Name

The adventure hike “The Children’s Forest” is about two kilometers long, and starts at the Volksschule Zell at Pettenfirst, then follows the Pettenfirst interactive trail.

There are a total of 15 stations. There, parents and kids can look, touch, and smell to learn about the nature and history of the mountain. The stations include:
Viewing boxes
Water pathways
The origins of the Hausruck hills
Jungle path
Mushrooms
Soapstones
Water worlds
Tactile boxes, barefoot...
Spider web
World of sound
Climbing guitar
Forest animals
The crooked house
Fox’s den
Slide - telescope

A map of the “Children’s Forest” adventure hike is available at the start of the pathway. Walking the pathway without stopping would take about half an hour. To leave plenty of time for playing, learning, and discovery, plan about 3-4 hours. Your return pathway will lead you back down the way you came, but there are other hiking trails available for parents and kids.

The Magic Flute Playground near Mirabell castle is 1,500 m², and helps kids learn about the locations and events in Mozart’s opera of the same name. It includes:

a “Bird carousel”
“Dancing chimes”
a 13 meter tall “Testing temple”
an unusual climbing tower with a long tube slide
a climbing wall on the outside of the testing temple
a Papageno combo playground feature
A Papageno bird see-saw
a pyramid swing with bird’s nest seats
standard-size and toddler swing sets
a large sandbox
a merry-go-round

The old Volksschule in Neumarkt houses five different museums directed primarily at families - they provide space for kids to discover, touch, smell, feel, try things out, and play along. Topics include:

School of the senses
Bionic exhibit
Mug museum
Mining and mineral exhibit
and a 100 year-old classroom

In the 100 year-old classroom, kids and parents can learn how to write with quills like they did in the old days. In the School of the senses, different stations like the magic hourglass, drumming, sand pendulum, and a sound bed appeal to and stimulate the senses.

The Bionic room contains an experimental garden, and the Mug museum exhibits around 2,000 mugs. Last but not least, families will visit the mining museum, which displays exhibits on mining and a small mineral collection.

Nice little restaurant near a lake with a big playground for kids

Little miniature railway. A somewhat older model and already slightly run down, but still fun for small kids.

The Jump Around indoor playground is about 300 m² in size, and extends over two stories. It offers kids an ideal place to play and run.

Younger children can try new things on a play tower with slide, a ball pit, and lots of cars.
The giant kid’s room offers games, crafts, Playmobil and Lego toys, and even a doll kitchen for cooking.
The kid’s disco allows little visitors to let their hair down, with real lights and sound.

There is also a comfortable parents’ area for adults.

The Masoala Express takes you directly from the main entrance of the zoo to the Masoala Rain Forest. The express stops at the Kaeng Krachen elephant park.

The Basel Zoo enjoys a very central location almost directly in the middle of the city. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from the train station. Immediately, visitors will be submerged in another world. The Basel Zoo is very extensive, offering lots of beautiful areas to relax or take a picnic. Kids will love the zoo as well. There are playgrounds of all sizes in various areas of the grounds. Visitors can enjoy the atmosphere, without rushing from enclosure to enclosure. The sea lion feeding, for instance, is a real highlight. The sea lions aren’t just fed, they also put on tricks to excite the audience. A cafeteria and self-service restaurant are near the entrance. A new elephant enclosure is opening in fall of 2016, and the rest of the zoo facilities are also modern, with an open feel. In 2020, the zoo will open an Oceanium, which will house around 30 aquariums and thousands of animals.

The Papiliorama is absolutely worth a day trip, and will delight both young and old. It is known primarily for its tropical garden and butterflies, inviting guests to take a walk and be surrounded by the fluttering wings of many different butterfly species. The Nocturama, a nighttime landscape where visitors can observe nocturnal animals, is also a real experience. Of course, younger children could be afraid of the dark.

If your family’s taking a vacation in Ticino, or doesn’t mind a long drive for an all-day adventure, Swiss Miniature will show you all of Switzerland, recreated in loving detail. All the most important places and tourist attractions in Switzerland are on display in miniature form. Miniature model trains, gondolas, ships, and cars travel through the whole park. Children will love getting lost in discovering the miniature landscape. Adults, as well, will be able to learn a lot about our country. Visitors can also enjoy a relaxing tour through the park on a miniature train. Hungry guests can visit the self-service restaurant, and the park also offers a grotto with specialties from Ticino during the summer months.