Tag Archives: mountain playground

Wirzwelli ~Rotobahn, Playground, Ice-Cream, Oh MY!

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wirzweli-zauberland-g-1

Wierszweli is a little area above the nearby village of Dallenwil.

hang glider 2

swiss farmer views

It’s specially targeted to families with winter-time activities like snowshoeing and lots of easy kid friendly ski areas. In the summer it’s playground, rotobahn (also called toboggan) and ice cream make it a virtual kid’s paradise. You can reach Wertzwelli by gondola except for the few weeks of early spring when all the ski resorts are under-construction in preparation for summer time activities. During that time Wirzwelli is still open for late spring snowshoeing and early spring hiking depending on how warm the weather has been and can be reached by a small bus that travels up the mountain. For details on how to get there by public transport check with the SBB. Or taking a car to the lift is also very easy and it usually has ample parking. Rates for the Gondola are:

  • Adults roundtrip is 21.60 chf (with halbtax  10.80)
  • Childern over 6 are 10.80 vhf (with Junior card free)

Gondola travels up daily – every 20 minutes at the following times:
07:40 -12:00 & 13:00 -18:20

wirzweli lift

When visiting Wirtzwelli our favorite thing is the playground and Rotobahn. Since the Rotobahn is kind of pricey and my kids would be happy to ride on it all day long, I have to buy a multi trip ticket for each of them and when its all used up we spend the rest of the time watching the bunny rabbits or playing at the “spielplatz”.

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amanda and gabriel going up

 

rodobahn mom and soph2__There is a large “tree” house, a pine cone slide contraption, teeter-totters and slides and all the normal trappings of a good playground. There are large grilling areas if you prefer to picnic and a restaurant if you don’t want to worry about preparing and schleping the food. All swiss restaurants are both good and expensive so be prepared even if it masquerades as a casual little hole-in-the -wall, the prices are sure to be steep- thus the prevalence of the grills and picnic area everywhere in Switzerland. I can vouch for the ice cream sundaes they are a nice treat and big enough to share, but when you are finished you might just wish you had eaten it all by yourself. 

rotobahn madman

rotobahn madman

playground

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Brunni Mountain~ Kid Friendly Family Fun Day

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cross mountain copy

I probably mentioned this before but every mountain top in Switzerland has one of these sweet crosses on top. I love to see them because when I am in these majestic locations, I too feel the presents and power of god deeply.

fram up on brunni

Last year during the last days of summer we spent an afternoon in Engelberg at Brunni. Its a beautiful mountain resort that host summer time biking/hiking paths, para-gliding, and a wealth of kids activities like a big playground, summer tobogan and special kids hikes with hidden clues along the way.

theme character for bruni

Can you tell that Axel is a little too old for this “live” kuschel tier (cuddle pet or stuffed animal in english). Globi is an animated swiss blue bird that is the mascot for brunni. He often makes appearances and passes out treats during busy days.

trampolin at bruni

climbing wall at bruni

We started at the playground, hiked for a few hours up to a tiny little restaurant for a treat (their strategic locations are perfectly coordinated with icecream cravings).

beautiful valley

little stone foundation

starting hike

There are many hiking trails in this area, we choose an easy one to do with the kids. You can find out details at the train station or the gondola lift where you buy tickets. Free maps are always available and sometimes even in English. If you need help with trail recommendations be sure to ask the people at the stations before you leave because they always seem to speak english and while I rarely meet someone who does not- it can happen. Better to know where you are going before you get lost in the mountains.

mountains views around bruni

sophia cute

In addition to strategically located restaurants, the benches and hand carved “thrones” are also in just the right spots to enjoy a break and a view!

more views

The views are stunning and the temperatures are cooler making it a perfect summer time excape from the humidity and warm teperatures down in the valley where we live. However warm it might be, I always recommend bringing along light rain-proof jackets and sunscreen. Because the weather is infamously unpredictable here in the mountain areas of Switzerland.

axel examination

A butterfly rode up the mountain on Axel’s hand for about a 1/2 hour. He comes prepared for these encounters with pockets full of tools too assist in examinations. In addition to wildlife encounters he also comes prepared to survive overnight or for weeks if he has too- this vest holds a lot of important stuff in those pockets!  (He misses cub scouts).

axels butterfly

summer flowers

After a long walk the kids were rewarded with toboggan rides before we headed home.

coco on rotobahn

I think this is a great day trip if you are looking for something to do in Engelberg.

****TIP: in case you want to go up the mountains between now and the end of may, Brunni is one of the few gondolas still open.

*****EASTER TIP- They will close for revision to summer during April 22 (just after Easter) until May 23 2014. And if you want to enjoy some kid friendly Easter festivities they have an Easter egg hunt with Globi (the blue bird) and Osterbrunch~ Easter brunch and end of season party including live traditional Swiss music:

April 20 and 21 in the restaurant Ristis.

From 9:30-11:30 there is a big brunch buffet for 44 chf per adult including the gondola ride round trip (discount for halbtax, junior card and children under 6 free).

11:30-  extended  buffet and including dessert for 55 chf per adult including the gondola ride round trip (discount for halbtax, junior card and children under 6 free).

Be sure to double check their web site for details.