Things to do for families in Switzerland

Public facilities in Switzerland are clearly signposted and well maintained, but natural areas don't have restrictive safety measures. It's left to the individual to enjoy nature responsibly. This liberal philosophy allows for freedom and mutual respect and for children to become ‘street smart' in cities and ‘nature wise' in the great outdoors.

Tips for planning family activities

• Facilities such as road rest stops, baby changing rooms, breast feeding areas, and pet friendly zones make life easier for families.
• The Touring Club Schweiz (TCS) offers security on the road.
• Swiss railways has great ideas and offers for family outings with play areas on SBB CFF trains.
• Shopping centres have play zones.
• The Swiss weather forecast can help with planning activities.
• Summer holiday camps have outstanding infrastructure and a tradition of welcoming young adventurers to discover new horizons. Book early.
• Schaffhausen Ferienpass offers holiday activities for schoolchildren.

Children's activities in Schaffhausen

 Family-friendly activities include:

• Museums: the IWC Museum and boutique is a must for mechanical watch lovers. The Schaffhausen Observatory is located high above the town and opens Wednesday and Saturday evenings when the sky is clear and also has a planetarium. Visit the Doll Museum in Buchberg, or the Gypsum Museum, a former mine in Schleitheim to learn about early mining techniques. Rheinkastell Fortress offers historical and archaeological guided tours.
• Outdoors some highlights for outdoors activities in Schaffhausen include:
  • Rhine Falls: Sail through the forest on several different rope courses at the Adventure Park Rheinfall; in boating season, the Rhyfall Express City Train runs to the Rhine Falls and back; take a cruise or canoe along the Rhine Falls; and see the Historama at Schloss Laufen.
  • Swim in one of the many pools at KSS Activity Centre or at the historical Rhybadi, which appears to float on the Rhine River like a giant raft.
  • Lido Büsingen offers water activities with rafts as well as a playground with facilities such as table tennis and beach volleyball for the young and young at heart.
  • Bikestation offers a range of bicycles and tours for all ages.
  • Camp outdoors at Campingplatz Läui.
  • Schienenvelo be your own locomotive driver on the tracks of a disused stretch of railway line. The practically flat stretch passes through the beautiful Hegau countryside.
  • Thur Floodplain Meadows offers outdoor activities, places to relax, and interactive exhibitions in the nature centre.
  • For more information on sports such as skiing and snowboarding and walks and hikes, consult the directories.
• Fun and adventure discover Schaffhausen's unique character:
  • Rimuss Winery specialises in kids' champagne and offers tours to learn how wine and grape juice is made.
  • Visit Europa Park and choose to ride at high speed on a Swiss bobsleigh run, a Greek water rollercoaster or Scandinavian wild waters, amongst many more.
  • Bolderhof Farm near Stein am Rhein offers farm Olympics, cheese-making workshops, cow trekking and a cow carriage. Kuh-Wagenfahrt offers cow-drawn wagon rides on a converted feeding cart with soft straw benches.
  • Chäs Graf offers cheese making and tasting, and forest fondue.
  • Kundelfingerhof has homemade specialities, a nature park with fish ponds, a fish farm, smokehouse and bakery, making it popular for family outings.
  • Familie Vestner in Büsingen offers rides and tours on camels, horse-drawn carriages, limousines, classic buses and fire engines, and military cars.
  • Mondglas Hallau glass studio reveals how glass is made and blown, with the opportunity to create your own masterpiece.
  • Train rides: Sauschwänzlebahn take a leisurely ride on this historic museum train and enjoy the wild and romantic scenery.
  • Sea Life Centre Lake Constance has over 40 fresh and saltwater tanks with thousands of fascinating sea dwellers. Learn more about seahorses, sharks and threats to the oceans such as radioactive discharge, overfishing and oil production.  

Find more things to do with children, swimming pools, parks and gardens, and sports clubs and organisations such as scouts in the directories.

Tourist information centres and local newspapers will provide further information on upcoming family-friendly activities.

Babies and toddlers

Activities include baby gyms, music workshops, baby swimming to get babies used to water and pre-school and play groups.

Photo:swiss-image/Beat Mueller