There are 80 playgrounds in Zurich. For the nearest one, inquire at your hotel. Most boat trips leave from the end of Bahnhofstrasse on the right. You might also combine a train ride with a trip to an attraction outside Zurich.

Select theaters also offer changing programs for children. Check a copy of Zurich Weekly Official, available at most newsstands.

Zürcher Spielzeugmuseum (Zurich Toy Museum)

Fortunagasse 15

01/211-93-05

Mon-Fri 2-5pm, Sat 1-4pm

Tram 13

Free admission

This museum, in one of the oldest parts of the city, contains more than

1,200 antique toys from all over Europe. The collection is displayed on the fifth floor of a house.

Alpamare

It lies at Churstrasse 111, in the village of Pfdffikon on Lake Zurich,

daily 10am -10pm. Mon-Fri

Admission charged. Children under 6 enter free, but children 2 and under are not allowed in the water.

055/415-15-87

Europe's largest water park as certified in the Guinness Book of World Records. offering year-round fun in and around the water on four body flumes and both indoor and outdoor tube slides. There's also an indoor swimming pool with breakers, a bubbling hot spring, an open-air pool with underwater music and massage jets, as well as 300 feet of lazy river and an outdoor thermal pool.

Zoologischer Garten (Zoological Garden)

Zurichbergstrasse 221

01/254-25-00

Mar-Oct daily 8am-6pm; Nov-Feb daily 8am-5pm

Tram 6 from the Hauptbahnhof

The zoo is in the eastern sector of the city, called Zurichberg, on a wooded hill

Admission charged.

One of the best-known zoos in Europe, Zurich's Zoological Garden contains some 2,200 animals of about 260 species. It also has an aquarium and an open-air aviary. You can visit the Africa house, the ape house, and the terrariums, along with the elephant house and the giant tortoise house. There are special enclosures for red pandas, otters, and snow leopards, and a house for clouded leopards, tigers, Amur leopards, and Indian lions.

Botanischer Garten

Universität Zurich

Zollikerstrasse 107

01/634-84-61

Park: Mar-Sept Mon-Fri 7am-7pm Sat-Sun 8am-6pm; Oct-Feb, Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat-Sun 8am-5pm.

Greenhouses: daily 9:30-11:30am and 1-4pm

Tram 11 to Hegibachplatz, or 2 or 4 to Höchsgasse. Bus: 33 to Botanishcer Garten

Free admission

The gardens contain 15,000 living species, including some rare specimens from New Caledonia and Southwest Africa. The herbarium contains three million plants. The gardens, owned by the University of Zurich, were laid out on the site of a former private villa. Adults and children enjoy the beauty of the lush and colorful gardens.

Swiss Technorama

Technoramastrasse 1. Winterthur

052/243-05-05.

Admission charged. free for children 5 and under.

Tues-Sun 10am-5pm. Closed Dec 25.

Take motorway N1, exit at Oberwinterthur, and drive a mile toward Winterthur. Or take a train to the Winterthur main station and switch to bus no. 5 marked technorama.

Technorama is the Swiss National Center for Science and Technology. Its permanent exhibition is divided into eight areas, with many interactive experiments:

Physics, Energy, Water/Nature/Chaos, Mechanical Music, Mathe-Magic, Materials,Textiles, and Automation. In the hands-on Youth Laboratory, children can learn from some 100 experiments about science, mathematics, and biology. A self-service restaurant is at the site, and a big park features a steam train and manually powered flying machines.

Franz Carl Weber

Bahnhofstrasse 62

01/211-29-61

The largest toy shop in Europe is named for the famous toy collector.

Pastorini

Weinplatz 3

01/228-70-70).

This is a specialist toy shop, Pastorini specializes in wooden toys and is one of the largest toy stores in Zurich. It is spread over five floors.

Kinderbuchladen Zurich

Oberdorfstrasse 32

01/261-53-50

The best-stocked children's bookstore in Switzerland is, which carries many English-language books.

Family Sightseeing Near Zurich

Zurich is surrounded by some of the most interesting sightseeing areas in Switzerland.

The Dolderbahn

Take the Dolderbahn for a short aerial cable ride to the

Dolder Recreational Area, 1,988 feet above the city.

Trains leave every 10 minutes from Rvmerhofplatz, ( reached by tram no. 3, 8, or 15).

Admission charged.

The recreational area is open year-round and has restaurants, nature trails, rustic taverns, a path to the zoo, a miniature golf course, and from October to March, an ice-skating rink.

Dolder Schwimmbad

01/267-70-80

A swimming area carved into a hillside with a stunning view of Zurich. It is a 5-minute walk along a forest trail from the end of the cable-car line;

The Forchbahn

01/918-01-08

The Forchbahn is a short-haul railway line originating in downtown Zurich at the Stadelhofen Bahnhof, (at the junction of the Bellevueplatz and the Limmatquai)

Trains on the Forchenbahn run without conductors. Buy a ticket from a machine at whatever point you get on.

The area is noted for its sunlight and beautiful homes and gardens.

You can get off the train at the stops of your choice and walk any of the signposted trails to nearby points of scenic interest.

Felsenegg

Frequent (every 25 minutes) trains from Zurich's Hauptbahnhof make the 14-minute run to the residential suburb of Adliswil, 6 miles south;

From Adiswil, ride for a 10 minute uphill climb to an aerial cable car,

the Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg (LAF)

01/710-7330

Then enjoy a 6-minute uphill ride to the top of Felsenegg, at 2,650 feet above sea level.

From there, it is a 10 minute hike to an alpine restaurant with a spectacular view. Call for prices and schedules.

Kilchberg

4 miles from Zurich along the southwestern shore of the lake.

Train S8 departs from Zurich Hauptbahnhof station every half hour for an 11 minute ride to the village.

By car: proceed along the southwestern shore route of Lake Zurich following the signposts to Kilchberg.

Thomas Mann spent the last years of his life in this village and was buried on the south side of the small church in 1955. His wife died there in 1980. Locally, Kilchberg is associated with the 19th-century Swiss author Conrad Ferdinand Meyer.

Uetliberg

Southwest of Zurich, Uetliberg, the northernmost peak in the Albis ridge

01/206-45-11.

This popular excursion from the city takes only 15 minutes. Take the mountain railway, Uetlibergbahn, from the Selnau station in Zurich. The round-trip takes half an hour and arrives near the Sihl River, at an elevation of 2,800 feet .

From the station, hike 10 minutes to the summit, where there is a cafe and restaurant. The tower is a climb of about 170 steps. From the lookout, on a clear day, it is possible to see as far away as the Black Forest.

Rapperswil

Exploring Rapperswil

A lake steamer from Zurich travels to the "town of roses," on the northern shore of Lake Zurich, 19 miles away, in about half an hour.

Another option is to travel to Rapperswil from Zurich, on the conventional train, S-5, from the Hauptbahnhof to Rapperswil. It is a 30 minute ride.

This is an unforgettable experience and many recommend it as “not to be missed” for short-term visitors to Zurich. Rapperswil is a charming, ancient Swiss town. It has kept its medieval appearance in its upper town, and is an ideal place for walks and drives around the north shore of Lake Zurich.

Rathaus (town hall)

in the main square, dates from 1471. It has a richly embellished Gothic portal. Many of the town's streets date from the Middle Ages.

Heimatmuseum.

Herrenberg, 40.

055/210-71-64

Admission charged. free for children under 6.

Mid-March- Oct only. Sat 2-5pm, Sun 10am-noon and 2-5pm; July-Aug also Wed 2-5pm.

Located east of the parish church, this museum is devoted to local history. The museum reflects the history of Rapperswil from the time knights in armor passed through the town to the present. The museum is located in the former residence of a noble family. It contains Roman artifacts, a weapon collection, paintings, and antiques.

Knie's Kinderzoo (Children's Zoo)

Strandweg.

055/220-67-60.

Admission charged. Free for children under 4.

Daily 9am-6pm.

Closed Nov to mid-Mar.

On the north side of the castle hill is a children's zoo, run by the Knie National Circus. Trained dolphins and other acts perform there. Children are offered pony rides and a ride on a miniature railway. Nearby is the Hirschgarten (or deer park).

Rapperswil Castle.

055/210-18-62.

Castle and museum

Admission charged.

Apr-Oct, daily 1-5pm. Closed Nov-Mar.

Built by the young Count of Rapperswil when he returned from the First Crusade in about 1200, Rapperswil Castle is an imposing medieval stronghold on a rocky hill above the town. In 1875, it became the home of Graf Plater, exiled leader of the resistance against the 19th-century occupation of Poland by the Russian tsars. From Rapperswil, Graf Plater continued to play an active role in Polish politics for another 40 years. Today, the castle contains a museum devoted to mementos of 19th and 20th century Polish political life, including portraits of Chopin and Kosciuszko. Occasionally, the castle shows art exhibits on temporary loan from museums in Warsaw or Crakow.

Winterthur

From Zurich's Hauptbahnhof, trains depart about every 20 minutes throughout the day (trip time: 20 to 26 minutes).

This industrial town in the Toss Valley, 12 miles northeast of Zurich, is also a music and cultural center, with an outstanding art collection.

Winterthur was once a Roman settlement and became the seat of the counts of Kyburg. It later was a stronghold of the Hapsburgs, until it was sold to the city of Zurich.

Winterthur is best explored on foot.

The skyline of Winterthur is dominated by the twin towers of its parish church, the Stadkirche, built from 1264 to 1515 (the towers were added later).

Museum Oskar Reinhart am Stadtgarden

Stadthausstrasse 6.

052/267-51-72.

Admission charged.

Wed-Sun 10am-5pm, Tues 10am-8pm.

Bus: 1,3 or 6.

Oscar Reinhart, a famous art collector who died in 1965, willed many of his treasures to the city. Displayed in this gallery are works of Austrian, German, and Swiss artists, with a representation of the Romantic painters, including Blechen, Friedrich, Kersting, and Runge. There are some 600 works in all, from the 18th to the 20th century.

Kunstmuseum. Museumstrasse 52.

052/267-51-62.

Admission charged.

Tues 10am-8pm, Wed-Sun 10am-5pm.

Bus: 1, 3, or 6 to Stadthaus.

Located a 10-minute walk north of the Stadthaus on Stadthausstrasse and Lindstrasse, this fine-arts museum contains an impressive collection of European and American art and sculpture from the late 19th century to the present. Giacometti and such French artists as Bonnard and Vuillard are well represented. Highlights are works by van Gogh, Mirs, Magritte, Mondrian, Kokoschka, Calder, and Klee. There are sculptures by Rodin, as well as works by Medardo Rosso and Maillol. The permanent collection is on display from June to August; temporary exhibits are presented the rest of the year.

Schloss Kyburg

Kyburg 8314.

052/232-46-64

Admission charged. free for children 5 and under.

Feb-Nov, Tues-Sun 10:30-5:30. Closed Dec-Jan. From Zurich

take the Winterthur rail line, get off at the Fretekon stop, and transfer to a bus for the 10-min. ride to the castle; buses depart every hour throughout the day.

The castle is not on a street (or road) map.

Four miles from Winterthur, Schloss Kyburg is the largest castle in eastern Switzerland, dating from the Middle Ages. It was the ancestral home of the counts of Kyburg until 1264, when the Hapsburgs took over. It was ceded to Zurich in the 15th century and is now a museum of antiques and armor. There's a good view from the keep. You may also visit the residence hall of the knights, parapet, and chapel.

Swiss Technorama

Technoramastrasse 1. Winterthur

052/243-05-05.

Admission charged. free for children 5 and under.

Tues-Sun 10am-5pm. Closed Dec 25.

Take motorway N1, exit at Oberwinterthur, and drive a mile toward Winterthur. Or take a train to the Winterthur main station and switch to bus no. 5 marked technorama.

Technorama is the Swiss National Center for Science and Technology. Its permanent exhibition is divided into eight areas, with many interactive experiments: