Little tourist trains: our favourite rides with children in French-speaking Switzerland

There is something universal about children: put them on a little train, and the journey becomes the destination. Good news — French-speaking Switzerland is a paradise for miniature rail and mountain trains.

From miniature steam locomotives to alpine funiculars, here are our favourite rides, from the gentlest to the most spectacular.

Miniature train parks

• Le Swiss Vapeur Parc, in Le Bouveret: THE local reference. You climb aboard real miniature trains in beautifully kept surroundings by Lake Geneva, from age 2. Allow half a day.
• Les Îles Vapeur Parc, in Sion: real little steam and electric trains beside the lake at Les Îles. More intimate, just as magical, and easy to combine with the Domaine des Îles.
• Le P’tit train de Lausanne-Vidy: the Sunday ride under the trees of the Parc Bourget, simple and joyful.

Little town trains

• Le Baladeur, in Martigny: a tour of the town between artworks and Roman remains, without tiring young legs.
• Le Petit Train Rive Gauche, in Geneva: the bay, the Jet d’eau and the Flower Clock along the waterfront, setting off from the Jardin Anglais.
• Geneva’s historic trams: one Sunday a month in the warm season, genuine 1920s trams run through the city. Wooden benches and a trip back in time guaranteed.

Real trains that climb

• The NStCM, from Nyon to La Cure: the little red train that leaves Lake Geneva to climb into the Jura. For children, the journey is already the adventure, and the trails of Saint-Cergue are waiting at the top.
• VerticAlp Emosson, in Finhaut: three mountain trains in a single journey, up to the Emosson dam facing Mont Blanc. The most spectacular in our selection.
• The St-Luc funicular: it climbs to Tignousa, the starting point of Le Chemin des Planètes. Train plus planets plus panorama: the winning combination.

Our railway family tips

• Steam parks run in season and in fine weather: check the opening days before promising anything.
• Bring some cash: on some little trains, payment is still in cash only.
• For mountain trains, book seats on the panoramic side and keep a warm layer in the bag.
• The M2 metro in Lausanne and the Mouettes genevoises also do the job nicely for an improvised “transport adventure”: let the children choose the destination.

Want to keep going without a car? Discover our finest family outings by train and boat.

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