Health

Switzerland Travel with a Toddler: 10-Day Itinerary in Fall Season

echoedgetnews January 25, 2024

Last fall – late November specifically – we took an amazing trip to Switzerland, so here is my post on Switzerland Travel with a Toddler: My 10-Day Itinerary. I hope this resource helps you plan the best trip to Switzerland with your kids (of any ages!)

Of course, to be noted, we only had one kid. One three-year-old. But this info is accessible and adaptable to anyone with kids – one or many!

Ok, let’s hop on the plane and get moving!…

Need travel abroad tips? Here is my Guide to Traveling Abroad with a Toddler — 25 tips based on this trip!

chapel bridge switzerland travel toddler

Above: 2023 vs. Below pic: 2015

This photo below is from when I went to Lucerne in 2015 – without a kid. I have to say, as crazy as it was – I loved being here with Rosalie a million times more!!! 🙂

My first Swiss post is here

Overview of our trip – Switzerland Travel with a Toddler:

TEN DAYS IN SWITZERLAND:

Land in Zurich + head to Lucerne
2 nights in Lucerne
3 nights in Interlaken
3 nights in Montreux
1 night in Zurich
Fly home

Trains: Yes it was a lot of train rides, but we really planned for that since our toddler was train-obsessed during that trip! Gave us lots of views and down time. We loved it. And really, wasn’t too bad with luggage. We pack light! One suitcase per person. Rosalie learned to drag hers. JETKIDS luggage.

swiss alps in fall, interlaken, blue sky

Those mountains. We could just bathe in the sight of them all day.

…Switzerland Travel with a Toddler highlight: jetlag naps are intense!

…loved out Joe a the Juice room picnics during rainy days!

Switzerland Travel with a Toddler, let’s go!…

DAY ONE: ZURICH + LUCERNE TRANSFER

Train to: Lucerne
Hotels in Lucerne:
- We stayed at: Mandarin Oriental, Lucerne
- Other options: Hotel Montana – we stayed her last time and loved it as well
Evening: Settle into your hotel – order room service, eat, shower, bounce around with a toddler who was on a very long plane ride!
Overnight in: Lucerne

…window view from our hotel in Lucerne.

DAY TWO: LUCERNE EXPLORING

AM: Wake up early + explore Lucerne!
Lazy Activities: Visit local playgrounds, walk along Lake Lucerne, Walk across the Old Chapel Bridge, Get Coffee + Hot Cocoa, chase a few birds, ogle swans, run through the fall leaves.
Planned Activity: Boat ride on Lake Lucerne + train up to Mount Rigi + Afternoon nap.
Meals: Starbucks + a local cafe for breakfast + room service for dinner. Joe + the Juice Delivery to hotel. (It was rainy so we didn’t wander once at night!)
PM: Star-gazing out our window at our hotel.
Overnight in: Lucerne

And onto the next day in Lucerne…

DAY THREE: LUCERNE + TRANSPORT MUSEUM FUN

AM: Wake early – again. We did a room service breakfast since it was rainy.
Planned Activity: Walk along Lake Lucerne to the Transport Museum. This museum was a HUGE HIT with our travel-lover! She was able to explore indoors and outdoors. It was not crowded at all. Loved this place.
Afternoon: Back at the hotel to pack and eat lunch. We had Joe in the Juice delivered – it was perfect! Rain was strong. We checked out and were off to catch a train to Interlaken!
TRAIN: Interlaken… It was a gorgeous train ride! Rosalie napped for most of it. We actually had to switch to a bus mid-route, all while Rosalie slept in my arms… thank goodness she still kinda fits in a baby carrier! That thing was a lifesaver.
Checked into our hotel after dark. Room service dinner though we were not very hungry because we ate a huge lunch + snacks on the train. Rosalie went right to bed at the hotel…
Hotels in Interlaken:
- We stayed at: Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa
Overnight: Interlaken

DAY FOUR: INTERLAKEN ADVENTURES

AM: Early up for a buffet breakfast at the hotel. So pretty! We watched the paragliders as we ate.

Activities: We had nothing on the schedule! We walked around the town, enjoying the gorgeous views, visiting playgrounds, watching the paragliders and enjoying the crisp air.

Lunch: Velo Cafe Interlaken – vegan options galore!

PM: We were going to swim in the pool, but it was sadly closed. Instead we went to the KIDS CENTER at the hotel. Oh my it is the most gorgeous kids’ club I have ever seen. Three stories of pure Scandinavian-style toys and fun. Art. A music room. Toddler area. Computer room for bigger kids and so much more. Nicest staff too. It was a surprise highlight of this hotel.

PM: Room service again! Do you see a trend here? They had a yummy vegan wrap! And the toddler had pizza.

Overnight: Interlaken

DAY FIVE: MORE INTERLAKEN ADVENTURES

Day five was pretty much a repeat of day four. These days kinda blurred together except that it was just such a lovely place to hang out. Gorgeous views. Chill atmosphere. We could just sit and watch those paragliders coming out of the sky and play on nearby playgrounds all day long. Oh and the cute cows in the grass outside the hotel too!

Overnight: Interlaken

DAY SIX: TRAIN TO MONTREUX

AM: All I remember from this day is that I made sure to get another Apple Muffin at Velo Cafe for the train ride to Montreux. And that the train ride was long but gorgeous.

Gorgeous train all day. It may seem like we trained a lot on this trip, but we planned it this way! Our toddler LOVED trains and riding in them, being at the train stations and watching Switzerland go by out the giant windows was a huge highlight for her. Plus, since fall weather can be rainy, we could see a lot of Switzerland in a dry cozy train.

PM: Arrived to Montreux at sunset. Room service – they had a vegan burger! It was so good…

Hotel: Fairmont Montreux

TIP: We arrived the day before the famous Montreux Christmas Market was set to open! If you travel for Thanksgiving, definitely make sure to be in Montreux after the market opens because it is so cute! We were excited to explore it the next day….

Overnight: Montreux

Rounding out a week of Switzerland Travel with a Toddler….

DAY SEVEN: MONTREUX FUN

AM: We ate breakfast at the hotel because it was super delicious and cute and felt social with a bunch of other families with kids there. Great view of the lake. Plus it even snowed one morning during breakfast!

Activities: After breakfast, we ventured out to find some playgrounds and check out the newly opened Christmas market. So fun! Many cute playgrounds along the water.

Afternoon: Nap time! Long lazy nap…

PM: I think we may have ventured out one more time, but we may also have just stayed inside and conked out. It’s all a lur guys!

Overnight: Montreux

DAY EIGHT: MONTREUX DAY TWO + CHILLON CASTLE

We explored the market again, visited playgrounds and ended out day at Chillon Castle. So gorgeous! Rosalie loved exploring the cobblestone halls and secret passageway in the very old bedroom of the castle. We took some cute photos there too. I tried to dress up a bit to get some cute family pics.

We walked back to our hotel from the castle. Again, the baby carrier and the fact that Rosalie still sort’ve fit into it – saved me. We carried her home and walked together just after the sunset. All the twinkly lights along the water flicked on as it grew dark. Chilly air and lots of people out on this Friday night. So fun! I totally forget when we had for dinner….

Overnight: Montreux

DAY NINE: TRAIN TO ZURICH + NIGHT XMAS MARKET

AM: We woke up and let Rosalie ride on her fave baby carrousel at the Montreux Xmas market one last time. We also got some coffee and snacks for the road. We bundled up and hopped on one more train ride to our last stop in Zurich! This train ride was pretty good. The toddler slept most of the ride.

PM: Checked into our hotel

Hotel: Park Hyatt Zurich

Dinner: Joe in the Juice comes to the rescue again! Love this chain when we travel.

Activity: We ventured out at night, since Rosalie was wide awake. We went to a nearby Christmas Market. It was so crowded!! But really cute. We rode the two-story carousel and shopped for some glass Christmas ornaments. Ventured back through the city to our hotel – a lot of walking felt really good this whole trip! (Tiring yes, but I love it!)

Overnight: Zurich

DAY TEN: FLY HOME

Oh my! It was time to go home! We went on a morning walk to load up on vegan Swiss chocolate and also got coffee and vegan eats at Tidbits.

Then we ventured to the Zurich airport. While there, Rosalie and I spent a lot of time on the kids observation deck. Basically a huge playground where you can watch planes! It was freezing but so cute!

We flew home happy and healthy – souls full of new memories and adventures!

This trip was amazing and I so glad we did it!