Our 2.5 yo has been very interested in trains recently. We went for a day out in Lucern at the Verkehrshaus in Lucern and although we had a great time the trains turned out the be a let down, kind of. There are beautifully maintained locomotives but they are mostly to look at, not to climb on.
Can anyone recommend or know of a park where train cars can be climbed on / explored by the little ones? Cargo wagons, locomotives etc...
Any tips are much appreciated!
Perthaps too far for you? But could involve an overnight. A friend is going there with 3 year old tomorrow as he is also crazy about trains!
Steam locomotives? There are several historic trains around Switzerland. You travel in the train and can take a look at the locomotive at every stop. So, yes, you and your kid can climb on it
This one is based on Winterthur and they sell tickets to ride in the locomotive https://dlm-ag.ch/en/current-trips/
This one is in Val de Travers (Neuchâtel) and it has an awesome bar with absinthe. I recommend it https://www.vvt.ch/
This one is in Aargau but more talk than locomotives pulling cars and making noises https://www.bahnpark-brugg.ch/de/home
The Brienz-Rothorn cog railway is operated with steam locomotives. Not historic, this is the normal service https://brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/thelocomotives/?lang=en
Just look for steam (dampf in German, Vapeur in French) and you'll find more historic trains that you can ride on.
Riding on trains is indeed possible.
They may get more fun out of riding on the miniature ones.
There's one at Stein am Rhein and one near Ikea, Luzern here which also has a kids playground.
Check operating times at all Steam railways to avoid disappointment.
It's on the border of Zurich and Regensdorf, right behind this restaurant: https://www.waldhaus-katzensee.ch/
A few minutes' walk along the lake, there's a lovely swimming area with a playground and a small, sandy beach, a small outdoor café, lockers and hot showers. https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/ssd/de/...katzensee.html
Probably a bit early, but the Tram Museum Zürich may become interesting later on. Same for the Locorama and the Saurer Museum by the Bodensee.
Anyway, happy parent, happy kid
Steam trains, and the green fairy (although I generally prefer Kübler), will Switzerland ever fail to deliver?
Note the openning times:
monday - 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
wednesday - 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
saturday - 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
sunday - 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
If you do, give me a shout- happy to take you to my favourite distillers and Absinthe Museum and bar (La Maison de l'Absinthe, in Môtiers).
Very notable is the Baumschul Bahn Schinznach .
In Zürich Altstetten you can find the Dampfmodellclub der Schweiz .
And in Romanshorn the Locorama .
Now those all for riding not climbing. The locomotive for kids to climb on could be found at the Kinderzoo Rapperswil. Unfortunately it is no more.
Something else to climb on can be found in Fisibach AG (not to be confused with Fislisbach AG): Trucks, excavators, steam rollers, and bulldozers. All at the Ebianum .
You can also make a walk over the train yards in Rapperswil. From the overpass, you can see all kinds of train stuff going on. And even get fairly close to the cars. Climbing and being up that high can be fun for a kid too. Think about combining it with a trip to the Zoo there and its a short walk from the parking area.
I also seem to remember two train cars in Uster that were available for climbing and touring. I think it had something to do with the model railroad association or something there.
The Polybahn might be an option as well.
I dont know of anyplace around Zurich where you can regularly climb around on actual full size working trains.
https://www.sursee-triengen-bahn.ch/...e-fahrten.html
Timetable is out for 2022 - basically every last Sunday in summer.
Some people like to dress up in old clothes for the experience and it is possible to see the train / trains up close when they come in and out of the station and when they are preparing it for service at the beginning of the day. We have combined it with going on the bus and normal train to get there - our kids at 2.5 half enjoyed travelling on public transport as an experience as they don't do it on a regular basis living outside of the city.
This option that was already mentioned in this thread by Tom was also enjoyed by my boys. There are other things to do as well as ride on the mini train so this helps with the entertainment.
(Although when we there last a few weeks ago, my kids went around with a notepad and pencil and measured all the cages to see if they were big enough!)