The best itinerary through Switzerland and France in 10 days with children

Switzerland is a fantastic place to visit with kids, but because it’s so centrally located, you can easily add France, Germany, or Italy to the itinerary without having to add long flights or car trips. If you have time, an ideal time to travel would be a month, but naturally not everyone can take that much time off.

We have been living in Annecy, France for a while, and since it is right next to the Swiss border, I have gotten to know the area very well. Here’s my proposed itinerary for 10 days across two countries, creating one of the most beautiful and unique road trips in Europe (if you have more time, here’s a link to a plug-in from Germany).

Why choose Switzerland and France to travel with your family?

1. Amazing places for kids that don’t sacrifice adult entertainment. From alpine playgrounds, water activities to children’s points of interest on hiking trails.
2. Easily accessible attractions. Children may not walk for miles and the region makes everything accessible with funiculars, cable cars and trains everywhere.
3. Option to go a little out of the way and go beyond places in Europe like Paris, Venice or Barcelona.

How to get around Switzerland?

While you could technically use trains on this trip, you will need to rent a car as many places are not accessible by train and prices for taxis and bike rentals will eventually increase.

Driving in Switzerland is easy and safe, and you won’t see any crazy drivers (as they get heavily fined, so don’t speed!). Many will scare you into thinking that gasoline is very expensive, but it is only a little more expensive than in other parts of Europe. In fact, taking into account the tolls, I dare say that driving through Switzerland is cheaper than driving through France.

Just remember that if you choose a car in France or Germany, you may have to buy a vignette. This is a car sticker valid for one year and costs CHF 40.

Switzerland and France itinerary: a perfect 10-day adventure

Note: This itinerary starts in Zurich and ends in Geneva. It is possible to do it the other way around and start in Geneva, but if you do, remember to book the car from the Swiss side of the airport, not the French one. It’s confusing, especially since you’d start in France, but that way you’ll avoid a fee for leaving the car in another country, and the car will already have a vignette, and saving money on that is a plus.

Day 1: Arrival in Zurich

Depart Zurich Airport immediately and drive to Lucerne, which will take 45 minutes. Zurich is a very busy city and I recommend many other places in Switzerland, but if you arrive early in the morning, you can make a stop at the Lindt chocolate factory. My kids loved trying different chocolates and the adults will have fun learning about the process.

Accommodation: Hotel Chateau Gutsch in Lucerne

Once you arrive in Lucerne, you can start exploring right away or settle into your hotel. I recommend staying at Chateau Gutsch for several reasons, the first being the obvious one: it’s a castle on the hill!

Our stay at this hotel was absolutely magical and the kids loved that we had to take a private funicular to get to the city. The rooms available for families were average, as unfortunately the best rooms are only doubles, but we spent time on the terrace overlooking the city and the lake.

Day 2-3: Lucerne

Assuming you won’t have time to see everything, if anything, around Lucerne on the day you arrive, the real exploration will begin on the second day. The town is charming with its small streets and the wooden Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke). You can also see the Lion Monument on the outskirts of the city (see more things to do in Lucerne with kids here)

• Swiss Transport Museum

When we were visiting Lucerne with children, we opted for a family attraction that turned out to be entertaining for me and my husband as well: the Swiss Transport Museum.

The place is huge and partially outdoors, where the kids had a blast riding miniature trains, pretending they were sending packages, and even getting into the cockpit of a real airplane. Inside they had a section with We spent a good few hours in this museum and while the kids played we were able to read the actual information about various exhibits. Although I admit that I didn’t mind going down the space slide either!

On the second day in Lucerne, plan a day trip to one of the neighboring mountains: Mount Rigi or Mount Pilatus.

We opted to visit the Pilatus because I thought the steep cog railway, which is the steepest in the world, combined with a cable car on the other side, was going to be more entertaining for the kids. You need to book the train in advance to get on, so start with a cable car and take the train down, but here’s my biggest tip:

Most people opt for the Gold Tour, but since we stayed at Chateau Gutsch, we already received a free Lucerne Card, which gave us free public transportation and discounts on tickets. We didn’t have to pay extra for the entire tour, and only needed to buy a train ticket for a short trip to the city border. A friendly cashier explained it to me and saved us a lot of money! I have a whole post about Mount Pilatus here – the playground, aerial zipline, and alpine coaster were a hit!

Day 4-6: 3 days in Lauterbrunnen

Continue your journey to Interlaken on day 4. While you can definitely stay in Interlaken, I suggest staying in Lauterbrunnen as it is more beautiful and closer to popular attractions.

Accommodation: Hotel Schützen Lauterbrunnen (hotel) or this Airbnb

Settle into your accommodation and explore Lauterbrunnen at a leisurely pace. The city has many restaurants that welcome children and there is a nice playground with a view in front of the waterfall.

When you are in Lauterbrunnen, you can plan some day trips. The two most famous things to do in the area are Jungfraujoch (known as the top of Europe) and Schilthorn – Piz Gloria near Mürren (known from the James Bond movie). Some people choose to visit both, but once this is done I will tell you to choose just one and leave the next day for different things.

Younger children will love Jungfraujoch, and it was very easy to take a train and then another gondola. My son spent a lot of time looking at the ice tunnel decorations and having the option to go sledding in the middle of summer was a nice addition.

• Allmenddhubel flower park

On the second day, I suggest heading to one of the most incredible alpine parks. The two most famous are Mannlichen with a giant cow and the Allmendhubel flower park. If you have to choose one, I suggest Allmendhubel because it is also an adventure to get there.

First you have to take the cable car to Murren, a car-free town. Then, after a short walk to the next station, you can walk or take a train to the next station. We opted for the train with children and they loved the trip. Once there, you need another cable car to the top of Allmendhubel, and from there you will see a beautiful playground next to a restaurant with a terrace. There is also a flower trail if you feel like hiking.

When you get off, my best advice is to skip the train and just walk, especially in the afternoon. Our kids slept in their strollers for part of the way (it’s gentle and in winter this route is for sledding), and then at 3pm a parade of cows walks back home. You’ll hear their bells as they get closer, and it’ll be quite the jam experience!

If you have an extra day, my top suggestions for the area would be a trip to Lake Thun and renting a hot tub to float on the lake, followed by a short hike to the Giessbach waterfalls. Another idea is to take a walk through the Glacier Gorge in Grindelwald (it’s hard to find, so Use these instructions). It turned out to be a huge success with rope rugs suspended over the gorge and fairy lights.

At the end of the day, drive to Chamonix and spend the night there, for a full day the next day.

Day 7: Chamonix

Accommodation: Hotel Park Switzerland

Chamonix is ​​a cute little ski town known primarily for skiing, but it’s just as beautiful in the summer. With the kids, we opted to visit an adventure park with cute outdoor play areas and attractions. Our oldest was over 3 years old, so he was allowed to ride the roller coaster with an adult. I highly recommend it!

There is plenty more to do in Chamonix, such as Merlet Animal Park with easy walking trails and stunning views of Mont Blanc, or even watch climbers in the area. I have a whole post about things to do in Chamonix with kids.

Then, your options are to reach L’Aiguille du Midi or Mer de Glace. While the first one may sound more exciting since it is the tallest gondola in Europe, we with children were denied entry because Holden was under 2 years old and the recommended age is 3 years old due to the high altitude.

Instead, we went to Mer de Glace, which was a nice little train that took us to the glacier, or rather to what’s left of it these days. There is an ice cave and many viewing points, which made it easy to travel with small children.

Day 8-9: Annecy

Either the night before or that morning, drive to Annecy, which is just 1.5 hours from Chamonix. Annecy is called the Venice of the Alps, as it is a city with picturesque canals and a lake surrounded by mountains. It’s also a place we can call home for now.

There’s plenty to do in Annecy (check out this post), but some things not to miss are renting a pedal boat to go out on the lake, followed by a picnic and a playground with a view. You can swim in the lake (which is the cleanest lake in Europe), but for me personally the water is too cold even in summer.

Another great place in Annecy with kids is Criq Parq, which is a wooden playground by the lake. I will say that kids over 2 years old will be fine visiting, but even 9 year olds will enjoy it. There is a nice little grassy area by the lake right next to it.

If your kids are even more adventurous, you can drive to Acro Aventures Talloires, which is a treetop adventure spot for kids and adults. The little ones can do a children’s circuit (from 100 cm in height) and a playground with an adult, and there is also a children’s circuit and one for adults. I admit that my 5 year old son and I did the kids course and it was pretty scary and very high, but he thought it was amazing. If you decide to go there, you won’t miss the nearby Menthon Castle and a beautiful view of the lake from the other side of the city.

Children over 5 years old can also try their first paragliding experience, as there are many options in the area. For the little ones, you can even have their first water skiing experience.

I recommend eating at Le Freti restaurant and trying the famous raclette and fondue. Just remember to reserve a table in advance.

Day 10: Return to Geneva.

Unfortunately, if you only have 10 days, you will drive back to Geneva and fly back home. While Geneva isn’t a particularly exciting place to visit (I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true), you can walk around and see the famous

If you have more time, I suggest continuing to Colmar and the Alsace region, which is home to the most beautiful villages in the world.

With two more days to spare, you can also stop by Europa Park, an incredible amusement park that we love because it has attractions for young children and adults, as well as themed hotels and one of the best water parks in Europe. From there, you could return to Zurich, in fact to avoid paying a relocation fee for the rental car (if you leave it in Geneva).

Let me know if you have any questions!