Last Updated on March 28, 2026 by Adrienne
Zurich gets a bit of a bad rap as a boring city, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it and think it’s well worth a few days here on a summer trip to Switzerland to explore the charming Old Town, visit the nearby Lindt chocolate museum and swim in the crystal clear lake. Zurich is also well-connected to other Swiss cities and mountain areas, making it a natural base for day trips. Read on to find out how we spent our two days in Zurich as a family.
Things to Do in Zurich with Kids
Chocolate Tastings & Lindt Home of Chocolate Tour
I wrote a whole blog post about our trip to the Lindt Home of Chocolate in the cute waterfront suburb of Kilchberg. Lindt is undoubtedly the most well known chocolate experience in the area and is a must-do in Zurich, especially with kids. If you’re looking for other places to sample Swiss chocolate, the city is also home to many well-known chocolatiers like Sprüngli, Läderach and Max. My favorite chocolate shop to visit with kids in downtown Zurich is Bachmann, which has a huge chocolate fountain, a clear staircase that takes you over chocolate-making machinery, and cute seats shaped like macarons and chocolate candies.
Old Town Zurich
Our chocolate tour to Lindt included a brief walking tour of Old Town (Altstadt), but it’s also easy to see on your own. The Old Town is located on both sides of the Limmat River, which feeds into Lake Zurich. Some of the biggest sites in Old Town are its iconic churches, including the Grossmünster (which has a tower you can climb for panoramic views of the city), and the Fraumünster (best known for its stained glass windows by Marc Chagall). I thought the Old Town area was so charming and picturesque and we really enjoyed just wandering around here (popping into chocolate shops periodically, of course).
Swimming Outdoors
On a summer trip to Zurich, do like the locals do and go for a dip in Lake Zurich or the Limmat River. Like pretty much all bodies of water in Switzerland, the water is immaculately clean. You can swim for free at one of the city’s public beaches, or go to one of the many badis, outdoor bathing facilities that offer lockers, sundecks and sometimes sell food/drinks and rent watersports equipment. Two of the city’s best known badis are Seebad Enge, which is more of a bar at night but is family-friendly during the day, and Frauenbad (pictured below) for women only.
Boat cruise on Lake Zurich
A boat ride on Lake Zurich is a great way to enjoy the city, but (as in Geneva) you don’t need to shell out for an expensive tourist cruise because there are affordable public ferries that cruise the lake. Certain boat cruises are even included with the Swiss Pass rail card and the Zurich card that covers local public transit and museum.
Where to Stay in Zurich with Kids
We actually stayed in two Zurich hotels, Hotel St. Josef and Hotel Alexander. Both hotels are centrally located and the Hotel Alexander was perfectly adequate, but we especially liked the St. Josef, which had spacious rooms that are perfect for families, a delicious breakfast (with outdoor seating in a cozy courtyard) and a really welcoming staff.
Where to Eat in Zurich with Kids
As a large, cosmopolitan city, Zurich has a lot of international restaurants. If you’re spending time here before heading to the mountains or a smaller Swiss city, I recommend taking advantage of the diversity of restaurants, because you will be much more limited to traditional Swiss food in the less urban areas. We enjoyed fresh pasta at the aptly named Ristorante La Pasta and Taiwanese food at Dumping Delights.
We did break our own rule for a meal at Zum Königstuhl and were so glad we ate here – it was by far our best meal in Switzerland, and we had delicious dishes like schnitzel, chicken in cream sauce and sausage, as well as a delicious molten lava cake. It’s also very kid-friendly with a dedicated children’s menu.
Day Trips from Zurich
Zurich is a perfect base for exploring central and eastern Switzerland. Great cities like Basel, Bern and Lucerne are all an easy day trip (~1 hour away by non-stop train). Our day trip to Lucerne was one of the highlights of our time in Zurich. The Alps are also quite accessible from Zurich, with Interlaken about 2 hours away on public transit, as well as plenty of options for private and group tours that take you from Zurich to alpine cities like Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen and even the Jungfraujoch (the highest railway station in Europe) and back within a day.
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