Basel sits where Switzerland, Germany and France meet, so the right tower or hilltop shows you all three at once. Kids get the climb, you get the view, and on a clear day the Alps line up on the horizon. Here's what we checked, from the narrow stairs of the Minster towers to a gondola ride up the Black Forest's highest peak.
Basel Minster is the city's former cathedral, now a Reformed Protestant church, built of red sandstone with colored roof tiles and two slim towers. Kids can climb both the Georgsturm and the Martinsturm, about 250 steps each up a narrow staircase, for a wide view over Basel.
Below the Georgsturm, look for a picture from 1372 of Saint George fighting a remarkably small dragon.
St. Chrischona is the highest point of Basel-Stadt: a wooded hilltop above Bettingen with a church, a playground and Switzerland's tallest freestanding structure, the 250-meter TV tower. 71 steps under the church tower lead to a platform with views to the Alps, the Jura, the Black Forest and the Vosges.
The Generationenparcours playground has a slide, climbing course, seesaw, swings and a bouldering block, plus a forest zip line.
Gempenturm is a 28-meter steel lookout tower with five levels, standing in the woods at the edge of the Gempen plateau. From the top, kids can pick out Basel, the Baselbiet, Alsace and the Vosges, and the Black Forest.
Hiking trails, some with steep climbs, loop around the tower, and the Gempenturm restaurant sits right next to it.
A gondola climbs from Reigoldswil to the Wasserfallen in about 10 minutes, with six-person cabins that run continuously, so there is no timetable to learn. At the top station, families pick up kick scooters and helmets and ride a 4 km forest track back down to the valley in 20 to 30 minutes. An adventure playground with a giant wooden sled and climbing tower sits beside the top station.
The Feldbergbahn is a gondola up the Feldberg, at 1,493 meters the highest peak of the Black Forest. Its enclosed 8-seat cabins take strollers, wheelchairs, bikes and dogs, and two colorful cabins feature Resi, the cow mascot.
At the top, the Feldbergturm's viewing platform on the 11th floor looks across the Black Forest to the Alps on clear days. The first floor holds an interactive Black Forest ham museum.
Rötteln is one of the largest castle ruins in southern Baden, stretching about 300 meters along a hilltop spur above Lörrach. Kids can climb both keeps for views over the corner where Germany, Switzerland and France meet, roam the walls and courtyards, and see the small castle museum with its fairy-tale organ and weapons display. Behind the castle, a grill area has a well-known climbing root.
Dorneck is a medieval castle ruin on a rock ridge above Dornach, between the Birs valley and the Gempen plateau. At 100 meters long, it is one of the largest castle sites in northwestern Switzerland.
Kids walk through three gates (stone cannonballs found in the rubble now decorate the inner one) into the central courtyard, then climb an iron staircase up the big bastion for the view.
Basel sits where Switzerland, Germany and France meet, so the right tower or hilltop shows you all three at once. Kids get the climb, you get the view, and on a clear day the Alps line up on the horizon. Here's what we checked, from the narrow stairs of the Minster towers to a gondola ride up the Black Forest's highest peak.
Basel Minster is the city's former cathedral, now a Reformed Protestant church, built of red sandstone with colored roof tiles and two slim towers. Kids can climb both the Georgsturm and the Martinsturm, about 250 steps each up a narrow staircase, for a wide view over Basel.
Below the Georgsturm, look for a picture from 1372 of Saint George fighting a remarkably small dragon.
St. Chrischona is the highest point of Basel-Stadt: a wooded hilltop above Bettingen with a church, a playground and Switzerland's tallest freestanding structure, the 250-meter TV tower. 71 steps under the church tower lead to a platform with views to the Alps, the Jura, the Black Forest and the Vosges.
The Generationenparcours playground has a slide, climbing course, seesaw, swings and a bouldering block, plus a forest zip line.
Gempenturm is a 28-meter steel lookout tower with five levels, standing in the woods at the edge of the Gempen plateau. From the top, kids can pick out Basel, the Baselbiet, Alsace and the Vosges, and the Black Forest.
Hiking trails, some with steep climbs, loop around the tower, and the Gempenturm restaurant sits right next to it.
A gondola climbs from Reigoldswil to the Wasserfallen in about 10 minutes, with six-person cabins that run continuously, so there is no timetable to learn. At the top station, families pick up kick scooters and helmets and ride a 4 km forest track back down to the valley in 20 to 30 minutes. An adventure playground with a giant wooden sled and climbing tower sits beside the top station.
The Feldbergbahn is a gondola up the Feldberg, at 1,493 meters the highest peak of the Black Forest. Its enclosed 8-seat cabins take strollers, wheelchairs, bikes and dogs, and two colorful cabins feature Resi, the cow mascot.
At the top, the Feldbergturm's viewing platform on the 11th floor looks across the Black Forest to the Alps on clear days. The first floor holds an interactive Black Forest ham museum.
Rötteln is one of the largest castle ruins in southern Baden, stretching about 300 meters along a hilltop spur above Lörrach. Kids can climb both keeps for views over the corner where Germany, Switzerland and France meet, roam the walls and courtyards, and see the small castle museum with its fairy-tale organ and weapons display. Behind the castle, a grill area has a well-known climbing root.
Dorneck is a medieval castle ruin on a rock ridge above Dornach, between the Birs valley and the Gempen plateau. At 100 meters long, it is one of the largest castle sites in northwestern Switzerland.
Kids walk through three gates (stone cannonballs found in the rubble now decorate the inner one) into the central courtyard, then climb an iron staircase up the big bastion for the view.
