Amazing Things To Do With Your Kids Around Laax, Switzerland, In Summer & Fall

If you’ve watched Heidi or The Sound of Music — or if you’ve spent any time scrolling travel accounts on Instagram — you’ve probably dreamed of visiting the Swiss Alps. The technicolor green fields dotted with goats and cattle. The clear rushing water. And a unique and friendly culture that makes traveling a breeze.

While many people flock to the Jungfrau Region or the Matterhorn area in late spring, summer, and fall, I found myself in the Surselva region of the canton of Graubünden (Grisons) during my visit, and I’m so glad I did. While the area is best known for its wintertime skiing and snowboarding opportunities, there’s a wealth of things to do throughout the year, and it’s just 90 minutes from Zürich via incredibly easy public transportation. With my home base in Laax, I was able to hike, swim, bike, and eat to my heart’s delight, surrounded by almost unimaginable landscapes and beauty — and not surrounded by crowds.

Here’s some of what I recommend!

Stay at rocksresort

If you are staying in the Laax area, stay at rocksresort, especially if you are bringing your kids. While it’s paradise for snowboarders and skiers in the winter, it transforms into heaven for bikers and skateboarders in the spring, summer, and fall.

The resort boasts a number of walkable restaurants, a gondola, indoor and outdoor recreation, recreation rental and guides, and a ton more. The accommodations are very Swiss, in the best way, offering simple, gorgeous rooms with wooden/natural low-laying furniture with clean lines. I loved that my room had a simple window seat looking out into the forest and mountains beyond. It was so peaceful and restful.

The resort also offers amazing daycare support for younger kids. Children from 1 to 4 years old can hang out at the daycare center for a few hours or for the day based on an hourly rate, while kids 1-8 can drop into the daycare in the evenings, until 9 p.m., totally for free, so that their parents can have dinner, a hike, or alone time.

Older kids can go to the nearby Ami Sabi Workshop for the day, where they can learn about nature, art, and woodworking. The workshop, which is located in a renovated barn just yards from the skate park, is whimsical and adorable, and the kids are kept busy, happy, and fed.

Skate, bike, and scoot (and trampoline)

The outdoor skate park (where you can also play on your bikes and scooters) is nothing less than epic for those who like to drop into bowls or for those who like street skating. There’s also a huge indoor recreation facility on-site, Freestyle Academy, where kids and adults alike can skate, do Parkour, or trampoline. Everything is very clean and safe, and because the Swiss prize independence in kids, parents regularly leave their older kids to play or take a lesson while they choose their own activities.

Other activities on the resort grounds are available, too, from slack lines to zip lines to soccer and basketball. There’s also a playground for smaller children — and Swiss playgrounds are the best!

Stroll the "Senda dil Dragun” treetop walk

This is the longest treetop walkway in the world, and it is so cool! Guests climb an impressive spiral staircase so they can stroll through the treetops along a wooden walkway over the course of a full mile, stopping to read about the wildlife all around them.

An extra fun activity for the kids? You can get a marble at the start of the walkway and play with multiple wooden marble runs as you go.

Guests can also buy tickets to take a giant spiral slide or a zip line down to the bottom after their walk.

Once you walk to the other end of the walkway, you can walk down the staircase on the other side and hike into the township of Laax, which boasts a little lake (where you can swim in summer) and a few clustered neighborhoods. It’s totally worth the extra time to walk a loop around the lake and then back up to the Senda dil Dragun (just don’t forget to scan your ticket to regain access).

Hike the Flims Waterway Trail (Trutg Dil Flem Trail)

This was my very favorite activity I did while staying in Laax, and it’s not to be missed! It includes some of the best things in the Alps: comfort food, amazing views, and gondola rides.

First, I took a public bus from Laax to Nagens for just a few dollars and hiked through beautiful countryside for about 40 minutes to the Segneshütte stop, where I ate lunch (mac and cheese, plus a Swiss soda) at the cafe near the gondola stop.

Next, I explored the Segnesboden high river valley, which sits above 7,000 feet and is completely stunning. You can hike a large circle, visiting an enormous waterfall and stopping at a totally random hut to buy honey made by the bees there.

After visiting the falls, I headed down the Flims Waterway Trail (you can also hike up it, but that is obviously harder), where I took in mind-breaking views of the Alps while following a gorgeous river. I crossed the river seven times on seven different bridges, which were thoughtfully built by a local designer. During the hike, you go from very rugged and steep mountain landscapes to increasingly mild farmland, and every step is magical.

At almost any time in the hike, you can hop on a gondola and ride back down to Flims, which I did at the last stop.

Explore nearby Flims

Once at the bottom, you can explore the small city of Flims. This is a great place to window shop, buy gifts and souvenirs, and maybe get some chocolate. I bought a couple of Switzerland’s iconic wooden cows for my kids, for example.

There are also several small museums and art galleries to explore. Once done, you can hop the bus back to Laax and be home in just a few minutes.

Eat so much good food

There is no shortage of great food to eat in Laax, and all the restaurants are easily accessible and walkable from rocksresort.

Riders Restaurant was my favorite. It offers vegetarian/vegan dishes that focus on clean, regional food — and you can choose between three and five courses. The food is incredible, the atmosphere is lovely, and while it’s pretty fancy, it seemed to welcome children warmly.

Grandis Ustria da Vin was another favorite, where you can eat Swiss classic comfort food, such as raclette.

Rocksresort also offers an incredible buffet breakfast each morning, which often filled me up until dinnertime. You can eat pretzel croissant, colorfully dyed hard-boiled eggs, and fresh local cheese (hot tip: they call Swiss cheese “country cheese”).

Hike or bike to Lake Cauma and Lake Cresta for a swim

My second favorite thing to do in Laax was exploring the intricate trail system in the forest just east of Laax. The first time I went, I rented an ebike from the resort and explored the area on two wheels. The second time, I hiked and had just as good a time.

The biggest draw in the area is Lake Cauma, the jewel of Flims, which boasts a playground, changing rooms, a restaurant, and lots of amazing places to swim. While most things were closed when I visited in late September, I was still able to use the changing rooms and go for a swim in the surprisingly warm and clear water! Sure enough, when I looked it up later, I found that it’s one of the warmest mountain lakes in the Alps.

I also stopped by Lake Cresta, which is smaller with a more chill vibe. It still has places to eat, change, and swim, including a lovely dock. I also took a swim here, and it was delightful!

View the Rhine Gorge (Swiss Grand Canyon)

Just a hop, skip, and jump from Lake Cresta is the Il Spir observation platform, where you can take a good look at the Rhine Gorge, also known as the Swiss Grand Canyon. Even on a cloudy day, like when I was there, the views are just stunning. It’s absolutely worth the bit of uphill biking or walking you need to do to take it all in.

Hike the Panorama Trail to Falera

If you want to stay a bit closer to home, you can hike the Panorama Trail to the small town of Falera. Or, in my case, I took the bus to Falera and then hiked back home along the trail after buying some chocolate in town.

While there isn’t a ton to see and do in the small village, I did find a self-serve honor-system case of crystals (I bought two) and enjoyed taking in the architecture of the area while listening to the church bells and cow bells. The trail home was lovely, offering views of the mountains paired with green valleys and lots of wildlife.

This trip only took a couple of hours — and made for a perfect morning before bigger adventures.

Switzerland is truly a special place, for both nature lovers and urban explorers. I was constantly amazed by my surroundings, the friendliness of the people I met, and the simple, organized, and creative culture the Swiss are famous for. Spending the week in Laax was the trip of a lifetime, and I’m so glad I got to experience it.