Zurich was the last stop on our whirlwind tour of Austria and Switzerland with our toddlers. There are tons of fun things to do in Zurich with kids and we had big plans for our last three days. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. It rained for three days straight. We had to scramble to figure out what to do in Zurich when it rains.
Interlaken Travel Resources
Budget Favorite: Backpackers Villa Sonnehoff (Tripadvisor or Booking.com)
Family Apartments: Essential by Dorint Interlaken (Tripadvisor or Booking.com)
Splurge with Character: The Hey Hotel (Tripadvisor or Booking.com)
Interlaken Tourism Information
Switzerland Tourism – Interlaken
Swiss Family Fun Travel Blog
The Family of 5 – Switzerland Travel Blog
These are tour recommendations from our preferred tour provider. This means that we know that these tours meet our high standards and will take great care of you:
Private Tour of Lucerne and a “Big 4″ Mountain from Interlaken
Private Tour of the Bernese Oberland from Interlaken
Jungfraujoch –Top of Europe From Interlaken
My Scenic Switzerland – 6 Day Tour from Zurich
Highlights of Central Switzerland (2 days, 1 night from Zurich)
Interlaken Travel Guide 2024
Rick Steves Switzerland
Packable Shopping Bags (grocery stores in Europe don’t give disposable bags)
Switzerland Power Adapter 2 Pack
Alpine Cooking: Recipes and Stories from Europe’s Grand Mountaintops [A Cookbook]
Where to Stay in Zurich on a TIGHT Budget
A Complete Two Week Itinerary for Switzerland and Austria with Kids
Is it Possible to Travel Switzerland on a Budget?
This is a link to the travel insurance that we personally use when we travel
If you want more options, this is a great search engine that takes into account many factors in helping you choose the right travel insurance for you.
Need some help planning your trip to Switzerland? This is our preferred travel agency. They offer top notch service (they are who we work with to plan our trips.)
Here is our list of things to do in Zurich with kids when it rains.
Sprungli Zurich and Franz Carl Weber Toy Store
There is NOTHING better on a rainy day in Switzerland than a cup of hot chocolate at Sprungli. We splurged on hot chocolate and a plate of truffles to share. The hot chocolate was smooth with heavenly real whipped cream and the truffles were like little works of art in my mouth. This is definitely one of the best places to visit in Zurich (in the rain or otherwise) and is a MUST on your Zurich itinerary.
The Franz Carl Weber toy store is just down the street from Sprungli (both on the streets in front of the main train station). It is a great diversion for a bit (and the kids will LOVE the slide between the second and first floors).
A Scenic Zurich Lake Cruise
Taking a Zurich lake cruise is a surprisingly good suggestion for what to do in Zurich when it rains. The boats are enclosed and you can get some great photos of Zurich covered in moody looking clouds. If you are lucky maybe you will see a beautiful Swiss rainbow! If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, a Zurich lake cruise is included except for a $5 surcharge.
Bodensee Wellnesshotel and Hot Springs, Konstanz Germany
This hot springs pool was about 45 minutes outside of Zurich by train. If it is cold and rainy and you are looking for what to do in Zurich for a day, consider this detour. (as a bonus, as soon as we got across the border into Germany, prices instantly dropped and we could afford to eat out again!)
The spa has an indoor pool, and outdoor pool (with a neat tunnel connecting them), as well as lap pool with a couple water slides. The outdoor area had a ton of room for picnicing and a play area (for a nicer day). Our kids really loved the current lane and the kiddie pool (great for tiny ones, a tiny slide)
A note – once in Konstanz, the public bus to the spa took longer than expected (30 additional minutes at least) so consider a taxi to save more time for the spa. Even though the spa is just over the border in Germany, the whole trip was covered on our Swiss Travel Pass.
Lenzburg Castle
This kid friendly castle that us located near Zurich. There is a ton to see indoors, and it has a great kinder museum on the top floor with dress up clothes and other interactive elements. This should definitely be on your list for what to do in Zurich when it rains.
Switzerland can be CRAZY expensive, but it is sooo worth it! This coupon book has 