We all know that kids love trains. What you may not know is that kids love Switzerland, and that is largely because of the Swiss Travel System and its trains. Indeed, after nature, the biggest draw for families in Switzerland may be its trains.
We offer great Swiss UnTours deals for families. And the Swiss Travel System offers great rail experiences for kids. Here are a few of our favorites.
Brünig: Safari special in Central Switzerland
On the most prestigious route of the Zentralbahn – from Lucerne over the Brünnig pass to Interlaken – children, attended by a parent, get the unique chance to enjoy the train ride from the driver’s perspective.
Seated right beside the conductor, they are also in pole position for the Brünig Safari. During the summer months, no fewer than 13 life-sized wooden animals wait for discovery on the stretch between Meiringen and Giswil.
Who may be the first to spot the hand-carved images of native and wild animals? All of them have been placed in their natural environment in such a way that the alert “safarist” can spot them from the train.
Swiss Museum of Transportation
Visit Europe’s most comprehensive museum of mobility – and justifiably the most visited museum in Switzerland: The “Verkehrshaus der Schweiz” (Swiss Museum of Transportation) at Lucerne.
More than 3,000 exhibits present the development of traffic and every sort of transportation: road, rail, waterway, air, and space. Among countless other attractions, a locomotive may be
conducted in a simulator. Up close and rich in variety, the museum brings the history of traffic and communication to life.
Visitors with a valid Swiss Travel Pass benefit from a 50% discount off the entrance fee. Learn more at verkehrshaus.ch.
Globi Express: Fun and action between Lucerne and Engelberg
The Swiss comic character Globi is a cult figure: all Swiss children know the blue parrot with the black beret and the red and black checked trousers. Globi made his first appearance in 1932 with his adventure Globi’s World Tour. 80 more books have been published since.
In the new Globi Express on the Zentralbahn, children dive into Globi’s adventure world. An extra coach decorated in Globi design is included in each train composition running between Lucerne and Engelberg and offers fun and excitement for the whole family. At various stages along the route Globi pictures appear at the train windows. Young passengers who pay attention can find the answers to questions on a flyer and are rewarded with a prize. His adventures take Globi around the world; adventurous guest from all over the world are now discovering Globi on the Zentralbahn.
Learn more at zentralbahn.ch/globi.
The realm of Rhaetian Railway
At the Albula Railway museum, both the young and the young-at-heart are carried away to the distant past of railway pioneers. Tunnels, viaducts and locomotives – that is the world of Clà Ferrovia.
The “children’s conductor” of the Rhaetian Railway tells fascinating stories of railways and of his adventurous life and sings and crafts with the children. He also takes them on journeys of exploration and adventures into the realm of the mountain railway.
The absolute highlight: In a simulator, visitors may try their luck at conducting the legendary “crocodile locomotive” along the Albula route themselves.
Learn more at RhB.ch/cla-ferrovia.
Plan your family vacation on a Swiss UnTour in the Heartland or Oberland and make the most of the Swiss rail system!