From mid-November, the old town and the lakefront fill with wooden stalls, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts. The markets we picked give kids something to do besides wait while you shop: a carousel, a candle-dipping hut, a choir singing from a tree, a toy train circling the station hall. Here's what we checked, from the Singing Christmas Tree on Werdmühleplatz to the lakeside old town of Rapperswil.
Bellevue Noël is a Christmas market on Sechseläutenplatz, between the opera house and the lake, with more than 100 food and gift stalls, music and a fondue chalet upstairs.
Kids head for their own area of small houses, with crafts, painting, a carousel and a kids' bar. At the center stands a walk-in Advent wreath with a view over the market and the lake.
Polarzauber fills the main hall of Zurich's main station with what it bills as Switzerland's largest indoor Christmas market: craft and food stalls, mulled wine and a kids' program all season. Kids watch the Lindt Christmas train circle the big tree, dance at the kids' disco and make crafts to take home.
Being indoors makes it an easy stop on a cold day or between trains.
Every day of the season, choirs sing from a Christmas tree on Werdmühleplatz, just off Bahnhofstrasse. Over 40 of them take turns, each with short sets that kids can watch from start to finish.
A small regional Christmas market surrounds the tree, with a children's carousel and a fondue chalet. It's outdoors and come-and-go, so it works with a baby in a stroller as well as with older kids.
Every Advent, the Weihnachtsmarkt Dörfli fills the lanes and squares of Zurich's Niederdorf with about 70 decorated market huts and festive lights. Kids can dip their own colored candles at the Märlibaracke, watch the Fortuna Fire Crew's fire shows, and snack on crêpes, churros and Dutch mini pancakes.
It is a browsing market spread through old-town lanes, so it suits families happy to wander, snack and stop for a show.
A Christmas market on the Münsterhof square in the Old Town, framed by the Fraumünster church and the old guild houses. The wooden stalls lean toward local shops, Zurich brands and well-made gifts, with food stands from around the world.
For kids, the draw is the culture tent, with live music and storytelling, plus a slow wander through the decorated lanes. It suits a short after-school or weekend visit.
Rapperswil's Christkindlimärt turns the medieval old town into a Christmas market. During the big market week, more than 200 stalls stretch from the lakeshore along Marktgasse to Hauptplatz, making it one of the largest in Switzerland.
It is a place to stroll, browse and look at the lights rather than a program of activities, so it suits kids happy to wander alongside a parent.
From mid-November, the old town and the lakefront fill with wooden stalls, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts. The markets we picked give kids something to do besides wait while you shop: a carousel, a candle-dipping hut, a choir singing from a tree, a toy train circling the station hall. Here's what we checked, from the Singing Christmas Tree on Werdmühleplatz to the lakeside old town of Rapperswil.
Bellevue Noël is a Christmas market on Sechseläutenplatz, between the opera house and the lake, with more than 100 food and gift stalls, music and a fondue chalet upstairs.
Kids head for their own area of small houses, with crafts, painting, a carousel and a kids' bar. At the center stands a walk-in Advent wreath with a view over the market and the lake.
Polarzauber fills the main hall of Zurich's main station with what it bills as Switzerland's largest indoor Christmas market: craft and food stalls, mulled wine and a kids' program all season. Kids watch the Lindt Christmas train circle the big tree, dance at the kids' disco and make crafts to take home.
Being indoors makes it an easy stop on a cold day or between trains.
Every day of the season, choirs sing from a Christmas tree on Werdmühleplatz, just off Bahnhofstrasse. Over 40 of them take turns, each with short sets that kids can watch from start to finish.
A small regional Christmas market surrounds the tree, with a children's carousel and a fondue chalet. It's outdoors and come-and-go, so it works with a baby in a stroller as well as with older kids.
Every Advent, the Weihnachtsmarkt Dörfli fills the lanes and squares of Zurich's Niederdorf with about 70 decorated market huts and festive lights. Kids can dip their own colored candles at the Märlibaracke, watch the Fortuna Fire Crew's fire shows, and snack on crêpes, churros and Dutch mini pancakes.
It is a browsing market spread through old-town lanes, so it suits families happy to wander, snack and stop for a show.
A Christmas market on the Münsterhof square in the Old Town, framed by the Fraumünster church and the old guild houses. The wooden stalls lean toward local shops, Zurich brands and well-made gifts, with food stands from around the world.
For kids, the draw is the culture tent, with live music and storytelling, plus a slow wander through the decorated lanes. It suits a short after-school or weekend visit.
Rapperswil's Christkindlimärt turns the medieval old town into a Christmas market. During the big market week, more than 200 stalls stretch from the lakeshore along Marktgasse to Hauptplatz, making it one of the largest in Switzerland.
It is a place to stroll, browse and look at the lights rather than a program of activities, so it suits kids happy to wander alongside a parent.
