With kids · Zurich · Switzerland

Zurich with kids

Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.

Updated 23 October 2026By the AMZBooking editorial team

Quick answer

Zurich is clean, safe-feeling and well organised for families, with trams that take pushchairs, lakeside playgrounds, shallow areas at the lake baths and hands-on museums. The main drawback is cost. Top picks: Zurich Zoo, Uetliberg and Lake Zurich cruise. Families usually base themselves in Seefeld.

Family picks: 8
Best area for families: Seefeld
Rainy-day options: 4

Best things to do with kids

Zoo · Fluntern

1.Zurich Zoo

On the wooded Zürichberg hill, the zoo is known for its Masoala Rainforest hall, a recreation of a Madagascan rainforest with free-roaming lemurs and birds, the Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park and the Lewa savannah with giraffes and rhinos. Tram 6 runs to the gates.

Head to the Masoala hall early when the animals are most active, and save the elephant park for feeding times.

Time needed: Half a day
Cost: Mid-priced

Kids
Outdoors
Nature
Rainy day

Viewpoint · Uetliberg

2.Uetliberg

Zurich's local mountain, at about 870 metres, is reached by the S10 train from the main station in around 20 minutes. From the summit and its lookout tower the view spans the city, the whole length of the lake and, on clear days, the Alps. The Planet Trail ridge walk continues to Felsenegg, where a cable car descends to Adliswil.

Walk the ridge to Felsenegg (about 2 hours), ride the cable car down to Adliswil and take the S4 back to the city.

Time needed: Half a day
Cost: Low cost

Views
Outdoors
Nature
Active
Kids

Experience · Bürkliplatz

3.Lake Zurich cruise

Passenger boats leave from Bürkliplatz at the lake end of Bahnhofstrasse for short round trips of about 1.5 hours or longer cruises to the rose town of Rapperswil at the far end of the lake. On clear days the snow-capped Glarus Alps appear beyond the vineyards and villages of the 'Gold Coast' shore.

Sit on the open upper deck when the weather allows, and look south-east down the lake for the Alps on clear days.

Time needed: 1.5–4 hours
Cost: Low cost

Iconic
Views
Couples
Kids
Outdoors

Museum · Enge

4.FIFA Museum

Opened in 2016 near Enge station, the FIFA Museum covers the history of world football with World Cup trophies, shirts from every member association, interactive games and a pinball hall. It appeals to football fans and to children on a rainy afternoon.

Leave time for the interactive football games on the lower floor, which children enjoy most.

Time needed: 2 hours
Cost: Mid-priced

Kids
Rainy day

Museum · Main station

5.Swiss National Museum

Housed in a turreted 1898 building beside the main station with a modern wing added in 2016, the Landesmuseum tells Swiss history from prehistoric times through the Middle Ages and the Reformation to the present, with period rooms, armour, furniture and well-designed temporary exhibitions.

It is right behind the main station, so it fills an hour before or after a train.

Time needed: 2 hours
Cost: Mid-priced

History
Rainy day
Architecture
Kids

Museum · Kilchberg

6.Lindt Home of Chocolate

Next to the Lindt & Sprüngli factory in Kilchberg, on the lake's western shore, this chocolate museum opened in 2020 with a chocolate fountain about 9 metres tall, an interactive exhibition on cocoa and Swiss chocolate history, tastings and a large shop. The S8 train from the main station takes about 10–15 minutes.

Go on a weekday morning, and leave room for the tasting room at the end of the exhibition.

Time needed: 2 hours
Cost: Mid-priced
Book ahead: Timed tickets often sell out at weekends and in school holidays; book online in advance.

Kids
Food
Rainy day

Viewpoint · Niederdorf

7.Polybahn and Polyterrasse

The red Polybahn funicular, running since 1889, climbs from Central to the terrace of ETH Zurich's main building, designed by Gottfried Semper. The Polyterrasse gives a broad view over the Old Town, the Limmat and the lake.

Ride up, enjoy the terrace view, and walk back down through the Niederdorf lanes.

Time needed: 30 minutes
Cost: Low cost

Views
Kids
Photo spot
History

Experience · Lake Zurich and Limmat

8.Lake and river baths (Badis)

Zurich's historic wooden bathhouses let you swim in clean lake and river water in the city centre from late spring to early autumn. Seebad Utoquai and Seebad Enge float on the lake, the women-only Frauenbadi and the men-only Männerbad sit in the Old Town, and at the Oberer Letten young locals float down the Limmat's current and climb out by the ladders.

Bring a waterproof bag and swim only at the official baths; the Limmat's current is strong outside them.

Time needed: 2–3 hours
Cost: Low cost

Outdoors
Active
Kids
Couples

Rainy-day ideas

Swiss National Museum — It is right behind the main station, so it fills an hour before or after a train.
Zurich Zoo — Head to the Masoala hall early when the animals are most active, and save the elephant park for feeding times.
FIFA Museum — Leave time for the interactive football games on the lower floor, which children enjoy most.
Lindt Home of Chocolate — Go on a weekday morning, and leave room for the tasting room at the end of the exhibition.

Where families should stay

$$$$ · Best for families, couples, quiet stays and luxury

Seefeld

Seefeld (Kreis 8) runs along the eastern lakeshore from Bellevue and the Opera House to the Zürichhorn, with leafy residential streets, the lake baths at Utoquai and the long lakeside promenade. It is peaceful, family-friendly and well connected by tram to the Old Town and main station.

Good: Lakeside walks and swimming; Quiet, safe-feeling streets; Trams to the centre in minutes
Watch out: Expensive; Few hotels compared with the centre
Nearby: Zürichhorn, Opera House, Seebad Utoquai, Bellevue

Family travel tips

Children under 6 travel free on Swiss public transport, and older children pay reduced fares.
The Swiss Family Card lets children travel free with a parent who holds a Swiss Travel Pass.
Several lake baths have shallow children's areas and lawns; Seebad Enge and Tiefenbrunnen are popular with families.
Lake boats are a cheap, relaxing outing with toddlers and run frequently in summer.
Supermarkets have family-friendly takeaway food; restaurant meals for a family add up quickly.

Day trips for families

Lucerne (About 45 minutes by train) — Lucerne's wooden Chapel Bridge, medieval walls and lakefront set against Mount Pilatus and the Rigi make it Switzerland's classic postcard town.
Rhine Falls (About 50 minutes by train) — One of Europe's most powerful waterfalls, the Rhine Falls plunge about 23 metres across 150 metres of the river.
Rapperswil (About 35 minutes by S-Bahn, about 2 hours by boat) — The 'town of roses' at the far end of Lake Zurich has a hilltop castle, an old town of arcaded houses and public rose gardens, plus a long wooden footbridge across the lake to Hurden on the old pilgrims' route.
Rigi (About 1 hour 30 minutes by train) — The 'Queen of the Mountains' rises above Lake Lucerne and Lake Zug, reached by Europe's first mountain railway, opened in 1871.

When to go with children

The best months overall are May–September. Weather by month.

Questions travellers ask

+Is Zurich good for kids?

Zurich is clean, safe-feeling and well organised for families, with trams that take pushchairs, lakeside playgrounds, shallow areas at the lake baths and hands-on museums. The main drawback is cost.

+What can kids do in Zurich?

Zurich Zoo, Uetliberg, Lake Zurich cruise, FIFA Museum and Swiss National Museum.

+Where should families stay in Zurich?

Seefeld: Upmarket lakeside district of the Opera House, promenades and the Zürichhorn park.