There
are plenty of things to keep you busy and active in Switzerland and many don’t
cost anything or very little. Here are a few ideas:
Pedalo hire
On
the Zurichsee at Utoquai, Wädenswil , Richterswil and Rapperswil.
On
the Zugersee at Zug.
And
on many other lakes around the country during the summer season.
Rowing
On
the Trübsee near Titlis.
Lake or river swimming. See Guide2.
Water park Alpa Mare near Pfäffikon SZ has 10
water slides, a wave pool, thermal baths, the Rio Mare, and a sunbathing lawn.
Open throughout the year. http://www.alpamare.ch/main/p_id/598/obj/67/nav/598/nav2/598/lang/5.html
Le Bouveret Aqua Parc at the
south-east end of Lake Geneva has indoor and outdoor chutes, kayaking,
windsurfing, and other watersports, tyre rides, a pirate ship and lots more
activities for adrenaline junkies.
Adventure parks Slide
down a Rodelbahn, a metal chute on a
cart at Atzmannig adventure park
near Goldingen SG, and enjoy other outdoor activities. http://www.atzmaennig.ch/sommer_en.cfm
Another
good adventure place is Brunni/Engelberg
(OB) south of Lake Luzern near Stans. http://www.brunni.ch/de/erlebnis-winter/preise/einzelfahrten.html
Skiing See our
feature on ski resorts and
winter sports. Look out for the Snow’n’Rail train offers. www.sbb.ch
Skating in the
Zürich area: Heuried, Dolder Eisbahn and the Landesmuseum courtyard.
Family days out
It
needn’t cost a fortune to travel by car or public transport; look out for
RailAway offers especially in the summer season, April to October. Ask at the
station ticket office.
Here
are a few popular destinations:
Ballenberg Open-Air Museum Step back
in time 100 years or more to experience Swiss country life, crafts, farming
methods and animals.
Hergiswil Glass Museum
See
glass being blown and moulded by hand in this traditional glassworks beside the
Vierwaldstattersee near Luzern. There’s a fascinating sight and sound museum
telling the story of glass (choose your preferred language), hands-on exhibits,
new and seconds shops, a restaurant and an outdoor playground. Open Monday to
Saturday, free entry. Access by train, boat from Luzern or car.
Olympic Museum, Lausanne
Exhibits
showing the history of the Olympic movement, the modern Games and Olympic
stars, audiovisual shows and memorabilia. The extensive grounds are nice to
explore, and the restaurant is excellent. Great shop too. Open daily except
Mondays in winter. Near Metro station Ouchy. Look out for family and group
tickets.
Augusta Raurica Roman Site near Basel. Spend a
day exploring the museum, the reconstructed Roman villa, the arena,
amphitheatre, bakery, agora, underground chambers and much more. Take a picnic,
the snack bar is quite small. There’s free admission to the site; small charge
for the museum. Take train to Kaiseraugst or take the A3 Basel autobahn.
Be your own tour guide!
No
need to pay for an expensive guided tour; you can take a tour of the main
sights in any major Swiss city with the help of a good guide book and a street
map. The following towns are worth a visit: click on the links for extra information
from our members:
Featured town: Murten
Zurich
Zug
Zug
Luzern
Bern – you can also visit the Swiss Parliament on a guided tour
Basel Altstadt
St. Gallen cathedral area
Schaffhausen
Chur
Bellinzona
Konstanz
Next time, a reminder of all 11 destinations featured.
Plus
why not explore on your own these lovely towns and cities:
Geneva
- see http://www.geneva.info/
Fribourg
– on the French/German language border
Appenzell
– an old-fashioned town
Lugano
– gateway to three lakes
Locarno
– on Lago Maggiore
And
more…
Compiled
by Julia Newton, March 2012. Amended April 2016.
With
contributions from Amy Eber, Colin Hawker, Ewelina Pace, Gill Rüttimann, Helga
Meyer-Piening, Lindsey Carver, Otto Schreibke, Paola Cavallari, Sue Poolman,
Trudi MacDonald ,Valerie Quiblier.
