Best Itinerary for Switzerland and France in 10 days With Kids
Switzerland is a fantastic place to visit with kids, but as it’s so centrally located, you can easily add France, Germany, or Italy to the itinerary without having to add long flights or car rides. If you have time, an ideal time to travel would be a month, but naturally, not everyone can take that much time off.
We’ve been living in Annecy in France for a while, and as it’s right by the Swiss border, I’ve gotten to know the area very well. Here’s my proposed itinerary for 10 days across two countries, creating one of the most unique and beautiful road trips in Europe (if you have more time, here’s a link to a Germany add-on).
Why Choose Switzerland and France for Family Travel
- Amazing kid-friendly places that don’t sacrifice adult entertainment. From alpine playgrounds, water activities to points of interest for children on hiking trails.
- Easily accessible attractions. Kids might not walk for miles, and the region makes everything accessible by funiculars, cable cars, and trains everywhere.
- Option to go slightly off-the-path and beyond spots around Europe like Paris, Venice, or Barcelona.
How to Get Around Switzerland?
While you technically could use trains on this journey, you should rent a car as many places aren’t accessible by train, and in the end, prices for taxis and bike rentals will add up.
Driving around Switzerland is safe and easy, and you won’t see any crazy drivers (as they get heavily fined, so don’t speed!). Many will scare you that gas is crazy pricy, but it’s only slightly more expensive than in other parts of Europe. In fact, considering tolls, I dare to say that driving around Switzerland is cheaper than driving in France.
Just remember that if you’re picking a car in France or Germany, you might need to purchase a vignette. It’s a sticker for the car that’s valid for a year and costs 40 CHF.
Switzerland and France Itinerary: A Perfect 10-Day Adventure
Note: This itinerary starts in Zurich and ends in Geneva. It’s possible to do it the opposite way and start in Geneva, but if you do, you need to remember to book the car from the Swiss side of the airport, not the French one. It’s confusing, especially since you would be starting in France, but that way you’ll avoid a fee for dropping off the car in another country, and the car will already have a vignette, and saving money on that is a bonus.
Day 1: Arrival in Zurich
Depart Zurich Airport instantly and drive to Lucerne, which will take 45 minutes. Zurich is a busy city, and I recommend many other places in Switzerland instead of it, but if you arrive early in the morning, you can make a pit stop at the Lindt Chocolate Factory. My kids loved tasting different chocolates, and adults will have fun learning about the process.
Accommodation: Hotel Chateau Gutsch in Lucerne
Once you arrive in Lucerne you can either start exploring straight away or settle into your hotel. I recommend staying at Chateau Gutsch for a few reasons, with the first being the obvious: 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 town. The rooms available for families were average, as the best rooms are sadly only double ones, but we spent time hanging out on the terrace overlooking the city and lake.
Day 2-3: Lucerne
Assuming you won’t have time to see everything, if anything, around Lucerne the day you arrive, the real exploring will start on day two. The town is charming with 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 Museum of Transport
When visiting Lucerne with kids, we opted for a family attraction that turned out to be entertainment for me and my husband as well: the Swiss Museum of Transport.
The place is massive and partially open-air, where the kids had a blast riding miniature trains, pretending they’re shipping parcels, and even getting inside 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 could read the actual information about various exhibits. Although I admit that I didn’t mind going down the space slide either!
- Mount Pilatus
On the second day in Lucerne plan a day trip to one of the neighbouring mountains: either Mount Rigi or Mount Pilatus.
We opted to visit Pilatus, because I thought the steep cogwheel railway, which is the steepest in the world, combined with a cable car on the other side, was going to be more entertaining with the kids. You need to pre-book the railway to go up, so start with a cable car and go down the railway, but here’s my biggest tip:
Most people opt for the Gold Tour, but since we stayed at Chateau Gutsch, we already received a Lucerne Card for free, which provided us with free public transport and discounts on tickets. We didn’t need to pay more for the whole tour, and only needed to buy a train ticket for a short ride to the border of the city. A friendly cashier explained it to me and saved us a lot of money that way! I have a whole post on Mount Pilatus here – the playground, aerial ziplining, and alpine coaster were a hit!
Day 4-6: 3 Days in Lauterbrunnen
Continue your journey towards Interlaken on day 4. While you can definitely stay in Interlaken, I suggest staying in Lauterbrunnen instead, as it’s more beautiful and located closer to popular attractions.
Accommodation: Hotel Schützen Lauterbrunnen (hotel) or this AirBnb
Settle into your accommodations and explore Lauterbrunnen at a leisurely pace. The town has many restaurants that welcome children, and there’s a cute playground with a view in front of the waterfall.
When 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 opt for visiting both, but having done that, I will say that you should pick just one and leave the other day for different things.
- Jungfraujoch
Smaller kids will love Jungfraujoch, and it was very easy to take a train and then another gondola up. My son spent a long time looking at the decorations in the ice tunnel, and having the option to sled in the middle of the summer was a nice addition.
- Allmenddhubel Flower Park
On the second day, I suggest heading to one of the most amazing alpine playgrounds. The two most famous ones are Mannlichen with a giant cow, and Allmendhubel Flower Park. If you have to pick one, I suggest Allmendhubel because it’s also an adventure to get there.
First, you need to take an aerial cableway to Murren, which is a car-free village. Then after a short walk to the next station, you can either hike or take a train to the next station. With kids, we opted for the train, and they loved the ride. Once you get there, you need another cable car to the top of Allmendhubel, and from there you’ll see a gorgeous playground next to a restaurant with a terrace. There’s also a flower trail if you feel like doing some hiking.
When you descend back, my best tip 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 smooth and in the winter this route is a sledding run), and then at 3 PM, a parade of cows walks back home. You’ll hear their bells as they approach, and it’s quite a traffic jam experience!
If you have an extra day, my best 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 walk to Giessbach Waterfalls. Another idea is a Glacier Gorge walk in Grindelwald (it’s hard to find, so use these directions). It turned out to be quite a hit with suspended rope carpets over the gorge and colorful lights.
At the end of the day, drive to Chamonix and spend the night there, so you have a full day the next day.
Day 7: Chamonix
Accommodation: Park Hotel Suisse
Chamonix is a cute little ski town mostly known for skiing, but it’s just as beautiful in the summer. With kids, we opted for visiting an adventure park with cute outdoor play areas and rides. Our older was over 3 years old, so he was allowed to ride the alpine coaster with an adult – highly recommend it!
There’s much more to do in Chamonix, like Merlet Animal Park with easy walking trails and stunning views of Mont Blanc, or even watching rock climbers in the area. I have a full post about things to do in Chamonix with kids.
- Mer de Glace train
Then, your options are to either get to L’Aiguille du Midi or Mer de Glace. While the first one might sound more exciting as it’s the highest gondola in Europe, with kids, we were denied entry, because Holden was under 2 years old, and the recommended age is 3 years old due to high elevation.
Instead, we went to Mer de Glace, which was a cute little train that took us to the glacier, or rather what’s left of it these days. There’s an ice cave and plenty of viewpoints, which made an easy trip with toddlers.
Day 8-9: Annecy
Either the evening before or that morning, drive to Annecy, which is only about 1.5h away from Chamonix. Annecy is called the Venice of the Alps, as it’s a town with picturesque canals and a lake surrounded by mountains. It’s also a place we get to call home for now.
There’s a lot to do in Annecy (see this post), but a few must-dos are renting a pedal boat to go on the lake, followed by a picnic and 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 the summer.
Another super cool spot in Annecy with kids is Criq Parq, which is a wooden playground by the lake. I will say that kids older than 2 will be fine visiting, but even 9-year-olds will enjoy. There’s a cute 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 youngest ones can do a child’s course (from 100cm height) and playground with an adult, and there’s also a kids’ course and an adult one. I admit that my 5-year-old and I did the kids’ course, and it was pretty scary and super high up, but he thought it was amazing. If you decide to head there, you won’t miss the Menthon castle near it and a gorgeous view of the lake from the other side of town!
Kids older than 5 years old can also try their first paragliding experience, as there are many options in the area. For younger ones, you can even do their first water ski experience.
I recommend eating at Le Freti restaurant and trying the famous raclette and fondue. Just remember to book a table in advance.
Day 10: Drive back 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 (sorry to say, but it’s true), you can stroll around and spot the famous
If you have more time, I suggest continuing up to Colmar and Alsace region, which is home to the world’s prettiest villages.
With two more days to spare, you could also stop by Europa Park – an amazing amusement park we love as it has attractions for small kids and adults, along with themed hotels and one of the best waterparks in Europe. From there, you could drive back to Zurich, actually to avoid paying a relocation fee for the rental car (if you drop it off in Geneva).
Let me know if you have any questions!
