Zurich says goodbye to winter by setting fire to a snowman. At Sechseläuten, the guilds parade through town in costume and burn the Böögg, and the faster its head explodes, the better the summer. Kids get their own costumed parade the day before. Then comes spring break, with castles and treetop rope parks opening for the season. Here's what we checked, from the children's parade to the Rhine Falls.
About 3,000 children march through central Zurich in traditional dress and historical costumes, lined up in the order of the eras they represent, from Romanesque noblewomen to Belle Epoque and Charleston. Youth bands play along the whole route, and a wagon carrying the Böögg closes the parade.
For kids watching from the curb, it is a walking history lesson to wave at. It suits anyone fine with crowds and drums.
Sechseläuten is Zurich's spring festival, run by the city's old guilds. Kids get their own parade, with about 3,000 children in costume marching through the old town alongside young musicians. The main parade brings guild members in historic costumes and uniforms, riders, horse-drawn wagons and bands, ending at the square where the Böögg, a snowman figure, is burned on a bonfire.
It suits kids who don't mind big crowds.
Circus Knie is the Swiss touring circus run by the Knie family, and on its spring tour it pitches its big top in central Zurich. The show brings together international performers, modern show technology and the family's horses.
For 2027 the circus has a new tent and new seating. It suits kids who can stay seated through a full-length show and like horses and ring acts.
Lindenhof is a gravel square under lime trees on a moraine hill above the Old Town, with a view across the Limmat to the university buildings. People play chess under the trees, and the square hosts pétanque tournaments and theater.
It was a Roman fort from 15 BC. The fountain recalls the legend of Zurich women who, in 1292, dressed in armor to fool a Habsburg army.
Knies Kinderzoo is a hands-on zoo run by the Knie circus family since 1962, with about 400 animals from 45 species by Lake Zurich. Kids can feed the elephants, ride ponies and camels, and loop the grounds on the electric zoo tram. Giraffes, cheetahs, penguins and a goat petting area round it out, with free keeper talks and a short animal film through the day.
A high-ropes park in the Hardwald forest at Kloten, with 210 obstacles and about 2.5 km of ziplines strung between the trees. Courses are graded from a low green route for the youngest climbers to hard ones for teens and adults, and the newest, Melody, opened in 2024. Every climb starts with a safety briefing.
The park also runs archery, and has a kiosk and grill spots for guests.
Kyburg is a medieval castle that has been a museum for about 160 years. Inside the Grafenhaus and Ritterhaus, kids find suits of armor, a wooden block prison from 1529, room models with one hidden object that doesn't belong, and six short cartoons on the castle's story.
On the third floor, a castle building site lets them clamp stones, date beams by tree rings and build with wooden blocks.
Sattel-Hochstuckli is a family mountain reached by Stuckli Rondo, a gondola whose cabins turn a full 360 degrees as they climb. At the top, kids cross the 374-meter Skywalk suspension bridge over the Laui Gorge, ride the 600-meter Stuckli Run toboggan through tunnels and banked curves, and bounce in Rondos Playland.
In winter the slopes switch to sledding, a ski lift and a learning area for young skiers.
Conny-Land is a theme park in Thurgau with roller coasters, water rides and a sea lion show. Big kids head for the Cobra coaster, the Antares vertical coaster and a Space Shot tower that launches riders almost 60 meters up.
Smaller kids get the Cobralino kiddy coaster, Flying Elephants, radio boats and a splash playground. Covered rides like Dino Attack and Crazy Professor keep a wet day going.
Juckerhof is a working farm above Lake Pfäffikon, with a farm restaurant, a farm shop and views across the lake. Kids get a playground, a goat park, a straw bouncy castle and play tractors.
The ÖpfelGarte grows nearly 6,000 apple trees into two mazes and a labyrinth, beside a barefoot trail. Each autumn the farm fills with giant pumpkin sculptures.
A supervised building playground run by the local association VAA, where kids hammer, saw and climb on wooden huts built by earlier visitors. Tools and materials are handed out free, two people to a toolbox, and staff show how to use them. Regulars can build a hut of their own. A fire is always lit for grilling, and parents can build along or sit by it.
Rhine Falls is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, 150 meters wide and 23 meters high. From Schloss Laufen castle, a footpath and steep, narrow stairs lead past the thundering water to the Fischetz viewing platform.
Boats cross the basin and run out to the rock in the middle of the falls, which visitors can climb. A riverside path loops around the whole basin.
ZSG runs the public boats on Lake Zurich and the River Limmat: 17 ships calling at 31 landing stages, all part of the ZVV transit network. Lake round trips leave from the Bürkliplatz pier, from a short loop to a half-day cruise. River boats on the Limmat start at the Landesmuseum. The «ZSG Tour» audio guide app narrates the mini lake and river cruises.
Zurich says goodbye to winter by setting fire to a snowman. At Sechseläuten, the guilds parade through town in costume and burn the Böögg, and the faster its head explodes, the better the summer. Kids get their own costumed parade the day before. Then comes spring break, with castles and treetop rope parks opening for the season. Here's what we checked, from the children's parade to the Rhine Falls.
About 3,000 children march through central Zurich in traditional dress and historical costumes, lined up in the order of the eras they represent, from Romanesque noblewomen to Belle Epoque and Charleston. Youth bands play along the whole route, and a wagon carrying the Böögg closes the parade.
For kids watching from the curb, it is a walking history lesson to wave at. It suits anyone fine with crowds and drums.
Sechseläuten is Zurich's spring festival, run by the city's old guilds. Kids get their own parade, with about 3,000 children in costume marching through the old town alongside young musicians. The main parade brings guild members in historic costumes and uniforms, riders, horse-drawn wagons and bands, ending at the square where the Böögg, a snowman figure, is burned on a bonfire.
It suits kids who don't mind big crowds.
Circus Knie is the Swiss touring circus run by the Knie family, and on its spring tour it pitches its big top in central Zurich. The show brings together international performers, modern show technology and the family's horses.
For 2027 the circus has a new tent and new seating. It suits kids who can stay seated through a full-length show and like horses and ring acts.
Lindenhof is a gravel square under lime trees on a moraine hill above the Old Town, with a view across the Limmat to the university buildings. People play chess under the trees, and the square hosts pétanque tournaments and theater.
It was a Roman fort from 15 BC. The fountain recalls the legend of Zurich women who, in 1292, dressed in armor to fool a Habsburg army.
Knies Kinderzoo is a hands-on zoo run by the Knie circus family since 1962, with about 400 animals from 45 species by Lake Zurich. Kids can feed the elephants, ride ponies and camels, and loop the grounds on the electric zoo tram. Giraffes, cheetahs, penguins and a goat petting area round it out, with free keeper talks and a short animal film through the day.
A high-ropes park in the Hardwald forest at Kloten, with 210 obstacles and about 2.5 km of ziplines strung between the trees. Courses are graded from a low green route for the youngest climbers to hard ones for teens and adults, and the newest, Melody, opened in 2024. Every climb starts with a safety briefing.
The park also runs archery, and has a kiosk and grill spots for guests.
Kyburg is a medieval castle that has been a museum for about 160 years. Inside the Grafenhaus and Ritterhaus, kids find suits of armor, a wooden block prison from 1529, room models with one hidden object that doesn't belong, and six short cartoons on the castle's story.
On the third floor, a castle building site lets them clamp stones, date beams by tree rings and build with wooden blocks.
Sattel-Hochstuckli is a family mountain reached by Stuckli Rondo, a gondola whose cabins turn a full 360 degrees as they climb. At the top, kids cross the 374-meter Skywalk suspension bridge over the Laui Gorge, ride the 600-meter Stuckli Run toboggan through tunnels and banked curves, and bounce in Rondos Playland.
In winter the slopes switch to sledding, a ski lift and a learning area for young skiers.
Conny-Land is a theme park in Thurgau with roller coasters, water rides and a sea lion show. Big kids head for the Cobra coaster, the Antares vertical coaster and a Space Shot tower that launches riders almost 60 meters up.
Smaller kids get the Cobralino kiddy coaster, Flying Elephants, radio boats and a splash playground. Covered rides like Dino Attack and Crazy Professor keep a wet day going.
Juckerhof is a working farm above Lake Pfäffikon, with a farm restaurant, a farm shop and views across the lake. Kids get a playground, a goat park, a straw bouncy castle and play tractors.
The ÖpfelGarte grows nearly 6,000 apple trees into two mazes and a labyrinth, beside a barefoot trail. Each autumn the farm fills with giant pumpkin sculptures.
A supervised building playground run by the local association VAA, where kids hammer, saw and climb on wooden huts built by earlier visitors. Tools and materials are handed out free, two people to a toolbox, and staff show how to use them. Regulars can build a hut of their own. A fire is always lit for grilling, and parents can build along or sit by it.
Rhine Falls is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, 150 meters wide and 23 meters high. From Schloss Laufen castle, a footpath and steep, narrow stairs lead past the thundering water to the Fischetz viewing platform.
Boats cross the basin and run out to the rock in the middle of the falls, which visitors can climb. A riverside path loops around the whole basin.
ZSG runs the public boats on Lake Zurich and the River Limmat: 17 ships calling at 31 landing stages, all part of the ZVV transit network. Lake round trips leave from the Bürkliplatz pier, from a short loop to a half-day cruise. River boats on the Limmat start at the Landesmuseum. The «ZSG Tour» audio guide app narrates the mini lake and river cruises.
