How to Play in Switzerland

The Hills Are Alive…

Those four words are the first people imagine when they think of Switzerland. And, honestly, these hills ARE alive. Every rock face has the movement of plants, animals or water. Every house has a balcony with hand-carved wood and flowers. Every yard has a garden with food and/or flowers. Cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, or alpacas are in every town. Even the cemeteries are more alive than any we have ever seen before.

Maybe it was the glacier water we were drinking, but we too, felt more alive in Switzerland than almost any other country we’ve visited. Our actions were more purposeful, and our pace was relaxed as we played from the heart across the little towns that make the fabric of the Berner-Oberland region.

We visited Switzerland in June 2026 and fully understand there are drastic differences in play during the winter months compared to the summer months. But, hats-off to the Swiss and they have created a wonderful, out-of-this-world playground in their country!!

We found many opportunities for picture-perfect fun.

Switzerland provided dramatic play opportunities.

For children and adults, the playground slides in several towns are steep and speedy. Participants can even enter through the butt of the cow and slide out the mouth. Wheeeeeee.

Take the Royal Walk to the Männlichen summit. At 2,342m (7,683 feet) above sea level it feels like you’re on top of the world. And hang on, because you might also feel like you could fall off. (Secret: the walk from the gondola is a mild elevation gain.😆)

Swiss technology takes people to new heights for FREE. E.g. Harder Kulm and Grindelwald First draws courageous Instagram models to the edge of the Alps on steel platforms. They are fully accessible for mobility challenges, but hair raising for those with height paranoias.

The First Cliff Walk on the edge of the mountain is positioned 2,167 meters (7,110 feet) above sea level. We observed all ages traversing the metal bridge and a suspension bridge before choosing to queue on the panoramic platform at the end. With shaking knees after the cliff walk, I took the escape route while Greg continued to the 360˚ platform.

Greg, who is not as fearful, queued with the adventurous people on the elevated viewing platform, 45 meters (148 feet) above the valley. He had a great time being silly for the camera but could have done without the wanna-be model's outfit changes during their turn posing with the snow-capped Alps.

Though we queued for the Grindelwald First Flyer ride with adrenaline shots at 84 km/h, the wind shut down the ride for the day. Instead, we settled for the smaller Pfingstegg Flyer that gently swings you through the trees 12 meters (39 feet) above the ground.

With the wind in our face, we zoomed down First Mountain on trottibikes hoping the brakes had been checked recently. Then, we sped through the toboggan run multiple times in Pfingstegg. Note of warning: Do NOT try to slow the toboggan with body parts.

For a foodie, self-guided walking scavenger hunts are a must. We found one "farm-fridge" and one vending machine but understand there are many more. In the vending machine we purchased farm-fresh cheese that was delicious! We even heard about, but did not see, the fresh milk vending machine. Cows and sheep are grazed carefully in Switzerland and THEIR food is protected from selfie-taking tourists.

From Royal walks to viewpoint walks there are plenty of ways to capture the perfect pose in Switzerland!