Hiking In Atzmännig
We are not a hiking family, but we would like to be. OK, in another lifetime, or maybe even a year from now, I would like to be one of those hiking families we see from the gondola above. So when the Swiss Post asked me to choose one of their 10 Alice im Wanderland family hikes, I was super excited. This was the perfect opportunity to have our first real Swiss hike with so many distractions that the girls would be too busy to complain. Right?
Choosing Our Hike
We chose the Atzmännig hike as it is the closest one to Zürich. This was the first of the 10 Alice im Wanderland hikes. It was such a hot day and it was a seriously tough hike for our family that always takes the gondolas. But it was so much fun.
The Welcome Wagon
Thank goodness the Alice im Wanderland hike was really well run. We were so excited when we arrived and saw all the large tents with fun games, food, and drinks to welcome us and get us ready for the hike. The girls played all the games and won prizes, a picnic blanket, sunglasses, food, drinks, and a bunch more. If my kids are fed, half the battle has been won.
The Hike
Then we set out on the hike. The hike was a steep 7.8km loop from the car park to the restaraunt, then down ending up at the Atzmännig Leisure Park.
The girls complained in the hot sun and the steep climb up the mountain. But then they saw the first Alice stop. There were around 6 stops with Alice in Wonderland themes like the Mad Hatter Tea Party, the White Rabbit, and the finale where they freed Alice from the Queen’s house. Once the girls found out that there would be these stops and that they were collecting marbles at each stop to help free Alice, they were hooked. Such a cute idea. I think theme trails are going to be in our future.
Znüni-Pause
We stopped for a snack amongst the cows. The valley down below and the mountains in the distance were seriously gorgeous.
Lunchtime
When we finally reached the top of the mountain, there was a huge grill area set up for picnicking families. Coop handed out bananas with chocolate inside to grill. I had never seen this before. So we ate the new treat and went inside the restaurant for a cold drink and the girls played in the quintessentially Swiss epic mountaintop playground.
Serious Hiking
Six hours of hiking later, I finally took my Ergo carrier and 9 month old baby off and got in our air conditioned car. Goodness we felt awesome. We completed a 7.8km very tough hike I would say.
Details on the Alice im Wanderland Hikes
Check out the website for information on all 10 of the Alice im Wanderland hikes and to sign up for a hike. When you sign up there will be a confirmation email and a follow up email with more details on the hike. I would highly recommend doing one with your family. I would like to do the Gstaad and the Zermatt hikes as I think they will be absolutely gorgeous! This hike was really well run, fun, and a great day out for the whole family. Even us beginners. And if you are interested in doing a hike in Atzmännig, here is their official site.
Atzmännig Leisure Park
We were so exhausted after the 6 hours of hiking by the time we reached the amazing Atzmännig Leisure Park. This outdoor play area is right next to the gondola. Full of trampolines, slides, playground, and a restaurant. We will definitely bring the kids back just to play at the Leisure Park for a Zürich day trip.
This post is written in collaboration with the Swiss Post. All parenting pitfalls are entirely my own.
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