Brienz.
  • On some mountain railways, for example the Brienz Rothorn Railway, kids still need their own tickets.

The SBB Mobile app was really useful for checking timetables and buying tickets. Swiss trains are fast, quiet and comfortable. Read all about travel cards and prices in our guide Switzerland by train with kids.

The van at the campsite, us on the train

On most days Beza stayed at the campsite, and we travelled by train, boat and bus. The TCS campsite in Interlaken is right next to the station, and a city bus goes from the TCS Luzern-Horw campsite to Lucerne. We only drove to the Stanserhorn, because that day we were moving from Interlaken to Lucerne.

Motorway vignette

You need a vignette for Swiss motorways. It costs 40 CHF and comes as a sticker or as an e-vignette linked to your number plate. It is valid from 1 December to 31 January of the following year.

The best places in Switzerland for kids

The Furka Pass

The Ice Grotto in the Rhone Glacier

Below the Furka Pass, next to the closed Hotel Belvédère, a 40-metre tunnel with bright blue walls is cut into the Rhone Glacier. A car chase from "Goldfinger" was filmed on this road. In 2024 we paid 36 CHF for the six of us. Read more in Furka Pass and the Ice Grotto with kids.

Around Interlaken

Männlichen, Kleine Scheidegg and Lauterbrunnen

From Grindelwald a gondola goes up to Männlichen, and from there the panorama trail runs about 4.5 km gently downhill to Kleine Scheidegg, with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in front of you all the time. From Kleine Scheidegg we took the train down to Lauterbrunnen, where the Staubbach waterfall falls right above the houses. Read more in Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg with kids.

The Brienz Rothorn Railway and a boat on Lake Brienz

This rack railway from 1892, where steam locomotives still run, climbs from Brienz to 2,244 m in about an hour. At the top there is a giant swing shaped like a cogwheel. We went back to Interlaken by boat across the turquoise Lake Brienz. Read more in Brienz Rothorn Railway with kids.

Around Lucerne

Stanserhorn and the CabriO

You go up the Stanserhorn first in a historic funicular from 1893, then in the CabriO cable car, which has an open upper deck. From the top you can see Mount Pilatus and Lake Lucerne. Read more in Stanserhorn with kids.

Mount Pilatus

The rack railway from Alpnachstad to Pilatus Kulm is known as the steepest in the world, with a gradient of up to 48%. We came down the other side of the mountain to Kriens by cable car. Read more in Mount Pilatus with kids.

Lucerne

From the campsite in Horw we took the bus to Lucerne and walked around the town, which took us over a wooden covered bridge. The most famous one, the Chapel Bridge, is about 205 m long. Our evening in Lucerne is in the post about the Stanserhorn.

Lugano and Disentis

In 2025 we spent three hot days at the TCS campsite in Muzzano on Lake Lugano, and in the evenings we cycled into town. Then we drove to Disentis, where we crossed La Pendenta, the longest suspension bridge in Graubünden. Read more in Lugano with kids and Disentis with kids.

Liechtenstein: Vaduz

From Switzerland we drove to the capital of Liechtenstein. In Vaduz we saw St. Florin Cathedral, the post office and the castle where the princely family lives. For the night we stayed at Camping Mittagsspitze in Triesen, where the swings are right next to the pitches. Liechtenstein uses the Swiss franc. Read more in Vaduz with kids.

All posts: Switzerland

Last updated: November 2026